《Reborn As A Nephilim: The Rise of A Manaless Prince》
Chapter 1 Abandoned
"He has no talent?" a loud voice crackled above Arvell as he looked up to the man sitting on the royal throne.
"Y-y-yes, your majesty, we have never seen anything like this. The prince doesn''t seem to possess even a single drop of mana within his body!" the priest responsible for Arvell''s testing replied.
His face was visible palpitating, but he paid it no heed.
The current situation was far too dire to worry about how he looked to the curious onlookers.
The priest quickly disyed the information for everyone in the room to see.
[Status Information]
Name: Arvell Rs Vispia
Age: 13 years old
HP: 13
STA: 10
DEF: 8
SPD: 9
PHYS ATK: 9
MAGIC CIRCLE: 0TH CIRCLE 0TH STAGE
MP: 0
Titles: Third Prince of Vispia
Skills: Iplete Royal Swordsmanship (C+), Diplomacy (B-), Royal Pedigree (A-)
Arvell turned his head to the information disyed before him with eyes that couldn''t hide his tant disbelief.
A sea of murmurs formed among the nobles attending this supposedly auspicious day as if on cue.
"To think that someone of royal blood doesn''t even possess a drop of mana, I pity the poor king."
"I thought the royal family was filled with the county''s most powerful mages?"
"I believed the same. Turns out the royals are not that strong after all."
"They are you fools! Mind your tongue! The prince here just appears to be a special case."
"If he was my son, I doubt I would even let him manage the finances for my tradingpany."
Their words brought Arvell abruptly back to reality from his momentary shock.
''Damn these nobles, they really think I can''t hear them just because they''re whispering? Did they think that I wanted this?''
After hearing the noble''s nderous remarks, the shamed Arvell felt a wave of anger burning through his body.
But Arvell knew that they were right-he had failed his family.
Arvell fearfully turned to face his father, who coldly looked down at Arvell with anger and disgust, as if Arvell was a piece of trash polluting his prestigious throne room.
The King leaned forward from his throne, revealing a face still half-masked behind the shadow of his crown.
Then, his almighty voice thundered from his throne, "to think that someone of royal blood, my blood, is incapable of using even a drop of mana."
With a temporary pause in his speech, the King continued.
"From now on, I hereby banish you from this castle, live out the rest of your miserable life elsewhere, and die a dog''s death.
Be grateful I''m leaving you alive. Now get out of my sight!"
Arvell''s mom, the Queen, tried to grab his father-King and talk some sense into him. Instead, he pped her hand away without a second thought. Her eyes met Arvell''s eyes with forlorn.
Arvell saw the unspoken sorrow and mncholy in his mother''s teary eyes. But, unlike his father, she couldn''t abandon him.
As Queen, she held considerable influence over the King''s decisions, just not enough in the matters of family in her capacity as Arvell''s mother.
All she could do was bite her lip and hold back her tears.
Arvell forced a sympathetic smile, which only seemed to worsen her attempts at hiding her true feelings.
As Arvell turned away from his mother, he saw the venomous res of his siblings.
After all the things he''d done for them in the past, he was somewhat appalled by their behaviour.
Especially that of his eldest sister, the First Princess Cornelia, who acted like a loving elder sister to him in the past.
Arvell averted his eyes from his two-faced siblings and returned his gaze to the exit of the throne room.
Arvell was then promptly escorted out of the throne room by the royal knights, who also seemed to be full of nothing but contempt for him.
Arvell felt like his day wasn''t getting better any time soon.
As he walked down the hallway, Arvell stopped by a painting of him and his fianc¨¦ Lilianna, which was painted back when he was only five years old.
When Arvell was still the third prince of the Vispia kingdom.
Like him, Lilianna was of royal blood.
A princess, but of the ntrya Kingdom.
Though their engagement as children was nothing but a political ploy set up by their parents, the two of them were almost inseparable as children, enjoying and relishing each other''spany.
After negotiations broke down, a brutal war broke out between their two nations. As a result, their parents separated them, and their engagement was abruptly annulled.
Unfortunately, he hadn''t seen or heard from her since.
The King originally nned to burn the painting after the war began; However, the painting remained untouched due to Arvell''s mother pulling a few strings on his behalf.
As Arvell was reminiscing, he felt a hard shove on his back, which forced him to the floor.
"Get up and move on!" The knight harshly demanded.
Realizing he was still being "kindly" escorted by the King''s knights, Arvell got up and brushed off his pants.
Arvell once again resumed walking down this seemingly endless hallway.
As they were nearing the end, he saw a familiar-looking girl in front of two burly men.
The girl was the daughter of duke Rahler.
Arvell''s current fianc¨¦, Ethelline Shea Rahler.
After the unexpected annulment of his engagement with Lilianna, the King hurriedly engaged him to the daughter of duke Rahler.
Duke Rahler was well known as a power-hungry and ambitious man; under his rule, the Rahler Dukedom became the second most powerful faction within the Vispia Kingdom.
King Vispia feared that Duke Rahler might n a coup-d''¨¦tat to overthrow him.
While the King was confident that he would thwart any rebellion, it would be a pyrrhic victory at best, allowing enemy kingdoms to strike Vispia while recovering from the civil war.
Thus King Vispia decided to use Arvell to form a political marriage with the duke''s daughter to tie him down and gain his support.
As he neared her, Arvell could pick out the tant look of disgust etched on her face.
"To think I almost married a piece of human filth like you!" sheshed out.
Arvell calmly looked up at her eyes which were practically oozing venom.
Although she acted kind and amiable on the outside, her nature was rotten to the core.
Ethelline was starkly different from the kind and good-natured Lilianna.
"Nice to meet you too, Ethelline," Arvell curtly responded.
Upon hearing his response, her evil eyes looked like they had been lit aze.
*p!*
Ethelline walked up to him and smacked her fingers across Arvell''s face.
Wincing at the pain, Arvell heard some soft chuckles behind him.
Arvell turned around to see the two guards behind him trying their best to hide theirughter.
Arvell''sck of reaction to her aggression further inmed Ethelline.
"Leave my sight! I never want to see you in the same city, much less breathe the same air with you. If I every eyes on filth like you again, I will throw you out of this country myself!"
"Don''t worry," Arvell let out an exaggerated sigh, "I tend to make it a principle of mine to avoid women as savage and ruthless as you."
Upon finishing his sentence, Arvell felt an indescribable pain in his gut.
Arvell looked down to see that one of the burly men beside Ethelline had embedded his fist in his gut.
Arvell copsed to his knees while desperately gasping for air.
"Watch your words before thedy!" Arvell heard a loud noise boom above him.
Easier said than done, Arvell thought to himself.
As Arvell tried to get back to his feet, Ethelline walked over and spit on his face.
She gave Arvell one more condescending look and proceeded to walk away.
Unbeknownst to Arvell, Ethelline walked away with her angry demeanour warped into a frosty smile.
d to have seen thest of her face in my lifetime, Arvell thought. He began to slowly stand up while clutching his stomach.
Arvell then produced a napkin from his pocket and wiped off the spit she had left him as her parting gift.
The Knights finished their duty by opening the castle doors and kicking Arvell out, surprising the nearby town folks.
"Effective today, Prince Arvell Rs Vispia has been emunicated from the royal family due to hisck of mana and stripped of his noble title."
The knight making this announcement took a long pause and focused his gaze on Arvell.
"He is no longer entitled to any benefits befitting noble blood and is not permitted to step a foot in the royal castle in the future."
Arvell stumbled back up to his feet, throwing a sharp re back at the knights, who only responded with a condescending smirk, before turning around and mming the castle doors before Arvell.
As Arvell turned around, he noticed a crowd of people had already gathered around the town square, desperately trying to inquire into the source of thismotion.
Walking through the road while being red at by the masses left an indescribable feeling of shame in his heart.
''I didn''t do this on purpose! Why must people treat a birth condition as if it was my fault? I wasn''t born like this on purpose! What did I do to deserve this? Arvell furiously thought to himself.''
However, since he was still in the vicinity of the royal castle, he had to keep his mouth shut. Thest thing he wanted to do was risk worsening his punishment.
And to think that all of this would happen on his thirteenth Birthday. But, of course, he would have never predicted this oue, considering how happy and festive everyone was in the morning.
Arvell dejectedly looked out at the crowd before finding a way to slip past them.
Then, he turned and bolted into packed alleys and weaved in-between themonfolk gathering around the source of themotion.
***
Author''s note:
Thank you very much for reading my book!
It really means a lot to have this many people read my book, something that I just wrote for fun in the beginning!
If you liked my book please continue to support me!
If you want to join the discord server the link is here: https://discord.gg/D3s9gwVjnG (if you want to just copy and paste it''s also in the story synopsis)
Chapter 2 A Prince No More
After somehow managing to escape from the group of gossiping onlookers, Arvell passed by some alleyways where he could see firsthand the full scale of this country''s impoverished sectors.
King Vispia didn''t care much about the innumerable slums throughout his country; he only considered them to be leeches on his noble soil.
For someone like him to not exile them from his country, he must have demonstrated considerable willpower.
Arvell suspected his gentle-hearted mother had a role to y in this matter; after all, she was raised from birth to be gentle and kind in the Artis Dukedom.
Arvell walked past a child with a look of helplessness and destion in their eyes, a look that no child should have.
He dug into his pocket and slipped a silver coin into the child''s hand.
She looked at Arvell with eyes full of confusion, with her previous distraught look nowhere to be found on her face.
Arvell brought his finger up to his lips and gave her a wink before walking past her.
If she was smart, she would keep that coin hidden.
But, unfortunately, there are all kinds of people here in this slum.
As Arvell passed by her, something caught until something caught his eye.
He walked over to a side of the alleyway and picked up a dingy old cloak lying next to a pile of trash.
Although he was grimacing inwardly at the idea of putting this worn-out filthy rag, Arvell wrapped himself in it and pulled down the hood to cover his face.
His nose was instantly assaulted by the putrid stench of rancid garbage, which involuntarily caused his whole body to shudder.
''I''m really starting to miss the castle already. At least there, I didn''t have to wear garbage and could enjoy nice hot baths drawn by the various maids,'' Arvell reminisced.
But unfortunately, those days would never return to him; after all, he was exiled from the castle for having no mana.
The only reason he even needed the ck robe was that wearing the clothes of a royal prince while outside with no protection was the equivalent of practically asking to get kidnapped or robbed.
Arvell solemnly dragged his feet to a nearby inn after confirming that he had some leftover cash in his pocket.
King Vispia must have deemed it unnecessary to strip Arvell of his money and clothes since he wouldn''t have them for long anyway.
As Arvell stepped inside the inn, he was greeted by the noisy mour of men singing and arm-wrestling while others ced bets to see who would win.
While waiters hurriedly delivered a never-ending stream of alcohol to the already piss-drunk men.
Each of these men reeked of alcohol, causing Arvell to feel slightly nauseous when a few were talking near his face.
Arvell proceeded to walk to the innkeeper, making a serious effort to avoid identally inhaling more of that putrid stench.
Upon meeting Arvell, he put down his bottle of ale and let out a sizable burp.
Considering how flushed his cheeks were, Arvell quickly assumed that the bottle he had just put down was definitely not his first.
Moreover, he looked rtively irritated by Arvell''s sudden intrusion.
The innkeeper looked down at Arvell, sizing him up.
"Wadduyah-Hic-want?" he gruffly asked while not even bothering to put up an effort to hide how drunk he was.
"I wish to stay for the night," Arvell responded, ignoring that this man could pass out any moment.
"1 night is-Hic-10 copper!" he drunkenly eximed while raising 5 fingers with his hand as if he''d done this innumerable times.
"Isn''t that a little too expensive? I know that''s not what you usually charge your guests."
"It costs what I say it is-Hic. If you don''t-Hic-want it, then get lost, brat!" He screamed in Arvell''s face, giving him a front-row seat to personally smell the sheer volume of alcohol he had consumed.
Arvell was hit by a pang of nausea and felt like passing out right then and there.
He soon realized that this was the only inn nearby and that it was getting too dark for a 13-year-old like himself to wander the streets on his own.
Arvell reluctantlyplied with the innkeeper''s ridiculous demands. He stood on the tips of his toes and reluctantly handed him his 10 copper coins.
This caused a few of the nearby drunks to burst outughing.
Finally, after greedily taking the money from Arvell, the inn owner joined them.
Arvell was nearing his breaking point after being embarrassed repeatedly throughout the day.
However, he opted against retaliation, as that would only result in him ending in a worse condition than he''s already in.
Arvell dejectedly walked up to his room while a few adults behind him slung curses and various other profanities at his aching back.
Walking through the hallway, Arvell heard a soft squeak under his foot and abruptly halted his foot.
He saw a tiny mouse scurry from underneath his raised foot and scamper to a hole in the wall on his right.
The mouse paused and gave him a curious look before entering what he presumed to be its home.
After passing through the hallway, Arvell found his room and opened the door, reaffirming his belief that he had been swindled.
Moth-eaten curtains and holes in the room''s walls again attested to the care put into maintaining this room.
Arvell highly doubted the fee would be more than 5 copper coins a night.
The fatigue suddenly hit him, and After fell to his bed.
With hisst strength, Arvell scavenged the pockets of his clothes and tried to find anything of use or value.
But unfortunately, all Arvell could muster up was 3 gold coins, 10 silver coins, 15 copper coins, and the wedding ring he kept for his engagement to Ethelline.
He nkly stared at it before tossing it back into his pocket. Then, hopefully, he would never have to see or hear from Ethelline again.
He raised his hands to his neck and removed the amulet that served as his good luck charm. He felt a special attachment to this amulet because it was given to him by Princess Lilianna as a child.
He couldn''t bear to part with it, no matter how long it had been.
Holding it in his hand filled his body with a genial warmth that spread throughout the rest of his body.
This amulet was supposedly passed down in Lilianna''s mother''s family for numerous generations.
It was supposed to be a powerful deterrent against bad luck.
Lousy luck like his current scenario¡
He let out a self-deprecating dry chuckle and stared at the intricate symbols meticulously etched onto the illustrious jade amulet.
However, no matter how much he looked at it, he''d never been able to decipher the meaning of the symbols.
But that didn''t matter much to him since he only had this amulet to remind himself of Princess Lilianna, something he treated as valuable as his own life.
In fact, he hid this amulet from his family since he was sure they would try to confiscate it if they found out about it and possibly even shatter it.
There was no way he''d ever let them do that!
As he was fiddling around with the amulet, his finger grazed the sharp stone in the centre, and blood began to freely spill from his wound.
As his blood came in contact with the centre of the gemstone, the amulet briefly lit up before dimming again.
"Wha-wha-what was that????" Arvell cried out, almost dropping the amulet.
He took a look at the amulet in disbelief.
''Maybe my eyes yed a trick on me? I guess I''m just tired after today''s events. I mean, my world quite literally got flipped on its head...''
Arvell eyed the amulet suspiciously one more time before returning the amulet to its ce on his neck.
Arvell dejectedly looked up at the mildewed ceiling, which was foreign to him.
Due to him being a prince born with a diamond spoon, he grew up in a luxurious castle.
Usually, not even a single speck of dust was tolerated.
This made this tawdry inn feel almost like a new world to Arvell.
"Happy birthday Arvell. You''re finally thirteen," He muttered with a self-deprecating tone.
Arvell closed his eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep.
Shortly afterwards, Arvell stirred from his somewhat pleasant dreams by the beckoning of an ethereal voice. "...I see that you have finally decided to awaken me."
Chapter 3 A Mysterious Voice
"...I see that you have finally decided to awaken me again." a mysterious voice called out.
The voice seemed to have belonged to a young man, possessing a bright and pleasant quality.
Arvell whipped around to face the voice calling out to him, but nothing was there.
As Arvell looked around and tried to identify his surroundings, he noticed that he was stranded in a ck empty void.
"Is someone there?" he shouted at the top of his lungs.
"I see¡ so you don''t even know that you''ve awakened me."
Now that he''d heard it for the second time, Arvell was able to confirm it.
The mysterious voice wasn''ting from any particr "direction"; it wasing from every direction simultaneously.
However, despite the confusing setting, he felt a feeling of nostalgia¡ as if he had been here a long time ago but simply forgot due to the constant passage of time.
"Where am I?" Arvell inquired.
"Sigh¡ I guess it''s still too early for you. Judging by the amount of blood I received, I still don''t have enough energy for my soul to materialize. The blood received is still nowhere near enough...".
"You will most likely forget our encounter when you wake up again. But if somehow you remember meeting with me this time¡ Provide me with your blood, as much blood as you can give up. Only then can I materialize, and once I do, I will help you be powerful enough to shake this world to its core."
"What do you mean? Who are you?" Arvell desperately screamed. He felt his consciousness slowly leaving this ce.
"You will know in due time. For now, I''ll use the energy I received from your blood to leave you a parting gift again. Make sure to use it well".
A shining white silhouette formed from the endless void and covered Arvell''s eyes with what appeared to be a spectral hand.
Arvell felt some kind of ethereal energy enter his eyes, filling his body with unknown power.
"If you wish to use this power, simply look at something and say ''status''; the rest should exin itself."
As if on cue Arvell''s body started plummeting into the abyss below.
Arvell screamed while looking up at the spectre and desperately tried to reach his hand towards him.
However, his body only continued to fall farther and farther down into the abyss.
After desperately struggling to stay awake, Arvell gave into his drowsiness and fell back into a deep slumber.
***
Feeling a bright light on his eyelids, Arvell slowly opened them.
He looked up at the unfamiliar ceiling and gave himself a few seconds to recollect his thoughts.
His memories from yesterday slowly came back to him.
Finally, he could piece together the events that led to him ending up in his sorry predicament.
Arvell moved some stray strands of his chestnut-coloured hair off his face and groggily rubbed his eyes, yawning.
He felt a wave of confusion and ced his hand tightly on his head.
I...I feel¡ like I forget something¡
Something important¡
But no matter how hard Arvell tried, he couldn''t recall it. It vanished as if it was just a dream.
However, one word was seemingly stuck in his head.
He looked at his palm. Then, after staring at it for a good minute, he slowly muttered "status" as if it was second nature.
Arvell was momentarily shocked by the sight that he beheld.
A blue rectangle filled with words and numbers suddenly appeared before his eyes.
[Status Information]
Name: Arvell Rs Vispia
Species: Human
Age: 13 years old
HP: 13
STA: 10
DEF: 8
SPD: 9
PHYS ATK: 9
POWER STAGE: 0TH CIRCLE 0TH STAGE
¡ö¡ö: ???
MP: 0
¡ö¡ö: ???
¡ö¡ö: ???
Titles: 3rd Prince of Vispia (Exiled), ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö, ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö
Skills: Iplete Royal Swordsmanship (C+), Diplomacy (B-),..., ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö (???), ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö (???), ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö(???)
From what he understood, this appears to be quite simr to the "appraise" skill used by the priest during hising of age ceremony.
Arvell was incredibly confused about this. He didn''t recall having this skill before; only unique existences such as the head priest would have such skills.
Who knows? Maybe if he had this skill before, he wouldn''t have been kicked from the castle, mana or not.
But the real question was, how can he use skills without mana?
Having mana was the prerequisite to using skills, and even the head priest had to use a lot of mana to use just his appraisal skill.
He then looked at his MP value which disyed his current mana with renewed vigour.
Only to regret getting his hopes up.
''It''s zero, huh? Not even a one? I guess fate really likes pulling cruel tricks on me¡.''
Hearing ite from the head priest and looking at it himself were twopletely different experiences.
Arvell felt disbelief when he heard it from the priest''s mouth, but when he saw it with his own eyes, the only thing he felt was a sombre eptance of his tragic fate.
However, there was no merit in crying over spilt milk.
He looked at his power stage. His being at the zeroth state of the zeroth circle made sense since he couldn''t use mana and didn''t have a way to increase his power stage.
But wait¡ wasn''t it called magic circle? For some reason, the status screen used a different term from everyone else''s.
Maybe it''s just a coincidence, Arvell thought to himself.
But somehow, he knew with absolute certainty that the status te was showing his magic circle.
Magic circles have 9 circles, and each circle has 9 stages.
The strongest mages in the world had a magic cycle stage of 7, and these people were few and far between.
They were the goals of almost all aspiring mages in the world. King Vispia was a sixth circle magician and one of the most significant deterrence for foreign powers.
After all, it wasmon sense that going against a sixth circle magician without being one yourself was equivalent to forfeiting your life willingly.
As Arvell read through the information presented on the skill page, he quickly noticed the many "?" and "¡ö" symbols filling up arge section of his character information window.
He tried to read over his details repeatedly, but there weren''t any hints regarding the nature of these hidden values.
Whatever they were, they somehow wholly slipped through the head priest''s ''appraise'' skill and remained somewhat hidden on his newly discovered ''status'' skill.
Since there was little to nothing Arvell could do about it, for the time being, he decided to leave it alone.
He scrutinized the half-melted candle on top of the drawer and pondered.
''Could I use status on this as well?''
Arvell looked at the candle and muttered, "status."
[Status Information]
Item name: Wax Candle (degraded)
Durability: 20/45
[A candle made primarily of wax that serves as a light source in the dark]
''So I can also use this skill to observe other objects'' information. This definitely wille in handy.''
Arvell pulled the ragged and worn-out nket off his body and felt the cold air assaulted his skin.
After groggily pulling himself up and getting dressed, he put his remaining possessions back into his pockets and left the dingy inn room.
At the inn keeper''s desk, he was surprised to find a plump woman with a scowl on her face standing where that swindling cheat was yesterday.
Perhaps he was still in bed with a hangover?
Arvell let out a faint smirk from under his hood.
Serves him right.
Thedy gave Arvell an indifferent nce.
"Are you done for the night, sir?" She asked cordially, although her expression betrayed her words.
Feeling that at least this was better than that drunk cheat, Arvell didn''t bother to retort.
Instead, he fished up the room key and handed it to her.
She greedily snatched it and shooed him out.
Arvell stepped out of the run-down inn and inhaled a breath of fresh air.
The pungent smell permeating through the inn reminded him of sweaty, unwashed feet, so getting some fresh air was nice for a change.
Except¡ he forgot he was wearing a cloak that he picked up from a garbage pile.
He immediately started coughing and gagging, immensely regretting his previous decision.
Although the inn was pretty nauseating, his worn-out cloak was far worse.
After stabilizing his breathing, Arvell looked at the crowded street and slowly wormed his way onto it.
Arvell proceeded to weave through the bustling streets, avoiding revealing his face or the royal attire hidden under his cloak.
A loud voice rang out as he passed through the streets and caught his attention.
"Prince Arvell Rs Vispia has been banished from the castle, and his royal status has been stripped. He has shown himself devoid of even a drop of mana." A nearby crier announced.
People in the crowd gasped and murmured, evidently shocked by the turn of events.
"What a disgrace¡ Not even a single drop of mana, you say? No wonder he got the boot."
"To think that someone with no mana was in the running to be the king of our country? I feel sick just thinking about it."
Arvell grimly hardened his expression and began to walk out of the crowd.
"That poor boy," someone behind him faintly muttered.
Arvell suddenly whipped his face around in confusion.
A youngdy with a newborn baby in her hand seemed appalled by the behaviour of those around her.
Still, she decided to keep her opinions to herself.
Opposing the king''s decision was nothing short of treason, so she wisely kept quiet.
Arvell felt a part of his frozen heart melt from finding out that someone other than his mother sympathized with his current plight.
More so since it was never his fault, to begin with.
Chapter 4 A Way To Live
Arvell noticed a mouthwatering aroma filling the air as he trudged through the bustling roads.
He nced over his shoulder and saw an olddy running a food stall. His stomach let out arge growl informing him of its displeasure.
Arvell practically sprinted to the stall because he had eaten nothing since yesterday afternoon.
He then proceeded to order a dish of freshly roasted skewered meat.
After thedy graciously epted the 1 copper coin he used to pay for his breakfast, she heard Arvell''s stomach growl, chiding him to hurry and devour the meat skewer.
The olddy shed Arvell a kind and sincere smile and handed him an extra skewer.
"Excuse me, ma''am, I think there is a mistake. I believe I only ordered one?".
As Arvell did not have the funds to live asvishly as before, he had to cut expenditures wherever possible.
He only handed the orphan a coin because he felt guilt for his father''spleteck of consideration for the poor and needy.
Saving money by cutting down on food costs would be a reliable way to preserve whatever money he had left.
Furthermore, ordering the equivalent of two kebabs, every meal would burn through his wallet twice as fast.
Although each skewer did not cost that much per se until he found a stable source of ie, being careful with his spending was the only way he could survive.
Arvell might also need this money to use as funds to make more money.
Saving money would allow him to survive longer.
Thus spending more money than the bare minimum was the equivalent of throwing his life away.
"Growing boys like yourself need to eat more. When my son was your age, he used to eat four of these in one meal! After eating my special meat skewers, he became as big and strong as he is now." she replied with a gentle smile.
"I don''t have enough money to buy it, " Arvell replied, but his stomach suggested otherwise.
While Arvell wanted to save money, his stomach was happy to have that second meat skewer.
"It''s alright. This one''s on the house".
Arvell was briefly stunned by her act of kindness.
However, he didn''t have the willpower to deny her act of charity.
"Thank you very much. I will surely repay this kindness!" Arvell earnestly promised.
"It''s one meat skewer, nothing to be worked up about."
Arvell waved goodbye to her and proceeded to wolf down the meat sticks.
Arvell was always someone to properly return the goodwill given to him due to his pride as a prince growing up. He wouldn''t let the olddy''s kindness go unrepaid.
With a full stomach, Arvell was finally at ease for the moment. He started brainstorming ways to earn money, at least enough to keep himself alive.
The first thing that came to mind was heading to the adventurer''s association and taking some jobs there.
However, with hispleteck of mana, he highly doubted that he couldst even a minute in the forests surrounding the capital.
The only thing he had to show was his royal swordsmanship.
Being highly praised as a genius swordsman from a young age, Arvell even won tournaments for children his age.
Being personally taught by the head of the royal guard has its perks.
However, no matter how hard he trains with a sword, it won''t be enough to ovee the barrier of having no mana.
Mana served as fuel for magic, meaning that if someone had more mana, their spells wouldst longer, and they could cast more spells than someone with less mana.
Mana naturally regenerates over time; humans can use their Mana Heart in their Magic Cores to absorb the amplitude mana from the world around them.
Thus, upgrading one''s Mana Heart would significantly increase their avable mana and their reserve of spells.
However, having more mana isn''t all needed to make one stronger.
After all, the Mana Heart does not directly impact the strength of the Magic Core.
Increasing one''s Magic Core level from the first to the second would make their magic abilities more potent.
This is why second circle magicians almost always could effortlessly beat first circle magicians.
Using magic was the equivalent of having superpowers, making those who couldn''t use it powerless before those who could.
The strongest mages would be kings, while those who were weak fell into poverty.
Furthermore, those already at the top can pay exorbitant costs to use various supplements to be stronger.
At the same time, poor mages can barely find the money to buy food and shelter.
The strong grew stronger, while the weak became weaker.
This led to a tremendous magic-based divide in the world, with the strong dominating the weak.
Since Arvell didn''t have any mana, he naturally couldn''t drain his mana to use magic, making him even worse than the lowliest of peasants.
Hence, his father ousted him from the castle and disowned him on his birthday.
Simply not having any mana meant Arvell didn''t have a Mana Heart in the first ce.
Even if he somehow used all of the kingdom''s most precious treasures and became a 9th circle magician, he would be no stronger than the average man.
After all, he would have no fuel to activate his powers.
Swordsmen and other weapons users could incorporate magic into their fighting style, allowing them to hit harder and faster.
Those who reach this level are known as Arcane Warriors.
Those who opted to specialize in utilizing magic through a wand, staff, or grimoire were considered Arcane Mages.
Since he didn''t have any mana, he could not be a mage; Arvell''s natural strength and speed are simply no matchpared to those who have be Arcane Warriors.
Some things can''t simply be ovee through hard work in this world.
Although this was the case, Arvell still needed to try. There was no way he would keel over and die just because he was told to.
His best bet would be trying to find an enchanted weapon, but that would be far harder to acquire than clearing an adventurer quest.
Especially considering his remaining funds...
Either way, securing a weapon to defend himself was one of his top priorities.
Purchasing such a weapon from a cksmithing shop would be pretty pricey.
Thus, it''s better to find one from a merchant stall, even if the quality of the weapons is far from satisfactory.
Deciding to test his luck, Arvell trudged towards the nearest merchant stall offering second-hand swords.
The overall quality of these items left much to be desired. Some were covered in cracks and scratches, while others were rusted beyond repair.
Deciding to put his newfound skill to use, Arvell concentrated on a somewhat decent-looking sword and muttered "status" under his breath.
[Status Information]
Item name: Iron sword (degraded)
ATK + 5
Durability: 10/100
[This sword appears to be somewhat usable; however, the de has heavy internal damage. It is predicted to break after just a couple of swings]
Arvell stared at the status screen in disbelief.
It can even tell me this? I won''t ever get swindled by defective goods!
He then looked at another less decent-looking sword and its status.
[Status Information]
Item name: Rusted Hasty Iron sword (degraded)
ATK +3
Durability: 80/100
Skills: Haste (E+)
Haste: Allows the wielder to increase their movement and attack speed by 15% for 2 minutes. Cooldown time: 4h
[This sword is a magical artifact created by the novice cksmith Grid. However, due to a mix-up, the sword was mistaken as a failure and left to rust]
...
Arvell gawked at the status screen with wide eyes.
Wait¡ is this sword a magical artifact? But it''spletely rusted???
Arvell felt like fate was finally giving him some repayment after cruelly subjecting him to yesterday''s trials.
Filled with renewed vigour, Arvell raced over to the merchant.
"I would like to buy that sword," Arvell proimed while pointing his finger at the rusty sword on disy.
"You want that old thing, kid? I have much better swords for sale than that rusted stick. I only put that out on disy due to a favour I owed to my friend.
However, I didn''t think anyone would want to buy it."
The merchant began to eye Arvell with suspicion.
There was no way Arvell would tell the merchant that he was selling an enchanted artifact.
This would only cause the merchant to severely increase the price, making it virtually inessible for Arvell to purchase with his pitiful savings.
"It''s fine. The other swords look well out of my budget," Arvell replied.
Due to his shabby cloak, this reasoning was all too believable for the merchant.
"Alright, kid, that ''sword'' is worth 1 silver and 5 copper coins. Do you have the funds for that?" The merchant asked while observing Arvell''s facial expressions.
The merchant thought I wonder if this kid even has enough money to buy this sword.
Arvell dug into his pockets, produced 1 silver and 5 copper coins, and hurriedly gave them to the merchant for the rusted sword.
Although Arvell miraculously acquired an enchanted weapon, his sword looked so rusty that Arvell felt it would be troublesome to make clean cuts.
Arvell took his sword towards the nearest smithy and paid an extra 5 copper to have it restored.
After spending close to an hour waiting in the smithy, Arvell finally got his sword back.
The glistening silver sword lookedpletely different from the sword he''d bought from the street vendor.
He would have doubted that this was even the same sword if it wasn''t for the engravings on the sword hilt.
? Arvell took back the sword from the cksmith and checked its properties with his status skill.
[Status Information]
Item name: Hasty Iron Sword
ATK +7
Durability: 80/100
Skills: Haste (E+)
Haste: Allows the wielder to increase their movement and attack speed by 15% for 2 minutes. Cooldown time: 4h
[This sword is a magical artifact created by the novice cksmith Grid. After rusting, this sword was restored to its former glory.]
Arvell looked at the incredible ATK value that almost doubled.
Arvell felt that Grid, the cksmith, would be fuming if he ever found out that Arvell was able to purchase his restored enchanted sword for only 1 silver and 10 copper total.
This was basically highway robbery!
Filled with tion, Arvell spent the rest of the day pawning off his royal attire to collect funds for his new life.
He was able to make almost 20 gold from this. Although this was nowhere near the actual cost of the items he sold, this was the most he could make from selling them at a pawn shop.
While he sold his attire, he decided to keep his engagement ring.
He could probably find a ce that would be able to buy it for a higher price tomorrow.
Pawning off such a luxurious ring was just asking to get ripped off.
Using his newfound wealth, he could afford to stay at a slightly better inn than the one he had visitedst night.
At least this one wasn''t filled with unruly drunks and unreasonable innkeepers.
In fact, one night at this inn only cost him 7 copper.
Three copper less than the previous inn.
Arvell slowly walked to his room and put his sword by the bedside.
Taking out his amulet, he eyed it suspiciously.
Arvell felt that whatever he forgot had something to do with this amulet.
But he wasn''t able to justify why exactly he felt this.
Slowly lying down on the considerably softer bed, Arvell drifted off to sleep.
***
After an unknown time, he felt someone shaking his body violently and urgently calling out to him.
"YOUNG PRINCE, YOU NEED TO WAKE UP! YOUR LIFE IS IN DANGER!"
Chapter 5 The Dead Of Night
Arvell was violently shaken from his peaceful slumber and groggily looked up at the figure who rudely awoke him.
The intruder was fully garbed in ck attire and had worn a white mask that was utterly featureless, except for two thin horizontal slits for the eyes and a small protrusion for the nose with two small holes for air.
Arvell felt a dense pressure passively emanating towards his body, giving him a sense of danger.
The masked figure impatiently turned to face Arvell.
"Prince Arvell, you have finally woken up! You need to hurry; your life is in grave danger!"
The masked figure''s voice was distorted, not allowing Arvell to even determine if they were male or female.
Arvell quickly got up and grabbed the Hasty iron sword he left beside his bed. He unsheathed the de and aimed it toward the masked figure.
"Who are you?"
Arvell inquired, but the terror in his heart betrayed his confident exterior. He felt his chest tighten with fear from being close to this person. He felt this person was strong enough to end his life and would have been powerless to do anything about it.
"Furthermore, I''m no longer a prince¡ if you haven''t heard the news".
The masked figure shook its head and walked up to him impatiently.
"While that is true, your life is the main concern right now, not whether or not you are a prince."
Arvell looked up at the masked figure and slowly calmed his breathing to ovee the immense fear and dread he felt from this person.
His mind started rapidly thinking of who could be targeting him right now.
''Is someone after my life right now? Is it my former father? I am certain he is not stupid enough to kill me the night he abandoned me, so it must have been one of my siblings or someone who has a deep-rooted hatred of the royal family or just me in particr.''
Whomever his pursuer was, they were trying to kill him and not hold him hostage since someone like Arvell would have no real value as one. His father would dly use his abductor''s hand to kill Arvell and then pin the me on them, effectively killing off the stain on his bloodline while raising his image of a benevolent ruler. Effectively killing two birds with one stone.
After all, if he were to pin the me of his son''s death on someone else and execute them, it would look like he cared enough to even love a son with no mana, even if he disowned him.
Thinking this, Arvell grit his teeth in frustration. ''If I die here, I''m just doing that egotistical bastard a favour.''
"So am I to assume you are here to help me escape?" Arvell inquired.
"Naturally, that is so; however, we have spent long enough in this room. The peopleing after your life will be here any moment now, so it''s in your best interests to hurr-."
(BOOM)
The door to the room exploded outwards, filling the room with debris and a thick cloud of wood and dust, thoroughly obscuring Arvell''s view of the gaping hole left behind by the broken door.
The masked figure reached out and quickly grabbed Arvell before rushing headfirst out of the window. The figure then pulled out an elegantly crafted dragger that glistened eerily in the moonlight.
"Oh mes, be a sphere and burn my enemies¡ FIREBALL."
Arvell felt the air surrounding him suddenly heat up as he began to feel beads of sweat slowly sliding down his face. He craned his head to glimpse the blinding ball of crimson light that stuck out like a sore thumb in the darkness of night.
''Magic really is beautiful, isn''t it?''
As Arvell became enamoured by the ball of fire that the masked figure produced, he noticed that it quickly sped towards the window that they had just jumped out of.
Two more masked figures were about to follow them by jumping after them, but they were immediately struck by this impromptu magic st, leaving the two unlucky pursuers as charred corpses.
The sparks from the fireball spread to the nearby walls and the numerous broken wooden pieces that once served as the door to the room Arvell slept in and began to ignite themselves, creating zing fire in the room.
The masked figure clicked its tongue. "Well, this will serve as a decoy for the pursuers for at least a little bit. Furthermore, with the noise from the door exploding, the residents should be able to realize soon enough that something''s wrong".
The figure then positioned Arvell onto their back andnded on the roof of an adjacent building before dashing towards the city walls at a speed that left afterimages in their wake.
Arvell felt his stomach churning from the speed they were travelling at and used all of the willpower he could muster to suppress the urge to throw up everything he ate for supper.
After travelling near the city gates, the masked figure took Arvell to a nearby dark alleyway and took off their mask and cloak.
Arvell was stunned to realize the person who saved him was a beautiful girl who looked to be in her mid-twenties with long lustrous ck hair and crimson red eyes. The girl was wearingmoner clothes previously hidden beneath her cloak.
"My name is Jessica, a mage in service of your mother, her majesty the queen."
The woman then turned to face Arvell.
"She entrusted your safety to me, and I n to honour mydy''s wishes. However, it''s not safe for you to live in this country, much less the capital. So our best course of action would be to escort you outside this country where you can go into hiding."
She reached into her pockets and produced a letter sealed with the royal crest.
"Mydy wanted me to pass this onto you. Unfortunately, it''s too dark to read right now, but you can read it after daybreak since using fire magic inside a barrel would be quite disastrous."
"Alright, that makes sense; I should just wait for daybr¡ wait¡ what do you mean inside a barrel?" Arvell suspiciously questioned.
Jessica motioned towards a barrel that was suspiciously ced right next to the wall of a nearby building.
"We n to smuggle you outside of the capital inside that barrel," she stated matter-of-factly.
''I guess that would work,'' Arvell thought before nodding his head.
He proceeded over to the barrel, opened its lid, and found it filled to the brim with fruits.
"This barrel''s already full; should I just dump these fruits?"
"The barrel has a hiddenpartment with a fake bottom, just remove a few fruits, and you''ll see," Jessica replied.
Arvell did as she asked and noticed that the barrel had a false bottom and that the fruits only took up a fraction of the space inside of the barrel.
"Are you going to personally carry me outside the walls while I''m hiding in the barrel?" Arvell asked questioningly.
He knew magicians typically had more muscr physiques since they could cast magic that could enhance their physical bodies, but it still felt weird to see someone who looked like a youngdy carry him around.
However, he then remembered how she carried him to the alleyway on her back, making the situation more believable for Arvell.
"I''m going to carry you and drop you off on the caravan, where we will meet up with a colleague. The 3 of us then will leave the capital for the neighbouring city of Milduk before leaving Vispia and making our way to the neighbouring country of ntrya".
"ntrya, huh¡" Arvell began to reminisce about his memories with Lilianna.
''I wonder how she''s doing? She must have grown into a beautiful youngdy by now.''
Arvell slowly lowered himself into the barrel, and Jessica ced the fake bottom above his head and filled the rest of the barrel with the previously removed fruits. She then lifted the barrel and put it on her shoulder, and walked towards a horse-drawn carriage where a young man was chewing on a piece of grass in his mouth.
"Took you long enough," he stated with a slightly displeased tone.
"We had a little trouble Calen, but nothing I couldn''t handle," Jessica replied.
"Alright, ce him in the back and let''s get going. Our pursuers won''t give up with just this."
Jessica gently put the barrel holding Arvell in the back of the caravan and sat beside the man named Calen at the front of the horse-drawn caravan.
Calen grabbed the reins of the horses and drove the caravan to the gates, and after giving the guards their fake identification papers, they began to set out of the capital before dawn.
***
In a dimly lit room of the royal castle, an elegantly dressed young man was rxing on an elegant sofa created with the fur of a blood tempest bear, a beast with powerparable to that of a fourth circle magician. The man slowly twirled the wine ss in his hand before tasting the blood-red drink. Then, he slowly savoured the sweet and bitter aftertaste before feeling a presence enter his room.
"Is he dead?" the young man asked while still focusing on the wine ss in his hand.
A masked figure appeared and knelt before the young man while his entire body was shivering in fear.
"A-about that, my Lord, i-it seems that someone has aided the former prince in his escape. We suspect they may have already left the capital since we couldn''t f-find their bodies among wreckages. T-The person who aided him started a fire at the inn which m-managed to reduce the pursuers into c-charred corpses."
The young man threw his ss at the masked figure in a fury.
"USELESS! Not even two fourth circle magicians were able to kill him? Who would dare protect him????? Luckily those pieces of filth managed to die on their own; if they brought their sorry asses here, I would have made them live a life worse than death!" The young man roared.
"M-My lord, the former p-prince was well-loved by the royal family before yesterday, so someone must have had lingering a-affections for him, even after he was shown to be trash."
The young man clicked his tongue and turned towards the kneeling masked figure.
"Whom else knows that the prince''s body was not among the wreckage?" The young man demanded.
"J-Just the two of us and a few of your men, my lord," the masked figure faithfully responded.
"Prepare a body simr to the Arvell''s; I don''t care where you get it. You can go kill some slum trash for all I care. Take that body and char beyond recognition before nting it at the fire scene. im that the body belongs to the Arvell and that he is dead." The young man paused to steady his breathing and calm himself down.
"Then I want you to take a team and personally hunt him down. That trashy excuse of a sibling cannot be allowed to live. If you fail this again, I will have all of your heads."
"T-Thank you for the generosity; we will not fail you again, my lord¡ his highness second prince Carnis!".
Carnis''s face turned into a slight scowl when he heard the word ''second'' preceding his title as ''prince'' but decided to not act upon his impulses for the moment.
The masked man disappeared as fast as he came, leaving the second prince Carnis alone in the dimly lit room.
Carnis reclined back into his sofa and filled a new ss of wine before letting out a maniacal smirk that would have chilled the bones of anyone who had witnessed it.
"Don''t think that managing to escape from me once will do you much good, you piece of manaless filth. I will make sure you realize your ce in this world before you die a slow, agonizing death only befitting someone like you."
Carnis took a sip of wine before letting out a creepy crazedughter
"HAHAHAHAHAH- (cough cough)."
"F*ck¡ (cough) inhaled wine while (cough)ughing again¡" he muttered to himself amid his coughing spree.
If Arvell was to have witnessed his elder brother''s episode, he would have simply called it karma.
Chapter 6 Pursued
After making it out of the imperial capital without further setbacks, Arvell, fed up with being trapped in a cramped barrel, finally voiced his displeasure.
"Can I get out of this now? I''m getting sore from being stuck in this barrel."
Jessica and Calen looked at each other once before Jessica walked over to the barrel and sat beside it.
"Prince, please understand that we are doing this for your safety. If your pursuers catch up with the carriage, they will be able to see you. Thest thing we need is for them to know where you are."
Arvell, of course, knew this, but he was sleep-deprived and mentally and physically exhausted. Which only served to worsen his mood.
Naturally, he directed his anger and displeasure at the barrel since it gave him cramps simply by being confined within it.
While he might have been incredibly mature for his age, he was still a thirteen-year-old kid, so his tolerance levels were not that high.
However, even adults would have been incredibly irritated if they had gone through the same experiences that Arvell went through thest two days.
Arvell realizing that he had let his irritable mood get the better, took a deep breath to calm himself, but even that was only able to do so much.
He decided to distract himself by talking to Jessica, who he knew was sitting next to him from the sound of her earlier footsteps.
"Jessica, how strong are you and Calen? You were able to kill those two assassins who came after us pretty easily," Arvell inquired.
"This is supposed to be ssified information, but honestly, I don''t think the Queen would mind if I tell you, as you already know about our existence."
Jessica moved her head to look up at the caravan''s roof as if reminiscing about her past.
"Calen and I are both 5th circle magicians that work as the Queen''s arms and legs; we work to protect your mother and carry out her will¡ no matter what. Anything from gathering information to assassinating her enemies."
Arvell thought for a moment before remembering something he had initially been tossed to the back of his mind.
"Were you the ones who killed my stepmother? The Second Queen Consort?" Arvell inquired.
The Second Queen Consort Mirabelle Kn was the mother of the third princess Listarelle and the second prince Carnis, and while she was caring for her children, she was the textbook definition of an ''evil stepmother.''
She would use any excuse to pick on the members of the royal family that weren''t rted to her and was widely hated by most of the king''s children. However, with her being the princess of a neighbouring kingdom, the king couldn''t do much to her if he wanted to have a peaceful rtionship with the bordering country. Furthermore, he viewed this as a way to temper his children and allow them to grow mentally strong, so he turned a blind eye to it.
Using her identity as foreign royalty, she repeatedly told her children that since they had the blood of Kn and Vispia royalty in their bodies, they were superior by birthpared to their half-siblings. Unfortunately, this only served to inte their ego and cause them to treat everyone with contempt in a simr fashion to their mother.
However, one morning Mirabelle was found dead in the royal courtyard, with the cause of death being a fall.
Her maid was put to death since the cause of Mirabelle''s death was reported to be tripping on a puddle of water before falling to her death.
Calen and Jessica were both visibly shocked at Arvell''s words, so much so that Calen unconsciously pulled too hard on the reins causing the horses to abruptly slow down, causing the entire caravan to shake.
After realizing his mistake, he quickly urged the horses to return to their original speed.
"Damn, kid, you''re pretty sharp for your age," Calen acknowledged.
"Calen, the Queen wanted us to refer to him as prince Arvell remember?" Jessica reminded.
"Yeah, yeah, my bad. But either way, the prince has a good head on his shoulders. But regarding your question about the stunt with the third concubine, the answer is yes."
"I knew that her death seemed way too suspicious to be a mere ident," Arvell voiced, "She shouldn''t have just slipped off of a water spill to fall through the balcony to her death; she''s not that ipetent even if she was drunk."
Hearing Arvell recount the story, Jessica turned to look at Calen with a scrutinizing re.
"Ok, ok, I admit the method on how she was assassinated sounds pretty dumb. But, you knew we were in a rush because of what she was nning to do. I didn''t have enough time to create a more believable scenario."
"nning to do?" Arvell inquired.
"It''s not important anymore, as the problem''s already been dealt with," Jessica responded.
Suddenly the caravan came to an abrupt stop again.
"Calen, what''s wrong?" Jessica inquired.
"Fuck¡ they''re here," Calen muttered before swiftly deflecting two daggers flying towards their heads.
Jessica readied herself before peeking at the front of the caravan, only to see 5 masked men standing in front of it.
"We have got you surrounded; either surrender the prince or die," The man coldly voiced out.
"We don''t know what you''re talking about? Which prince?" Jessica asked while slowly grabbing her dagger from inside of her sleeve.
"Don''t y dumb; there is a tracking magic spell on his engagement ring, and we followed it to this location."
''THAT BITCH! Why the hell did she put tracking magic on the engagement ring?'' Arvell thought to himself. Since she gave him the engagement ringst year, this was still a full year before his condition was revealed. So then, why would she have done this so early on? While it didn''t make sense to Arvell, it did nothing to change the current situation. Either way, they already knew he was here.
Calen looked extremely pissed before muttering a spell under his breath.
"Cloak me in a veil of clouds, and hide me from vision¡ MIST VIEL"
Jessica followed Calen and began to cast a spell as well.
"Give me a shield to protect myself from my enemies¡ BARRIER"
A sudden veil of mist rapidly surrounded the nearby vicinity while a thin protective barrier encapsted the caravan.
"They created a mist with a barrier!" one of the pursuers yelled.
"Attack it with your strongest spells; we should be able to break it in no time," another one responded.
The assassins began to barrage the caravan with magic spells with lightning, fire and ice arcs repeatedly banging on the barrier.
Using their precious time, Jessica ducked back into the caravan and quickly helped Arvell escape from his wooden cage and confiscated the engagement ring.
"Prince, you need to run; if you stay here, you will get caught up in the crossfire. The barrier won''t be able to hold for too long. We will quickly finish them off before catching up to you."
Arvell nodded his head and stealthily slipped out of the back of the caravan, using the mist to keep himself out of sight.
After he got far enough that his footsteps wouldn''t alert the assassins, he sprinted forwards, heading in the direction of a nearby river.
However, as he got closer to a river, he felt intense and unbearable pain in his chest which caused him to momentarily stop.
Arvell looked down at his chest only to find a blood-soaked de.
Chapter 7 Is This Really It?
Fear and confusion filled Arvell''s mind as his eyes opened wide in shock
His body spasmed before he slowly looked down at his chest, noticing the sharp silver object protruding out of his chest.
(cough)
He spat out a mouthful of blood which dyed the surrounding grass blood red. A steady stream of blood began flowing out of his chest as it turned began to turn sections of his shirt the same crimson colour.
He slowly reached towards the de that was impaled in him and ran his hand along with the cold metal, covering his hand in his blood.
Arvell desperately tried to reject reality, to believe this was just some nightmare, after all, how could this happen? He just turned thirteen yesterday. It was a day he was looking forward to his whole life, but howe everything went wrong? He found out hecked even a trace of mana, his family abandoned him, his fiance annulled her marriage with him, and he was going to die the next day.
''What kind of sick joke was this? Why did he have to go through this? What did he do to deserve such a fate? Who was at fault for this?''
Questions began to cloud Arvell''s mind as he desperately sought an answer.
''Power¡ If only I was strong this wouldn''t have happened. I wouldn''t have been abandoned, I wouldn''t have been embarrassed by my ex-fiance, and I wouldn''t have been stabbed here. I desire power¡ Power to control my fate. I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF OTHER PEOPLE DICTATING MY LIFE''
Almost as a response to Arvell''s burning desire for power, his amulet lit up for a moment before the light faded again. However, as it was tucked within Arvell''s shirt it wasn''t visible to him nor the assassins
''But¡ It''s toote for me, there''s no way I''m going to live through this. If only I had a second chance, I would have gathered enough power to change my fate and make the people who wronged me suffer,'' he solemnly thought to himself.
The man who stabbed him pulled his sword out of his chest and let Arvell fall face-forward, hitting the ground hard.
Since the sword that was acting as a stopgap was removed from his chest, a massive spurt of blood came out of Arvell''s chest drenching the assassin red. After falling to the ground a pool of blood rapidly began to surround his corpse leaving a sizeable red patch on the ground.
Arvell saw the amulet on his chest that was poking out from his chest, reminding him of the only girl he ever loved.
''Mom, Lily, big brother Tristan, big sister Alecia¡ I''m sorry for dying so soon. I wish I could have seen you onest time¡'' he thought to himself as a tear trailed down his nose before hitting the ground. He slowly gave up resisting and eventually sumbed to the feeling of drowsiness that enveloped him.
Arvell slowly closed his eyes and breathed hisst breath.
"Boss he''s surely dead now! No one can survive that!" the assassin proimed
"..."
The leader turned to face his subordinate, and even with the mask on it didn''t take an idiot to figure out that he was pissed.
"Idiot! Don''t just raise a g! Almost every time someone says that they somehow miraculously survive, have you never touched a book?"
The leader sighed and then ordered his men to go check on Arvell''s vitals, while he wiped off the blood on his de.
One of the men touched Arvell''s wrist. "Boss he has no pulse and I can feel the aura of death around his body, the mission was a sess".
"Don''t worry about looting him, whatever we can salvage from his body won''t be worth the time wasted."
The leader simply nodded his head but still felt some kind of unease with this setting. However, after visibly confirming that there the man was dead was there any need to worry?
It''s not like he woulde back as an undead immediately, and if he was to evene back as an undead he would need to have had a sizable mana pool while he was alive. However it wasmon knowledge by now that the prince was trash whocked mana in the first ce, so reviving as an undead without outside assistance was impossible.
The leader used this reasoning tofort himself and remove his feeling of unease.
"Dump his body in the river, if we try to burn his corpse we would risk his aplices seeing the smoke and light from the fire. Just let his body drown and never be found again."
"Yes, boss!"
The assassins carried Arvell''s corpse to the nearby river and unceremoniously chucked it in.
His body began to flow along the river slowly dyeing the water surrounding it blood red. After a few seconds, his body began slowly sinking further and further into the depths while his ne mysteriously lit up for a moment before returning to normal. However, Arvell''s corpse was too submerged for his killers to see.
After confirming that his body had indeed sunk into the river, the assassins dispersed from their locations and began their journey back to the capital city of Talmek to report the news to second prince Carnis.
Shortly after the assassins escaped two masked figures covered in blood and wounds appeared at the ce where Arvell was killed.
Jessica and Calen were able to kill their opponents, before heading in the direction in which Arvell ran, however they were greeted by a pool of blood instead of the prince that they were tasked to protect.
Jessica ran her hand through a de of grass and collected a few drops of blood on it.
"We were toote" she somberly muttered.
"FUCK! To think they had reinforcements! We just got stalled by their cannon fodder! The Queen is going to be pissed. We''ll probably lose our jobs if not our lives! FUCCCCKKKKK" Calen raged.
"Calm down. Her highness won''t let us off that easy, she still needs us to protect her. Even if our credibility took a hit she still understands our value. But you''re right, she''s going to be pretty angry at us and will probably find some way to punish us. Our lives are going to be much worse now. After all, we did let her precious child die."
"(Sigh) Yeah you''re right¡" Calen took a deep breath to calm himself down.
"I still feel bad for the kid tho. From what I''ve seen from him in the past, he was a good kid. He was caring towards his family too." Calen turned his gaze away from the bloody patch to the trail of blood that led toward the river. "Too bad the royal pce is a den of vipers, with his family being some of the most deadly kind."
"Such is life in this world. For a world dominated by magic, his very existence is seen as a sin."
"We probably won''t be able to recover the body now, it''s probably somewhere at the bottom of the river far downstream. Her highness won''t even have a body to bury."
"We should hurry back and report the news. If we waste too much time we would only serve in angering her further."
The two of them disappeared in a way simr to the earlier group, allowing for an eerie silence to envelop the area.
Chapter 8 Lily
Arvell remembered hearing this voice multiple times in his past, but he could not remember exactly where...
Consumed by curiosity, Arvell slowly opened his eyes and saw her. He groggily woke up and rubbed his eyes.
He saw a cute young girl with aquamarine hair looking at him with visible excitement.
Looking at her face, Arvell instantly remembered who she was, after all, she was the person he loved spending time with the most. He proceeded to slowly sit up and greeted her.
"Hey Lily, do you need anything?" hezily inquired
Arvell let out a loud yawn and stretched his arms.
"Is the first thing you say when you see me?" she pouted.
She put her hands on her hips and leaned over him.
"Also, you knew I was visiting today, so why did you decide to sleep under a tree? I looked all over for you!" she chided.
"Ok-ok sorry."
Arvell stood up and gave her an exaggerated bow.
"Arvell Rs Vispia, prince of Vispia hereby greets Lilianna Astrea ntrya, princess of ntrya" he thoroughly recited.
However, his efforts only seemed to make her angrier.
Seeing her pouty face get even more scrunched up, Arvell started bursting out withughter.
Hearing his jovialughter, Lilianna''s face could barely handle her forced seriousness any longer and joined in with hisughter as if it was contagious. The two of themughed until tears began to slip from their eyes, and only after a few minutes did they stop and greedily gasp for air, before returning getting back to normal.
"Sorry Lily, I was just teasing you," he admitted. "How are you?"
"I''m fine Arv, but please don''t do that next time. You know I hate being teased!"
Arvell looked away from her suspiciously as if to let her know that he was not nning on stopping anytime soon.
Since they were both so close to each other and were going to be married to each other, the two of them decided toe up with nicknames for each other that only they could call each other. He chose to call Lilianna ''Lily'', while his name got shortened down to simply ''Arv''.
Lilianna let out a cute little sigh and produced a basket. She opened it and Arvell was able to smell the smell of fresh-baked cookies. She took it from the basket and gave it to him.
When he took the cookie from her, he saw her hands fidgeting a little in nervousness. Arvell took a bite and noticed that they were a little salty when he expected to eat a more sugary taste.
Lily probably made these cookies herself and mixed up salt and sugar in the process.
''Knowing her she probably put in a lot of effort to make them. I can''t let her know they taste bad, it''ll break her heart'' Arvell thought to himself.
Arvell felt a warm feeling in his heart after thinking about how she put all of this effort in just for him.
Throughout his childhood, he only felt somewhat close to his mother and a few of his siblings, but his mother was normally too busy to spend time with him. His father was worse, as he only saw him on rare asions, and he doesn''t have any memories of spending time with him. The only people he could spend his time with were those select few siblings and Lily.
Arvell pretended to enjoy the cookie and made sure to eat every bite, lest waste the hard work and care that were put into these cookies.
"How is it?" She asked him.
"It''s really good!" Arvell responded while doing his best to not let his true emotions show.
Her face visibly brightened and blushed a little.
Before he could finish thest bite, Lily quickly leaned in and ate it before Arvell could put it in his mouth.
Momentarily shocked by the recent turn of events he stared nkly at Lily, who reciprocated with yful eyes.
"That''s payback for teasing me!" She childishly proimed.
Upon chewing her cookie her face paled and she hurriedly spat out the half-chewed cookie from her mouth. Following that she stuck her tongue out in disgust.
"Whai dith tha salth onths geth in thith batsh?" (Why did the salt ones get in this batch?)
She rinsed out her tongue with some water and stared at him questioningly.
"Arvell, why did you not tell me? That was a cookie from a batch in which I mixed up salt and sugar. I could have just given you another one. Why did you eat it and keep quiet?"
"You put the effort into making this, I can''t just say no after seeing how much love and care you put into making these"
Her face burned with a deeper shade of red. Lily was someone who could go on the offensive, but not someone who can takepliments with a straight face. At least not from Arvell.
She took an object from inside of the basket and presented it to him. It was a sleek metallic amulet with what appeared to be a magic circle engraved in the middle.
"This is the amulet my father gave to my mother when they were younger. My mother passed this on to me to keep. However... I want to give it to you! It''s a little something to remember me by!"
She proceeded to shyly hand Arvell the amulet.
Arvell dug into his pockets and produced a pair of luxurious purple hair clips that he saved for this exact asion and presented them to her.
"In that case, I have something for you as well. It might not have a history, but I spent four months of my allowance on it!"
She looked at him and then hair clips and her eyes lit up. Arvell could have sworn her pupils turned into the shape of stars from her sheer excitement.
Lily pounced onto Arvell and gave him a tight hug, ignoring the audible popping noise his back was making. Arvell gave up and patted her head with a pained expression.
After he finally managed to escape from Lily he looked her in the eye
"Lily, would you mind putting the amulet on me? I''ll put your clips in your hair in return"
Lily visibly blushed after hearing this, awkwardly nodding her head.
''This girl just hugged me for two solid minutes, and she''s blushing when I offer to put a hair clip in her hair?'' Arvell wryly smiled.
He reached out and put the two hairclips in her turquoise hair, then allowed her to put the amulet around his neck.
The two of themid down next to the tree in the courtyard, talking,ughing. After many attempts of trial and error, Arvell and Lily were able to find out which cookies were the normal sugar-based ones. This finally gave Arvell a chance to enjoy them, and he could confidently state afterward that they were arguably far better than their salt-filled counterparts.
Feeling a sense of sudden nostalgia, Arvell looked up at the grand blue sky hoping these blissful times would never end.
"Do you remember? This was the first time you and I ''met''." the person beside him said in a mature manly voice,pletely different from Lily''s young feminine voice.
Arvell was momentarily shocked as he turned to look beside him, only to see a handsome young man who looked to be in histe 20s sitting where Lily was before.
Chapter 9 A Chance To Take It All Back
"Who are you?... Where is Lily?" Arvell nervously inquired. However, he noticed his voice was deeper than before, more akin to that of someone in their early teens. While this did confuse him, his worry for Lily and the identity of the mysterious man took precedence over that.
The young man had silver hair with beautiful purple eyes, and Arvell could without a doubt say that the man was the most handsome man he''d ever seen in his life. The man''s beauty was simply otherworldly.
Suddenly a flood of memories entered Arvell''s mind, including the memories of being impaled by a sword.
Arvell looked at his chest, but instead of finding a gaping wound, he found an extremely lean and muscr physique, something he didn''t possess before.
Arvell looked up at the mysterious man in confusion as if the man could answer his questions about his current state.
The man smiled at Arvell, before slowly rising to his feet.
"Follow me"
He began to walk forward and beckoned for Arvell to follow him.
Arvell got up and decided to follow the man in hopes of answering his questions.
"Can you please tell me what happened? Is this the afterlife?" Arvell asked.
The man kept walking forward without pausing.
"Just wait until we reach our destination before I exin everything to you."
''Maybe this person is my guide to the afterlife?'' Arvell mused to himself. He heard stories about how there would be a guide from hell to take recently deceased people to the afterlife.
The two of them kept walking until they reached a full-length mirror.
"Take a look at yourself first," he told Arvell before stepping aside to allow Arvell to look at the mirror.
Despite being confused by the man''s words decided to look at himself in the mirror, after all, he might be able to get his answers from the man after doing this.
However, to Arvell''s surprise, he found an exquisitely handsome silver-haired man looking back at him. If before he was considered handsome, now he was probably the most handsome guy he ever saw, except for the young man beside him. Even his eye colour changed from brown to light purple pupils that looked like beautiful gemstones. His entire appearance looked quite simr to the man beside him, almost eerily so¡
"Careful you don''t fall in love with yourself, It never ends well. I can speak from experience."
The man''s words disrupted Arvell''s thoughts and he turned his head away from the mirror to face the man.
"What happened? I look different" Arvell asked.
However, unlike before, the man decided to finally answer Arvell''s burning questions.
"You were finally able to help me properly materialize."
"Materialize?" Arvell asked
"My soul was sealed within the amulet you wore around your neck, and the only way I could properly materialize my soul was to absorb enough life essence, which you managed to provide to me through your blood."
"Who are you?" Arvell asked for the third time.
"You can simply call me Lykos. The information of what I am has been lost to the passage of time eons ago, but you can think of me as a spirit that inhibits your amulet."
"So you aren''t an agent of hell?"
"Agent of hell? Where did you get that delusion from? Hmm¡ I guess you are thirteen so having 8th-grade syndrome makes sense..." The spirit gave Arvell an amused look.
Veins started bulging in Arvell''s forehead, "I''m not a chunni! Anyone would think that after dying! Probably!"
Hearing Arvell acting like a pouty young child, Lykos startedughing out loud while holding onto his chest. Tears even threatened to spill from his eyes.
However Lykos''s actions only served to piss off Arvell even more, but knowing that the man before was only trying to tease him for fun, Arvell began to calm himself down. He wouldn''t give this man any more reason tough at him.
Seeing Arvell calm down, Lykos knew he wouldn''t be getting any moreughs out of Arvell, so he also stoppedughing.
Wiping a tear from his eye Lykos decided to get back to the main topic of their conversation.
"Arvell you desire power right?" He asked with an air of seriousness, "What would you do for it?"
Arvell''s entire body began to heat up after hearing the word ''power''. He looked at Lykos with eyes burning with determination.
"If I had Strength, I would have never been forced into such a pathetic state, I wouldn''t have been abandoned, I wouldn''t have been embarrassed, I wouldn''t have been betrayed, and I wouldn''t have been killed! If I was given the chance, I would do anything to get it!"
Arvell clenched his fists tightly and caused them to make a loud popping noise.
"Even if I have to endure hellish pain, or undergo gruelling training, I would do it. I want to¡ No I need to get stronger! Only then can I dictate my life, and get back at those bastards who threw me away!"
Pausing for a moment, Arvell looked resolutely at Lykos.
"However I will not cross my bottom line. I don''t want to lose myself in pursuit of power."
Lykos nodded as if expecting this exact answer.
"Good answer Arvell. Without that level of dedication, you would not go far on the path to supremacy no matter how much help you receive. You can take a horse to ake, but you can''t make it drink."
"But Lykos, why are you even asking me this? I am already dead. It''s toote¡" Arvell dejectedly asked.
Lykos looked at Arvell with a knowing look.
"What if I told you that you aren''t dead¡ at least not anymore".
"What do you mean? I got stabbed through the chest and bled out!"
Arvell gripped his chest area tightly with a shaking hand.
"I still vividly remember the sensation of the cold metal in my chest. I didn''t feel much pain from it, but I felt it in my chest. Like my body knew something was there that shouldn''t be."
He touched his hand to the location of where the sword wound was.
"Only a skilled healer would have been able to heal someone from that level of damage. Unless Jessica and Calen or some passerby managed to save me, I should have bled out and died."
"Oh¡ well you kinda did die, if you consider it that," Lykos replied. "But I was the one who ''killed'' you. I made your heart stop¡ for a bit."
Arvell looked at Lykos with visible confusion, before a thought went through his head.
"Was it to fake my death so that the people aiming for my life would think I''m dead?"
"Yes," Lykos calmly replied.
? "But¡ how did you do that? Did you somehow even fake the aura of death around me as well? People of that level wouldn''t leave until they made sure that they were dead!"
When someone dies, they release an aura of death around their corpse. Sometimes the leftover mana in a corpse would fuse with the aura of death and the soul of the deceased causing the corpse to reanimate into an undead. Depending on the amount of leftover mana the undead could even retain their consciousness of when they were alive, but this was only for exceptionally powerful mages.
Assassins who dealt with murder were typically incredibly sensitive to the aura of death, so there was no way they would have just left without making sure he was properly killed.
"Naturally I faked that too."
"How? That shouldn''t be possible!" Arvell asked in confusion.
Lykos''s words just broke Arvell''s definition of mon sense'', after all, how could someone be dead while also alive? That shouldn''t be possible!
"Through a little maniption ofher."
Arvell raised his brows after hearing this new and unfamiliar word.
"What''s that?"
"Nether along with Aether are two of the strongest powers in existence, and the thing you know as ''mana'' is just some cheap knockoff of these two powers."
''Mana was just some knockoff? If the mages across the world were to hear this they would be spitting blood.'' Arvell mused.
Strangely enough, he seemed to believe the man''s words now, no matter how oundish they seemed.
"Nether specifically is a power that can control life and death. Faking your ''death'' while preserving your ''life'' isn''t that hard."
''Or it at least shouldn''t be if I was at my full strength,'' Lykos thought to himself.
The information that he might not be dead invigorated Arvell, he felt a sudden desire to leave this ce and see for himself.
"So how can I get back? I don''t know how to leave this ce," Arvell asked while looking at the man with expectant eyes.
"I guess your body transformation should be aboutplete now so I guess it''s okay for you to wake up now."
Lykos snapped his fingers and Arvell''s vision went ck.
Chapter 10 A Nephilim’s Legacy
Arvell felt the rustle of cold water going past his body and felt the sensation of jagged stones prickling his back.
He opened his eyes and saw the sun shining brightly in the bright blue sky. He felt the nice warmth of the sun on his skin which felt nice with the cold water soaking his body. Strangely he didn''t even feel that cold despite being soaking wet.
Arvell forced his body up into a sitting posture. He found himself at the side of a riverbank and noticed his sword was missing.
''Fuck, and it was a magical artifact too!'' He thought to himself.
''I guess that cksmith Grid would be happy knowing I didn''t get to even use his sword after getting it dirt cheap.''
Arvell felt his throat was quite dry so he knelt in to take a sip of water before realizing his appearance was no longer how it was before.
"Wait¡ why do I still look like this?????"
Arvell''s appearance changed into the purple-eyed silver-haired appearance he had when he was talking to Lykos.
''Try saying status, you''ll be in for a surprise''
Arvell heard a familiar voice in his head.
''Lykos how are you able to speak to me like this?'' Arvell asked.
''I told you right? You allowed me to materialize! From now on we canmunicate simply by thinking. Neat huh?'' Lykos proimed.
''Ah¡ I guess that makes sense, this entire situation still feels quite surreal. Normally hearing a voice inside your head means you should go see a priest for an exorcism or a healer for mental help.''
''Some may have called me a demon back in my days, but I am not gonna try to eat your soul'' Lykos joked. ''Anyways try saying status, I want to see your reaction at the big reveal!''
Arvell felt a bit of apprehension from Lykos''s tone, but his curiosity got the better of him and decided to look into his reflection in the water before saying "status".
[Status Information]
Structure name: Thales River
[A River that flows near the city of Talmek. Locals use this river for fishing.]
"..." Arvell stared at the screen like an idiot.
''BWAHAHAHAH you idiot! Why are you looking at the status of a river?'' Lykos burst into a fit ofughter, helping Arvell get out of his momentary confusion.
Arvell''s face glowed red in embarrassment and decided to try again.
This time he looked at the palm of his hand and tried again and muttered "Status".
[Status Information]
Name: Arvell Rs Vispia
Species: Nephilim
Age: 13 years old
HP: 90
STA: 60
DEF: 46
SPD: 52
PHYS ATK: 54
POWER STAGE: 0TH CIRCLE 0TH STAGE
BODY REFINING: 0TH REFINEMENT 0TH STAGE
AETHER: 40/40
NETHER: 40/40
Titles: 3rd Prince of Vispia (Exiled), Inheritor of the Nephilim''s Legacy, Forever Alone?
Skills: Iplete Royal Swordsmanship (C+), Diplomacy (B-), Future sight (SS), Inventory (S), Temporal Maniption (SSS), Warp (SSS), Rejuvenation (S), Undead Summon (S), Vitality Drain (SS).
Arvell was momentarily stunned by the new information he saw. His stats were strong enough to rival newly appointed knights for crying out loud!
Squires were normally around sixteen before they would be formally appointed as knights, and he was as physically strong as them while only thirteen years old.
But this was purely taking their physical abilities into ount, and since knights could use magic to make their physical bodies stronger their base stats were hardly ever used to quantify their actual strength. Not to mention this didn''t even take into their magic circle rank as well.
Looking for the reason behind his abnormal stats he noticed that his species was no longer ssified as ''human''.
''Lykos what is a Nephilim? And Is this the reason I lookpletely different?'' Since Arvell gained ess to a voice in his head who seemed to know quite a lot about his current situation he decided to make use of him. If he''s going to get stuck with a voice in his head, he might as well make the most of it.
''Have you not even noticed the pair of wings protruding from your back? I thought that would have earned some of your attention. Don''t all humans have some childish obsession with flight?''
''Huh? Wings? What do you mean-'' Arvell looked at his back and he noticed two wings protruding from his back. One of these wings was as white as freshly fallen snow and full of elegant feathers that glittered like diamonds, while the other was pitch ck like a never-ending abyss. The ck wing closely resembled that of a crow, while the white one was reminiscent of a swan.
"I HAVE WINGS?!?!?!?" Arvell yelled excitedly, even forgetting that he didn''t need to talk out loud for Lykos to hear him.
''Now that was the reaction I was looking for!'' Lykos chuckled.
He watched Arvell reacting to his new powers with amusement since after all having someone to talk to and interact with was a feeling he had not experienced for quite a long time.
''Wait so can I fly?'' Arvell excitedly asked. He like most humans dreamed of flying through the sky at once in his life. Whenever he was fed up with his royal tutoring he would stare out of his window wondering how life would be if he didn''t have to study and could just y all day long.
Seeing birds flying freely above the royal pce made him yearn for that freedom as well.
Being able to fly would be like a dreame true. Why would he walk on the ground if he could fly through the sky?
''Sorry to burst your bubble, but trying to fly as you imagined right now is like getting a newborn to sprint before they even managed to walk, not to mention crawling as well.'' Lykos voiced shattering Arvell''s momentary reverie.
Lykos could pretty much guess what Arvell was thinking, as he didn''t make any effort to hide his emotions.
''Well anyways about your earlier question,'' Lykos continued, ''The reason why you can do all of this is because of me. I gave you my powers and restructured your body with my powers. Since I passes on the foundation of my power to you, you became something like my sessor. However you have a near-perfect copy of my DNA as well, just the only difference between the two of us is that I''m slightly more handsome.''
Hearing Lykos''s shameless promation, Arvell felt a sudden need to argue with him and im that he was the more handsome one of the two. He felt a sense of pride in his current appearance and when he heard someone im that he was better, he had a desire to defend that pride. Even if he was arguing against the man who made him this handsome in the first ce.
''But¡ If we think about it¡ you did inherit my DNA¡'' Lykos''s words disrupted Arvell''s thoughts, but his next words shocked him even more.
''So that makes me sort of your dad huh? You can call me daddy if you want~'' Lykos teased.
"Fuck you! I am not calling you daddy!" Arvell screamed.
A nearby squirrel saw this strange winged monkey shouting to himself crazily before shaking its head. Even it knew that associating with crazy people was never a good idea. ''It might be contagious'' it thought as it scurried away.
Chapter 11 Aether And Nether
"It was just a joke! No need to get worked so worked up son~"
Veins visibly bulged on Arvell''s face, but realizing that he was fighting an uphill battle by falling to Lykos''s provocations, Arvell decided to just ignore him instead. He looked down at the rest of his details.
[Status Information]
Name: Arvell Rs Vispia
Species: Nephilim
Age: 13 years old
HP: 90
STA: 60
DEF: 46
SPD: 52
PHYS ATK: 54
POWER STAGE: 0TH CIRCLE 0TH STAGE
BODY REFINING: 0TH REFINEMENT 0TH STAGE
AETHER: 40/40
NETHER: 40/40
Titles: 3rd Prince of Vispia (Exiled), Inheritor of the Nephilim''s Legacy, Forever Alone?
Skills: Iplete Royal Swordsmanship (C+), Diplomacy (B-), Future sight (SS), Inventory (S), Temporal Maniption (SSS), Warp (SSS), Rejuvenation (S), Undead Summon (S), Vitality Drain (SS).
He noticed that the previous question marks and ck boxes were removed, allowing him to see new information.
''What is body refining? I never heard of this before. But judging by its name it might make my physical body stronger?'' Arvell thought to himself.
''Ah! there''s Aether and Nether disyed here. I guess this must be my supplement for mana. ording to Lykos, Nether allows for the maniption of life and death, but what does Aether do?''
Lykos hearing Arvell''s thoughts decided to throw him a bone and answer his questions.
''Aether allows for maniption of time and space. Aether wielders can open gates that connect 2 different spaces, create their pocket dimensions, influence time in a certain area, see a few seconds into the future¡ the list goes on.'' Lykos exined.
''Wait so I can manipte time and space? Isn''t that a little too strong?'' Arvell wondered.
He felt a rush of adrenaline thinking about the new power that he possessed. Using his newfound power no one would be able to dictate his life, he could even get revenge on those who wronged him.
Recently a certain bratty duke''s daughter earned the full extent of Arvell''s unbridled rage. Arvell doesn''t know why she did it but she decided to ce tracking magic on his engagement ring.
If it wasn''t for Lykos saving him, he would have died for real during the assassination. While he felt immense gratitude to Lykos (even though he never got to, since Lykos kept teasing and provoking him for his amusement), his hatred for Ethelline only grew.
Originally he didn''t like her due to her stuck-up and spoiled personality, preferring Lily''s loving and caring nature, but he still was able to tolerate her to an extent.
Nevertheless, her actions in disparaging him in the pce, as well as her possible collusion with his assassin made his blood boil.
Arvell naturally won''t forgive her for either of those, and he also knew that with her personality she knew about the spell on the ring. Most likely she was the one who sold out his location or at least had some part to y in it.
Feeling Arvell''s burning hatred as well as his resolve for revenge, Lykos had a wry smile. It was the same smile a father had when seeing his son follow in his footsteps.
''Let''s take things slow,'' Lykos suddenly dered, ''right now you are nowhere near strong enough to fight the dukedom on your own. Your main concern is to first get stronger.
Lykos continued, ''right now your main concern is to upgrade your power circle, body refinement, and your aptitude in Aether and Nether wielding''.
Hearing Lykos mention body refinement, Arvell remembered that he knew nothing about it, other than its name and his current refinement stage.
''Let me guess it makes my body stronger right?'' Arvell asked.
''Well the name is pretty self-descriptive,'' Lykos admitted, ''but calling it simply ''making your body stronger'' is a little too in and generalized. Body refinement is so much more than just making your body stronger.''
''What else does it do then?'' Arvell asked.
''It allows you to gain a Nether Body, and manipte the power of Nether. It functions like a Magic Core itself, but instead of containing the power in a core, it enhances your body''s power. The power of life will allow you to heal yourself and others, while the power of death will be able to deal greater damage to your enemies. Furthermore, you can also summon undead warriors to fight for you.''
Magic Cores are formed by mages when theyplete their transition to the 1st stage of the 0th circle from the 0th stage. Mages gather the residual mana particles in their body andpress them into a core that exists within their bodies.
The core is located in the center of the upper chest area, but it doesn''t have a physical structure and is independent of the physical body. Thus, stabbing someone in the chest with a normal metal sword won''t cripple them and destroy their Magic Core.
However, there are still ways to break a Magic Core. One such method was using a cursed weapon.
''So if my body refinement shows how strong my Nether maniption is, does the power stage show me the strength of my Aether maniption?'' Arvell inquired.
''That''s exactly it. Your power stage shows you the strength of your Aether Core,'' Lykos acknowledged, ''The stronger your Aether Core, the stronger your Aether abilities are.''
A Nether Body and an Aether Core. Comparing these to a simple mana Core was likeparing heaven and earth. Just a chance to obtain even one of these would have sparked an all-out global war, much less two of them.
Arvell struck it rich.
''Oh by the way Arvell,'' Lykos started, ''you might be wondering why you were not at the bottom of the river.''
Arvell looked at Lykos with confusion, before realizing his words made sense. He was sure that the assassins would have burned his corpse or thrown him in the river to remove the evidence.
Since the people after him were professionals, they would not make such a rookie mistake and leave the corpse somewhere it can be found.
''Did you do something?'' Arvell questioned.
''As much as I would like to take credit, this one wasn''t me. Some kids pulled you out. A boy and his sister, both of which were about slightly younger than your age.''
Arvell looked around and saw no one near them
''Did they just fish me out of theke and just leave? Normally you would help someone in these kinds of scenarios'' Arvell thought.
''They ran away after seeing your body!''
Lykos Snickered as if remembering an extremelyedic scene.
Hearing Lykos''s tone, Arvell felt beads of sweat slowly drip down his neck.
''Lykos¡ what happened?'' Arvell nervously asked.
''Let''s just say that when your body was converting from a human to a Nephilim, your body structure got somewhat mangled. Your flesh was melted together, while your bones were protruding through your skin. It was quite unpleasant to watch if I am, to be honest.''
''When the kids pulled out your mangled body it was still wriggling due to the transformation, and they both pissed their pants, running away while screaming "MONSTER! HELP!". It was quiteedic if you asked me.'' Lykos smiled sadistically.
Arvell offered a silent apology to the siblings. Not only did they help him out, but he terrified them to the point where they wet their pants in fear.
The poor souls even became a source of amusement for Arvell''s sadistic amulet spirit...
Chapter 12 Aether Core
Arvell slowly walked out of the river, with his wet clothes sticking tightly to his body. The faint outline of his chiseled physique was visible even through his clothes.
If there were any women around to see this they would have fallen for him on the spot, luckily for Arvell, there weren''t.
He slowly took off his clothes leaving just his underwear and left them to hang on a nearby tree.
Arvell was not able to fully grasp the extent of his new makeover before since he was wearing clothes, but after finally seeing his new form he was astounded. Despite full-well knowing that he waspletely different from his old self, he was still not prepared for this shift.
He even had a 6-pack now. Arvell ran his fingers down his toned abs with curiosity, admiring his new ripped muscles.
Arvell clenched his fist and assumed a fighting stance. He was taught swordsmanship growing up, but that did not mean he had no training in hand-to-handbat.
He was taught the basics of unarmedbat, on the off chance that he was to ever end up in a situation where he did not have his sword.
Arvell punched the air and heard a faint ''whoosh'', as a gust of air came from his fist and scattered some leaves that had fallen on the ground.
He looked at his fist with an expectant gaze.
''If my new body is this strong at the 0th refining stage, I can''t even imagine how strong it will be at the first refining stage or even theter stages,'' he thought to himself.
''I agree your new body is far better than your old body. Your average pencil has evolved into a holy sword deserving its own epic and myths~'' Lykos mused.
Arvell''s eyes opened wide and he took a peak.
''...'' Arvell looked with disbelief as he realized Lykos was telling the truth.
Little Arvell grew up, and now he was a monster.
Despite being thirteen he could still make grown men cry with his size.
''Congrattions! You are a real man now! Make sure to take care of that ok?
It''s our family''s treasure, so take care of it, and don''t go putting it in weird ces.''
Since Arvell was already thirteen, he knew about the ''birds and the bees'' and naturally understood Lykos''s not-so-subtle sexual innuendos. However, he was too happy to care and simply just brushed it off with a snort.
After all a man''s ''sword'' was his pride, so seeing himself with better gear made Arvell feel more self-confident in himself.
''We should probably start working on forming your Aether Core and your Nether Body now'' Lykos spoke.
Arvell sat down on the warm grass and looked at the Thales River which glistened under the midday sun. He basked in the sun and allowed the water on his body to evaporate.
''I agree,'' Arvell responded, ''I need to be strong enough to protect myself. It would be foolish to not get stronger as soon as possible.''
Arvell took a deep breath of fresh air to calm his nerves. He was already eager to learn how to use his new powers, and he was shaking from the excitement.
A handsome silver-haired man materialized before Arvell, momentarily shocking him.
The man looked at Arvell with a grin and sat across from him in a lotus position.
''Lykos? How did youe out of the amulet?'' Arvell asked after oveing his momentary shock.
''While I am outside the amulet, I am not technically ''outside the amulet''. The part of me that is tethered to the amulet is still intact, however, I am just projecting myself outwards.'' Lykos responded.
''While I am able to show myself to you, no one else can see me. But at the same time I can''t really touch anything do anything physically,'' he continued.
It seemed that their mental connection still held up despite Lykos projecting himself outside of the amulet.
Lykos leaned in to touch the center of Arvell''s upper chest, however, the finger just went through as if it was just an illusion.
Arvell didn''t even feel a thing. It was as if the finger didn''t even exist.
''This is where your Aether Core should be. Right on your middle dantian. This is the centre of your body, and where you can get the greatest value out of your Aether Core.'' Lykos exined.
''Many people have tried other locations, but none of them were remotely close to the power when the core is formed in the middle dantian'', Lykos continued.
Of course, Arvell knew this, since this wasmon sense for mages. Many people have tried to disprove this and try other locations, but all they did was create extra work in disassembling the core and then reconstructing it on the middle dantian.
At this point, only the young and na?ve bother to dispute this fact. The members of the older generation have long sincee to peace with it.
Touching his chest in the location which Lykos pointed out, Arvell closed his eyes and memorized the feeling of his finger on his chest. He stabilized his breathing and focused entirely on that point.
He noticed some sky blue-colored particles floating around near that spot. Just as he thought about asking Lykos what they were, Lykos reading his mind told him what they were.
''Those are Aether particles. Try to gather as many as you can in your body and collect them into your dantian'' he exined.
Heeding Lykos''s words Arvell tried to gather the particles to his dantian. To Arvell''s surprise, these particles acted as an extension of him and moved how he wanted them to.
Arvell felt a faint connection to these particles and moving them felt as natural as moving his limbs.
Arvell began to slowly gather all of the Aether around his body to his core.
***
Several hourster.
The sun began to set beyond the horizon, bathing the forest in the soft twilight glow.
The chilly evening air assaulted Arvell''s bare skin, which had dried off hours before.
Beads of sweat were dripping down Arvell''s face and his forehead was scrunched up in concentration.
He''d spent thest few hours gathering the Aether in his body to his core fairly easily, but then the real problem started.
He had managed to gather the cluster of Aether in his body which formed what Lykos called an ''Aether Pool'', which he said was a simr concept to a mage''s Mana Pool.
Essentially that was all the Aether he had in his body that he could use to manipte time and space.
It really only took Arvell one hour to do this, however after he gathered it, his real problems began.
He had to condense it into an Aether Core.
This was a far more tedious process since he had topress the mass of Aether he collected in his core, and essentially ''process it'' by making it morepact.
Through this, his body would have more space for Aether to enter into, which would increase the amount of Aether he can use, while also making it stronger.
The power that can be used with normal raw Aether could not bepared to the output that properly refined Aether could aplish.
It was likeparing raw ore and refined iron.
Naturally,pressing and refining his Aether was no easy task, forcing Arvell to spend thest couple of hours slowlypressing it.
It was almost like the Aether didn''t want topress, but Arvell kept going.
Now, after many hours of mindless refinement, Arvell was finally at a breakthrough.
He focused all of his attention on the refinement process, not even paying attention to the butterfly that hadnded on his shoulder.
''Almost there! Just a little more!'' Arvell thought to himself.
Lykos watched Arvell struggle with an expectant gaze. He refrained from encouraging Arvell himself since he did not want to risk distracting him and making him lose hours of progress.
Arvell put all of his energy into forming his Aether Core, causing small vortexes to form around Arvell, as well as speeding up and slowing down the flow of time in his surroundings sporadically.
The butterfly on his shoulder realized something was wrong and decided that it was time to leave.
The moment it took time slowed down around it, making the butterfly freeze in the air.
Each flutter of its wings took several seconds, and it didn''t seem to even realize that it slowed down considerably. To the butterfly, it was fluttering like normal.
If anything it would notice that the amount of sweat on the human''s face was increasing much faster.
The butterfly slowly crept forward, but it was then suddenly pulled into one of the numerous vortexes surrounding Arvell.
The butterfly found itself several meters in front of its previous location and while it was confused with this situation, its small brain could only understand so much and decided to go drink the nectar of a nearby flower instead.
All of a sudden the vortexes disappeared and the time flow in the area corrected itself as if the mystifying phenomenon was just an illusion.
Arvell finally opened his eyes and yelled in an exasperated breath.
"I DID IT!"
Chapter 13 A World Bathed In Blood
"haaa"
Arvell fell on his back while panting.
He lost track of time while single-mindedly refining his Aether Core, and he didn''t even notice the flow of time in his surroundings.
He felt a slight chill in his body which surprised him.
Normally if he was lightly dressed during even he would feel quite cold, but despite being almost naked he only felt a slight chill.
This just went to show the difference between the body of a human and a Nephilim.
Arvell looked at his hand and muttered status.
[Status Information]
Name: Arvell Rs Vispia
Species: Nephilim
Age: 13 years old
HP: 90
STA: 60
DEF: 46
SPD: 52
PHYS ATK: 54
POWER STAGE: 1ST CIRCLE 0TH STAGE
BODY REFINING: 0TH REFINEMENT 0TH STAGE
AETHER: 80/80
NETHER: 40/40
Titles: 3rd Prince of Vispia (Exiled), Inheritor of the Nephilim''s Legacy, Forever Alone?
Skills: Iplete Royal Swordsmanship (C+), Diplomacy (B-), Future sight (SS), Inventory (S), Temporal Maniption (SSS), Warp (SSS), Rejuvenation (S), Undead Summon (S), Vitality Drain (SS).
He felt a sense of pride fill him seeing his Power Stage increase.
While gathering his body''s Aether was somewhat easy, the practice ofpressing and refining that Aether into a core was by far the most taxing thing he''d ever done.
Mages often get stuck at the gap between Magic Circle ranks and stop progressing, because they simply can''tpress and refine their Magic Core anymore due to the immense difficulty.
Before starting Arvell naturally assumed that it would be quite taxing for him, but he did not expect it to be this bad.
He noticed another change. His maximum Aether storage had doubled its original value, going from 40 to 80.
Arvell spected that Aether and Nether had their own version of Mana Hearts that acted as a form of storage. Since Mana Hearts also functioned to gather abundant mana from the air, he assumed these would do the same.
However, Mana Hearts and Magic Cores were independent of each other, with each requiring its own form of strengthening.
There were more than a few mages with High levelled Mana Hearts but weak Magic Cores, or vice-versa.
Only by increasing the strength of both would allow for mages to be strong and cast strong spells, since strong spells typically required a certain degree of power, while also being quite costly in terms of mana.
Lykos''s apparition walked over to Arvell and looked at him from above.
''Aether and Nether Hearts do exist of course, but they function a little differently than normal Mana Hearts.''
Heid down on his back next to Arvell
''Unlike Mana Hearts, Aether and Nether Hearts grow stronger directly by increasing your Power Stage and Nether Body. Mana Hearts would be considered a shoddy knockoff of Aether and Nether Hearts,'' he exined.
Arvell looked at his status screen with understanding. It seemed that having to raise an Aether Core and a Nether Body at the same time might be a little easier than what he had originally anticipated.
''You know Arvell,pared to forming a Mana Core, forming an Aether Core is many times harder. Even the members of that tribe took months to do it. From their standards, you would be considered a monster,''
''What tribe? Wait¡ I am a Nephilim now, so do you mean your tribe?''
Lykos''s entireplexion froze over. He turned from a somewhat irritating older brother into a vicious demon within seconds.
Arvell stood up in a panic, feeling an immense sense of danger emanating from Lykos. He felt that his life was in Lykos''s hands, and even if he struggled with all of his might, nothing would be able to stop Lykos from effortlessly taking Arvell''s life.
His bloodlust even managed to cause Arvell to hallucinate and see a sea of corpses.
A red moon glowed eerily in the pitch-ck sky, bathing the dark world in an ominous red light.
Arvell wasn''t even able to see the end, as the mass of dead bodies seemed to be never-ending. A river of blood flowed up to Arvell''s knees, and the thick metallic stench assaulted his nose.
''Did¡ Did he kill all of these people all by himself?''
Arvell was frozen in fear, as his body simply refused to listen to him. If he were topare the fear he felt from Jasmine''s bloodlust when he first met her to a drop of water, Lykos''s bloodlust was a bonafide ocean.
They simply weren''t even on the same scale.
''DON''T EVER ASSUME I AM RELATED TO THOSE BASTARDS!''
Lykos''s voice was much deeper, invoking a primal fear in whoever was unlucky enough to hear it.
Arvell''s mind nearly copsed from hearing Lykos''s thundering voice. He desperately clung to his sanity and tried to resist the onught on his conscious.
He felt that if he were to give in now, he might be all but a hollow shell of himself. A body with no consciousness.
''L-Lykos¡ Y-you are g-going to¡ K-kill me''
Arvell mustered up all his energy and forced out these words in hope of stopping Lykos before it was toote.
Hearing Arvell''s pained words Lykos realizing his current situation hastily cancelled his abundant bloodlust.
Arvell returned from the blood-soaked world and fell to his knees.
He was already quite exhausted after forming his Aether Core, and with Lykos forcing him to muster up all of his mental energy to not have his conscious erased, Arvell was beyond tired.
"Huff Huff"
''Lykos! What the fuck was that? Why were trying to kill me?''
Arvell felt betrayed.
He began to trust Lykos after he saved Arvell and even gave him ess to his new power.
Unfortunately, the recent events forced him to re-evaluate Lykos. Though Lykos did stop when Arvell was about to die, he still believed that Lykos wasn''t trying to outright kill him.
Lykos looked down at Arvell with guilt, however, traces of his earlier rage were still visible on his face.
''Sorry Arvell, but that is a sensitive topic for me. I would tell you now, but frankly, this information won''t do much for you. At the moment you are far too weak to do anything even if you did know. I''ll tell you in full detail when you are stronger, but please for now don''t mention them again before me.''
Seeing Lykos''s apologetic expression, Arvell took a few deep breaths to calm himself down and slow down his breathing back to normal.
''Fine. Everyone has their secrets, and I am not going to lie. I am quite curious about your past, even more so after seeing your reaction. While I am curious, I don''t want to force you to tell me. I owe you far too much, and you are entitled to your privacy.''
Lykos gave aplicated smile after hearing Arvell''s words. He looked at the tree where Arvell dried off his clothes earlier.
''We should get you your clothes. They should have dried off by now.''
Chapter 14 Time Manipulation
"Where is that monster you two spoke of?"
"Just a little further! We saw it next to the river when we went fishing yesterday!"
"Good job running away and reporting it to us. However, the two of you better not be lying"
"I can promise you that brother and I aren''t lying. We really saw it yesterday! It was wriggling and creepy! Just the sight of it made me have terrible nightmaresst night¡"
The girl tightly held her brother''s arm while trembling. The brother stroked her back gently with his hand in an attempt to calm her down.
Hearing a series of voices near him, Arvell woke up and peeked out of the cave he slept inst night.
''As expected they came looking for me. There was no way they would just let a monstere so close to where the river where civilians went fishing. The adventurer guild is pretty thorough on ensuring the safety of the civilians huh?''
After Arvell formed his Aether Corest night, he got his clothes and looked for a suitable ce to stay for the night.
He knew that the siblings who fished him out of theke yesterday would probably tell their parents about finding his wiggling mangled body (which they assumed was a monster), so he found a cave about ten minutes by foot from the river and slept there for the night.
After hearing the voices walk away from his location, Arvell slowly crept out of the cave and proceeded to venture deeper into the forest.
He had no intention of letting him be found by the adventurers. It was just an unneeded hassle.
While he was quite repulsed by the aspect of living in nature due to his upbringing as a prince, he knew that in order to get stronger he would need to train himself.
Even though he looked somewhat different from his previous appearance, some semnces still remained.
Arvell did not want to risk getting found out so early, so he nned to hide in the wilderness until he had achieved a certain level of strength.
He kept walking deeper into the forest for about half of an hour before hearing a loud rumbling sound.
(growl)
Clutching his stomach Arvell remembered that hepletely forgot to eat yesterday.
He needed to find a way to procure some food by finding wild fruits and berries or catching his own food.
Lykos materialized beside Arvell and his voice rang out in Arvell''s head via their mental link.
''You know¡ this is a perfect chance for you to practice your Aether maniption.''
''I see¡ so I can use this hunting wild animals to practice my control of Aether. How do I control Aether? To manipte time and space?'' Arvell asked.
''A good way to control Aether is by imagining the Aether in your body spreading outwards and covering a certain radius around your body. Then imagine the movement of that Aether to slow down or speed up. This is the basics of the skill known as temporal maniption,'' Lykos exined.
Arvell looked around for about fifteen minutes before seeing a blood-colored rabbit stealthily stalking a rodent that was scurrying around, scavenging for food.
''The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. What a fitting phrase for our current situation,'' Arvell mused.
Almost all non-human species had their own version of a Magic Core, which was known as a ''Beast Core''.
Even supposedly weak animals such as rabbits could be much stronger and even be carnivorous if they had a strong enough rank.
One such example was the rabbit that Arvell set his eyes on.
After all, absorbing a magician''s Magic Core or a beast''s Beast Core after killing them was a quick and easy way to get stronger.
''Hey, Arvell. Before going for the kill first grab your sword. Your chances of killing the rabbit unscathed will be much higher if don''t fight it unarmed.''
Arvell gave a confused look.
''What do you mean? My sword got lost remember? Either the Assassins decided to take it as a trophy, or it''s at the bottom of the river somewhere. I don''t have it anymore''
''Nope! When I was faking your death, I used a bit of my power to put in a separate pocket dimension using Aether. Even the letter from your mother is there too.''
Lykos enjoyed Arvell''s shocked expression and began telling Arvell how to open his inventory.
''You only need to spend Aether to make an inventory, but since I already made one for you, you can use it free of charge. Normally this is impossible, but since you gained my essence, I was able to sessfully transfer ownership to you. While you are far too weak for me to give my personal inventory space, this newly made one will suit you just fine.''
''What kind of items did you put in your inventory?''
Arvell''s interest was piqued. From what he knew of Lykos, he seemed to be an extremely strong person.
Who knew what kind of treasures someone like him was able to amass and store!
Lykos gave Arvell a yful wink.
''Get stronger and find out for yourself~''
Arvell just sighed. At this point, he was slowly getting used to Lykos''s antics and he didn''t want Lykos to get any satisfaction from teasing him.
''This waspletely different from his attitude yesterday.''
After that incident, Lykos acted a little distant and kept to himself. He and Arvell didn''t talk muchst night after the incident.
However, after waking up, Lykos seemed back to normal. Acting as if yesterday never happened.
While Arvell still held fear towards Lykos after yesterday''s incident, it was considerably less. It was as if his body was telling him that Lykos would not do anything to actually hurt him intentionally.
It was as if there was a familial connection between the two, and through that Arvell could feel that Lykos meant no real harm.
Lykos pretended to be oblivious to Arvell''s thoughts, despite being able to hear them. Instead, he reminded Arvell that his prey was getting ready to kill the rodent.
The best window for killing it was when the rabbit went for the kill. It would focus purely on killing the rodent, that it would be vulnerable to be killed itself.
''Imagine channeling Aether to your fingertips and tearing a small hole in space. After tearing the space reach in and grab the sword.''
Arvell did as Lykos instructed. He channeled the Aether from his core through his arm into his fingertips and his fingers a faint sky blue.
Though Arvell could see the sky blue color, only he could see it due to his affinity to Aether. While experienced mages could feel and sense mana in the air, only other Aether wielders would be able to see it.
He proceeded to tear a small gash with his fingers, which served to open a small rift in space.
Arvell reached into the space and produced the Hasty Iron Sword.
He felt relief that the magical sword he luckily found at a merchant stall, especially after thinking that he lost it for good.
He closed his inventory, opting to read his mother''s letter at ater time.
Lykos suddenly got a brilliant idea and looked at Arvell with an evil grin.
Arvell felt a chill go down his spine as he turned to look at Lykos.
''Arvell in order to properly use the skill when you are first learning it, you need to...''
He exined to Arvell a trick on how to use time maniption for the first time.
Arvell turned to look at the rabbit, which was coincidentally about to pounce on the rodent, which was perfect for Arvell.
Just when it was about to jump onto the unsuspecting rodent and kill it, Arvell also ran out of his hiding spot and released a mass of Aether from his body epassing the rodent and the rabbit.
The total area that Arvell was able to cover was that of a sphere with a radius of 5 metres.
''Is this correct?'' Arvell asked.
While he felt something off about all of this, he decided to trust Lykos''s judgment. After all, he knew much more about Aether maniption than Arvell did.
''Yup! Absolutely perfect! Now just say the words and go through the motions.''
Arvell made an embarrassing pose and put both of his hands in the air, and slowed down the movement of the Aether in the area.
He took a deep breath in to hide his embarrassment and yelled.
"THE WORLD! STOP TIME!"
Chapter 15 Stopping Time
The world around Arvell slowed down to a crawl. The blood-red rabbit that was about to pounce on the rodent froze in midair.
Arvell could see the look of terror in the rodent as it looked up at the rabbit that was pouncing on it, as well as the predatory glint that the rabbit had when looking back at the rodent.
Even as he took a step forward, the scenery did not change at all.
The two were quite literally ''frozen in time.''
''At least it worked, but I don''t feel like that extra stuff Lykos told me helped-''
''HAHAHAHAHAHA''
Arvell heard augh ring out behind him and turned to look.
Lykos wasughing so hard that he fell backwards and hit the ground. Somehow not even that managed to end hisughing fit.
At that moment Arvell was able to consolidate his impression that he had been tricked.
It seemed the pose and him yelling ''The world! Stop Time!'' was just another prank by Lykos.
Arvell''s entire face burned red with embarrassment. He felt a desire to hunt Lykos instead of the rabbit
and eat him for breakfast instead.
s, he had no real body to get revenge on.
Forcefully calming himself, Arvell walked towards the red rabbit with his sword in hand.
"Status."
[Status Information]
Species: Blood Rabbit
Beast Rank: Early First Rank
[A rabbit that has a blood-red coat. While it''s aggressive nature causes it to attack on sight, its meat is said to be quite tender and delicious]
He could feel that his Aether reserves were running low pretty fast from using time maniption.
He had gone hunting in the past for sport with some royal guards, so he wasn''t new to killing animals and then eating them afterwards.
He calmly beheaded the rabbit and while he did indeed cut the rabbit''s head, the head still appeared to be somewhat attached. Since time was frozen, the head didn''t fall to the ground, nor did it spurt blood.
The only blood that managed to separate itself from the rabbit was the blood on Arvell''s sword.
He controlled the Aether in his time maniption zone to stop freezing time and gathered them back to his body.
The rabbit''s head instantly flew off, with blood flying everywhere. The rabbit''s body fell to the ground beside the rodent and dyed the ground blood red.
Arvell felt a sudden bout of weakness and fell to one knee while desperately gasping for air.
The rodent looked up at the silver-haired ''human'' that magically appeared before it and killed its predator.
While it felt relief, it also felt apprehension towards the human. Who knew if the human wanted to eat it too?
The rodent had to take care of its pregnant mate and help secure food for her and their unborn child.
If it died, its mate would die of starvation, or simply be eaten while scavenging for food. She could not run fast while carrying their kid. Furthermore, if anything happened to her, their unborn kid would soon follow.
It couldn''t allow itself to die here.
However, the human copsed on one knee and looked weakened.
The rodent used this chance to run away. After running further away, it turned around to look back.
Sess! The rodent managed to run away! After securing some food, the rodent joyfully returned home to its mate.
While the rodent was running away, Arvell looked up tiredly at Lykos.
While he was still quite pissed with him, he was more concerned right now with his condition.
''This is the result of Aether depletion,'' Lykos answered, ''It seems you burned through all of your Aether reservespletely.''
''I only used it for a few moments though?''
''There are three ways to use time maniption. Speeding up time, slowing down time, and stopping timepletely. Of the three, you instinctively used the third option: stopping time.''
Hearing Lykos''s words, Arvell realized that while Lykos told him to ''slow down'' time in his zone, he ended up upright stopping the flow of timepletely.
It seemed that when Arvell heard himself yell ''Stop Time!'', he instinctively stopped time as a whole, instead of slowing it.
''I said to do that as a joke, but who knew you were capable of stopping time right off of the bat! Arvell, you may not realize it, but your talent is monstrous.''
''Is stopping time that hard?''
''To manipte Aether, you need a strong mental fortitude. The whole process of mental exertion that apanies refining an Aether Core serves as ''training'' for using Aether. Aether users can train their mental fortitude by pushing themselves to their limits when refining their core, and that increase in mental fortitude serves to allow them to control Aether better.''
Lykos pointed a finger at the dead rabbit
''Freezing time takes months if not years to learn. Most Aether wielders don''t have that level of resolve yet, and they need to slowly build it up threw harsh mental training. It seems that your lust for power momentarily before your death helped shape your resolve considerably. Normally Aether wielders aren''t made to fight to the death when they trained due to their incredibly low fertility rate, so developing this level of resolve is quite a long and tedious process for them.''
Hearing Lykos once again mention the tribe that manipted Aether, Arvell felt immense curiosity towards them. Unfortunately, he had no desire to see that side of Lykos ever again, so he wisely didn''t ask him.
Instead, he found the entire situation quite ironic.
Arvell was wanted dead by someone to the point where he was hunted down and killed. However, instead of getting killed, he was given a power that would far outstrip even his father. Now he found out he also became far more proficient at his newly gained power due to them unintentionally making his resolve to gain power much stronger.
He stood back up on his feet and realized that the rodent that was near him had already left.
''It ran away huh? Not that it affects me.''
Arvell picked up the rabbit''s body and tiredly walked to a nearby cave while gathering wood and twigs with his spare arm.
He started up a fire and cooked the rabbit.
Arvell was taught to always eat his game after killing it, otherwise, it would be disrespectful to his prey.
While hunting with the soldiers in the past, he was shown how to gut animals, remove their blood, their beast core, and then cook them properly.
While Arvell wasn''t ustomed to living in nature, hunting waspletely different.
Shortlyter a mouthwatering smell filled the cave that Arvell was sitting in.
(Growl)
Knowing that it could finally eat after a full day, Arvell''s stomach was getting impatient.
Arvell removed the rabbit from the stick he used to cook it, he greedily devoured it until nothing remained.
Finally feeling satiated he reached into his pocket to admire his other ''reward'' for killing the rabbit.
A shiny ck-coloured Beast Core.
Chapter 16 Hellish Pain
Arvell held the ck-coloured gem to his eye and gazed at it inquisitively.
''Status.''
[Status Information]
Beast Core Species: Blood Rabbit
Beast Core Rank: Early First Rank
[A Beast Core harvested from a Blood Rabbit.]
This was of course not the first time he had seen one, as he had grown up in the royal pce.
The Beast Cores he had witnessed in the past were all far rarer and more expensive than the one he currently held.
The one he had was a beast core of the lowest rank, as the blood rabbit was only at the early first rank like himself.
Each beast species had its own unique Beast Core, so while two beast cores of the same rank may appear to be the same, their uses could vary greatly depending on how they are used.
Beast Cores were typically used with rare herbs and other treasures to form elixirs that mages used to improve their Mana Cores and their Mana Hearts.
While using elixirs significantly helped in refining Magic Cores and Mana Hearts, they were often quite costly.
To acquire an elixir you would need to gather the ingredients and then get a skilled alchemist to form the elixir for you.
Taking in the chance of failure, the price of the ingredients, as well as the price that the alchemist charges for making the potion, the overall cost was more often than not too expensive for normal people to buy them.
However, that was mostly the case for higher grade elixirs.
? Grade 1 elixirs were not that expensive due to the abundance of rank 1 beasts, the high chance of sess when making the elixir, and the abundance of the supplementary ingredients.
Novice alchemists normally crafted these, so their prices were not too high either.
Since Arvell had a rank 1 Beast Core, he would be able to make a grade 1 elixir if hemissioned an alchemist.
Lykos suddenly spoke up.
''Whymission an alchemist if you can make it yourself?''
Arvell thought for a second.
''Since you''re saying this while knowing that I can''t do it, you are going to teach me correctly?''
''Precisely,'' Lykos responded.
''Even if I don''t have fire magic?''
''Heh,'' Lykos snorted, ''fire magic was just a ceholder that humans used since they couldn''t use Aether nor Nether. This of course is not an issue for you.''
Arvell felt that if all of the alchemists around the world were to hear this, they would cry tears of blood for all of their effort being equated to a shoddy knockoff of the original thing.
''However, before that, you need to first form a Nether Body. While it is perfectly possible to be an alchemist with just Aether, even if you be the greatest alchemist of all time among humans, it will be nothing noteworthypared to an alchemist who uses both Aether and Nether.''
''I see. So I will form my Nether Body now then. How long will it take? It took me only a day to form a Nether Core.''
''While you took only one day to form your Aether Core, this will prove to be much harder so I can''t urately tell you. All you should know is that It will be far harder than forming an Aether Core. Even death would be better than undergoing the process of refining a Nether Body.''
Arvell clenched his hand and remembered the sensation of regret he had while he bled out. He swore that he would do anything to gain power. He would gain enough power to get back at those who wronged him and dictate his own life. No one would control him anymore!
''It doesn''t matter how bad it is, I don''t care how hard of a process it is. I will acquire Nether! I can handle anything thates my way. If I don''t, I can only me myself for being weak.'' Arvell resolutely proimed.
Lykos smiled widely.
''That''s the spirit! Don''t forget that feeling. You will need it to withstand the pain that wille with it.''
''Pain?''
''To use Aether, the wielder needs ''concentration'' and ''resolve''. Both of these are tested when refining an Aether Core, as it prepares the wielder to use Aether by training these two aspects of their mental fortitude.''
Lykos walked in front of Arvell and sat down in a lotus position while facing him.
''Using Nether is somewhat simr, but not the same. Since using Nether deals with Life and Death, your body will be reconstructedpletely by ''killing'' the weaker parts of your body with death energy, before using life energy to heal those body parts back stronger. This process is repeated numerous times and slowly but surely it will make your body far stronger than before. The main downside of this process is the pain that you must undergo while refining your body. ''Killing'' your body parts with death energy is far, far more painful than anything you have ever experienced.''
Arvell instinctually touched his chest and felt up the area where had been stabbed.
Even before being stabbed there two days ago, he had been attacked and stabbed there as a kid.
While he never had a scar from the injury, he had been traumatized for a few months. Even the sight of a sword would give him a nervous breakdown.
Only after spending time with his older twin siblings did he ovee his trauma of the sword and recover.
Though that was five years ago, Arvell''s thought about the pain he experienced as a kid from the injury.
Due to the adrenaline rush, he didn''t feel much pain from the sword in his gut, but since the injury he had when he was a kid wasn''t fatal, he was able to stay conscious and experience the full brunt of the pain.
Arvell instinctively shivered when remembering that pain. While he was resolved to go through with it, his body wasn''t.
He clenched his shaking hands into a fist and squeezed it hard drawing blood.
This appeared to forcefully calm down his body as it stopped shakingpletely.
Arvell up at Lykos with resolute eyes.
''Let''s start.''
Lykos began directing Arvell on how to form a Nether Body.
''To reach all of your body parts with Nether, you need to use a way that lets Nether transfer to your entire body. While many methods have been tried, the most efficient method was using your bloodstream. The bloodstream is linked to all of your body. Everything from your brain to your feet is connected by your bloodstream. Arvell if you choose a ce that would serve as the best ce to transfer Nether through your body via the bloodstream, where would it be?''
Without hesitating even a moment Arvell replied.
''The heart of course.''
''Correct. Due to this, the first step for Nether refining is to gather all of the Nether in your body into your heart, and then send the Nether through the bloodstream to the different parts of your body. Following that, allow the Nether in your bloodstream to invigorate your body and let it deconstruct and then reconstruct it. Simple enough right? While the process is quite taxing, it is quite simple. Just like Aether refining.''
Arvell closed his eyes and began feeling for theher in his body. He found blood-red particles that held a little simrity to the sky blue particles that were Aether.
''This must be Nether.''
He slowly got the particles in his body to concentrate in his heart, which took a good hour and a half.
After Arvell finally gathered all of the Nether particles into his heart he finally allowed them to enter his bloodstream and spread to the rest of his body.
Only then did he truly experience hell.
Chapter 17 Nether Body
Arvell spat out an arrow of blood and convulsed in pain.
Falling backwards he hit the floor hard and began to writhe in agony.
Bloody tears gushed out of Arvell''s eyes as he tried to cope with the excruciating pain.
He began desperately wing the floor with his fingernails in an attempt to distract his mind, leaving faint bloody w marks on the ground.
Sumbing to the mind-numbing pain, Arvell began to question if anything he was going through was even worth it.
''Why am I going through this pain? If only I could live a happy life back at the castle¡ Should I just give up? Just giving up and dying would be far easier than this. Why should I struggle repeatedly just to live? Why should I have to go through so much pain just to live? It might be better to just give up¡''
His brain desperately tried to figure out a way of this situation, and his life shed before his eyes.
He remembered a little girl who would constantly visit him. A little girl who would identally bake cookies with salt instead of sugar. A girl he was promised a future with.
He remembered the smiling faces of his twin elder siblings. The two twins oftenpeted with each other to see who doted on Arvell the most.
He remembered the sorrow and dejection on his mother''s face as he walked out of the throne room.
He remembered the faces of those who scorned him and cast him aside.
The rage he held inside him was due to his powerlessness. That feeling that festered in his heart like a poison, slowly eating away at his very soul.
''No¡ I can''t die yet! I still have so much I need to aplish! I need to get back at those bastards who cast me aside and killed me! LIKE HELL I WILL GIVE UP BECAUSE OF MERE PAIN!''
The answer to it all. The way he could live his life without having it dictated by others. It was to get stronger.
Stronger than anyone else!
As if he would let pain be the reason he couldn''t go further on his path to acquiring strength.
He might as well keel over and die!
Just like those that ''killed'' him wanted!
He bit down on his hand hard drawing even more blood and used it as a makeshift gag to suppress his screams of agony.
At this point his body was leaking blood through all of his pores, entirely covering his skin in a coating of blood.
He resolutely forced his body to sit up and sat in a lotus pose.
He inhaled deeply before elerating the refining process by manually speeding up the rate of Nether refining.
When the rate of Nether refining increased, the pain increased proportionately.
However, unlike before, Arvell grit through the pain with a determined yet crazed expression.
''I WILL GET THROUGH THIS!''
***
TWO WEEKS LATER
In a certain cave in the forest close to the Vispian capital city of Talmek, a dishevelled body slowly wed its way out of a thick puddle of blood.
While a portion of the blood on the ground was fresh, therge majority of it had already dried up long ago.
The figure waspletely red from head to toe, save for his eyes which gleamed like amethysts.
Another figure with simr amethyst eyes materialized before him.
''Two weeks¡ Not bad kid! While the time spent refining your Aether Core could be considered monstrous if not downright scary, your Nether Body refining speed was closer to the upper-mid of that race.''
''Two weeks passed? I didn''t even realize it. How am I still alive? I haven''t eaten or drank in 2 weeks.''
''Don''t forget you''re a Nephilim now. Human standards don''t apply to you. Your life force is far stronger than average humans. To top it off further you were using Nether to reshape your body. The life energy you used to perform the process was enough to keep you alive whenbined with your strong Nephilim life force,'' Lykos exined.
''I see¡''
Arvell punched the air before him and heard an audible ''wooshing'' sound. A portion of the blood on his fists flew off and sttered the nearby wall.
He looked at his fist.
''Status.''
[Status Information]
Name: Arvell Rs Vispia
Species: Nephilim
Age: 13 years old
HP: 130
STA: 81
DEF: 68
SPD: 69
PHYS ATK: 72
POWER STAGE: 1ST CIRCLE 0TH STAGE
BODY REFINING: 1ST REFINEMENT 0TH STAGE
AETHER: 80/80
NETHER: 80/80
Titles: 3rd Prince of Vispia (Exiled), Inheritor of the Nephilim''s Legacy, Forever Alone?
Skills: Iplete Royal Swordsmanship (C+), Diplomacy (B-), Future sight (SS), Inventory (S), Temporal Maniption (SSS), Warp (SSS), Rejuvenation (S), Undead Summon (S), Vitality Drain (SS).
Arvell''s mouth dropped in awe.
His stats were far stronger than what he had before, with some stats like his health being 40 points higher than before.
If before he could rival a newly appointed knight if the said knight wasn''t using body strengthening magic, now he could go toe to toe with one even with them at full strength.
He was closely looking at his stats before noticing something that somehow managed to elude his notice.
Arvell''s tired yet satisfied smile grew distorted, while veins visibly bulged on his forehead.
''Lykos¡ What the hell does ''Forever Alone'' mean?''
Feeling Arvell''s change even Lykos felt a small shiver run through his astral body.
''You know¡ You did end up having your engagement broken twice. It''s almost like you aren''t destined for love in this lifetime,'' Lykos teased.
While he did feel a slight shiver, to someone Like Lykos this was nothing. Comparing Arvell to the enemies he''d fought was likeparing an infant with a seasoned veteran.
Due to this, he had no qualms about teasing Arvell for his tragic love life.
Arvell felt a figurative arrow go through his heart as he copsed from abination of exhaustion and the mental damage he received from Lykos.
Lykos looked down at Arvell pitifully.
''I guess that hit a little too close to home¡''
Arvell took a few moments to recover from the mental damage, and once more stood up.
''Talking about Lily, I feel like I should still head towards ntrya. It might be safer to stay here, but I am sick and tired of this shitty country. Furthermore, I also want to see her again¡ It has been five years.''
''You do know she is foreign royalty right? They won''t just casually let you see her if you don''t have a high enough social standing. Right now you are less than an ordinary citizen in the royal family''s eyes. You are not even a citizen of their kingdom. As for revealing who you are? All that will do is set a massive target on your back for those who aimed for your life. Pretending to be dead is one of the best ways to stay alive, so don''t give it up just to see her once.''
Arvell knew Lykos''s words were correct.
He knew that seeing her was no easy task. Even so, he wouldn''t give up.
No matter how hard it was, he would still do anything he could to see her again.
She was one of the few people he still cared about.
Surely someone as kind as her wouldn''t scorn him for being mana-less.
He knew what kind of person she was.
''Sigh¡.''
Lykos exhaled audibly.
''There is one way you can see her, even if you are not on her social standing.''
Arvell''s eyes lit up.
''What do I need to do?''
Arvell was like a parched man in a desert finally catching a glimpse of an oasis.
Lykos gave a small smile when he saw Arvell''s earnest reaction.
''By entering Sky Sword Academy.''
Chapter 18 The Depth Of A Mother’s Love
''Sky Sword Academy? Is that some kind of school?'' Arvell inquired.
''Exactly. Children at the age of thirteen in the ntryan Capital city of Karsia all try their luck at getting admitted into the prestigious ''Sky Sword Academy''. Naturally, this also includes the royal family.''
Arvell nodded with understanding.
''I see. So if I want to meet her, my best chance to do it is by getting epted into the Sky Sword Academy.''
''You need to realize that formoners, enrolling in the academy is quite an arduous task. They only ept the best of the best, and that''s only for getting into the lowest ss. To make in the same ss as someone like the princess herself you need to prove that you are superior to even the nobles who are fed resources with a diamond spoon.''
''I guess the reason why they open it for people at the age of thirteen is to properly nurture their foundations, while they were still young. Still, noble children have ess to their family''s vast resources to boost their progress. It would be quite a challenge to match up with that.''
Mages began their training at the age of thirteen since the mana in their bodies would be unstable before this age. After around thirteen years passed the mana would stabilize, and allow for the child to be a mage.
Unlike normal students however, noble children can afford to pay for the resources needed to increase their strength drastically.
A normal student would need to put in at least 10x the effort to match up with that.
''Call this biased towards nobility if you will, but you should remember that you were said nobility until two weeks ago.''
Arvell visibly sighed.
''Of course, this is not going to be easy. However¡ Lykos how do you know all of this? You seem quite informed about the kingdom of ntrya.''
Lykos looked at Arvell like he was looking at an idiot.
While being looked at like that caused veins to bulge on Arvell''s head, he pretended to ignore it.
''You do remember who gave you this ne right? Before belonging to dear princess Lilianna, her mother wore it. She talked to the king about sending princess Lilianna to Sky Sword Academy as a kid.''
Arvell looked at Lykos like he was looking at filth.
''So¡ You essentially eavesdropped on their entire lives for how long? Aren''t you technically worse than a stalker? More importantly¡ How can you shameless brag about that?''
Lykos felt offended by Arvell''s usatory tone and gaze. However, he couldn''t deny that his actions resembled that of a stalker.
He fell to his knees and hung his head dejectedly.
''I was just bored being stuck in this ne. I had nothing to do, no one to talk to¡ I am not a stalker. No¡ I am a proud honorable person¡'' He quietly muttered to himself.
Hearing this, Arvell felt kind of bad for admonishing him and decided to not pursue this topic any further.
Arvell felt the contrast between this version of Lykos and his usual attitude to be quite distinct, it was almost like they were two different people.
Arvell decided to change the topic.
''Can you teach me alchemy now? I remember you telling me that I can use Aether and Nether to create elixirs to allow me to progress faster.''
Lykos looked up at Arvell with a dead expression.
''...Alchemy?''
His face lit up and his previous gloomy countenance was nowhere to be seen.
''Oh yeah, that! If you want to get into the Sky Sword Academy entrance exam which should take ce approximately six months from now, you need elixirs to boost your progress. However, you neither have a refining furnace nor do you have the supplementary herbs that are needed to refine the pills.''
''I will probably go visit a nearby city for a little, sell some beast meat and buy a refining furnace. As for the herbs, I can probably find them in the wilderness with your help.''
''Nephilims have a perfect photographic memory, so I can simply show you all of the types of herbs and beast cores, and that should be enough for you to be able to recognize them and understand their uses on sight. It will probably take around five months of learning for you to be able to do it.''
Arvell''s eyes opened wide.
''Just five months? Isn''t that a little too good?''
He felt disbelief at his new capabilities. While he did have to suffer from mind-numbing pain and had to get betrayed and killed before he gained his power, he felt the power he gained was a little too good for him.
After all, any aspiring alchemist would be driven to decades of dedicated learning to achieve what would take Arvell only around five months.
''Furthermore, I also need to teach you my swordsmanship skills as well. While you might be quite talented for your age among humans, with a different body, you need to learn a swordsmanship technique fitting your new physique.''
''I guess I will be worked to death for the next few months huh?'' Arvell thought, ''First I want to read mother''s letter. I''ve put it off for more than two weeks, and I can''t wait any longer.''
Arvell opened his inventory and pulled out a rolled parchment that had a wax seal.
He found it strange that his mother did not seal it with an enchantment so that it could only be opened by him, but at the same time, he was also relieved.
If his mother set up the seal so that it could only open when it recognized his blood like most seals, he wouldn''t be able to open it.
His entire body changed, both inside and out, so even his blood waspletely different from before.
In a sense, he was only his parent''s child in name now, as his body was recreatedpletely with Lykos''s essence.
He took his sword and carefully cut the wax seal in a way that would not damage the parchment.
He lit another fire where he previously cooked the rabbit and used the firelight to read the letter.
''Dear Arvell,
I am sorry my son. No words can urately describe the pain in my chest from seeing you leave.
After what happened on your thirteenth birthday I was unable to protect you. Someone like me is unfit to even call myself your mother.
The king refused to rescind your banishment no matter how hard I pleaded. He refuses to acknowledge you as our son anymore.
If you are reading this letter, this means that someone has targeted your life. I would have sent two of my most capable subordinates to protect you and help you escape the capital.
I don''t care about your talent, or how useful you are to the kingdom. You are my son, my beautiful boy¡ I just don''t want to see you get hurt or suffer.
I will pray that the heavens will take mercy on you and allow you to live the rest of your life in peace and happiness.
Feel free to hate me or despise me, as I was unable to help you at all in your hour of need, but please don''t think that any of this was your fault.
While everyone else will me you and scorn you for your rare condition, none of this was your fault.
Please take care of yourself, and I am sorry I couldn''t be a better mother.
Love,
Queen Isolde
Arvell could tell that the page was covered in visible tear marks, showing the depths of her feelings for him.
Knowing that his mother would have received the news about his ''death'' and med herself for not being strong enough to protect him, Arvell felt immense pain in his heart.
To him, this pain was even worse than the pain that he endured while refining his Nether Body.
He wanted nothing more than to go to his mother and let her know that he was alive and safe, but It was far too risky to attempt that right now.
He would have to get stronger first.
He took a deep breath to ready himself.
He turned to Look at Lykos who was ''resting'' his back on the wall.
''Lykos, I''m ready.''
Chapter 19 Monster
FIVE MONTHS LATER
A group of men were drinking around a fire.
"I knew that was a tough job, but I still can''t believe that only a tenth of our group survived," One of the men spoke.
He had apletely dishevelled appearance with yellowed teeth and an eyepatch.
"KEHEHEHE! Why are youining? That just means more dough for the rest of us!" Another manughed with a maniacal grin. He looked like a walking corpse, as he was so skinny that you could even see the outline of his bones in some areas.
"Heh, your right! We''ll have enough money to spend the rest of our lives drinking booze and screwing whores! Who the fuck would care about those dead idiots!" The earlier man responded.
The skinny man turned to the buff man who was drinking ale straight out of the barrel. The man had an air of leadership mixed in with his intimidating aura.
"Boss Zalcon, how much further until we reach the client? It was some duke, right? ''Khaler'' or something?"
Zalcon put down his barrel and wiped his mouth with his hand and belched audibly.
"The client''s name was Duke Rhaler, don''t know what they want with the kid, but the job was to kidnap them and bring them to him."
Zalcon pointed to a cage where a young boy was huddling in the corner fearfully.
The boy had a sunkenplexion and his eyes looked devoid of life. It was as if the boy had given up living entirely.
He knew what fate awaited him, but the men who kidnapped him didn''t even let him kill himself.
When he tried to bite off his tongue, they used a healing potion to keep him alive and shoved a piece of dirty cloth in his mouth to prevent him from trying it again.
Not after beating him up for his little stunt as well as taking out their anger on him for wasting a precious healing potion.
Healing potions were a form of elixirs that served to heal injuries rather than increase one''s magic circle. However, like elixirs, they tended to be quite expensive depending on the grading.
Having to spend a healing potion just to keep their cargo alive served to piss the entire bandit group off. Ensuring that the youth''s treatment would not be the best.
After beating him up, they let him starve for a while, resulting in him losing a great deal of weight.
''Someone please just kill me¡ I don''t even care enough to be saved anymore, please just let it all end.'' the boy thought to himself.
Suddenly the man with the eyepatch fell backwards while clutching his throat while making gagging noises.
White froth was forming around his mouth as he began thrashing wildly on the ground.
"Hey, you ok there Konas?" The thin man asked.
He didn''t particrly care if Konas lived or died, but instead, he was more concerned with what had happened to him than anything.
"URGGGHH"
Another man fell over and began wing his throat while also foaming at the mouth.
Zalcon stood up and grabbed his sword before looking around warily.
"They''ve been poisoned! Prepare for an enemy attack!"
Zalcon had been a bandit for countless years and had developed an instinct that had saved his life countless times in the past.
Now that same instinct was screaming to him that this was too suspicious to be a coincidence.
Ignoring his team members that were writhing on the ground he got into a fighting position and warily surveyed his surroundings.
Zalcon himself also felt the effects of the poison acting in his body, but he was able to suppress it purely by will. Unfortunately, he was still severely weakenedpared to his normal peak form.
Suddenly two jet-ck skeletons rose from the ground.
"What are these ck skeletons-" One of the men wheezed, before breaking into a coughing fit.
"(cough) Is it a necromancer?, but (cough) why are the skeletons ck? They should (cough) be white! Something is (cough) wrong"
At this point, those who could stand had already grabbed their weapons and joined their leader by getting into a fighting position.
Contrary to everyone''s predictions, the pair of pitch-ck skeletons didn''t attack the group of men. Instead, they attacked the firepit, bathing the campsite in the darkness of night.
Instantly all of the men felt fear and apprehension.
They tried to find theirpanions to stay grouped up in case they were toe in contact with their attacker.
"AHHHH!"
"NOOO!"
"HELP ME!"
Cries of terror rang out in the darkness setting everyone on edge.
"If you can cast fire or light magic! We can''t do much in the dark!" Zalcon yelled.
His words dragged everyone out of their stupor.
When they cast their fire and light magic they were surprised to see a young boy with silver hair. The boy had glowing amethyst eyes and appeared to be no older than thirteen.
However, that did not take away from his ethereal beauty. He was like a divine figure that could charm both women and men alike with his otherworldlyplexion.
While they stopped to admire him, they paid attention to realize that both he and his sword were drenched in blood¡
The blood of theirrades to be precise.
"KEHE (cough) HEHE! Boss (cough) let''s catch that boy! I feel like there are some (cough) old perverts who would pay a hefty sum for someone (cough) like him! With him and our (cough)earlier cargo, we can live the rest (cough) of our lives in luxury!" The skinny manughed amid his coughing fit.
The Surrounding men joined andughed with him,pletely disregarding their opponent after seeing that it was just a boy. He appeared to be just as old as their ''cargo''.
Zalcon however didn''t share their opinion. His danger senses were still going off after looking at the boy, and he felt that his group''s fighting power had decreased significantly due to the poison that they had unknowingly ingested.
Zalcon looked at the silver-haired man who had an unsettling smile on his face and suddenly realized something.
"Where are the two skeletons?" he urgently inquired.
However, instead of his men, he heard two pained shrieks.
The two skeletons were holding swords that cleanly went through two of the bandit''s chests going straight through their lungs and spilling some of their guts.
Their lungs copsed and they couldn''t breathe anymore, simply falling to the ground lifelessly.
The two skeletons chattered their jaws unsettlingly. Their disypletely changed the group''s outlook on the boy.
If before they treated him like amb that waspletely under their control, now they treated him like a proper enemy.
The group was not that dense to not notice death staring at them in the face.
Zalcon looked back at the young boy
"I''ll attack the boy, long-range mages back me up. Everyone else who uses a sword deal with the ck skeletons."
He didn''t know if the young boy was the summoner so he could not allocate everyone to attack him and ignore the skeletons. If he wasn''t the summoner and they ignored the skeletons to kill the boy, they would suffer more casualties due to the skeletons.
The group''s movements were incredibly sluggish due to the poison, and they could only exert around 10% of their normal strength.
The boy appeared to be unsurprised by their decisions and stood there as if waiting for Zalcon toe closer.
As Zalcon approached the boy and swung his sword, something incredibly strange happened.
The boy disappeared from his position, letting Zalcon''s sword hit the air.
''Was it just an illusion?'' He thought to himself.
"AHHHH"
Zalcon heard another scream suddenly ring out behind him and quickly turned around.
He saw the boy he just swung at suddenly stab his sword at one of the long-range magicians, swiftly beheading him in one stroke.
The silver-haired man still had his unnerving smile as he happily bathed in the blood of the man he killed.
It was almost as if he enjoyed it.
"I hope at least one of you can put up a decent fight"
His silver hair and piercing Amethyst eyes paired with his maniacal smile made him look terrifying to the bandits, to say the least.
In fact, Zalcon and the rest of the bandits felt an overwhelming sense of terror when witnessing this scene, and one thought went through all of their minds.
''He''s a monster!''
Arvell smiled eagerly at the men who were looking at him in pure terror.
Normally these men would have been able to kill Arvell effortlessly, being that they were second and third circle mages.
However, Arvell had followed their group unnoticed for a few days now and had anticipated their hunting patterns.
He had administered a slow-acting poison to a few boar-like beasts in the vicinity that he had created using his newly acquired knowledge of nts and herbs.
After Lykos taught him about the various uses of most if not all of the nts that inhabit this world, he learned how to mix those herbs to create various poisons and remedies.
One of these poisons was the one that he''d given to the boar-like creatures.
As he had anticipated, the bandit group hunted and ate those boars, effectively transferring the poison to themselves.
Even those who hadn''t eaten the boars yet had inhaled the smoke from the boars when they were being roasted, effectively poisoning them as well.
With the bandit''s current condition, even a 1st circle such as Arvell would be able to kill them.
Chapter 20 Is This All You Got?
Zalcon quickly awoke from his stupor and ordered his underlings.
"Everyone cast attack (cough) magic on him! If we all hit him at the same (cough) time, he will surely die! The one before was probably (cough) an illusion, but we clearly saw him kill (cough) Belmont, so this time he''s real!"
Like everyone else, Zalcon was under the wrongful assumption that Arvell''s [warp] was an illusion spell. After all, there were no mages who could simply jump through space itself.
Arvell lightly chuckled to himself.
[Time Maniption]
After training for five months Arvell found out that his time maniption had a much weaker effect on those stronger than him, so while he could not freeze time around him, he could slow down the flow of time for his enemies.
After slowing them down, he would simply create a more concentrated time maniption that would epass only his body and then elerate time.
This would effectively work to slow down time for everyone else while speeding up the flow of time for himself.
As the barrage of spells headed his way, they seemed to slow down in speed for Arvell.
He calmly walked around the spells as they whizzed past his face and arrived in front of another bandit.
To the bandit, it seemed like Arvell suddenly sped up and came in front of him like a blur, but before he could question what Arvell even did, his entire world went upside down.
He saw a headless corpse before him that looked awfully familiar.
''Huh? Isn''t that my body¡"
His decapitated head hit the floor with a thud, and the bandit''s eyes zed over.
The remaining bandits looked at Arvell like they were looking at a god of death.
"He can use augmentation magic to make himself faster! Everyone prepare magic barriers around yourselves! He can''t hit you if your protected, no matter how fast he is!"
Arvell clicked his tongue in frustration
''They finally started using their brains, huh? I wanted to pick off a few more of them before they starteding up with strategies to counter me.''
However his lips curved into a maniacal smile.
''Well this is good too~ I can have a proper fight now!''
Lykos''s voice rang out in his head.
''While they appear to be your stereotypical dumb bandit, their boss is another story. While he seems to misunderstand your abilities, deploying the barriers would still inhibit you to an extent.''
Arvell turned to the only one that hadn''t used barrier magic.
Zalcon returned Arvell''s maniacal smile with a cold gaze, as he slowly approached him.
"Since you didn''t use a barrier, do you mean to use yourself as bait? Quite a bold leader if I do say so myself," Arvell calmly spoke.
"As the strongest one here, I''m (cough) the only one who can hope to match you in speed. Needless to say, if it wasn''t for the (cough) poison that we have been administered, you (cough) would have been long dead."
Arvell raised an eyebrow at Zalcon''s statement, catching the tant hypocrisy in his promation.
"You speak as if your kind fights fairly?"
Zalcon momentarily looked at Arvell with surprise, beforeughing amidst his coughing spree.
"Heh, your (cough) right kid! I guess we can only call it our bad for getting poisoned (cough). In a fight to the death, anything goes."
Arvell''s smiled wider, showing his toothy smile.
"It''s good we see eye to eye."
Readying his sword, he took abat posture.
"Hmm¡ I''ve never seen swordsmanship like that before. I''ve fought my fair share of swordsmen before, but never before have I seen anyone use thatbat posture. Are you from a distant continent?"
"A man who is going to die soon doesn''t need to know who or what I am," Arvell calmly responded.
His 5-month training with Lykos had hardened his nerves and Lykos had drilled into him the principles ofbat.
He taught Arvell how to stay calm in a fight to the death as well as the mentality of a warrior.
Unfortunately, Arvell learned that he liked fighting¡ A little too much.
A feature that Lykos sincerely regretting administering into him
"Let''s see how long you can keep that smug attitude of yours!"
Zalcon rushed at Arvell and stabbed at him, but instead of blocking it, Arvell calmly let the sword impale itself in his gut.
Zalcon looked at Arvell with surprise.
The bandits around cheered loudly and began praising their boss for ''killing'' Arvell.
"As expected of (cough) our boss! A kid like him stood no chance!"
"The brat probably ran out of mana and (cough) exhausted himself! Serves him right"
"Hey! The fewer people we have the (cough) more money we make when delivering the cargo! We should thank (cough) that brat instead!"
"We just need to (cough) find an antidote to the poison and we can resume drinking!"
However, unlike hispanions, Zalcon knew something was wrong.
''Why did he let me kill him so easily? Something is definitely wrong¡''
Arvell kept the same expression as he did before, however, a stream of blood escaped his mouth and ran down his chin, before dripping slowly onto the ground.
Zalcon tried pulling his sword out of Arvell''s gut, but he soon realized that the sword was stuck.
Arvell''s smile broke as it turned into a dissatisfied frown. He opened his mouth and spat out a stream of blood at Zalcon''s face.
Seeing the stream of blooding towards him, he hurriedly swerved his head to a side and dodge the volley of blood.
"Is that all you got?" Arvell asked with a bored face.
It was as if the sword in his gut didn''t even faze him.
Compared to the mind-numbing pain he experienced while refining his Nether body, Zalcon''s stab felt like nothing more than an itch.
Arvell grabbed the sword out of his gut, and in one fluid motion, he spun and shed at the disarmed Zalcon.
[Vitality Drain]
Zalcon''s body started withering at a visible speed, going from a muscled man to a walking skeleton.
His current appearance closely resembled the skinny bandit from before.
Arvell touched his hand to his wound and used another skill
[Rejuvenation]
Arvell''s flesh wriggled and melded back together, effectively healing the sword wound until not even a scar remained.
Zalcon looked on with fright at Arvell''s disy of his Nether abilities and began wondering if all of this was a nightmare.
''We¡We can''t kill him¡ What the hell even is he?''
Sadly before he could have his questions answered, Arvell calmly beheaded him with both of the swords in his hand.
Not even sparing Zalcon''s body a second nce, he turned to the other bandits hungrily.
''Maybe one of them can give me a satisfying fight?''
Seeing their leader killed mercilessly before their eyes, the bandits lost their will to fight and began running, but running from Arvell who could slow down and speed up time at will was simply pointless.
Less than 5 minutester all of the bandits had been brutally killed.
''None of them even posed a challenge¡''
He sighed audibly.
''I knew I should have made the poison slightly less effective. Maybe they would have put up a stronger fight?''
He looked at the carnage he caused.
Limbs were strewn across the ground apanied by decapitated heads showing showing the terror in the eyes in the bandits before they died.
Blood drenched the ground, making the scene look as if it was a depictation of hell itself.
Arvell calmly took a towel from his inventory and wiped some of the blood he had on his sword.
Properly taking care of his sword was important! Too much blood would result in rust, which is something he didn''t want to deal with if he didn''t have to.
''I wonder how those who knew me before would react if they were to see this scene?'' He mused.
Arvell began piging all of their belongings and loot and throwing them into his inventory.
In this sense he was worse bandit than those he just killed.
However Arvell justified it by simply saying that stealing from thieves is okay, since none of it was theirs anyway.
He wasnt wrong¡
The two jet ck skeletons also helped him out with gathering the belongings, speeding up the process.
The two ck skeletons were his summons which he had created using his ''undead summon skill''.
However, unlike normal skeleton summons that were typically white in colour, his were pitch ck.
ording to Lykos, Arvell had made these two skeletons using pure Nether, and unlike normal skeletons, these skeletons were never actually alive. They are just beings made up of pure death energy.
Contrary to normal skeletons which are proportionally strong to their peak when they were alive, these skeletons started off pretty weak but grew stronger over time.
It also seemed that they were capable of learning as well and could even think for themselves.
Arvell was quite surprised at this discovery and even taught the skeletons basic swordsmanship as well.
He decided to let the skeletons develop their own swordsmanship that would work with their unique physiques.
After gathering all of the belongings that the bandits owned, Arvell turned to the cage which held the person whom the bandits simply referred to as their ''cargo''.
''This seems like a pain to bring him along, but it would leave a sour taste in my mouth to just abandon him.''
Arvell walked over and cut the bars of the cage.
He entered the cage himself and took a closer look at the boy.
The boy had grey eyes and ck hair that went below his eyes.
He appeared to be severely malnourished as if his captors couldn''t even be bothered to properly feed him.
The boy looked up at Arvell with a dead look in his eyes, as if he had given up on the idea of living itself.
"Are you here to kill me? If so please get it over with"
Arvell looked at the boy before him with a trace of pity.
While he had slowly lost his kindness and warmth towards strangers after being abandoned and killed, he still felt some emotions after seeing a boy his age treated like a caged animal.
Arvell looked into the boy''s eyes.
"I am not here to kill you. As for the bastards who locked you in the cage? They are all dead. Do you want to go home?"
The boy looked at Arvell as if he was speaking somethingpletely iprehensible.
"I can¡ go home?"
"Do you want to?"
Light slowly returned to the boy''s eyes as he looked at Arvell as if he was a messiah.
"I¡ I want to see my family again. Father, mother, big sis Ang, everyone¡ Please! I want to go home"
"Good, then let''s get going."
Chapter 21 Silvanus
Arvell led the boy back to his camping location.
As to not alert the group, he had been avoiding using fire to cook his food, instead, he had survived purely off of fruits and berries for thest few days.
While they walked in silence, Arvell reminisced about his 5 month-long training session.
If Arvell were to use one word to describe his experience, it would be ''Hell''.
Arvell had grown used to Lykos''s amiable yet irritating personality and naturally assumed that his training wouldn''t be too harsh.
That was a mistake that he would regret dearly.
Lykos''s training methods were nothing short of spartan, with his motto being "Gems only form under pressure".
Arvell had to wrestle with a middle rank 1 bear, hold his breath underwater for hours on end, meditate without food under an ice-cold waterfall, the list went on.
While Lykos couldn''t force Arvell to do anything since Lykos didn''t have a physical body, he would threaten to not teach Arvell anything about his powers if he refused his training.
While Arvell greatly disliked his training regimen, he full well knew that Lykos only wanted the best for him and understood that this training was to build a better foundation for him. Even if Lykos''s instructions seemed downright cruel at times.
He also had to face off against small bandit groups that he encountered. Unlike the group he fought today, they were much weaker, being around 1st circle mages with the asional 2nd circle mage.
Originally he thought he would feel fine after killing them, since it was a matter of survival, and these people would just harm more people if left alive.
While he forced himself into thinking he was ''cleaning the trash of society, deep down he still felt some revulsion at iming someone''s life.
Originally when he fought for the first time against bandits, he couldn''t bring himself to kill the ones who surrendered, as that went against his mother''s teachings.
While his mother was vicious towards her enemies, she was kind and empathetic to everyone else.
She didn''t want her children to inherit this viciousness, so she only taught thempassion and empathy. Queen Clementina taught Arvell to only fight back to protect himself, but never kill.
Unfortunately, Arvell realized firsthand how vicious humans were when they tried to backstab him the instant he turned around to leave.
Needless to say, Arvell ughtered the remaining survivors and learned his lesson.
Lykos didn''t intervene to warn Arvell since he wanted Arvell to know this viciousness for himself to never make the same mistake again in the future.
After killing more bandit groups and undergoing a seemingly never-ending hellish training regimen, Arvell''s mentality grew colder and resembled that of a seasoned veteran.
He had undergone numerous life-threatening situations and had ovee his innate fear of death to an extent.
However¡ this also came with a few adverse effects.
Arvell learned firsthand how effective fighting was to his personal growth, and he became addicted.
He would constantly challenge anything he deemed worth fighting and used this to further improve himself.
Lykos trained Arvell to pursue efficiency when fighting, to use any advantage he could to reduce the amount of energy he lost when he fought.
If one can preserve their energy as much as possible, and end the fight as soon as possible, the odds of surviving would increase significantly.
In a battle to the death, there was no such thing as ''foul y.''
Arvell employed some of these tactics earlier when killing the bandit group, as he had used his knowledge of poisons and the bandit group''s movements toy a trap for them.
While some might argue that Arvell was being cowardly, he would have had to fight with his life on the line to even think of harming even one of the bandits, much less kill all of them.
Thus, Arvell relied on poison to bring them down to his level, to fight them on an even ying field.
It was just that he overestimated the bandit group after finding out they were far stronger than his average targets.
He identally overdosed them on poison, resulting in them being far too easy for him to kill.
A mistake that he regretted deeply.
After all, the only person who could fight him somewhat properly was the head bandit Zalcon.
As they neared the camping site, Arvell snapped out of his reverie and started a fire. Since the bandits were already dead, he didn''t need to worry about the smoke and light being seen by his prey anymore.
He just needed to keep an eye out for any beasts that would notice the smoke and light.
Fortunately, this wasn''t as big of a concern since the beasts in this area were typically not that strong.
Arvell would be able to overpower most if not all of them on his own if they fought one on one.
Unless a group of beasts all came at once, they were safe.
Arvell pulled out a change of clothes and gave it to the boy he rescued. He had graciously epted this ''gift'' from one of his earlier victims and simply threw it in his inventory since it was too big for him.
The boy looked down at the clothes and then back up at Arvell and quietly muttered a thank-you.
As Arvell prepared the first hot meal he had in a week, the boy finished changing into the attire Arvell gave him.
"It''s too big as expected¡ But it''s still better than your earlier rags," Arvellmented.
The boy suddenly fell to his knees and ced his head on the ground.
"Thank you for saving my life! I will never forget this favour!"
Arvell saw this with a disinterested gaze and simply shook his head. He had seen this scene far too often when he had released ves and other people captured by the bandit groups he fought and had be almost numb to this sight.
He''d simply saved the boy out of pity, nothing more, nothing less.
After he dropped him off at a nearby vige, they would likely never see each other again.
"There is no need. I didn''t save you for you to owe me a favour. Just be more careful next time, and don''t get caught."
The boy looked up at Arvell with eyes that reflected both his gratitude and his resolution.
"My family taught me to always repay my debts. I swear on my name and honour that I will find some way to pay you back for helping me. If I can''t even do that, I don''t deserve to show myself in front of my family again."
Arvell felt like this person was being genuine with his words and simply decided to ask his family for a reward or some kind ofpensation if and when he met them.
"Where do you live? If it''s close by, I can just take you there"
Arvell felt that leaving this boy would have a hard time surviving in the forest, even if he seemed to be around Arvell''s age.
The boy pondered for a moment before answering Arvell''s questions.
"I am not from this country. I was kidnapped and transported from ntrya."
Arvell was momentarily shocked by the boy''s words.
While he was travelling slowly towards ntrya himself, due to being sidetracked with his training, he had only travelled around a third of the journey to Karsia, the capital city.
At least ording to Lykos, Arvell was still around a two-week travel distance by foot from the border.
''So they kidnapped him and tried to sell him in a foreign nation?''
While there is peace between the two countries, there is still a deep-rooted grudge between the two nations. Vispian Nobles would pay good money to have an ntryan citizen as their ve.
They would then use them as a substitute for their rage against ntrya itself.
Arvell felt that the fate of these ves was far too pitiful, considering that they probably didn''t even have any part in starting the war between the two kingdoms.
If anything they also lost loved ones in it.
Arvell looked at the boy who was greedily devouring his first real meal in a long time.
"I was a captured ve myself, " he lied, "Like you, I also want to go back home to ntrya. If you want, you can tag along with me."
While Arvell had nothing much to gain from this deal, he still felt that the boy''s earlier words were sincere, and decided to take a risk by bringing him back home.
Normally Arvell tried to avoid anything too risky.
His priority was getting stronger, and while having more enemies to fight was a good thing in his opinion, he didn''t want his enemies to be too strong either.
In that case, he would simply get ughtered.
However, despite this, he decided to take a risk and bring Zen along.
If they were going in the same direction anyway, he might as well take him with him.
His only concern was that the boy would leak the information that he was Vispian, which would directly make him ineligible to attend Sky Sword Academy in the best-case scenario.
As for the worst-case scenario? Arvell would be hunted down by an angry mob.
So he lied. Despite not being a really convincing lie, it seemed to work as Zen believed it.
When Arvell told him that he was the same as him, despite the likelihood being low, Zen wanted someone to understand his pain.
Going as far as to believe something with no circumstantial evidence, just to feel that he wasn''t alone in his struggle.
The boy looked at Arvell and nodded.
"So you''re in the same situation as me¡ Saving me, and then willing to escort me back home. You have my eternal gratitude."
Zen bowed his head in appreciation.
Arvell lightly smiled when he saw this.
"First things first, My name is Arvell¡"
Just realizing he couldn''t use ''Vispia'' as hisst name, Arvell fell into a minor panic.
Arvell hadn''t spoken to anyone properly after being abandoned, with only Lykos as hispany.
As for the people he rescued earlier?
He wouldn''t interact much with them after finding out where to drop them off, much less give them his name.
Arvell froze when he was about to mention his full name and unintentionally sold himself out, but luckily Lykos came to the rescue.
''Use Silvanus as yourst name.''
Before even thinking twice Arvell continued.
"...Silvanus. Arvell Silvanus."
"That''s a good name," The boy spoke, "My name is Zen."
The two of them continued to chat for a bit while eating, before deciding to call it a night.
After eating breakfast and packing their stuff the following morning, the two began their journey to ntrya.
Chapter 22 Hunting
(SNAP)
A twig broke as Zen took a step forward, startling the nearby fauna to run away.
Arvell turned to Zen and sighed.
"Remember to watch where you''re walking. We won''t be able to catch any lunch if you keep scaring them away."
Zen put down his head in shame. For someone who never had to hunt like this before, hiding his presence from his prey was too hard for him.
He simply had no experience with this kind of thing.
Arvell realized this too, so he didn''t admonish Zen too much, instead of relying on giving him tips and reminders instead.
The two of them were nning on catching some lunch by slowly following any nearby animal they deemed as ''fit to eat'', and nned to kill them before they could run away.
Normally this would be quite easy for Arvell, being he could just slow down time, or open a small portal near them to kill them quickly.
Even without this, he had some food already stored in his inventory.
However, there was a major problem with this.
Zen.
Arvell couldn''t just reveal his use of Aether and Nether to someone he had just met.
If it was revealed that he could use a power that far surpasses magic, and two of them at that, he would be hunted down by the strongest mages across the world.
They would capture him as a test subject, force him to fight for them, try to steal his powers for themselves, or simply kill him since he would be seen as a threat to them.
While Arvell did see Zen as a somewhat of an honourable man, he didn''t want to take any unnecessary risks that would jeopardize his own life.
Especially for someone, he saved out of pity.
Arvell valued his life far more than that.
Thus they were stuck to hunting the ''natural'' way.
Zen apparently was able to use wind magic, but he had just turned thirteen a month ago so he wasn''t properly trained on how to use magic yet.
He could summon a small puff of wind, but that would only be able to ruffle some leaves on the ground at best.
Naturally, it fell on Arvell to hunt instead.
When Zen asked Arvell how he was able to kill all of the bandits, Arvell just revealed the part where he poisoned their food.
Without stating that he was the one who made the poison of course.
Being able to brew poisons as strong as that at his age would also raise questions, something Arvell would find quite troublesome.
He was debating revealing some of his less shy abilities, and passing it off as normal magic, but he was still debating this.
Unfortunately, their recent failures with procuring food forced Arvell''s hand.
[Time Maniption]
Arvell turned into a blur as he raced after a nearby creature that resembled a deer.
[Haste]
Arvell''s speed increased even further as he appeared behind the deer the next second.
The deer shuddered as it instinctively turned to face Arvell.
(CLANG)
Arvell''s sword mmed onto the deer''s horns and loud noise rang out.
''This creature''s horns are as strong as metal,'' Arvell thought to himself.
He quickly threw a kick at the beast''s jaw while it was preupied with blocking Arvell''s sword.
However, the creature twisted its head and dodged Arvell''s kick.
Arvell coldly smiled when he saw this
''Checkmate.''
He quickly repositioned his sword and cleanly beheaded the creature.
Unfortunately for the deer, when it dodged Arvell''s kick it let go of Arvell''s sword, letting Arvell have a clean angle to behead the deer.
The shock in the creature''s eyes was visible as its severed head and headless body both fell to the ground with a thump.
A small pool of blood started forming around the body of the creature.
"W-W-What was that? You were so fast! I didn''t even see what you were doing!" A voice rang out behind Arvell.
Arvell looked over his shoulder to find a bewildered Zen.
He was looking at Arvell with eyes full of awe, respect, and a little fear.
Arvell felt a headacheing but he decided that it was better to let Zen think he was just a talented mage who was proficient with body enhancement magic at a young age, instead of letting him form his own spections about Arvell''s powers.
Furthermore, if they were to be attacked Arvell would have to reveal some of his cards either way.
"As you can see I can use body enhancement magic to make myself faster and stronger. I also have a magic artifact that makes me far faster as well."
Zen looked at Arvell as if he was a monster.
"Aren''t you also 13? Just like me? How did you get this strong!"
Arvell turned his head to the side.
"I just trained myself really hard"
Technically Arvell didn''t lie¡ Lykos did put him through hell the past five months.
Zen looked at Arvell like he was speaking anothernguage
"You can''t just get that strong that quickly by working hard. However, if you want to keep your privacy that''s understandable. You did save me, so I shouldn''t pry into your secrets if you don''t want to disclose them."
Arvell let out a breath of relief and went to pick up the carcass which they would eat for lunch.
Zen started gathering firewood while Arvell gutted the animal and removed the blood.
He removed a small ck crystal from inside the chest of the creature
[Appraisal]
[Status Information]
Beast Core Species: Iron Horned Deer
Beast Core Rank: Middle First Rank
[A Beast Core harvested from an Iron Horned Deer.]
Arvell had gotten used to using Appraisal to the point where he could now use it without even saying its name.
He simply had to visualize it and he could see it.
He had also recently also acquired a refining furnace using the money he gained by hunting bandits and began to use alchemy as well.
This was also how he made the poison which he used on the bandit group that kidnapped Zen.
After they got the fire started the two of them sat in silence while watching the meat cook.
While the Meat was slowly sizzling above the fire, Arvell decided to ask Lykos a question.
He had nned on asking him earlier, but he was preupied with other things so hepletely forgot about it.
''Lykos where did you get the name Silvanus from?''
''Silvanus was myst name. Since I gave you my essence and trained you, it''s only fitting that you take myst name as well.''
Arvell''s eyes momentarily widened with shock before nodding his head.
''It''s a lot better than keeping thest name of my ''father''. Those people exiled and rejected me for a birth condition. It''s only fitting that I reject them as well.''''
''Keeping your first name should be fine since you aren''t the only person named Arvell in the world. While the name is umon, it''s not unique enough to just belong to you either.''
''I don''t want people to realize who I am just yet, but I agree. Keeping my birth name shouldn''t be too much of a concern. Everyone assumes that I am already dead. I even lookpletely different. Including the fact that it wasmon knowledge that I had no mana in the first ce, almost no one would think I would be the exiled third prince.''
A mouthwatering aroma spread through the air causing both Zen and Arvell''s stomach''s to rumble.
Arvell grabbed his sword and made a small incision on the b of meat to see if it was properly cooked.
"It''s ready. Lets dig in."
As the two were talking Zen looked over at Arvell and spoke up.
"Hey Arvell, you n on going through the Algreppa mountain ranges to travel to ntrya correct?"
Arvell nodded his head.
"Yeah thats correct. Why do you ask?"
"While I was kidnapped I was brought through the mountain range by the bandit group from earlier."
"How many casualties did they have? For a group thatrge it must have been a lot correct?"
Zen looked at Arvell eagerly.
"Thats the thing¡ They only lost three people."
Arvell almost spit out the food in his mouth.
"Just three? How is that possible?"
"Well you see they have a secret tunnel they use to traverse it. I was thinking we could use it too. After all¡ Why create unnecessary risks?"
Arvell looked at Zen as if he was made of solid gold.
''To think someone I saved out of pity would be this useful! I guess it was worth it in the end.''
"If you are speaking the truth, that would make our trip far easier."
Chapter 23 A Dark Shadow
The two of them continued their journey for the rest of the day on foot.
Since they didn''t want to be targeted by bandit groups they didn''t take the caravan that they gained from killing Zalcon''s group.
While it did make their journey considerably longer, it was still better than needlessly exposing themselves to danger.
Surprisingly Zen was able to able to travel the entire distance without a singleint or groan.
He even had better staminapared to other children their age.
Naturally, Arvell was pleased with this oue.
The less they stopped, the faster they could reach their destination.
After hunting bandits for one and a half months Arvell was able to gather enough funds to pay for his tuition at sky sword academy.
The only thing he had to do was train for the next few weeks and be strong enough to be able to pass the entrance exam.
As the two settled down to go to sleep Arvell looked up at the starry sky.
''I was never able to appreciate how beautiful the night sky was until I was able to live in nature. The quiet environment gives a feeling of tranquillity and is quite rxing.''
"SNORE"
Arvell cursed himself for speaking too soon and turned his head to face the snoring Zen.
"Haaa¡ There goes my peace and quiet," hemented.
Arvell stood up and walked towards a nearby pond to escape from Zen''s audible snoring.
He removed his shoes and dipped his feet in the cool water and marvelled at the sight before him.
The fluorescent insects in the surroundings illuminated the crystal clear water giving a feeling of ethereal beauty from the pond.
Arvell gathered some water in his hands and enjoyed a sip.
Lykos materialized beside Arvell and joined him.
While he couldn''t feel the water his ''feet'' were in, he could still see the wonderful sight Arvell was able to witness.
''It''s times like these that you are able to see the beauty of nature. Only by stopping and taking a moment to enjoy times like these can we truly experience life.''
Arvell smirked.
''You sound like an old man, Lykos,'' Arvell teased, ''However, I do understand what you mean. Small moments such as this are what make life worth living.''
Arvell decided to check on his status screen.
He had been neglecting it for quite awhile.
[Status]
[Status Information]
Name: Arvell Rs Vispia
Species: Nephilim
Age: 13 years old
HP: 140
STA: 91
DEF: 78
SPD: 79
PHYS ATK: 82
POWER STAGE: 1ST CIRCLE 2ND STAGE
BODY REFINING: 1ST REFINEMENT 1ST STAGE
AETHER: 120/120
NETHER: 100/100
Titles: 3rd Prince of Vispia (Exiled), Inheritor of the Nephilim''s Legacy, Forever Alone?, Battle Maniac
Skills: God-ying Swordsmanship (SSS), Diplomacy (B-), Future sight (SS), Inventory (S), Temporal Maniption (SSS), Warp (SSS), Rejuvenation (S), Undead Summon (S), Vitality Drain (SS), Alchemy (C), Hide Presense (C), Night-Vision (C).
In the past five months he had increased his Nether Body to the first stage of the first refinement, and increased his Aether Core to the second stage of the first circle.
Arvell found that dealing with the mental exhaustion that upgrading his Aether Core caused him, was far better than experiencing the mind-numbing pain that upgrading his Nether Body.
Due to this, his Aether Core level was a full stage above his Nether Body level.
Furthermore he had also learned swordsmanship from Lykos which better suited his new physique than his old imperial swordsmanship. Not to mention that he hadn''t evenpletely learned it yet.
Arvell quickly found out that even the grade of the swordsmanship Lykos passed down to him was several times greater than the swordsmanship he used before.
It didn''t even take a few moments before Arvell decided to throw away his old swordsmanship right then and there.
That decision proved to be a correct one.
Arvell was a little curious about the name of the swordsmanship.
Lykosughed it off as the creator having a bad naming sense. However, the name did make the swordsmanship seem even more intimidating.
He also learned a bit of Alchemy and how to hide his presence as well.
Hiding his presence was important to survival in the wilderness, and learning Alchemy allowed him to brew poisons and elixirs.
Poisons like the one he used on Zalcon''s bandit group.
He looked at his titles and sighed.
''Even the status screen think''s I''m a battle maniac huh?''
Lykos chuckled lightly.
''You should have seen your face when you fight. You look like a demon. That creepy smile would give children nightmares¡ Wait¡ You did already tramatize those two kids who found your body¡''
Arvell''s body twitched.
''You have a talent for terrorizing children Arvell! Although it pains me to see you go down this route, I will support your life decisions! I will still treat you the same no matter what sick tendencies you have~''
Lykos had a teasing smile on his face as he acted like a doting mother who found out her son became a delinquent.
''What the hell do you mean? You know very well that the incident was out of my control!'' Arvell snapped.
(WOOSH)
Suddenly the two of them heard a loud gust of wind and the two of them looked up.
Arge ck creature was blotting through the air surrounded by a series of lights.
(BOOM BOOM BOOM)
The lights in the air exploded releasingrge plumes of light in the air.
Arvell quickly removed his feet from theke and grabbed his shoes.
He sprinted towards a nearby shrub and took cover.
He once again raised his head to the source of the noise.
Numerous dark figures were chasing after the ck creature as they assaulted it with light attacks.
Arvell wasn''t able to make out what or who they were correctly due to them flying quite fast in the darkness of night.
However from what he could tell the ck creature was being hunted by the ck figures.
After waiting for a few minutes to see if they woulde back, Arvell went to find Zen.
The flying creature and the figures didn''t seem to notice him, and if they did they simply weren''t bothered to deal with him.
Either way, it was good for Arvell.
Unfortunately, he couldn''t assume their intentions, thus it was still better to find another ce to stay for the night.
Any one of the beings he saw today would be able to effortlessly kill both him and Zen.
Leaving his life at someone else''s mercy was something Arvell never wanted to experience again.
''Lykos what was that?''
As he walked back to his campsite Arvell tried to ask Lykos if he had any idea who those 2 figures were.
''I wasn''t able to get a good look at the creature, but it looked to be some kind of wyvern. However, it was far too strong to be a normal wyvern. My best bet is that it''s some kind of mutated high-ranking wyvern.''
Arvell''s eyes opened wide
Wyverns were rare beast lizard-like beasts that were ssified in the early-middle fifth rank.
Something like that would need the power of a team of at least five mages of the fifth circle to subjugate.
Only sixth circle mages like Arvell''s father could hope to beat ate-stage wyvern in a one-on-one fight.
Since Wyverns had wings and used fire at long ranges, body-enhancement mages who can''t fly or jump high were practically just cannon fodder for them.
''What about the people following it?''
''I counted about ten people, and they appear to all be from the seventh to ninth stage of the fifth circle.''
If Arvell didn''t see their magic with his own eyes, he would have doubted Lykos''s ims right then and there.
He stopped to look back up at the sky.
From the direction they were travelling, the earlier group appear to be heading towards the ntrya-Vispian border.
The same direction that Arvell was going.
''The Country of Vispia has only a fewte fifth circle mages. Something is suspicious here¡ Could they be ntryan?''
Lykos pondered for a moment before responding.
''From what I saw when I was in ntrya, that isn''t the case. Unless the mages from both countries are working together, the ones we saw earlier should be part of an outside force.''
Arvell frowned.
''Something big is happening¡ However, it''s best if we try to stay out of it. Needlessly sticking my head in something that isn''t my business isn''t my thing. Furthermore doing it here is just suicidal''
''If it was concerning you that would be another matter, but this has nothing to do with you. Just keep your distance from them. We still don''t know their intentions,'' Lykos Agreed.
"HEY ARVELL! WHERE DID YOU GO?," A loud voice shouted.
Arvell immediately reached for his sword, but after taking a second to recognize the voice he lowered his guard.
"Sorry about that Zen. I went to take a walk."
Zen stepped out from behind a tree and patted some leaves off of his clothes.
"More importantly, what was that loud noise earlier?"
"I didn''t see what happened, but it appeared to be some mages hunting some kind of monster."
Arvell decided to hide the information about the wyvern to avoid unnecessarily worrying Zen.
Due to their aggressiveness and might, Wyverns were an object of fear for many.
If someone as powerless as Zen were toe across a wyvern, he would be killed before he could even scream.
"Are they still here?" Zen fearfully inquired
He nervously looked around, as if expecting a terrifying creature to jump out of the bushes and attack him.
"They seem to have left, but we should still relocate."
Arvell turned around and looked over his shoulder.
"Come on let''s get going."
Chapter 24 One Last Hurdle
It had been almost two full weeks since the two of them started their journey eastwards towards the ntryan border, and once they went past the mountain range, they would finally set foot on ntryan soil.
To avoid any unnecessary suspicions toward Arvell the two of them were forced to travel through the treacherous mountain pass.
The normal border used to traverse between ntrya and Vispia was walled off in its entirety during the war by both sides and used to prevent both sides from invading each other.
Both sides summoned an army of earth mages for this task, and even then it still took them 2 months toplete it due to therge amount ofnd they needed to cover between the two nations.
The only area where they couldn''t wall off and monitor was the Algreppa mountain range.
The presence of a strong rank 6 beast had deterred both sides from its territory.
Normally the beast would stay in a state of hibernation, however, due to its strong territorial tendencies, it will awake to fight anybody it deems as a threat to either itself or its territory.
Mages of the fourth circle and above were counted in this category, forcing them to be unable to maintain the mountain border.
Meanwhile, mages below the fourth circle would fall prey to the numerous other monsters that inhabit the mountain pass.
Only by having a group of strong third rank mages like the bandit Zalcon''s group would be able to pass through with minimal casualties.
That would be an issue for most people, fortunately, Zen was able to watch Zalcon''s group take a hidden tunnel through the mountain itself, allowing Arvell and him to travel through the range rtively safely.
This was extremely good news for Arvell who nned to slowly sneak through the mountain while trying to avoid getting caught by the various monsters.
He had even trained Zen on the basics of masking his presence in preparation for passing through the mountain pass, but luckily for both of them, it seemed like it was unneeded.
Arvell looked up at the looming mountain peak that was said to be the home of the fearsome rank 6 beast.
He could feel an aura of dread emanating from the peak.
It was as if he was staring death itself in the face.
While this monster''s aura was nothingpared to the mind-numbing fear Arvell felt when Lykos unleashed his bloodlust, it still made Arvell feel quite uneasy.
Furthermore, the mountain peak was still far away, so he couldn''t feel the full brunt of the beast''s bloodlust
However, in that uneasiness, there was also a strong burning feeling.
''How much stronger do I need to get to reach that level?''
Arvell clenched his fist and looked at the peak with determination.
Zen who was next to Arvell looked at him with a knowing look.
''He must be terrified while knowing that such a strong monster is this close to us. I know how that feels¡ I felt that same terror when I first came through here. I should help him out, after all, he''s done for me this is the least I can do.''
Zen rested his shaky hand on Arvell''s shoulder.
Even now he could feel a deep fear throughout his body. Even experiencing it once before could not diminish the raw terror Zen felt when being near the rank 6 beast.
"Hey don''t worry about the beast. It will only wake up if someone from the fourth circle or above appears. It wouldn''t even bat an eye at low first circle kids like us. If anything we should be on the lookout for other bandit groups," Zen shakingly encouraged.
The only main concern about using this path was the presence of other bandit groups using it.
If they were to fight against a group as strong as Zalcon''s group, the two of them would only be either caught as ves or killed.
Since the two of them didn''t have bad appearances, the former would be the more likely option.
Arvell looked at Zen with a knowing look.
''He must assume that I''m shaking because I''m terrified. While he''s notpletely incorrect, I can already tell this beast can''t hold a candle to Lykos... Even though it could kill me effortlessly if it wanted to, '' Arvell sighed, '' I''m still nowhere near strong enough to protect myself should it choose to kill me.''
"You''re right. We should be on the lookout for bandit groups. There''s no way that only your captor would have known about such a convenient path through the mountain."
Zen pondered for a minute.
"The tunnel is filled with numerous dead ends and fake passageways. If we were to take notice of a group of bandits, we could hide in one of those until they pass by us."
Arvell nodded his head in agreement.
"That would be our best shot at trying to pass the border unnoticed."
Pointing his head to a nearby cave, Arvell beckoned Zen to follow him.
"We should use the cover of night to get to the tunnel without being seen. It''ll turn dark in a few hours, so we can use the remaining time to prepare for the trip ahead."
Arvell and Zen walked into the cave and decided to set up a fire near the entrance.
After they filled their back with various nuts they acquired from the nearby trees, Arvell decided to investigate the interior of the cave.
It was better to make sure they didn''t have any unexpected ''neighbours'' before said ''neighbours'' decided to make the two of them into their dinner.
He erased his presence and crept alongside the walls, paying extra attention to avoid making any noise.
Since they were in a cave, he couldn''t risk making any noise that would create an echo.
''This cave is quiterge''
As Arvell explored the cave he began to realize just howrge the cave he had found by chance was.
He had even almost gotten lost a couple of times as he ended up in dead ends.
Arvell was able to find an entrance to an underground river and managed to secure a source of drinkable water for both him and Zen.
It seemed like one of the nearby rivers flowed into this cave from the outside.
Even some fish were eagerly swimming in the river.
Arvell however was more preupied with a red blotch he found on the floor near the river.
The red blotch trailed onwards to one of the nearby tunnels that Arvell hadn''t checked yet.
''This¡ is blood. It''s not that old either. It''s been here for about a day.''
Arvell slowly crept towards the tunnel with his sword in hand.
Whatever would find behind this corner would either be dying or strong enough to kill whatever bleed out earlier.
It was better to be prepared for a fight.
As he slowly peeked his head around the corner, Arvell was shocked by what he saw.
He almost revealed his presence in shock.
''This¡. What is this? Could it be¡?''
''Yes and no.''
Lykos materialized next to Arvell
The two of them looked at therge winged beast.
It had ck metallic scales, with a reptilian face.
Its long and illustrious wingsid bare for them to witness.
''Yes, this is the same creature we saw at that pond two weeks ago, however¡ This is no wyvern¡''
Arvell looked at Lykos with shock.
''Don''t tell me this is a¡''
Lykos nodded.
''This is a dragon.''
Chapter 25 Dragon
''A dragon?... Why would a member of the dragon race be here? I was taught that they keep to themselves and don''t interact with other races. They don''t even leave their continent¡ If that''s what you want to call it.''
Arvell was awestruck.
As a kid, he had always dreamed of seeing a real dragon.
Unfortunately being the hermit race they were, they never left their continent and also didn''t allow for any visitors to step foot on their nd''.
That is if those daring enough to try can even make it there in the first ce.
''I''m also quite confused. However, the dragon race is a noble one. They will not attack a child such as yourself unprovoked. If anything it''s safe to reveal your presence now. Your level of presence concealment is nothing before a dragon of his calibre. Also, look,'' Lykos pointed towards a massive red spot that had gathered around the dragon''s body, ''he''s gravely injured.''
Arvell also noticed the red pool that had formed around the dragon''s massive frame.
Some of the blood had already dried up, showing that the dragon had been in that same position for quite a long time.
''Is it¡ he even alive?'' Looking at Lykos with doubt, Arvell asked.
''It''s hard to see, but you can see his chest is barely rising and falling. He''s still alive, but only barely.''
Deciding to trust Lykos''s words over his judgement, Arvell revealed his presence.
The injured dragon weakly raised his head.
(Gasp)
"I see you have finally decided to stop sneaking around and decided to reveal yourself."
The dragon was desperately gasping for air, since even talking proved to be an excruciatingly difficult task in his current position.
After getting a glimpse at Arvell, the dragon suddenly jolted.
His eyes turned sharp as he emanate a dense bloodlust.
"That silver hair¡You! Why is your kind here?" he hissed.
Arvell started trembling while desperately resisting the dragon''s mental attack.
He could feel a deep resentment directed at himself, but couldn''t understand why.
He desperately turned to the one person who could answer his questions.
''Lykos what the hell is happening?''
''Haa¡ Tell him to take a closer look at your eyes,'' he tiredly sighed.
Lykos had a look of annoyance etched on his face as if he was more annoyed at the dragon than he was concerned about the life of Arvell.
However, despite being annoyed, he also betrayed the sadness he felt deep in his heart when watching the dragon struggle.
Arvell was confused with Lykos''s instructions but followed them nheless.
"L-Look at my eyes!"
Doing his best to force the words out of his mouth, Arvell painfully tried to get Lykos''s message across to the dying dragon.
Arvell felt quite silly but endured both the pain and the slight embarrassment in hope of being able to escape the dragon''s bloodlust.
"Hmm? Your eyes?"
The dragon''s confusion broke his look of unbridled anger, and he squinted his eyes.
He didn''t even put the fact that Arvell was ying a trick into his mind.
Even if he was dying, Arvell was still too weak to evene close to him.
Arvell''s strength was too insignificant.
Even though Arvell knew this was true he still felt a little insulted but knew that this was for the best.
If the dragon didn''t follow Lykos''s instructions he would simply die here.
The dragon noticed Arvell''s beautiful amethyst eyes and shuddered.
"You¡ What is your connection to that person? No, wait¡ I can already guess."
The dragon retracted his bloodlust and his chin weakly hit the floor.
"I apologize for attacking you. I assumed you were one of ''them''."
Arvell looked at the dragon in confusion.
"What do you mean? Who are the ones you are referring to?"
The dragon looked at Arvell with a puzzled expression, before nodding his head as if he understood something.
"I see. You are still far too weak. As for ''them'' you will find out in due time. After all, no one can escape their destiny."
Arvell was slightly irritated with this dragon who seemed to only speak in riddles.
"Can''t you just tell me?"
"Telling you now won''t change anything. Even if I did tell you, you would be far too powerless to do anything. It will just be unnecessary mental baggage. You will find out yourself in due time."
(cough cough)
The dragon entered a coughing spree and spit out a mouthful of blood.
With blood trailing down his cheek, he once again looked at Arvell, but this time with a resolute expression.
It was the look of someone who had epted his end but had lingering regrets.
Regrets he wanted to pass on to someone else.
"We have more important things to discuss¡ I don''t have much more time left. Our country was attacked by a group of mages who were far stronger than any normal mage we had ever seen. I was forced to flee to the closeby human continent. While I feel that his majesty and her majesty would be able to beat them in the end, we couldn''t risk harming to the unborn one."
Arvell''s and Lykos''s eyes both widened in shock.
The dragon continued ignoring their shocked expressions.
"However, they predicted even this. They had another group of mages who wereying in ambush to attack us. I was barely able to escape them after taking grievous injuries."
''Lykos those mages we saw before must be the ones he was talking about.''
''I think the same.''
"It''s toote for me¡ But¡ I am d I could see you before I close my eyes for the final time. We have been waiting for you for so long. I just wish I could have seen your might after you have fully mastered your power."
(Gasp)
"Enough about me."
The dragon slowly raised his wing with a pained grimace.
Nestled underneath his was a beautiful golden-coloured egg.
The dragon slowly raised his body before bowing with his head down to the ground.
"This¡ This is the hope for the future. Please¡ in honour of our rtionship with him¡ Please protect it, and return it to our home."
The dragon was ignoring the pain moving around was causing, as well as the blood that was spurting from his open wounds.
Moving around seemed to agitate the wounds, hastening the dragon''s bloodloss
Even so, the dragon continued to bow to Arvell, begging him to ept his dying wish.
Dragons were known to be prideful beings who only bowed their heads to their parents and their god.
Having a noble dragon as powerful as the one before him bow to him gave Arvell a surreal feeling.
Arvell looked at the egg and then back at the dragon. He couldn''t ignore the dying pleas of someone as noble as this dragon.
Someone who would put the safety of an unborn child before his own, someone who would throw away his innate pride and bow his head to a kid to protect that unborn child.
This touched Arvell''s heart.
So much that he couldn''t find the heart to deny the dragon''s earnest plea.
Furthermore, they seemed to have some kind of connection with Lykos, so Arvell felt that helping them would also benefit him as well in the long run.
He walked over to the dragon and raised his head.
"Someone as noble as you shouldn''t have to beg. Of course, I will take care of it in your ce."
Tears of gratitude began spilling from the dragon''s eyes.
"I had lost all hope that this child would make it back. Just like him, you appeared in our hour of need."
Arvell looked up at the towering visage of the dragon.
"Would you give me the honour of knowing your name?"
The dragon forced himself up and took a stand.
Despite being riddled with wounds and caked in blood and dirt, his inherent majesty was still evident to see.
"My name is Kujak Ulminus. I am the ck dragon king of the nine Heavenly Dragon Kings."
Chapter 26 Kujak
"Kujak Ulminus... I will never forget it."
Kujak gave a toothy grin as streams of blood flowed down his cheek.
"Taking the egg with you will be quite difficult with it being this eye-catching, especially with those people looking for it. I''ll use the rest of my power to give one final gift to the young one."
Kujak glowed an ethereal blue colour before concentrating it in the palm of his hand.
Lykos looked at the dragon with shock.
''He can''t be. He''s willing to go this far? I understand why, but still¡''
Arvell looked at Lykos curiously.
''What''s he doing?''
''He''s using the entire power of his soul to do this. Unfortunately, using this kind of power would end up consuming his soul. He won''t be able to reincarnate again. This life is thest for him.''
Arvell looked at Kujak with a gaze filled with sadness and pity.
''Don''t pity him. Pitying him is the same as looking down on him. Just make sure to protect that egg with everything you''ve got. That''s the only way you can live up to his sacrifice
Lykos''s words brought Arvell out of his daze.
Reflecting on Lykos''s words Lykos, Arvell took a deep breath and changed his pitying gaze into one filled with admiration and respect.
Simr to the one Lykos had.
Lykos saw the ball finish forming in Kujaks hand.
''It''s almostplete.''
Kujak struggled as he concentrated the ball from the size of a basketball to the size of a pebble.
He weakly brought the ball to the egg and touched it, allowing for the ball to sink into the golden egg.
As if in response to the foreign energy, the egg lit up before changing colour.
If before the egg looked as if it was made from solid gold, the egg now looked to be a normal egg with a pale white shell.
Apart from their simr shape and size, the two eggs lookedpletely different.
Handing the egg to Arvell, the dragon weakly fell to the ground.
The light was beginning to fade from his eyes.
(Gasp)
"I gave the unborn one a portion of my powers. Being an expert at illusion magic, the unborn one will also possess the ability to disguise itself. Even after hatching. This is the only thing left that I can do. Please take care of it and keep it safe. Please bring it back home."
Kujak took one more breath and then ceased breathing altogether.
His eyespletely glossed over.
The ck dragon king that drove fear into the hearts of his enemies was now dead.
Arvell and Lykos both bowed their heads and gave a moment of silence in respect for the dragon.
''May he rest in peace.'' They both thought at the same time.
Arvell looked at the egg and then tried to put it in his inventory, but realized he couldn''t.
Lykos turned to him and exined.
''Eggs contain life and aren''t ssified as inanimate objects. You aren''t at the level where you can store living beings yet.''
Naturally, Arvell knew this, as he tried experimenting by trying to store live fish.
He had wanted to eat them fresh, so killing them right before he ate them seemed ideal.
Unfortunately, that wasn''t possible, as they didn''t go in.
However, he never experimented with eggs before, so he never found out if he could store them.
Until now that is.
''I guess I''ll have to make up some convincing story on how I got this egg to Zen,'' He thought to himself.
He sighed and gently put the egg in his backpack while padding the surroundings with the soft clothes he stored in his inventory.
As for the contents that were in his bag already?
Arvell just dumped them into the inventory.
As long as Zen saw his bag was full, that''s all that matters.
He can''t just waltz around without a bag and then pull his tools out of his inventory.
Zen would realize something was wrong.
Thus Arvell put a portion of the stuff from his inventory into his backpack, made it look full and carried the rest of his stuff in his inventory.
After storing the egg and making sure that it was as secure as possible, Arvell walked over to Kujak''s grave.
''A dragon''s corpse is a treasure trove of useful materials, everything from his ws to his scales, and even his heart are legendary ss treasures. However, taking from his body would be the same as desecrating it¡''
Arvell was in a dilemma.
He knew how rare finding the corpse of a dragon was due to their secluded nature, and he could already tell that Kujak''s was one of the best even among other dragons.
He did refer to himself as one of the nine ''Heavenly Dragon Kings''.
Well, it was the eight Heavenly Dragon Kings now.
The nine Heavenly Dragon Kings were the nine loyal retainers of the Celestial Dragon Emperor.
Their bodies were bound to be among the greatest of their race.
Unfortunately, Arvell''s consciousness refused to desecrate the body of a man who gave up his very soul for this unborn child.
Thus he was stuck in his current predicament.
Take the resources to ensure his survival, but desecrate the body of someone he respected?
Or let the body of the dragon finally rest, and risk his survival.
After thinking of his current situation in terms of these 2 options, Arvell''s choice seemed clear.
''I''ll take the body. If I use his body to protect the egg, he would certainly be fine with it. After all, if he was willing to give up being reincarnated and let himself be erased from existence for the egg, he should be fine with me using his body for it as well. Though I admit it leaves a sour taste in my mouth.''
''I agree with your decision,'' Lykos looked pained, but he nodded his head at Arvell''s decision. ''It''s better if you use his body to aplish his dying wish. Someone like him would be fine with this.''
Arvell looked at Kujak''s massive corpse.
He was around 85 metres from his nose to his tail, with a wingspan of 20 metres.
There was no way he would fully fit in Arvell''s inventory even if he dumped out the contents.
During Arvell''s five-month-long training, while not focusing on it, he was still able to increase his Aether Core to the second stage of the 1st circle, while improving his Nether Body to the first stage of the first refinement.
While this didn''t seem like much, he was still able to kill middle first rank beasts such as the iron horned deer quite effortlessly when going all out.
Unfortunately with Zen around, he couldn''t reveal his full power.
After he upgraded his Aether Core, Arvell was able to increase the storage in his inventory from a sphere with a radius of 5 metres to a sphere with a radius of 20 metres.
He decided to simply take Kujak''s ws, teeth and a portion of his scales to create weapons and armour.
After spending close to an hour delicately removing them from his body, Arvell used temporal maniption as well as his summoned undead to bury the rest of Kujak''s body.
He cupped his hands and offered a silent prayer.
After making his way back to the underground river, he turned to Lykos who was calmly hovering beside him.
''Let''s get back to the campsite, Zen''s probably worried.''
Chapter 27 Beast Tamer
As he neared the camp, Arvell saw Zen waiting nervously with his sword drawn.
It seemed as if he was on edge after hearing Arvell''s footsteps.
Arvell smiled.
"No need to be so tense Zen, it''s me."
Zen exhaled audibly.
"Thank goodness you''re okay. I was worried something had happened to you. You do realize you were gone for a couple of hours right?"
"Sorry. I got mixed up in the tunnels, and ended up getting lost."
Zen looked at Arvell with slight confusion.
"How bad was it for you to get lost?"
"Why don''t youe with me? I found an underground river which we can use to refill our water sks. We should stock up now, so we won''t be in troubleter."
"Alright."
Arvell led Zen back to the underground river they found earlier.
Sniffing the air, Zen''s face lightly scrunched up.
"I smell blood..."
(Sniff)
"...A lot of it"
Arvell nodded his head.
"I found a beast earlier and killed it. Its flesh wasn''t ideal for consumption so I threw it into the river. However, the beast had an egg it was guarding. I''m considering raising the hatched monster as my pet."
"I see."
Zen nodded his head in understanding.
It wasn''t rare for people to raise beasts as pets if they were able to find their eggs.
Unfortunately, the rarity of acquiring a monster egg makes the whole process a littleplicated.
Beasts tended to be extremely protective of their young, so much so that if someone were to even approach an egg, they would fight that person to the death.
Furthermore, the eggs typically were quite fragile, so they were quite easy to break.
Bringing a monster egg out from under its guardian''s watchful eyes while also making sure it didn''t get damaged was a tall task, to say the least.
Fortunately, the payoff was worth it.
Having a full-grown beast fight for you was quite convenient, to say the least.
The people who managed to get a beast egg and raise the beast were referred to as ''beast tamers'', and were viewed in higher regard than the average mage.
After all, most beast tamers were talented mages who also had tamed beasts aiding them.
The power of a skilled mage and a strong beast was a force to be reckoned with.
"That''s good, how damaged was the egg?"
"It''s practically unharmed."
Zen opened his eyes wide in shock.
"How did you manage that? Was the beast guarding it that weak?"
Arvell had a sad smile which betrayed his calm persona.
"He was quite strong. One of the strongest I have ever seen."
"How did you kill it?"
Zen paled for a moment as a scary thought passed through his head.
"Is it still alive?"
Deciding to quell Zen''s ''worries'' Arvell decided to enlighten him.
"He''s dead, however, the reason for that was he had several life-threatening injuries. Those are what killed him."
Zen calmed down after hearing Arvell''s words.
"That''s good, fighting such a strong being would be life-threatening, to say the least."
Arvell decided the best way to tell Zen was to mix some truths in with his lies.
After all, all the best lies have a small portion of truth in them. Only then are they do they truly work.
He couldn''t simply reveal that he met a dragon either, especially one of the nine Heavenly Dragon Kings.
That would cause an uproar in all the human nations.
Furthermore, if the peopleing after Kujak knew that he had the egg, they woulde after him before Arvell was capable of protecting himself.
That was a risk he wasn''t willing to take.
The fewer people who knew about this, the better.
The two of them quickly finished filling their water sks and spend an hour gathering fresh fish for their supper.
Since it was quite dark inside the cave, their only source of light was a torch that Zen brought.
After refining his Nether Body, Arvell gained the ability to see in the dark, albeit at close distances.
Since he didn''t need the torch, he just gave it to Zen.
He just wasn''t able to see far away beings in the dark, such as not being able to identify Kujak who was flying over a hundred metres high in the air.
Since he could see everything in a 20-metre radius as clear as day, he could gather the fish in his as he was hidden within the darkness, while Zen was forced to use the torch.
Naturally, the torch allowed the fish to see Zen, who stuck out like a sore thumb in the otherwise pitch-ck cave.
While Zen was frantically scrambling to gather any fish that was remotely near him, Arvell was calmly scooping them up until he singlehandedly gathered enough for both of them to eat.
Zen looked at Arvell''s haul with a twinge of envy.
It seemed as if Arvell was better than him in almost anything.
Arvell cleanly cut their heads off to give them a quick and painless death after he gathered them all together.
After securing their dinner the two of them proceeded to head back to their campsite at the entrance of the cave.
Admiring the intricacies of the cave tunnels, Zen sympathized with Arvell.
"This ce is incredibly confusing! No wonder you got lost here."
Arvell chuckled nervously.
It seemed that Zen properly bought his other lie as well.
The two of them sat down and started a fire.
While grilling the fish they caught Lykos suddenly materialized next to Arvell with a slight smile.
''Hey''
Arvell raised an eyebrow at him.
''Do you need something?''
''I''ve been thinking about this for a while, but why don''t you get to know Zen a little? The two of you tend to keep to yourselves most of the time!" Lykos put his hand to his forehead whilementing, "The two of you barely even talk to each other if it''s not necessary! Do you really need to travel inplete silence?"
Arvell felt a desire to plug his ears to not hear Lykos''s shouting, but since this wasing straight into his mind via their telepathic link, his prayers were left unanswered.
If only he could find a way to mute Lykos.
As he was thinking this, veins bulged on Lykos''s ethereal forehead.
Since all of Arvell''s thoughts were heard by him, he naturally heard this as well.
However, Lykos didn''t let that ruin his calm smile, although it did periodically twitch indicating his irritation.
Deciding to humour him, Arvell responded.
''I have nothing to talk about him with. I have my secrets, and he was kidnapped by bandits. Both of us just aren''t in the mood to talk.''
''Think about it like this¡ He''s the only one who knows that you''re from Vispia. It''s better to maintain friendly contact with him.''
''That doesn''t matter. I n to cut ties with him after we can get him to his vige. Neither he nor I will hopefully ever see each other again.''
Lykos sighed audibly.
''It seems the five months of living with just me to talk to deep in the forest ruined all of your social interaction skills. You''ve turned into an antisocial.''
Arvell looked at Lykos with a cold gaze.
''I couldn''t care less about anyone else. They would just betray me if the chance ever arose. There are only a select few people in the world I would care enough to open up to.''
''That''s where you are mistaken. You need to get them to open up to you. Think about this¡ If you can get people to open up to you, you''ll be able to get the information you want from them, even manipte them to an extent.''
''I understand that but why him?''
Lykos looked at Arvell as if he was looking at an idiot before realizing something.
''No wonder you didn''t find anything off about him!''
''Off? About Zen? What''s wrong with him?''
Arvell''s curiosity was piqued.
''His mannerism. It''s nothing like that of a normalmoner. It''s almost like¡''
Knowing that Lykos was building suspense just to make a ''dramatic reveal'', Arvell just rolled his eyes.
However he was still interested nheless, so he decided to humour Lykos.
''Like what?''
''Like he''s from a noble house!''
Chapter 28 Opening Up
Arvell''s eyes widened with shock at Lykos''s revtion.
''Zen''s a noble? How can you tell?''
Lykos seeing Arvell''s genuine confusion just sighed.
''I guess you aren''t that used to people with no mannerisms for you to notice. Only people who have been raised in noble houses have that level of grace and elegance.''
Arvell raised an eyebrow.
''I wouldn''t really use ''grace and elegance'' to define Zen.''
''You do realize he is out in the wilderness? People like him normally live tended to by countless maids and butlers. Just like how you were in the past. I guess since you rarely interacted with other children outside of the royal castle you aren''t used to interacting withmoner children.''
''I understand that the upbringing of amoner child and a noble child ispletely different, but is it that easy to tell?''
''Normal children don''t typically swear on their honour for example. Also, do you think a bandit group as big as the one before would make that much profit from selling one kid? A boy at that?''
Arvell nodded his head.
''I do admit did find those two things odd. I assumed they kidnapped him for some other ulterior motive. However, if we were to take into ount that he is the child of a noble, everything would make sense.''
''Do you think he''s worth getting to know now? Getting on his good side will help you immensely with attending Sky Sword Academy. The difference between having a lord''s letter of rmendation, and going in as a simplemoner is nothing to scoff at!''
Letting out a tired sigh, he begrudgingly nodded his head.
Arvell wasn''t the type to deny his mistakes.
He was the type to ept them and improve.
''How do I interact with boys my age? I don''t have much experience.''
The only boys that Arvell was close to in his age group were the first prince and the eldest son of the duke of Mam.
However, his elder brother was still 5 years elder than him.
His other brother Carnis was 2 years older than him, but he tended to avoid Carnis if possible due to his stuck-up personality.
Other than this, he had no experience with interacting with other boys his age.
Despite being as smart as he was, he wasn''t that used to interacting with other people.
The king didn''t want his noble sons to mingle withmoners and lower-ranking nobles such as barons and viscounts.
His only friend his age was Lukas Mam, however, they were close after spending a lot of time together as kids.
Interacting with someone he hardly knew with the same level of familiarity felt wrong to Arvell.
Thus he decided to ask the only person who knew his predicament.
However, due to being sidetracked, Arvell forgot one key detail.
The person who he asked was Lykos.
''Interacting with boys your age isn''t too hard! All you need to do is¡''
Arvell''s eyes opened wide in confusion.
''I really need to say this? Is this really what kids my age do?''
''Exactly! I''ve been around for a long time, so I know a lot about this stuff! Leave it to me.''
After telling him this, Lykos shed a mischievous smile.
Arvell despite feeling something was off, decided to trust Lykos''s words.
After all, it wasn''t like he had any better idea.
Arvell looked reluctantly at Zen who quenched his thirst by drinking some of the water from the sk.
Bracing himself, he cleared his throat.
(cough cough)
"So¡ Zen. Do¡ you have any girls you like?"
Zen spit out the water he was drinking,pletely dousing Arvell who had a front-row seat to the water show.
"What in the lord''s name are you talking about? Where did that evene from?"
Zen looked at Arvell with apparent bewilderment
Arvell reached into his bag and removed a towel from his inventory while making it look like he simply removed it out of his bag.
As he dried his soaking face, he red at Lykos angrily.
Lykos of course didn''t seem to care as he was rolling on the ground withughter.
While he didn''t find the question itself that funny, Arvell''s current face certainly was
''Why did I even trust this asshole?''
Unfortunately, no matter how much hemented his decision to trust Lykos, it wouldn''t change the past.
He looked at Zen who was staring at him with a mixture of confusion, embarrassment and shock.
(Sigh)
"I''m not used to interacting with boys my age. I was told that talking about girls was a good way to get to know other guys. It seems that the person who told me this was unreliable."
Zen looked at Arvell with a puzzled gaze.
"So you were just trying to break the ice¡ I do admit the two of us rarely ever talked unless we absolutely needed to. But still¡ Talking about girls¡ is¡ well you know? It''s kind of embarrassing."
Arvell nodded his head.
"I get what you mean. I was confused as well when I heard boys our age found that kind of talk interesting."
He paused for a moment.
"Do they even consider it interesting?"
Zen embarrassingly nodded his head.
"Boys do tend to talk about what girls they like during their free time. I assume it''s the same for girls as well."
"Is being in a rtionship even that good? My first ''rtionship'' was pretty fun and we got along well, however, my second one was¡ How do I put it? It was a chore."
Only nobles tended to engage their children at such a young age, so Arvell refrained from calling them his fiances.
However, as he thought about Ethelline, his entire face scrunched up in displeasure.
The two of them never got along well, even though Arvell had originally done his best to.
It was as if the girl saw Arvell as nothing more than an eyesore.
Being a prince confused Arvell for thest few years.
However, he didn''t care too much about her opinions after that one time she badmouthed Lily to his face.
He just refrained from talking to her if it was unneeded.
"A chore huh? That sounds rough¡ you have my condolences."
"It''s fine the two of us ''broke up'' for good."
"It''s better to be single than be in a toxic rtionship."
"I agree."
Feeling that the conversation was primarily focusing on him, Arvell felt a need to redirect the topic of the conversation back to Zen.
"What about you? Are you in a rtionship?"
"I am actually¡ She''s a little scary, but¡ she cares about me a lot."
''So he has a fiance already. She''s probably someone of simr social standing as himself.'' Arvell thought to himself.
"What do you mean by ''scary''?"
"Well¡"
Zen paused for a moment as if he was delegating what he could or couldn''t tell Arvell.
Naturally understanding this, Arvell didn''t pressure him.
Zen didn''t trust Arvell enough yet to tell him everything.
After all, what''s gonna stop Arvell from kidnapping him and selling him after finding out he was a noble''s son?
It wasn''t like he could beat Arvell in a fight.
In a sense, Zen waspletely at Arvell''s mercy.
However of course Arvell had no intention of doing this, as it would make him no better than the bandits he killed.
But it wasn''t like Zen knew this.
"I feel a cold gaze from her whenever I talk to other girls in front of her¡ No matter the reason. However, when I turn to look at her, she just has a cold smile. Somehow¡ I feel like I am staring death in the face."
His entire body shuddered as he remembered that feeling.
Lykos whistled audibly.
''Looks like poor Zen here is going to get henpecked in the future.''
Arvell suppressed a small chuckle after hearing about Zen''s predicament.
"However," Zen continued, "She cares a lot about me, even going out of her way to personally cook me meals when I''m not feeling well, and feeding me herself. In all honesty, I''m d that she''s my fia- I mean lover."
Arvell sighed audibly.
"I guess I''m the only one who has no luck with women."
"What about your first rtionship? You said that went well right?"
"Well let''s just say our families didn''t get along well, so we had to call it off."
"I''m sorry."
Arvell let out a self-deprecatingugh.
"It''s fine. It was a while ago, and I''ve moved on already."
Zen looked at Arvell with a scrutinizing gaze.
"Don''t take this the wrong way, but I''m honestly surprised someone as handsome as you is currently single. You''re incredibly strong as well as, smart. I was sure someone like you would be hunted down by girls."
Arvell gave him a wry smile.
"I simply wanted to get stronger. If I want to pass a magical academy''s entrance exam, I need to be strong enough to beat everyone else. It''s that simple."
"Hmm¡ If you are nning on attending a magical academy, Sky Sword Academy is your best choice in all of ntrya."
''That''s the n,'' Arvell thought to himself.
Chapter 29 Hidden Secrets
"Are you nning on entering Sky Sword Academy as well?"
Arvell practically knew the answer already, but he still had to keep up appearances.
Zen looked at the ground, letting his messy ck hair hide the majority of his face.
"I n on entering."
It was before he would have proudly announced his intention of entering, but after seeing Arvell''s awe-inspiring might, he seemed to have lost his initial resolve.
If anything, he felt like digging a hole right then and there.
Suddenly he remembered something allowing him to have a semnce of hope.
''If I can get proper training, I''m sure I can catch up to him!''
While Zen felt no ill-will towards Arvell since he did save him, he also didn''t want to be inferior to another boy his age.
After delegating for a moment, Arvell spoke.
"I might try to enter as well."
Zen smiled when hearing this.
"We might be ssmates in the future so let''s get along."
"Likewise."
Zen hade a long way these past two weeks.
He started with his heartpletely sealed off.
This of course was a direct result of his treatment by the bandits, but during these past two weeks, he had gotten ustomed to being around Arvell.
While the two never openly interacted unless they needed to, Zen slowly became used to Arvell''spany, even enjoying it.
In a sense Arvell not talking to Zen and asking him questions about his background allowed Zen to rx around him.
He could tell that Arvell wasn''t a bad person, considering he did save him.
However greed can corrupt even the best of men, so while he never disclosed any personal details about himself, he also didn''t reject Arvell''s attempt at ''befriending'' him.
Having Arvell as a friend at school would serve as good motivation to get stronger.
Lykos watched the two of them talk with a smile.
''Arvell''s finally behaving his age. Children his age should be eager for the future and outgoing. Although, I suppose ordinary children didn''t go through what he went through.''
Lykos took a deep breath and sighed.
''It''s only normal that he shut his heart after that. I sincerely hope that he can make friends that he can trust. Maybe then will he go back to how he was in the past''
***
A FEW HOURS LATER
Arvell stomped on the remaining kindles on the ground, putting out thest vestiges of the campfire.
He looked over his shoulder at Zen who was nervously fidgeting with his gear, making sure that everything was properly fastened in case they needed to promptly escape any threat.
Zen knew firsthand how terrifying the Algreppa mountain range was.
Even with the hidden tunnel, the bandit group that transported him still had three casualties.
While the inside of the tunnel was safe, the entrance and the exit still had beasts.
Of course, they would have beenpletely wiped out if they went the normal route.
They needed to be ready to run away at any time if they came across a strong beast.
"Are you ready, Zen?"
Zen finished giving himself one more look over and nodded his head.
"Yeah. Let''s get going."
Arvell steadied his breathing and erased his presence.
While this would be ineffective against stronger beasts, he would be able to ignore the beasts in the first rank.
Seeing Arvell be harder to notice, Zen followed suit.
Since Zen wasn''t as used to this as Arvell was, he would still be found out by the first-rank beasts, but it would still be a bit hard for them.
He could use this time to run away or let Arvell kill them.
Despite technically being an Arcane Mage with his wind magic, as well as having experience with swordsmanship, he wasn''t quite at the level where he could magic beasts yet.
The two of them used the cover of night to silently traverse in-between sleeping beasts.
While Arvell did feel an itch to fight some of them, he knew it wasn''t the time or ce to do so.
Their main concern was getting to ntrya in one piece.
Furthermore, most of these beasts were far out of his league.
He would probably need a few months if not years to be able to fight most of them.
Also, he had Zen with him.
Fighting on his own was already suicide, but fighting while having to take care of someone?
It was pure stupidity.
Zen had given Arvell a rundown of where the entrance was and how to spot it.
Suddenly putting his hand on Arvell''s shoulder, Zen pointed at a shrubbery a few kilometres away.
''So that''s where the secret entrance is.''
As they neared the location that Zen pointed out as the entrance of the secret tunnel, they heard arge roar echo through the surroundings.
(ROAR)
They both paused and looked up at the summit of the tallest mountain.
The supposed home of the sixth rank beast.
''Shit! Wasn''t it supposed to be hibernating at this time of the year? How the hell did it wake up?''
Lykos materialized next to him.
Arvell felt a monstrous pressure weigh down on him.
The pressure was far worse than it was before.
If before it was an object of unease and fear, now it seemed life-threatening.
Zen even froze in fear upon feeling the immense pressure exerted by the beast.
''That isn''t important right now! You need to find cover quickly!''
Arvell grabbed Zen who was still in a daze and violently shook him.
"Zen pull yourself together! We need to leave now!"
"Huh¡What?"
Zen responded in a dazed state.
''Tch, he''s still recovering from the beast''s pressure''
Arvell clicked his tongue in annoyance.
Suddenly a chorus of shrieks and roars began ringing out all around them.
"Shit! It''s already begun!"
Arvell grabbed Zen and ran to the entrance.
[Temporal Maniption]
Creating a zone around his and Zen''s body with elerated time, he ran as fast as he could towards the entrance.
Stapping out of his reverie Zen looked behind them, freezing once again.
"So¡So many beasts! It''s a stampede!"
A horde of beasts began closing in on the two of them.
The beast''s eyes reflected a mixture of fear and a predatory glint.
These beasts had originally be riled due to the rank six beast''s roar, however, upon seeing two weak-looking youths, decided to have ate-night snack.
The prey had be the predators.
As they neared the location Zen pointed out earlier, Arvell noticed a crevice hidden behind a bush.
Knowing that was probably the entrance, he through a bewildered Zen inside, before drawing his sword.
He jumped inside the tunnel and faced the oing beasts.
[God-ying Swordsmanship First Stance: Dimension sh]
To any onlooker it would have looked like Arvell was simply cutting the air in front of him.
An act of desperation by a child who didn''t want to be monster food.
Zen might have assumed the same if he wasn''t recovering from his earlier shock to notice it.
Suddenly, the entire cave shook and a portion of the ceiling rumbled as it came crashing down,pletely sealing the entrance.
He had shed through space to cut a small rock that was holding the entire entrance together, causing a small rockslide to ur,pletely sealing off the entrance.
Breathing out a sigh of relief Arvell copsed to his knees.
While he was able to confidently use the basic skills of the god-ying swordsmanship, using its special stances was still far too taxing for him.
Coupled with his time maniption from earlier, drained most of his Aether Reserves.
While his Nether reserves were virtually untouched, having almost all of his Aether drained was still quite taxing for him.
He slowly propped himself up and slowly walked towards Zen who was slowlying out of his Daze.
"A-Arvell? Where are you? Are you there?"
Zen looked around frantically in the darkness.
Since they copsed the entrance, there was no source of natural lighting within the tunnel.
Meaning the two of them were in pitch-ck darkness.
Of course, this wasn''t really a problem to Arvell who had night vision due to his enhanced body, but even he couldn''t see too far ahead.
Arvell sighed as he saw Zen panicking in the darkness.
"Hey, I''m right here. You can calm down now."
Hearing Arvell''s voice, Zen exhaled in relief.
(BANG)
(BANG)
(BANG)
Loud banging noises rang out from the copsed entrance.
''They really don''t know when to quit? Can''t they just eat each other or something?'' Arvellmented.
Unfortunately, hismenting wouldn''t change anything. Even Arvell knew this.
He grabbed Zen by his arm.
"Zen we need to go now. A few boulders won''t hold them for long. If they catch us, you can kiss the rest of your life goodbye."
As much as Arvell wanted to fight them, he knew he wasn''t their match.
Especially when they were facing a group asrge as the one chasing them.
"Yeah¡ Let''s go"
Zen fearfully nodded his head.
Arvell put his arm over Zen''s shoulder and leaned on him.
"I''m a little drained after sealing the entrance. I need you to help me out here."
"Alright, I understand."
Propping up Arvell, the two of them continued their journey inplete darkness.
Chapter 30 Secret Tunnel
After walking for almost 5 hours straight, the Zen stumbled on a rock and copsed on the floor.
Losing his support, Arvell fell facefirst as well.
Lifting his face off of the ground he spat out some dirt.
"Couldn''t you have put me down a little more gently?"
"Hah hah- Sorry, " Zen panted. "It''s not like I can watch where I''m going"
He fell on his back as well and joined Arvell on the floor.
Zenmented the fact that he couldn''t see anything in the cave.
Keeping his eyes open or closed was essentially the same.
It was far too dark to even see anything.
Arvell sighed and reached into his inventory.
He didn''t bother hiding it with his bag since it wasn''t like Zen could see either way.
Pulling out arge stick with an oil-soaked rag attached, he used his sword to shave off a portion of the bottom of said stick.
Gathering all of the wood shavings on the ground, he walked around for a little bit before gathering some stones.
Using his extremely fast and powerful body he quickly struck the two stones together, and let some of the sparks fall onto the woodshavings.
A me roared to life, illuminating their surroundings.
Not expecting the sudden light source, Zen cringed and looked away.
His eyes had grown adjusted to the cave''s pitch-ck darkness, so the sudden bright lightpletely disoriented him.
Before the me could go out, Arvell let the oil-soaked rag on the stick catch fire.
''Let there be light!'' Lykos dramatically announced.
Arvell gave him a scrutinizing nce.
''Why do you care so much about the theatrics? Did you get so bored that you''d find anything interesting?''
Lykos''s smile twitched, as a bead of sweat ran down his face.
However, he refused to give in to a ''mere kid''s'' provocation.
He snorted and turned away.
''It''s better than being boring as you.''
Arvell smirked.
''I sometimes forget who the kid is in our rtionship.''
Lykos turned towards Arvell with an equally provocative smile.
''This ising from the person who is gullible enough to strike a pose while stopping time.''
Veins bulged on Arvell''s forehead.
''That was five months ago¡ Plus I had no other option. You were the only one who could teach me.''
Lykos inched towards Arvell''s face with his smile growing wider by the second.
''Doesn''t change the fact that you fell for it~''
Arvell tried to p him away, but his hand went through Lykos''s face as if it was never there.
Knowing the futility of his actions, he sighed and gave up.
Despite knowing that nothing good ever came from trying to pick a fight with Lykos, he couldn''t just take being insulted.
Even if Lykos didn''t instigate it, Arvell still owed him a great debt.
Any opportunity to get back at Lykos he would dly take it.
However, Arvell never wanted to actually cause real harm to Lykos.
Arvell was too grateful for everything Lykos had done for him to do anything that would betray him.
It was mostly to keep his childish pride.
Deciding to distract himself from Lykos, Arvell passed the torch over to Zen.
"Here use this. We need to keep moving otherwise the beasts might catch up to us."
"Do you still think they areing? We haven''t heard anything in quite a long time."
Arvell grimly shook his head.
"There is no way they would give up prey that easily. They probably got lost looking for us."
Hearing Arvell''s analyses Zen was originally distraught, but after hearing that the beasts probably got lost, hope returned to his eyes.
"Isn''t that good? If they got lost, we don''t need to worry about them anymore."
The tunnel they entered was abyrinth in its own right.
It was full of dead ends and misdirecting passageways.
The only reason they got through the tunnel rtively unscathed was due to Zen vividly memorizing the pathway in case he managed to escape from the bandits.
This secret passageway was his ticket back home.
He would tell Arvell the directions, while Arvell would look for the correct pathway with his night vision.
"How much longer do we have left Zen?"
Arvell still feeling weak from using his god-ying swordsmanship earlier leaned back on Zen''s shoulder.
Zen grunted under the increased weight but resumed walking forward without aint.
"I''d say another 4 more hours of walking. We are more than halfway there."
"Let''s get going then."
***
VISPIA COUNTRY NORTHERN BORDER
A young man and woman slogged their way through a jungle.
However, unlike normal jungles that were covered in lush green leaves, this forest was dyed red.
Blood red.
Corpses and limbs decorated the local flora, making it look like a jungle straight out of hell.
Nearby beasts were feasting on the corpses, greedily devouring any flesh they could find.
Luckily for them, there was plenty for everyone.
A snake that was in the process of digesting a corpse whole hissed at the people as a form of intimidation.
However, the two didn''t seem to particrly care.
Their weariness was apparent on both of their faces, while they desperately gasped for air.
The two of them were covered in cuts and injuries, however, none of them appeared to be too serious.
Nothing a healer couldn''t fix.
The man was holding a small sack that seemed to be drenched in blood.
The two of them continued their journey in rtive silence, both being too tired to speak.
However, despite being tired and weary, both of them had triumphant smiles.
As the two of them neared a clearing, they heard a man''s shout and the sound of an rm.
The man''s smile contorted into a slight frown and sighed as if he found the entire thing a pain.
The two of them were greeted by an army of mages who had covered the sky with a barrage of spells.
No doubt to ''greet'' the two of them.
However, upon seeing the man and woman, the entire army froze.
The army''s bloodlust and steeled gazes vanished into thin air, as they all held reverent expressions on their faces.
A man broke off from the rest of the others and ran up to greet them.
"Your royal highnesses! Was the mission a sess?"
The young man shed a confident grin as he dropped the bloodsoaked bag in his hand.
As the bag hit the floor, a light yellow ball-shaped object with red stains rolled out onto the floor.
The man from the army curiously picked the object up before looking at his hands with a look of fear.
The light yellow ''ball'' was no ball...
It was a decapitated head.
The decapitated head seemed to belong to handsome youth.
However, the youth''s ears were slightly longer and pointed.
The man gave it a scrutinizing look over before taking in a deep breath.
"The mission was a sess! All hail the royal twins!"
The surrounding men raised their hands triumphantly and cheered.
"All hail the royal twins!"
"All hail the royal twins!"
"All hail the royal twins!"
The young man turned to his twin sister and gave her a toothy grin.
"We finally finished our mission! I still can''t believe it took us six months!"
The young woman nodded her head.
"I''m surprised as well. It took us far longer than it should have."
The young man clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"If it wasn''t for this bastard hiding like a turtle while using his men as a pawn, it wouldn''t have taken this long. It was supposed to have taken a few weeks, maybe one month max."
"Yeah, it''s a shame. We missed our dear little brother''s birthday¡ I even promised him I would buy him a special gift to honour his first day of being a mage. A gift that he would love so much, that he would admit on the spot that he loves me the most."
The young man looked at his sister with apetitive gaze.
"Hmph, I know we are twins, but do we need to always be thinking the same thing? Anyways, we both know that he likes me more than you."
"Keep dreaming!"
The young man and his sister were staring so intently at each other, that the nearby soldiers could have sworn they saw sparks fly from their heated gazes.
The young man shrugged.
"I guess we will find out when he sees them! I just hope he won''t be too mad at us for bringing itte."
The young woman smiled with a victorious expression.
"Arv''s not that kind of boy. This just goes to show how much you know about him, Tristan. You even have the gall to im that he loves you the most?"
The young man clicked his tongue in frustration.
His sister got him good.
He turned around and started walking to the army camp settlement.
"Come on Alecia, let''s get going. We kept him waiting long enough."
The young girl gave up trying to gloat to her twin and simply nodded
"Sister Cornelia got to keep him all to herself long enough."
''Wait just a bit longer Arvell, we areing back for you!'' The two of them simultaneously thought.
Even for being twins, the pair were far too in sync with each other.
Chapter 31 The Perfect Bait
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE AUTHOR:
Hello Everyone!
I''m Sleepy_Slime, the author of "Reborn As A Nephilim"!
I will be offering a limited-time offer where I will be offering extra chapters for power stones and collections.
Currently (as of writing this message) this book receives around 60-70 power stones a week.
I will be offering more chapters for power stones.
100 power stones = +1 chapter
150 power stones = +2 chapters
200 power stones = +3 chapters
etc.
also as of writing this, we have 124 collections (124 people added this book to their libraries)
I will be offering more chapters for collections as well.
150 collections = +1 chapter
200 collections = +2 chapters
250 collections = +3 chapters
etc.
If I get a mixture of powerstones and collections, I will give both chapters.
This is only for a limited time, so this deal won''tst long.
If you want to support me directly, the link for my ******* page is here: https://.*******/Sleepy_Slime
Thank you for your time!
Now let''s get on back to the story...
***
ALGREPPA MOUNTAIN RANGE
7 HOURS AFTER ARVELL AND ZEN ENTERED THE TUNEL
(ROAR)
(SCREEEEE)
(GROWL)
Zen paled as the loud noises seemed to get closer and closer to their location.
It seemed as if it was only a matter of time before the two became beast food.
"Can''t they just give up? It''s been 7 hours for crying out loud!" Zenmented.
Unfortunately, the beasts seemed keen on having him for dinner.
No negotiations.
Arvell sighed.
No matter how much they wined orined, nothing about their current situation would change.
The noise would help them get found faster if anything.
''It seems like I need to use some ''bait''.''
Arvell looked at Zen with an annoyed expression.
''We are using that huh? It might hurt you in the long run, but I agree. It''s better to sacrifice that than risk your life.''
Lykos nodded at his suggestion.
Zen felt a bead of sweat run down when he saw Arvell''s annoyed gaze.
''Surely he isn''t going to sacrifice me right? He''s not that kind of person right?''
Zen began panicking.
If Arvell wanted to leave him, there was nothing he could do.
Arvell had already recovered his strength and could walk on his own, so there was no real value for him in keeping Zen with him.
In fact, Zen''s only value right now was as bait so that Arvell could save himself.
''I came so far! There''s no way I''m going to die here! I''m finally almost home!'' Zen frantically thought.
"Zen I have a favour I need to ask of you. By the way, I''m not taking no as an answer."
Beads of sweat began dripping down Zen''s forehead, as his body started shivering.
He winced.
''Here ites¡''
"I need to use the bathroom, so could you go a little bit farther down the path? I''ll catch up to you."
Hearing that Arvell wanted him to continue on the path while he stayed behind, Zen opened his eyes wide in shock.
Was Arvell trying to sacrifice himself to save him?
Zen wanted to breathe a sigh of relief, but he couldn''t.
He didn''t want Arvell to sacrifice himself to save him.
Arvell had done enough for him. Giving up his life for Zen was simply too much.
''I won''t let him die alone. If I ran away and let my benefactor die, could I really call myself a Silvercolt?''
With resolute eyes, Zen shook his head.
"I won''t leave! I won''t let you be here alone."
Arvell''s expression soured.
"So you want to watch me pee¡ Do you have some kind of weird fetish?"
He looked at Zen with eyes reflecting his disgust.
Feeling offended Zen tried to clear up the misunderstanding.
"Of course, I don''t mean it like that! I won''t let you sacrifice yourself to save me!"
Arvell''s mood somehow got even worse.
"Who the hell is sacrificing their life for you? I value my life and I''m not nning on being a sacrifice so you can escape."
He put his hand on his forehead and took a deep breath.
"Here if you want proof, if I don''te back in two minutes you cane and join me. Also, you can keep the torch, I don''t need it."
Realizing that his proposition made sense, Zen wandered off with the torch, leaving Arvell in the darkness.
After making sure Zen had properly left, Arvell breathed out a sigh of relief.
''He finally left. Also,'' Arvell angrily looked at Lykos who was suppressing a burst ofughter, ''if you say anything about us being gay, I will end you.''
Wiping a tear from his eye, Lykos nodded his head.
''Fine, fine, whatever you say.''
Arvell turned away from Arvell and faced the direction in which he entered the cave.
[Inventory]
He opened his inventory and let two pitch-ck skeletons slowly exit.
The two were fully equipped with gear he had stolen from the bandits he had killed before.
These two skeletons were the undead he summoned through his undead summoning skill.
They were formed of pure death energy derived from Arvell''s Nether.
ording to Lykos, undead created viaher were beingsprised entirely of death energy.
If one were to use it on a corpse, they would be able to revive the corpse with a portion of the original body''s strength and control it as a mindless puppet.
However, Arvell''s skeletons were a little different.
While using pre-existing dead was convenient since they would retain a portion of their original strength immediately after being brought back to ''life'', their growth potential was extremely limited.
Arvell''s two skeletons which he named Sepis and Nord, were beings born entirely out of Nether.
They were beings that were technically categorized under ''undead'', but they never died in the first ce.
The two of them were created like this.
Meaning they were dead from birth.
Arvell was quite confused about how undead could be born while dead, but Lykos told him to not worry about it too much. Simply telling him to think of them as beings born of Nether.
Unlike corpses that were brought back to life, Sepis and Nord were extremely fragile when they were born.
A small wolf pup even ran off with one of Sepis''s leg bones.
It took Nord and Arvell almost 30 minutes to get it back.
Nheless, Arvell didn''t regret his decision.
ording to Lykos, while these two skeletons were weak right now, they would get far stronger than corpse-summoned undead.
His two skeletons possessed an ability to learn, as well as get stronger in proportional to Arvell''s strength.
While the strength of corpse-summoned undead was based on their previous life, Arvell''s skeletons were based on his strength.
After he taught the skeletons a portion of his god-ying swordsmanship, the two became killing machines.
Zalcon''s bandit group as well as other simrly unfortunate victims can personally attest to it.
Arvell stripped Sepis and Nord of their gear, leaving them with nothing to cover their obsidian bones.
"I want you two to serve as bait to keep the beasts busy."
The only things he left them with were two swords, one for each. Having a sword would let them be able to stall for rtively longer.
These swords were poorly maintained ones he had stolen from bandits.
They weren''t even worth that much.
The skeletons chattered their teeth in understanding.
Arvell shared a telepathic link with these skeletons being their summoner.
It was simr to the link that he shared with Lykos, but he could directly share the skeleton''s senses as well as read their mind.
Somethings he couldn''t do with Lykos.
Lykos could read his mind for some reason, but Arvell couldn''t do the same.
It frustrated him at times, but he stopped caring about it after a certain point.
He felt like it would piss him off even more to know all the teasing remarks Lykos had for him.
Sepis and Nord didn''t feel any fear, since they could simply be summoned again when Arvell wanted.
Even if they ''died'' it wouldn''t be a permanent death.
They were essentially the perfect bait.
They felt no pain, didn''t mind dying and could be brought back to life whenever Arvell wanted.
The one problem was that he would need to expend Nether to bring them back.
If he ran out of Nether and took a lethal wound¡
Well, that would be the end of the story of Arvell.
Sepis ran down the tunnel followed by Nord, while Arvell went in the opposite direction.
He called out when he saw the orange-coloured light that indicated the presence of a fire.
Namely Zen''s torch.
"Zen I''m done."
Zen looked at Arvell and breathed a sigh of relief.
"You really just went to use the bathroom."
"That''s what I said."
Arvell kept walking without stopping.
"We need to hurry up. We have another two hours of walking left before being able to leave the tunnel."
"Yes!"
***
VISPIA COUNTRY NORTHERN BORDER CAMP
(BOOM)
A fist crashed onto a table that showed the map of the surroundings.
Wood Splinters and g-bearing pieces went flying across the room.
In the middle of the room, a young man with chestnut-coloured hair was scowling like a demon.
His eyes resembled those of a man who rejected reality itself.
He couldn''t believe what he was hearing¡ It had to be a mistake.
Next to him, his twin sister had an equally distraught expression.
She too was desperately trying to deny what she had just heard.
"haah haah," Tristan panted.
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN MY KID BROTHER IS DEAD? THIS HAS TO BE A MISTAKE! HE''S THE PRINCE FOR FUCK''S SAKE!"
Normally his sister would reprimand him for hisnguage.
The first prince of Vispia shouldn''t use crassnguage, but she didn''t care about that right now.
She was more focused on the information that she heard.
"Arv''s dead? This can''t be¡ I refuse to ept it!"
''Wait¡ this must be a dream! No wonder! I just need to wake myself up! Arvell''s waiting for me, I can''t keep him waiting for too long!''
She brought her hand next to her cheek and gave herself a resounding p.
However, all that managed to do was leave a deep red mark on her otherwise wless skin.
''Why won''t I wake up? Why¡ Is this not a dream?''
Seeing his sister p herself on the face, Tristan took her into his embrace and hugged her.
Tears began welling up in Alecia''s eyes.
She grabbed Tristan''s shirt and screamed into it.
Tristan''s shirt became drenched in Alecia''s tears, but he didn''t seem to mind.
Slowly his anger subsided into grief and he joined his sister, crying while embarrassing her.
''How could this happen? We were only gone for six months¡ How could my little brother die? Why¡ Why didn''t anyone protect him?''
Ignoring the messenger in the room, the two cried for what seemed like hours before Tristan looked up at the messenger with his tear-filled eyes.
"How¡ How did this happen?"
He needed to know¡
What he heard however turned his overwhelming grief into pure unbridled rage.
Chapter 32 Fourth Rank
*ck ck ck*
*SREEEEEEE*
In a dark tunnel with no apparent light source, arge bird-like beast was fighting with 2 skeletons armed with rusty swords.
Nord stabbed his sword at therge bird-like creature''s left eye, while Sepis used him as a distraction to jump onto the beast''s back.
The bird-like beast like the skeletons didn''t seem to be disoriented despite being in pitch-ck darkness.
It swerved its head to the right narrowly dodging Nord''s thrust, while raising its leg to kick at Sepis.
Sepis who was mid-air had no way to dodge, taking the full brunt of the kick.
He went flying backwards toward the adjacent wall, colliding straight into it with a resounding boom.
Nord didn''t let this moment of distraction pass, as it slid under the bird and shed at its wing.
The bird was caught momentarily off-guard and only moved its wing away at thest moment.
Regrettably, this wasn''t enough.
A deep red wound appeared on its wing as the beast cried out in pain.
It didn''t have enough space to properly fly in the narrow tunnel, so it had to make use of its legs to travel.
Even so, cutting its wing was able to give Sepis enough time to slowly recover ande charging back at the beast.
Sepis was riddled with cracks, and some of its bones werepletely smashed.
Even so, it ignored the heavy injuries and charged at the beast with its smile.
Well, the two were always smiling¡
Sepis stabbed at the beast''s leg, managing to cut through its defences and leave a sizable gash.
Blood oozed out and sttered Sepis, dying him and his sword blood red.
Its ominous smile coupled with the fresh blood and damaged bones made Sepis look like the grim reaper itself.
*SCREEEEE*
The bird screamed in pain once again as its leg buckled and it copsed to the ground.
Wasting no time, Nord jumped onto its head and directly cut it off.
The two skeletons looked down at their prey and knelt.
Taking their damaged swords, they prodded it a couple of times to make sure it was properly dead.
They were like a couple of little kids poking a dead bird with sticks out of curiosity.
After confirming their kill the two jumped up in tion and high-fived each other enthusiastically.
Sadly Nord put a little too much force in its high-five, directly separating Sepis''s entire arm from its shoulder.
Sepis''s shoulder was already damaged from its injury, and Nord''s unrestrained high-five was the final nail in the coffin.
Sepis looked at his shoulder which no longer had his arm attached, to the severed limb on the floor.
He looked at Nord with a nk expression.
Due to not having muscles the two of them couldn''t have facial expressions.
Even so, Nord could tell Sepis was irritated.
Forming a fist with his other hand, Sepis bonked Nord on the head.
Nord put his head down in shame.
Sepis looked away as if he couldn''t be bothered to keep being angry at his partner.
Walking over to his separated arm, he tried to put it back on, but the bones wouldn''t stay connected.
Only Arvell could directly fix this.
Knowing that his arm was pretty much useless now, Sepis unceremoniously dropped it back on the ground.
It was as if he lost all interest in it.
If it was useless might as well throw it away.
*ROAR*
A loud roaring noise reverberated through the tunnel.
Sepis and Nord turned around to face a bright yellow lion-like beast.
The lion observed the two of them with a curious gaze.
It shed the two a predatory smile.
The beast''s aura poured down on Sepis and Nord.
It was like the two were underwater.
Even moving they felt immense resistance.
While the earlier beast was in the middle of the first rank, this lion was a bonafide middle fourth rank.
The beast suddenly ran at them and pounced.
Immediately closing on Nord, it swallowed him in one bite.
Neither Sepis nor Nord had any time to react.
Sepis looked over its shoulder to find that the lion was already behind him, snacking on his partner.
Running at the lion-like beast with his sword, Sepis tried to cleanly cut its head off with the one remaining arm he had.
The lion didn''t even make any moves to interfere.
The sword struck the lion-like beast''s neck without any resistance.
However, instead of the beast''s neck being cleanly bisected a dull thud rang out.
Sepis froze in shock.
Its sword didn''t even damage its skin.
It was as if an ant was trying to hurt an elephant.
There was simply noparison between the two.
The lion turned its head over to Sepis with an amused glint.
It was deriving amusement from this!
Without waiting for Sepis to attack again, the beast pounced on it and ripped its body apart.
While Sepis was ''dying'' it saw the beast go over the corpse of the bird and started greedily devouring it.
The light soon faded from Sepis''s eyes.
***
Arvell''s eyes opened wide in shock.
The skeleton''s memories were transmitted to him after they died, so he was able to see the might of the lion-like beast.
''If it manages to find us, we won''t have any chance to escape with our lives intact.''
He felt a strong desire to fight the beast, but thinking about this realistically it was far too dangerous to let the beast get anywhere near them.
They wouldn''t even be able to react fast enough to run away or dodge.
The beast was far too fast.
If the beast wasn''t too far behind him earlier, it might have already caught up to them and killed them before they could even enter the tunnel.
''Summoning the two again as bait wouldn''t be useful either. They would just get killed immediately again.'' Arvell sighed.
''You should save your Nether reserves to heal yourself,'' Lykos agreed, ''''However¡ there is one saving grace''
''Yeah. The beast seemed to want to eat the bird-like beast. It might be able to keep it busy for a bit. If it''s full it might just give up chasing us altogether.''
Arvell paused and continued after thinking for a moment.
''Wait¡ What if the beast is treating this whole thing as a game? This beast could just hunt other beasts, but it''s stilling after the two of us. It could have killed Sepis before it even struck its neck, but the beast wanted its prey to know of their helplessness.''
Lykos had a rueful smile.
''That is one sadistic son of a bitch.''
Arvell sighed in annoyance.
''Just our luck.''
Couldn''t things ever just go smoothly?
Did everything need to get soplicated?
''We still need another hour and a half to get through the tunnel. Even then we may have to deal with other beasts.''
Arvell felt a headacheing.
He massaged his forehead with a tired expression.
Zen noticed this odd behaviour and looked at him curiously.
"Are you good Arvell? Something wrong?"
Arvell decided to be upfront about their situation.
He would find out about the beast if it caught up with them.
The fear of death might even give Zen increased motivation to travel faster.
Humans did pull off miraculous feats when pushed into a corner after all.
He looked at Zen.
"We have to deal with a particrly bored beast."
"What?"
Zen looked at Arvell with confusion.
"It seems that one of our pursuers is a middle fourth rank beast."
Zen froze on the spot.
"Y-you have got to be kidding me! H-how do you even know this?"
"I saw it before when I sealed off the cave," Arvell lied.
It wasn''t important to Zen how he found out.
It didn''t change the fact that the beast was still chasing them.
"We are so dead¡"
Zen fell into a slump.
He was finally getting his hopes up of returning to his family.
Now they had to deal with a fourth rank beast?
What kind of cruel twist of fate was this?
Was someone from above intentionally screwing with him?
Zen looked up with a nervous expression.
''Does the almighty creator hate me?''
He had tears in his eyes.
Seeing Zen''s pitiful state, Arvell started regretting telling Zen this.
He seemed to have overestimated Zen''s mental fortitude.
He walked up to Zen and pped his back, waking Zen from his daze.
"Pull yourself together. We can''t let ourselves be killed no matter what. Don''t you want to return home?"
Zen looked up at him with a distraught expression.
"But it''s a fourth rank beast! We don''t stand a chance!"
"Then let''s not let it reach us. Who said we need to fight it? If we travel fast enough we can still escape. After all, it still hasn''t caught us yet right?"
Realizing the truth in Arvell''s words, Zen wiped the tears from his eyes and nodded resolutely.
"We need to pick up the pace."
If the two were jogging before, now they were full-on running as fast as they could.
[Temporal Maniption]
Using temporal maniption, he sped up the two of them even faster.
Zen being distracted by the looming threat didn''t seem to notice he was passing the ground a little bit faster.
With their current speed, it wouldn''t take more than 40 minutes to reach the exit.
Pushing through their exhaustion from their arduous journey the two continued onwards towards the other end of the tunnel.
***
Back at the ce where Sepis and Nord perished, Arge lion-like beast was cleaning the meat of arge bird-like beast.
The lion licked its lips in satisfaction.
However, the hunt was not yet over.
It slowly rose and followed the scent of the two humans that had invaded its territory earlier with a predatory glint.
The beast looked eagerly towards how its prey would struggle, before falling into despair after realizing the difference between their strengths.
It''s smiled hungrily while thinking about it.
***
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Chapter 33 Stuck Between A Rock And A Hard Place.
[WARNING: THIS CHAPTER IS CONSIDERABLY DARK, AND NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART]
***
"Fuck"
Arvell was quite irritated with this current development.
''Why did they need toe now? The current situation is troublesome enough on its own!''
First, they had to deal with a beast stampede because the rank 6 beast woke up, even though it was supposed to be hibernating.
Then they had to deal with a bored rank 4 beast who saw them as amusing prey.
And now ve traders?
Were the heavens screwing with them?
Arvell felt a murderous gaze emanating from his side and saw Zen ring at the group with unconcealed rage.
He was clenching his fist tightly enough to cause his knuckles to go white.
''It''s not easy to ovee that kind of hatred. He was kidnapped and abused by bandits himself. While they weren''t ve traders per se, they still acted like ones,'' Lykos exined, ''Imagine how you would feel to see all of the people who shunned you, humiliated you, and tried to kill you for having no mana?''
Hearing this, Arvell understood where Zen wasing from.
Even so, fighting this group with their current strength was suicide.
He would need at least a week to properly stalk them and poison them.
To gather the ingredients for the poison would take another two months.
Arvell could only execute it when their guard was down as well.
None of which were possible now.
Furthermore, even if he managed to kill all of them, there was still the rank 4 beast he had to worry about.
''Wait¡''
Arvell began analyzing their current predicament and smiled eerily.
''This might just work.''
Lykos mirrored his smile.
''Oh? Things are going to get interesting!''
Arvell ced a hand on Zen''s shoulder.
"Zen, I have a n"
Turning to his side, he informed Zen of his n.
Hearing his n, Zen looked at Arvell as if he was crazy.
"Are you mad? That''s too risky!"
Arvell sighed.
It seemed Zen didn''t grasp the full severity of their current situation.
"We are stuck between a rock and a hard ce. We have only one way to get out of this alive. And it''s through this."
Zen paused for a moment before nodding his head.
"I''ll trust in your judgment. I hope this works."
Arvell chuckled lightly.
"If this doesn''t work we can just consider ourselves already dead."
***
"Fucking hell! Why is the rank 6 beast awake now? This shouldn''t happen for months!"
A pot-bellied man with an eyepatchined.
"I don''t fucking know! Maybe some fifth circle hotshot was dumb enough to challenge that monster? I lost my arm to those damned beasts!"
Hispanion next to himined while looking at the stump he used to call his arm.
It was covered in a blood-soaked rag.
"We lost so many of our men. Gen and the others are probably beast shit now."
Another man grumbled.
"Haah," the potbellied man sighed, "we had to babysit these bitches too. Too bad we can''t cash in on the men we brought."
"Those men weren''t worth much either way. Them serving as bait at least bought us some time." The man with the stump chimed in.
His words seemed to bring one of the captured girls out of her daze, and she began sobbing audibly.
"Daddy!"
The potbellied man looked at her with an annoyed gaze.
"Right, wasn''t this bitch rted to one of those shits we used as bait? I reckon it was her dad?"
"Yup. Had his head bitten clean off?" The armless man smiled.
Even if he lost his arm, it was still better than dying.
Taking pleasure in their misery made his pain feel more bearable.
If only slightly.
One of the men walked up to the girl and punched her in the gut.
"Shut the fuck up! One more word and I will send you to join him!"
The girl spasmed on the ground in pain desperately clutching her stomach.
However, she desperately suppressed any noise.
She knew it would only result in more physical abuse.
Seeing the girl shut up the man grumbled.
While he was thankful he didn''t have to hear her annoying screams, a part of him wanted her to squeal a little more so he could vent his frustrations on her.
Too bad this girl had learned a thing or two in the time she had been abducted.
"Coril, don''t beat up the merchandise too much. We still need her to sell."
"Yeah, yeah I know. If anything, this will make her more obedient to her future owners."
Suddenly one of the other men licked his lips and approached the girls hungrily.
"Hey boss, why don''t we sample them? We risked our lives to bring these bitches here, the least they can do is topensate us!"
The potbellied man originally wanted to say no, since it would decrease their value.
However, he wanted a way to vent out his frustrations as well.
Might as well make his merchandise useful.
"Fine¡ But don''t break them too much. Remember they need to sell, so nosting injuries," the pot-bellied man smiled eerily, "but a little rough y is ok. As long as it can be healed with healing magic, you can do whatever you want to them."
The men all started cheering, while the woman looked at the hungry men fearfully.
They were kidnapped.
Their husbands, brothers, friends, and sons were all used as bait.
Now they were going to get raped and abused.
What did they do to deserve this?
One of the women quickly grabbed a pointy rock and tried to plunge it into her throat, but one of the men grabbed it from her and threw it across the room.
"Dumb bitch! If you die how the fuck can we sell you?" The man who grabbed her looked at her ample assets and licked his lips with a perverted grin, "Don''t worry I''ll make sure to properly discipline you myself!"
The man''s grin sent shivers down the woman''s body.
She wanted nothing more than to get away from here, from them.
Even if she had to kill herself.
However, she wasn''t even granted that option.
She looked at the man defiantly, and a trickle of blood spilled down her cheek.
The man hurriedly grabbed her and pried open her mouth, only for a small pink piece of flesh to fall into his hand.
"Boss we got a problem! This bitch bit her tongue!"
The potbellied man sighed.
This wasn''t the first time something like this happened.
Luckily they had a contingency n.
"Feed her a potion."
"But boss, those are incredibly expensive!"
"Her body can fetch us a high enough price to negate the costs. Just make the bitch pay for this."
"Yes, boss!"
The man grabbed a potion and forced it into the girl''s mouth.
She tried to spit it out since she knew what kind of fate awaited her, but she was forced to drink it by the man.
The bleeding in her mouth decreased, as the stump that was previously her tongue left slowly healed over.
It was the worst-case scenario.
She failed to kill herself, and she even lost her tongue for good.
Tears began streaming from her eyes.
''Do I have no hope? Is there nothing I can do to escape this hell?''
Sadly there seemed to be no escape.
She was going to get raped and then sold.
Her new ''master'' would probably beat her and degrade her, until she became an empty shell.
''Someone¡ please save me¡''
The other girls also had defeated expressions etched on their faces.
They had no hope.
No way to escape this hell.
In the past they would look at captured Vispian ves with contempt, thinking that it was proper that their citizens were ves.
However, experiencing it themselves let them realize just how harsh being a ve was.
Some wished that they could have treated those ves a little kinder, but it was toote now.
It was their turn to be on the receiving end.
Just as the men were about to start stripping their captives, a ck-haired youth popped his head out of a nearby tunnel.
"****! CALL THE GUARDS!"
The entire area went dead silent as everyone looked at Zen with eyes not hiding their tant confusion.
Zen pointed to the pot-bellied man.
"Have you no shame? You look old enough to be some of their fathers! Having illicit sexual rtionships is bad at your age! Can you even ''get it up?'' at your age? Do you use pills perchance?"
The potbellied man spat out an arrow of blood.
Zen''s quip seemed to hit the nail right on the head.
The potbellied man did have issues ''getting it up'' as Zen pointed out¡
He also may or may not have purchased some special pills to help in his little issue as well¡
But how did this kid know this?
Did everyone know?
The pot-bellied man warily looked at the other men in the room who were staring at him with their mouths agape.
One of the women even stifled out a smallugh.
First, they were going to be raped, and now they got front-row seats to a standupedy?
What was going on?
The potbellied man''s face flushed with anger as he looked at some of the nearby men.
"What are you just standing there for? Go rip that kid limb from limb¡ No, wait." The man forced himself to calm down and think rationaally, "first, capture him and find out how he knew about this tunnel. It should be only known by those of the underworld."
While he was fuming at the kid''s provocations, he still had to know how a kid, who looked no older than thirteen knew of this ce.
More importantly, how did he even get here?
Their group barely got here in one piece!
He had to capture the kid before he alerted any of hispanions.
If they managed to get here, they were probably strong as well.
The potbellied man joined the group running towards the kid.
He was the one called out for using ''performance enhancing'' pills after all.
"Nice chat! See youter!"
Channeling his wind magic to make himself slightly faster, Zen ran back into the tunnel as fast as he could.
***
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150 power stones = +2 chapters
200 power stones = +3 chapters
etc.
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250 collections = +3 chapters
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Chapter 34 The Enemy Of My Enemy Is Still My Enemy
A FEW MINUTES PRIOR
As Arvel was exining to Zen the details of his n, Zen realized there was a prettyrge hole in Arvell''s n.
How do we bait the ve traders toe after us?
Arvell looked at Lykos.
If they needed to get them toe, what better was there than to piss them off?
Who among them was the best at pissing people off?
It was a no-brainer.
Lykos puffed out his ethereal chest, as he instructed Arvell on the best method to piss the ve traders off.
However, Lykos''s words made even Arvell feel it was going too far.
''Don''t worry! These bastards probably assaulted many poor girls. Think of it asedic justice! I''m sure their departed souls would agree with me!''
Lykos''s persuasions just solidified Arvell''s beliefs that his benefactor was probably the most shameful man in the world.
If he had skin, its thickness would make him impervious to all manners of attacks .
Wait¡
Technically, he couldn''t harm his skin right now since it wasn''t even technically there¡
As Arvell started drifting off into his thoughts Zen tapped his shoulder to gain his attention.
"Don''t just go off into a daze. We need to figure out what to do!"
''Yet your mind goes nk every time we we''re in danger¡''
However, Arvell kept that quip to himself.
It wouldn''t help them whatsoever with their current predicament.
Arvell clenched his fists to ovee his shame and ryed Lykos''s instructions to Zen.
Zen''s mouth went agape and he looked at Arvell strangely.
"Are you the devil?"
"What?"
"What kind of person calls someone out on using pills to ''get it up''. That''s just taking it too far."
Arvell sighed.
"Zen take a look at what they are doing right now."
Zen took a quick peek and saw a crying girl get ruthlessly punched in the gut.
The sight caused his blood to boil.
"I forgot due to the severity of the insult, but these people are living filth. I guess it''s only fitting that they deserve the worst possible insults as well."
"See, there isn''t any problem then. Even though I felt that it was going too far, these people havemitted sins that even their heads wouldn''t be able to absolve. After I finish going over the rest of the n, make sure to do your part properly."
Zen inhaled deeply and nodded his head.
"I''ll do it then."
***
PRESENT TIME
"Catch that brat!"
"Make him pay!"
Zen was speeding down the tunnel followed by a group of angry ve traders.
Arvell who was waiting for them saw the look of pure rage on the potbellied man''s one remaining eye, as well as his flushed face, he began to re-evaluate Lykos.
''Maybe there is merit in learning how to piss off your enemies properly. It can throw off their rhythm and make them act far more brashly.''
Lykos smirked beside him.
''Want me to teach you?''
Arvell paused for a moment
''I honestly feel that it is a pain¡ but¡ knowing how to rile people up and manipte their emotions¡ That would be a useful skill."
After delegating it, he nodded his head.
''I might just take you up on that offer.''
Lykos smiled eerily.
It seemed his ''son'' would properly be his ''student''.
As soon as Zen got near him, Arvell popped out of the branching pathway he was hiding in and joined Zen.
[Time maniption]
Arvell sped up time around him and Zen slightly.
It wasn''t enough for Zen to realize he became faster for no apparent reason, but it was still enough to help them put a little distance in-between them and their pursuers.
As they got near another fork in the road, Arvell grabbed Zen by the scruff of his shirt and pulled him into one of the two paths.
He grabbed thest remaining stink bomb and tearfully threw it behind him.
Zen and Arvell both quickly plugged their noses to block out the smell.
(ROAR)
An angry roaring noise rang out behind them, and the two boys saw an angry lion desperately wing the floor in pain.
Arvell pulled Zen to the wall of the pathway so that they wouldn''t be visible to either party.
Since both of their pursuing groups looked equally pissed, the results of getting caught by either side were quite obvious.
A slow and painful death.
Something neither Zen nor Arvell nned to indulge themselves in.
The two parties quickly overcame the stench from the stinkbomb.
While it was effective, it didn''tst for more than a few moments.
Looking around, they surveyed their surroundings looking for their targets.
Arvell used just Nord as bait again, luring the beast towards their current location.
While Zen used himself as a lure for the ve traders.
Now they simply had to watch the scene y out.
Fortunately, they got front-row seats!
A ve trader skull-shaped arm tattoo noticed therge beast standing menacing and pissed himself out of fear.
He dropped the torch in his hand, while his legs buckled causing him to fall to his knees.
"R-RANK FOUR BEAST! WE NEED TO RUN!"
Sadly the man''s screams also seemed to alert the beast, as it noticed their small group.
It licked its lips hungrily and pounced on one of the men beside the man who pissed himself.
Unlike Sepis and Nord, this man was a bonafide second circle in power.
He was at least able to jump to the side to survive the sudden attack.
However, there was no way a second circle mage would be able toe out of a confrontation with a fourth rank beastpletely unharmed.
"MY ARM! I ONLY HAD ONE LEFT DAMNIT!"
The man who had just a stump for his left arm now lost his right arm as well.
Unless he could somehow kick it or bite it to death, he was out of this fight.
The man looked at the beast with a gaze filled with both anger and fear, but there wasn''t anything he could do.
This was a result of him being too weak.
The weak have no rights.
Even to live.
This is also why Arvell so desperately wanted strength. Only those with strength would be able to dictate the course of their lives.
However, the man had no time to worry about his other missing arm right now.
They were still in grave danger.
The beast greedily slurped down the arm and chewed on it, filling the room with ominous cracking noises.
Some of the men like the man with the tattoo all fell to the ground in fright, some even pissing themselves in fear as well.
The lion-like beast gave them a toothy smile, granting them a full view of its blood-soaked teeth.
This was the reaction it was looking for!
That look of helplessness in its prey''s eyes!
The mind-numbing fear that causes them to fall to their knees in fear!
It finally found what it was looking for!
While these weren''t those two kids, they would do for now.
However, those kids still had to pay¡
That purple smoke they used caused the beast too much agony for it to let them off scot-free.
The lion quickly finished off the ones paralyzed by fear, and then chased after those that were still capable of running away.
After making sure that the coast was clear, Arvell and Zen popped out of the tunnel.
Due to there being no light left in the tunnel, Zen couldn''t see anything, but they could light another one and risk being caught by the ve traders or the rank four beast.
While Zen was trying to not stumble over the maimed corpses, Arvell happily looted each of their bodies, finding a decent amount of money and other useful items.
It wasn''t like they were going to use them in the afterlife if at all they were going to go there.
Might as well make a donation towards Arvell''s tuition.
It was the job of adults to foster the growth of the next generation!
Arvell was simply cashing in on their kindness.
The bandits would have spit blood if they heard Arvell''s thought process.
Even if he hadn''t been intentionally trying to pick up on Lykos''s shamelessness, a little of it seemed to rub off on him either way.
Lykos naturally saw this and smiled to himself.
He didn''t need to start Arvell''s new ''training'' from square one, he already had something to work with!
Sadly the man himself was imperceptible to his changes.
He was so used to robbing bandits, that looting corpses felt almost natural to him now.
As if it were a universal truth.
Throwing away any chance to get stronger was simply stupid.
Furthermore, it wasn''t like he respected any of them either.
They were all kidnapping rapists, who frequently murdered innocents.
After Arvell stripped them off everything but the clothes on their back (he debated stealing those too, but they were far too smelly to sell), he and Zen started towards their original hiding ce.
Their best chance to escape would be by using this preciously bought time to escape.
While he felt bad about abandoning the captured girls, they would be nothing more than a liability.
They couldn''t take care of their group, and they would be hunted down by almost every nearby beast.
Might as well paint arge target on their backs and hold up signs saying "eat us".
While beasts couldn''t read, they would still attack them on sight either way.
Arvell valued his own life far too much to throw it away to save some people he never met before.
Saving them from being raped was the most he could do.
Any more was pure stupidity, as it would benefit neither party.
Zen seemed troubled by this information as he wanted to save them after empathizing with their plight, but he knew that they simply couldn''t protect them.
If anything they would end up doing more harm than good.
***
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Chapter 35 Home Free?
The two of them silently trudged through the tunnel, paying careful attention to their surroundings.
Arvell having lost both of his stink bombs had no other way to escape from the rank four beast.
If they got anywhere near it, they would be considered dead in every sense of the word.
Zen followed Arvell''s lead, making sure to not stray too far.
He was as blind as bat, his eyes may as well be decorations in this dark tunnel.
Lighting a torch would just expose their location, so they had to result to just relying on Arvell''s night vision once more.
Arvell had spent a significant amount of his Nether reserves to re-summon Nord to act as bait, so he was a little exhausted as well.
Even so, they needed to keep their pace.
It was foolish to not use this golden opportunity to escape.
They didn''t have any other chances left to escape.
If they got caught here, it would spell their end.
As they travelled towards the exit, they noticed the glow of a torch.
Slowly sticking to the walls, they surveyed their surroundings.
It appeared that they were back to the ce where the captured women where being held.
The two noticed that the few remaining ve traders seemed to be waiting impatiently.
"It seems the beast still hasn''te here yet" Zen whispered.
There were only two men left standing guard, as most of them went after Zen.
The potbellied man was too angry that he brought a significant portion of his people with him.
They didn''t need too many people to watch over a group this small.
They had already put mana-suppressing cuffs on all of their victims, so they didn''t need to deal with any magic-rted attacks from them.
Two second circle mages was more than enough to deal with a group of normal people.
Arvell sighed.
''As much as I want to save them, we simply don''t have the capacity to take down their guards. If I was making use of my full strength, I could use the element of surprise to possibly take one of them down. But two of them? No way. Without the element of surprise I would be helplessly ughtered by even one of them.''
Lykos nodded at Arvell''s reasonable judgment.
They had to y this safe.
He couldn''t just throw away his life haphazardly after all he did to simply live.
Arvell sighed and tried to use one of the nearby paths to travel around the group.
Zen also understood this and followed Arvell silently.
He threw onest cursory nce at the pitiful girls and offered them a prayer.
After travelling for a while longer, Arvell felt a gust of cold air.
''A Draft! We must be nearby.''
Feeling it as well, Zen''s gloomy expression changed into one of hope.
Renewed with hope the two sprinted forwards to be greeted with a magnificent view of the mountain range.
Never had the two of them been happier to see snow and ice.
Zen felt a strong andpelling urge to even kiss it.
Arvell being more level-headed bursted Zen''s bubble.
"We aren''t out of the clear yet. We need to still get through this mountain pass before we are officially back ''home''."
Zen nodded, but the glint in his eyes had not diminished.
Even though they still had a ways to go, majority of the distance had already been travelled!
They were basically home free!
He took a deep breath of air in, not paying heed to his freezing lungs.
''Mother, Father, big sis Ang¡ I''ll see you soon!''
Arvell smiled solumnly to himself when he saw Zen''s expression.
''It must be nice to have a home to return to.''
Lykos put his ethereal hand on Arvell''s shoulder in support.
''Don''t worry. If you don''t have a home to return to, just make one! Remember while polygamy is frowned upon normally, I don''t mind! You can have as many girls as you want! But don''t me me if they attack you out of jealousy.''
Arvell''s smile twitched, as bulges formed on his forehead.
''What crap are you spewing now? I don''t n on having a family at the age of 13 for crying out loud! Also what do you mean polygamy! It never works out in real life! Just look at the vispian king''s castle! The ntryan king taking only one wife was the smarter move by far. At least the two are happy together.''
Lykos nodded his head.
The ne he was bound to previously belonged to the queen of ntrya, so he knew first hand how ''passionate'' their rtionship was.
Arvell suddenly remembered something.
''You didn''t peep on them when they were doing it right?''
Lykos scoffed.
''Do you honestly think that someone as handsome as I would do something as lowly as peeping? Their noise was far more than enough for me to bear.''
''So you listened in on them when they did the deed.''
Sweat began forming on Lykos''s ethereal forehead.
He couldn''t simply cut the audio.
It was like turning off your ears.
You simply can''t do that.
He didn''t even use his ears, sound came to him straight from the amulet itself
As Lykos has no way of actually interacting with the amulet''s functions, he couldn''t simply turn it''s sound functions off and on.
Thus he was forced to listen to their passionate love-making.
Even if he detested it with every fibre of his being.
What self-respecting narcissist wanted to hear another man moan as he screwed his wife?
It was a stain on Lykos''s life that he wanted to forget about.
It wasn''t his fault, and he didn''t even want it in the first ce.
However, what could he tell Arvell?
He was forced to listen to them? Or that he didn''t have an off function for the amulet?
Nothing changed the fact that he did in fact eavesdrop on their lovemaking sessions.
Seeing Lykos''s panicked face Arvell began to understand the joy of riling people up with teases and insults.
''This is really fun~,'' He thought to himself.
Unfortunately Lykos could hear this as well, bringing his fun to an end.
While Lykos was a little irked by Arvell''s teasing, he still looked at it in a positive light.
''Just how far can he go if I teach him? Should I pass on my legendary technique as well? It has been far too long since this divine technique graced the world with its sheer might!''
As Lykos was having dangerous thoughts, Arvell and Zen began their journey onwards.
*ROAR*
At least they nned to, however they heard a familiar roar echo behind them.
Arvell''s face morphed into a face of unbridled rage, while Zen looked like he lost his soul.
''This bastard really came all the way to eat us? Just find something better to do with your life!''
Lykos sighed.
''We just can''t catch a break.''
The two took off at their top speed, running as fast as they could.
[Temporal Maniption]
Arvell even used temporal maniption to boost their speed by another level.
The two zoomed through the mountain range, not even bothering to hide themselves.
While they attracted nearby beasts, the beasts all felt a superior presence chasing them, so they backed off immediately.
That was a rank four beast!
Something that none of them wanted to fight to consume two small humans.
While they were interested in devouring the two, they had to find food elsewhere.
Zen making the mistake of looking behind again, saw arge bright yellow blob barreling towards them, kicking up arge cloud of snow and ice.
Almost cursing himself for not having another pair of legs, Zen ran with renewed vigour.
Staring death in the face lets people do wonderous things out of an instinct for self-preservation.
Seeing Zen panic, Arvell decided to use his backup n.
Arvell shifted his backpack and put it in front of his chest, freeing up his back.
"Zen get on my back and cast wind magic to speed us up."
Zen looked at him with a confused expression.
"Won''t it be harder to carry me and run?"
Arvell didn''t have time to exin.
"I need you trust me. Just do it!"
Zen paused for a moment before nodding.
Arvell wasn''t the type to do stupid things that had no real value.
Especially when his life was at stake.
Without losing too much momentum, Zen jumped onto Arvell''s back as if he was getting a piggy-back ride, and casted wind magic.
Arvell also used the fastest level of temporal maniption he could use for an extended amount of time.
When he was with Zen, he had to slow himself to patch his pace. Whether it be by lowering the speed increase of temporal maniption, or upright suppressing his innate speed from his Nether body.
He didn''t just want to leave Zen behind if he didn''t need to.
However, he decided that if they were ever in a dire situation, he would resort to using his enhanced strength to carry Zen, and use his enhanced speed to help them run much faster than normal.
However, even with this they weren''t able to outspeed a rank four beast.
It technically was three ranks above them.
As the beast slowly gained on them, Arvell startedmenting his luck.
Even more than before.
It seemed that there was nothing they could do.
Their only future was to be eaten by this beast.
No more getting stronger.
No more getting revenge.
No more getting to see their loved ones.
It was the end.
The end to their stories.
As Arvell was running, he slid on a piece of ice that was hidden underneath the snow, and with his current speed, he lost his footing and went tumbling.
Both he and Zen bounced on the ground a couple of times before falling with their back towards a nearby tree.
Tasting the familiar metallic taste in his mouth, Arvell spat out a mouthful of blood, dying the virgin snow deep crimson.
Zen was covered in snow and appeared to be out cold after the sudden collision.
He saw the bright yellow beast approach them with a toothy grin with blood red teeth.
''The blood looks a little dry¡ I guess those girls didn''t get eaten after all. This bastard really just came to kill us instead.''
Arvell gave himself a self deprecating smile.
''Welp. If I''m going to die. I''d rather go out fighting!''
He slowly stood up and unsheathed the hasty iron sword.
Hispanion for thest 5 months of hell.
"Well partner? How about the two of us go for onest fight?"
''Lykos thanks for everything. Sorry I couldn''t ever repay you for your actions. I hope the next person who finds you can be better than me.''
Lykos watched Arvell with a deeply pained expression.
Having been with Arvell since he was 5 years old, it pained him to see Arvell die in such a manner.
He was supposed to be destined for great things.
However this beast had other ns.
''If only I had my full power I could have killed this worm with a thought!'' Lykosmented.
However the fact still stood that he waspletely useless here.
As the beast approached Arvell, It lunged at a speed that was imperceptible to Arvell''s eye, but before it could reach him, somethingpletely shocking happened.
*TWANG*
*WOOSH*
The sound of a bow''s string being released along with the woosh of a speeding arrow rang out.
The arrow went deep into the Lion''s eye forcing it back, and causing it to convulse with pain.
Blood gushed out of the beast''s wound sttering the pure white snow with crimson splotches.
Arvell was stunned by this sight, and looked behind him.
A group of men and women d in knight armour were visible carrying an insignia on a g.
The insignia portrayed a Silver Griffin holding a shield.
Lykos, equally shocked at this scene quickly recognized the g''s symbol.
How could he forget? They were one of the most influential groups in all of ntrya.
The Silvercolt Duchy!
***
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Chapter 36 Silvercolt
''Why are they here?'' Lykos wondered out loud.
Arvell who was appreciating his new lease on life was also quite curious about the identity of his saviours.
''Do you know who they are?''
Lykos nodded his head.
''Those are the private troops of the Silvercolt Duchy¡ but why are they here?''
''Wait¡ I recognize that g now! The Silvercolt Duchy¡ Aren''t they the ducal house that manages the border security on ntrya''s side? Maybe they came to investigate the rank 6 beast''s actions?''
Lykos found Arvell''s deduction quite usible.
''It makes sense. Neither country would want to risk having to experience a rank 6 beast''s rampage. After all, their respective kings are the only rank 6 people in each kingdom. Unless the king came to suppress the beast himself, it would result in arge number of casualties.''
Thinking about this Arvell smiled.
He might be able to help those girls from before.
While on his own he definitely wouldn''t be able to keep them safe, a group asrge as the Silvercolt duchy''s private army would be more than enough to escort them.
As Arvell nced over the group, he noticed them all standing in rank and file, each with their face hidden under their helmet.
He couldn''t see their expressions, but he expected that they would still help him, being he was just a kid after all.
*ROOARRRR*
The lion-like beast howled in pain, as it red at its assants.
It was so close to finally killing its prey, but these bastards had to stop it!
They deserved to be eaten alive!
The beast charged towards the knight who shot the arrow but was quickly intercepted by two other knights who each carriedrge metal shields.
*CLANG*
The beast stumbled back, while the two men''s arms shook due to the impact.
Unfortunately for the beast, theirpanions wouldn''t let such a golden opportunity pass so easily.
One of the knights nearby cast a spell which produced a bright light, blinding the beast''s only functioning eye.
While another used this time to sh at its neck.
However, the beast''s instincts couldn''t be underestimated.
It tilted its head back at thest second, leaving only a shallow cut on its neck.
"Tch"
The knight clicked his tongue in annoyance.
However being an Arcane Warrior, he still had one major advantage.
"Cloak my sword in rapid water¡ Water Edge!" A young masculine voice cried out.
The knight''s sword became coated with a tinge of blue, as a shrill noise rang out.
The water on the sword''s de rotated with incredible speed, working simrly to a chainsaw.
Using this time, the archer shot once more, permanently blinding the beast''s one remaining eye.
With two wooden arrows sticking out of its eye sockets, the beast tried sniffing its surroundings while keeping its ears peeled for any noises.
Noises like the shrill noiseing from the rotating water de.
Without a second thought, the beast pounced in the direction of the shrill noise, but instead of feeling its teeth and ws sink into meat, it felt a sharp paining from its forehead.
The beast''s body convulsed as it fell to the ground, dead.
Pulling his sword out of the beast''s head the knight looked down at the beast with a tired look.
Thest few hours were quite the hassle for his group.
The instant they stepped foot on the Algreppa mountain range, they had been assaulted from every direction by droves of beasts.
Frankly, he just wanted to go home and lie down. Maybe grab a few drinks with his pals.
Unfortunately, life wasn''t so easy.
Thest few weeks had been utter hell for him and hisrades.
First, the whole incident with the lord''s son urred, flipping the entire duchy on its head, and now they had to deal with this.
He frankly just wanted a well-deserved break.
Having just gotten married to his wife, he wanted to enjoy a nice rxing honeymoon with her, but all of this had to happen.
Being in charge of border security, they couldn''t just leave the situation as is.
If the rank 6 beast decided to storm into ntrya countless lives would be lost.
In a sense, he was doing this for his country.
However, no matter how much he loved his country, he still wanted to spend some time with his loving wife.
''Please just let this end quickly.''
The archer walked up to him to observe the corpse.
"Commander Rupert, this is a fourth rank beast. An ''Algreppian Lion'' to be exact."
"Rank four¡ It certainly did feel that strong. Good job Uriel. Your aim is as on point as ever."
Uriel saluted.
"Thank you for yourpliments, sir!"
Ruper waved him off.
"Like I said. You''re too uptight. Learn to loosen up a bit. There''s no need to act so stiffly."
Uriel nodded his head and saluted once more.
"I will follow your orders Commander Rupert! I will loosen up!"
Rupert put his hand to his forehead.
Trying to drown a fish was easier than getting this guy to loosen up.
He sighed and just decided to move on.
Uriel looked towards where the beast came from and noticed a silver-haired kid looking at them inquisitively, while another kid seemed to bepletely submerged in the snow, with only his feet sticking up at a weird angle.
"Boss, we have two kids here."
Rupert looked at the two kids Uriel pointed out.
"Oh right the ones we saved. Let''s go talk to them. They might know what''s going on here. Also, we should probably ask why they even came here. It''s far too dangerous for kids to be here. Wait¡ Now that I think about it¡ How did they even get here? There were hordes of monsters on our way here."
Uriel nodded his head.
"I agree sir. I am also quite perplexed as to how these two children made it here."
Rupert looked at Arvell with a scrutinizing gaze.
"I have never seen anyone with silvery-white hair like that before. Furthermore, he appears to be quite handsome, to the point where it''s otherworldly. We don''t know if he''s even a kid or if he''s hiding his real appearance with illusion-rted magic. Just be on guard."
"Yes sir!"
Gathering his men, Rupert approached Arvell, who simply watched their actions calmly.
"We are the knights in service of the Silvercolt duchy. I would like to ask you¡ Why and how are you even here."
Arvell sighed inwardly.
He wanted to avoid the border for this exact reason.
Getting investigated his origins wouldn''t be beneficial for him.
Even so, he had to keep his alibi consistent. Once Zen awoke, they would surely interrogate him as well.
If their alibis didn''t match that would only make Arvell seem even more suspicious.
"My name is Arvell Silvanus. I was kidnapped by ve traders and taken to Vispia to be sold off to nobles."
The knights appeared to be quite shocked despite covering their faces with helmets.
Rupert was quite shocked at this new information, but he quickly spotted the ''obvious'' holes in his alibi.
"If you were abducted as you said, how did you escape your captures? Or even make it back here for that matter?"
"The group that kidnapped me was attacked by beasts, and by biding my time I was able to escape. As for how I got back? My friend here," Arvell pointed to the unconscious Zen, "Was also kidnapped, but his abductors used a hidden pathway through the mountain range. Using the same pathway, we were able to cross the mountain range rtively safely."
Arvell caught himself.
"Except for being attacked by that beast."
Rupert looked at Arvell as if he was speaking a foreignnguage.
"What do you mean? What hidden pathway?"
Arvell sighed. He found interrogations like this quite annoying and tedious.
However, if he didn''tply it would be even more suspicious.
"If you want I can take you there. There are a group of captured girls being held by ve traders. Your group could rescue them."
Rupert pondered for a moment before nodding his head.
"We will check it out. If it is as you say, we are duty-bound to help them."
''Even kids their age are being abducted and being sold as ves,'' Rupert pondered, ''Maybe the same thing happened to the young master?''
Arvell walked over to Zen''s sprawled-out body.
"But first can you give me a hand and help up my friend?"
Nodding his head, Rupert sent out one of his subordinates to help out Arvell.
Arvell didn''t want to reveal his extraordinary strength if he didn''t need to.
Better keep your trump cards a secret if there is no point in revealing them.
If these people turned on him, he could use the element of surprise to escape.
As they grabbed his legs to pull him out, Zen''s body suddenly began to move on its own.
''He finally woke up''
Zen iled around aimlessly before realizing where he was.
Since he was still trapped under the snow, he obediently let Arvell and the knight pull him out.
However, as soon as he was out he looked around in shock with his mouth agape.
Arvell chuckled lightly.
''This guy must have thought he had already died.''
"Don''t worry Zen, these guys killed the beast. We''re safe now."
Zen''s mouth opened and closed like a fish, he still appeared to be quite shocked.
Turning to Rupert, Arvell decided to rify any misunderstandings before things got awkward.
"Don''t mind him, he''s just shocked to see he''s finallye home."
However, as soon as he said that, Arvell saw Rupert remove his helmet, revealing a young man with a scraggy unshaven beard.
What surprised Arvell the most wasn''t his appearance (well he might have looked better cleanshaven but that was beside the point), it was his simr agape expression.
It is quite simr to Zen''s current expression.
Arvell was quite confused now.
''Was this some kind of ntryan greeting? I never heard anything like this before? Do you know about it Lykos?''
''Don''t look at me. I''m just as confused as you are.''
Unfortunately, Lykos denied any knowledge about this.
Finally, Rupert walked up to Zen to take a closer look at him.
''It can''t be¡ But the kid named Arvell even called him ''Zen''! It has to be him!''
Rupert''s mouth quivered as he was too shocked to speak properly.
"Y-young master Zenos¡ I-is that you?"
***
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Chapter 37 It’s Really Him!
Tears sprang down Zen''s cheeks as he nodded his head fervently.
"Y-Yes, Rupert! It''s me!"
The knights broke into an uproar, as some began cheering loudly, not caring if any nearby beast heard them.
They had finally found their young master. The same boy who went missing weeks ago.
After spending so much time and energy they couldn''t find any leads on his current whereabouts, but while they all had their various suspicions, they had no concrete leads on his whereabouts.
Who would have thought he would just randomly appear before thempletely fine.
Wait¡ Was he really fine?
''They didn''t do anything to him while he was captured right?... More importantly, how did he get back?''
He turned to Arvell who was watching the entire scene y out with visible disbelief.
''Was he the reason Zen got back home?''
Lykos was equally as disbelieved as Arvell.
''He''s Zenos Silvercolt? I heard about him in the past but I never saw him in person.''
Arvell nodded.
''I was almost certain that Zen was a simple alias, but it''s just his real name abbreviated,'' Arvell sighed, ''he needs to pick a better name. It''s too unoriginal.''
Lykos looked at Arvell with a deadpan expression.
''Look who''s talking.''
Suddenly realized that since he took his original name in its entirety, he was no better off.
It was worse even.
''He might have given that name in the spur of the moment, like me.''
Lykos nodded.
''That might have been the case.''
Rupert''s next words interrupted their mental conversation.
"Young master did this young bo- I mean Arvell bring you back home?"
Zen nodded.
"Yes. I was kidnapped by a group of ve traders and taken to Vispia. I assume one of the nobles there was behind this. Arvell here killed the bandits and rescued me."
Rupert''s eyes went wide.
"Your bodyguards were ughtered by them¡ Even if they were weak, they would still have a couple of third circle mages. You''re telling me this boy rescued you?"
Zen nodded his head again.
"Yes. He managed to poison them and kill them when they were weakened."
Zenos''s wordspletely through the entire group into an uproar once more.
"This kid single-handedly took down a bandit squad?"
"He looks no younger than the young master!"
"If he beat them in a beauty pageant I wouldpletely understand, but in a fight? That is mind-blowing!"
The knights murmured to themselves.
Rupert raised his hand, and they immediately fell silent.
This was proof of their discipline and the respect they had for Rupert.
"We can talk more about this after returning to the dukedom. You said some girls were being kidnapped and transported? If you wouldn''t mind could you please lead us there?"
Knowing he was his young master''s benefactor, Rupert changed his attitude towards Arvell.
Treating him as a man worthy of respect.
It wasn''t every day you could find a thirteen-year-old kid who could eradicate an entire bandit group on his own.
Especially one that shortened your workload significantly.
Since they got back their young master, he might be able to finally have that honeymoon his wife had been patiently anticipating.
''Wait for me, honey! Just a little more work and we can finally get a break!''
With renewed vigour, Rupert began following Arvell and Zenos''s lead back to the now-not-so-secret tunnel.
While they were walking, Arvell turned to Zenos who was giving Arvell nces from time to time.
He seemed to be quite guilty of hiding his identity. Especially to the man who saved him on numerous asions.
Arvell sighed.
"Zen¡ I mean Zenos, it''s fine. I don''t me you for hiding the truth from me. I would have done the same in your situation. If it were someone else, they might have just kidnapped you and held you as a ransom for money."
"B-but I still kept such a thing secret from you even after you risked your life to save me."
Arvell held back an awkward cough.
Technically he hadn''t done anything with the intention of sacrificing his own life to save Zenos''s.
Strictly speaking, he wouldn''t give up his life just to save someone else''s. Especially, someone, he met not too long ago.
He still had too many things to do in this life¡ And too many people to get back at.
There was no way he was going to die before doing all of that.
So sadly there wasn''t any chance he would risk his life to save Zen.
But that was Arvell''s secret.
Well¡ Lykos was in on it as well.
''HAHAHAHA! You of all people risking your life? I pity this poor kid''s naivety! But¡ You should capitalize on this! I''m going to give you my first lesson on how to manipte people''s emotions.''
''Here and now? Can''t we do itter?''
''Trust me. You can apply it right now. As they say¡ Practice makes perfect. Why not practise right now?''
Arvell nodded at Zen''s analogy.
Only by practising could one get better.
''Ok, so what''s lesson number one?''
Lykos had a mischievous smile etched on his face.
''Lesson Number One: Fake it to you make it!''
''Fake it to you make it?''
''Yes. For example¡ You can take credit by iming you risked your life to help Zen. Not only will that make Zen more friendly towards you, but it will also make him indebted to you. More than he already is. Having his debt means having the debt of a duke. Think about it like that.''
Arvell nodded.
It didn''t take a genius to realize just how useful gaining Zenos''s favour was.
If he was able to gain Zenos''s favour he could also get the favour of the duke of Silvercolt.
If Arvell had the protection of a duke''s house, his new life in ntrya would be far easier.
While he didn''t want to get involved with nobles and mind-numbing politics so soon, he would still have to at some point.
He might as well take the initiative when he already had an advantage.
Rescuing and escorting Zenos, being said advantage.
Arvell took a deep breath and pulled out the most handsome smile he could muster.
"It''s nothing! For the sake of my friend, I would dly risk my life."
At this point, he was just upright lying through his teeth.
He felt kind of bad lying to Zen, but if he wanted to learn Lykos''s techniques he had to be more shameless.
Something like this would soon be nothing to him.
Unfortunately, Arvell''s natural charm with his current smile was simply too dazzling for those around.
The nearby knights looked at him in awe.
''Is he an angel?''
Some of the female knights even started thinking of trying their luck with him.
They might be 6 years older than him¡ but age was just a number, right?
They would all live much longer than normal due to being mages.
An age difference of 6-10 years was nothing.
Arvell knew he had a face and physique that women would find very attractive, if it wasn''t for Lykos''s narcissisticments, he could also just look at his reflection.
However, he vastly underestimated said the effect would be on women.
Rupert realizing their intentions shot them a re.
He was a friend of their young master. Harassing him was out of the question.
The girls looked defeated.
If only they had been born a few years younger, they may have had a chance with him.
His appearance, his aloof personality, his manner and that smile¡ He was like a heaven-send for all women.
The men that courted them throughout their years couldn''t even hold a candle to a kid who looked no older than thirteen.
Sadly the man himself had no interest in these kinds of things.
He was too preupied with his personal agenda, which consisted of only four things:
1. Don''t die
2. Get stronger
3. Get revenge
4. Spend more time with the people he actually cared about.
Unfortunately, his agenda had no space for flirting with women who were almost a decade older than him.
''No woman can resist my Charms!'' Lykos boasted.
Arvell noticed their gazes too but decided to ignore them.
''You do realize that they fell for my charms right?'' Arvell countered.
''Which you got from me. Therefore they really fell for my charms!''
''Yeah, yeah.''
Arvell was too tired to argue with Lykos right now.
He just needed to gain Zen''s favour.
Luckily this didn''t prove too hard as even Zenos was swayed by thebined power of Arvell''s words and charming smile.
''He values me that much¡ He''s the best friend I could ask for!''
Zenos put his hand on Arvell''s shoulder.
"Arvell¡ Would you like to form a pact of brotherhood with me?"
"Sure thing¡ Wait wha-"
"Good! From today onwards the two of us are brothers! You can still call me Zen though. It''s a nickname that my family calls me by."
Arvell was caught off guard by Zen''s sudden question and responded to it without thinking.
''Lykos¡ What did I just do?''
Lykos who was beaming at this development responded with a smile.
''You just became Zenos''s sworn brother.''
Arvell''s smile twitched and threatened to break.
''Fuck.''
He wanted to get closer to Zenos, by increasing Zenos''s favourability of him.
But not this close¡
He''d have to stick out his neck for him even more in the future?
Arvell sighed inwardly.
Would he ever get a break?
***
Just a reminder that there is a limited time offer for more chapters.
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etc.
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etc.
Chapter 38 Rest At Last
Arvell and Zenos continued to lead the group to the tunnel, however, they faced a considerably greater resistance this time.
Even so, Arvell was still at peace.
After all, he wasn''t running for his life this time.
Compared to before, this was more of a scenic venture for him.
Zen was in a simr state of mind.
To them, this current trip was a walk in the park.
Rupert and the other knights however didn''t share their sentiments.
This was far more taxing on them since they had to babysit the two 1st circle mages in their group.
Since they were in such arge group, monsters were able to spot them quite easily.
Normally this wouldn''t be a concern to the group, however, these monsters would instinctively attack the weakest members in their group, hoping for an easy pick.
Naturally, this was Zenos and Arvell.
While the two of them got a free pass, the knights had to constantly protect them.
However, being knights of a ducal house, they gritted their teeth and bore it.
They had finally gotten their young master back, so once they returned home they could finally get a break for at least a little while.
While they hadn''t been able to gather any real data on the rank 6 beast, their main priority immediately became protecting their young master.
However, they also couldn''t just let ntryan citizens get sold off as ves.
Even more so when their young master himself ordered them to save the girls.
"Just a bit more everyone! We are almost there!" Zen shouted.
The tunnel entrance was in full view now.
Earlier this entrance had been covered with bushes and shrubbery.
However, due to the actions of the rank 4 beast, all of the nearby vegetation was ripped to shreds, exposing the hidden tunnel.
Rupert and the other knights walked up to the entrance with their mouths agape.
"Forgive my words young master, but are you sure that this tunnel allows for safe travel through the mountain range?" Rupert looked at Zenos.
Zenos nodded his head.
"I have traversed through this tunnel twice, so I can assure you that this tunnel is exactly as I said."
Rupert was still in doubt, but he couldn''t question the young master.
"To think something like this was hidden from us all along¡"
"If this tunnel was used in the war, we might have been able to take over Vispia."
Uriel looked over at Rupert.
"Sir, what should we do?"
Rupert put his hand to his chin and thought for a bit.
"We should simply report this to the duke. Taking any actions without consulting the lord might adversely affect any ns he might have."
Uriel nodded.
Rupert turned to look at the group and raised his hand, and the knights instantly fell silent.
"We are going to investigate this tunnel and rescue the captured women. However, bringing our young master and his sworn brother into a ce filled with ve traders might endanger their lives." Rupert announced, "Thus I''m going to have Uriel, Annie, and Jack watch over them. I want you three to protect them with your lives."
"Yes, sir!" The three saluted.
"Everyone else,e follow me."
"Yes, sir!"
As the group went into the tunnel, Arvell and Zenos found rocks to sit on and immediately copsed onto them.
They had been running non-stop for several hours.
The level of exhaustion the two had was enough for most people to pass out.
The man named Jack and the woman named Annie sat down and joined them as well.
Only Uriel stood resolutely, while carefully surveying their surroundings without rest.
Seeing this, Jack decided to call out to him.
"Vice-captain Uriel! Why not just sit down? It''s not like they would be able to get the jump on us anyways. We would be able to sense them when they get close enough."
Annie nodded.
"Vice-captain, you are far too tense! You need to take a breather too. Even Captain Rupert seems exhausted, so you''re probably not in any better condition," Annie agreed.
Uriel shook his head.
"We finally got the young master back, there is no way I can let anything happen to him while he is under my protection. Even if it is not that effective, I need to still stay vignt."
Jack and Annie sighed.
Uriel did have a point about them needing to be extra careful about protecting the young master, but why create extra work for yourself?
Lykos saw this and gave Uriel a pitiful smile.
''Men like him mostly end up overworked and underpaid.''
Arvell nodded.
''Working hard smartly is much more efficient than working hard blindly.''
While hard work was a good thing, doing it blindly would get you nowhere quickly.
Having a clear-cut direction for your efforts was more rewarding in general.
While they were waiting patiently, Arvell suddenly got an idea.
He turned to the three knights and used his status skill.
[Status Information]
Name: Jack Ilso
Species: Human
Age: 22 years old
HP: 130
STA: 60
DEF: 45
SPD: 40
PHYS ATK: 54
MAGIC CIRCLE: 3rd CIRCLE 8TH STAGE
MP: 343
Titles: Knight of the Silvercolt Knight Order
Magic Attributes: Enhancement, Earth
Skills: Silvercolt Axe Techniques (B-), Hand-To-Hand Combat (B)
[Status Information]
Name: Annie Russell
Species: Human
Age: 23 years old
HP: 105
STA: 50
DEF: 42
SPD: 49
PHYS ATK: 43
MAGIC CIRCLE: 3rd CIRCLE 5TH STAGE
MP: 370
Titles: Knight of the Silvercolt Knight Order
Magic Attributes: Water, Ice
Skills: Silvercolt Swordsmanship (B-), Hand-To-Hand Combat (B)
[Status Information]
Name: Uriel Kaiser
Species: Human
Age: 20 years old
HP: 100
STA: 57
DEF: 40
SPD: 50
PHYS ATK: 48
MAGIC CIRCLE: 4TH CIRCLE 6TH STAGE
MP: 485
Titles: Vice-Captain of the Silvercolt Knight Order
Magic Attributes: Wind, Lightning
Skills: Silvercolt Swordsmanship (B), Hand-To-Hand Combat (B-), Thunderstorm Archery (A), Hawk Eyes (A)
As Arvell read through the newly presented information, he paused at Uriel''s information.
While it didn''t surprise him that his basic stats were higher than theirs, this was because of his Nether body.
While he might be able to fight them in a fight with no magic involved, the instant they use their magic on him, he might as well consider it his defeat.
However, Uriel''s information managed to catch his eye.
''He''s a 4th circle mage? How was he allowed toe to the mountain range?''
Arvell looked at Uriel inquisitively.
Had ntrya developed a way to bring 4th circle mages across the border?
Or was something wrong with the rank 6 beast?
Considering their current situation, thetter was more probable.
Arvell stood up and approached Uriel.
Uriel also paused what he was doing and looked at the approaching Arvell curiously.
"Vice-captain Uriel was it?"
"Yes sir, that was indeed my name."
Since he was now a sworn brother of his young master, Uriel needed to treat Arvell appropriately as well.
"I was wondering¡ The power you showed when you killed the beast¡ That is almost impossible to be done by a 3rd circle mage. Are you perhaps a 4th circle mage?"
Uriel''s eyes widen before he nodded his head.
"Yes sir, it''s as you deduced. I am indeed a 4th circle mage. A few of the others are as well."
"How did you all manage to enter the mountain range? That should be impossible right?"
Uriel nodded his head once more.
"Yes, that is indeed the case most of the time. However, something is terribly wrong this time. We presume that something might have happened to the rank 6 beast. Even if we stepped onto its territory, it didn''t try to contest us. It''s almost as if it''s hiding."
''Hiding? Why would a rank 6 beast do that? This is quite confusing,'' Arvell wondered.
''I''m quite perplexed as well,'' Lykos agreed.
"We were supposed to wait near the base of the mountain range, and only kill any beast that left the mountain range. However, our 3rd circle mages were overwhelmed by a tide of beasts the instant they stepped foot on the range." Uriel continued.
"We faced a simr situation ourselves. Luckily we managed to lose them in the tunnel."
Zenos stood up and joined their conversation.
"The two of you faced a simr situation and lived¡ This is a miracle," Annie chimed in.
"We had a tough time with it. If it wasn''t for the vice-captain and the others stepping foot onto the range to help us, we would have died right then and there," Jackmented.
"We stepped foot onto the range to help them, but we felt no pressure from the rank 6 beast to leave. After experimenting for a bit, we decided to travel as a group and investigate the cause of the beast''s abnormal behaviour. However, instead of finding that, we ended up finding the young master and his sworn brother."
Uriel had a pleasant smile on his face.
He was genuinely happy that his Lord''s family could finally be reunited again.
However, Arvell was too preupied with Uriel''s words to notice.
''Why would the beast be so agitated that something as territorial as it would let invaders onto itsnd. What could have happened?''
Lykos sighed and put his hand on Arvell''s shoulders.
''There''s no point in worrying about it. Even if you knew you can''t do much with your current strength. Focus more on protecting yourself and less on factors you can''t change.''
Arvell nodded his head.
While this did impact him significantly, Lykos was right.
Meaninglessly worrying about things that he couldn''t control was just a waste of his time.
While the group was talking, Rupert''s men finally emerged back out of the tunnel.
They were stained in blood while escorting a group of crying girls out of the tunnel.
Seeing this, Uriel started towards the group, while beckoning for Arvell and the others to follow him.
"They finished the job, so let''s get moving."
Chapter 39 The Ones They Left Behind
Rupert walked over to Zenos and saluted.
"Young master, we managed to free the captured girls, as well as take bring the ve traders into custody."
Rupert pointed to a group of badly beaten-up men bound in chains.
The chains that were previously used to bind the kidnapped girls to be exact.
"Good work Rupert. Let''s head back to the estate for now. It''s too dangerous for Arvell, the girls and I to be here."
"Yes, young master."
Lykos smiled.
''It''s ironic, isn''t it? These bastards are tied up in the same chains they used on the poor girls.''
Arvell nodded.
''Simply getting bound is nowhere near enough to properly pay for what they did.''
Arvell''s smile distorted into a devilish grin
''This is just the beginning. Those bastards will go through hell for what they did.''
While Arvell didn''t want to risk his life for nonsensical causes like ''the greater good'', or someone he barely even knew, he did loathe people who caused suffering for innocent people.
Especially those who would ****, beat and sell women, while feeding their loved ones to beasts.
Even if he didn''t want to throw away his life on a fruitless endeavour to ''rescue'' the girls, he still did feel empathy for them.
He had no reason to waste one of his precious stink bombs to help the girls, but he went out of his way to use pit the bandits against the rank 4 beast.
Even if part of the reason he did that was to try to get the beast to give up chasing him and focus on the bandits.
Too bad the stink bomb seemed to piss the rank 4 beast off to the point where it would continue to chase him, even after they left the tunnel.
After finally being rescued, the girls broke down and cried their hearts out.
The group decided to all take a rest, and let the girls calm down before they continued their journey.
Their crying might alert nearby beasts after all.
It was better to avoid taking unnecessary risks if there was no need to.
The girls who had lost all hope of being rescued were hugging each other while crying tears of joy.
Some of them weren''t able to mourn the loss of their fathers/brothers/husbands when they were used as bait for the beasts.
If they cried earlier, their captors might have done the same with them.
Now that they were free they were finally able to cry their heart out.
They were able to finally grieve for their loved ones.
One of the girls shakily stood up and stumbled her way over to Rupert.
Her legs were shaking, and she even fell down a couple of times, caking her body with wet snow.
However, despite her entire body shivering, she didn''t seem to care.
She bit her lip, drawing fresh blood, which slowly dripped onto the fresh snow, dying it a deep crimson.
Her eyes however were dead.
It was as if they had been plucked from a corpse.
As she neared Rupert, he raised his head to greet her.
"Do you need something?"
The girl stopped in front of Rupert and looked at him with her dead eyes.
Tears started forming under her eyes, but she bit her lip harder to suppress a sob.
Her teeth sank into her lower lip, leaving a deep bite mark and opening the wound much further.
The girl didn''t seem to care though.
Slowly she inhaled deeply and opened her mouth.
As soon as the teeth came out of her lip, fresh blood started spurting from her lower lip, trailing down her chin.
"...Why?"
Rupert through a concerned nce at the woman.
"Why what?"
"W-why didn''t you alle here faster? Russel¡ My dear Russel¡ He might have still been with me¡ My dear husband was eaten right before my eyes!"
The woman in a fit of rage and grief pped Rupert across the face.
Surprisingly, Rupert didn''t react.
He didn''t even use his enhancement magic to make his body stronger.
Even if he was themander of the Silverdawn knight order, if he didn''t use enhancement magic to strengthen his cheek, even a normal woman would be able to damage him.
Her handprint left a stinging red mark on his cheek, but instead of flying into a rage, Rupert simply bowed his head.
"No amount of words can express how sorry I am for your loss. All of your losses. Due to our inadequacy, you lost your loved ones and were almost sold off as ves in a foreign country yourselves. If our young master and his sworn brother didn''t tell us about you all, we might not have even noticed."
Rupert didn''t try to shift the me nor sugarcoat it. Even if it wasn''t his fault directly, this still went on under his nose.
''People like him are quite rare. People who don''t shift the me but instead take it head-on. Most nobles in this situation would me someone else, probably their underlings or their rivals, but no, the knightmander took on all of the me,'' Arvell admired.
Lykos nodded his head in agreement.
The woman was also shocked by his words.
Deep down, she also knew it wasn''t this man''s fault, but she wanted to me someone. Anyone.
Naturally, she chose the knightmander.
After all, weren''t people like him supposed to protect the innocent civilians like them?
"W-why us? The two of us finally got married¡ It took Russel so many years to finally propose to me¡ I waited so long for this, but just when the two of us got together this had to happen! We didn''t do anything wrong! Russel and I were good people. We even offered bread every day to starving orphans. We were good people, so why did we deserve this?"
The woman fell to her knees and broke down, sobbing uncontrobly.
The woman''s words seemed to affect Rupert, as he looked at her with wide eyes.
She didn''t seem to notice his actions though. Her mind was too clouded to notice.
"Russel¡ My dear Russel¡"
The woman once again pulled herself up, and slowly stumbled her way towards a nearby ledge.
"Dear, I''ming to join you¡ I''m sorry for making you wait for me. We- we can finally be together again..."
The woman closed her eyes and stepped off of the cliff.
However, instead of feeling a rush of cold air and the sensation of free-falling, she felt solid ground beneath her feet.
She opened her eyes and found Rupert holding her hand, preventing her from falling.
The woman looked at Rupert angrily.
"Why won''t you even let me die! You''re no different from those bastards! LET ME GO BACK TO HIM! I CAN''T LIVE WITHOUT RUSSEL! JUST LET ME DIE! WHY WON''T YOU EVEN LET ME DO THAT?"
Rupert looked at the woman with pitying eyes.
He took a deep breath and opened his mouth.
"Do you have any idea how he might feel? You deceased husband?"
"How Russel would feel?"
The woman was confused.
Her husband was dead, how could he feel anything?
"From what you said, your husband loved you! Do you think he would want the woman he loved to die for him? To cut her life short just to join him?"
"Even so¡ I can''t! I can''t live without him!"
"I also only recently married my wife, the same as you two. If I were to die, I wouldn''t want my wife to die, just to keep mepany in the afterlife. I would want her to live a long and fulfilling life. A life that would be fulfilling enough for both of us. Don''t you think that your husband would have wanted the same?"
The woman shuddered at Rupert''s words.
She recalled all of her memories with Russel.
The day they met.
All of the fun times they had together.
The day he finally mustered the courage to propose to her.
Finally hisst moments.
When Russel was about to be eaten by a beast, instead of screaming in fear and terror, he looked at his wife with a loving smile.
"Selena, I love you. I always have and I always will."
While his voice was drowned out by the sea of beasts, Selena was still able to read his lips.
As she remembered this, she broke down into tears once more and hugged her knees in a fetal position.
One of the female knights came over and hugged Selena, slowly patting her head before she passed out of exhaustion.
The female knight carried the woman on her back, and they headed back to the group.
As soon as they reached the rest of the group, Rupert motioned for everyone to gather.
"Let''s get going. These girls aren''t well dressed for the frigid temperatures, so we can''t stay until nightfall. If we depart now we can still make it to the base of the mountain range in time."
Hearing his words, the knights saluted.
"Yes, sir!"
Chapter 40 Nutcracker
The group continued their travel to the base of the mountain.
While the difficulty increased for the knights since the number of people they needed to care for increased significantly, they still powered on.
Staying until nightfall would risk the lives of the others, so it was up to them to pick up the pace.
Thankfully, the beasts seemed to have calmed down now and returned to their respective territories, making their journey slightly easier.
Dealing with a few beasts instead of a massive wave was far easier for them.
After a few hours, they reached the base with rtively no mishaps.
The knights did their job properly and managed to keep everyone else from getting so much as a scratch.
The group set up a fire and brought the corpses of some of the beasts they killed.
Since there was no shortage of beastsing after them, they had an easy time procuring dinner.
It wasn''t long before the pleasant smell of meat sizzling stimted everyone''s hunger.
Especially Arvell, Zen and the freed girls.
They hadn''t been able to eat much for quite a while.
Only the captured ve traders were unable to enjoy the sight before them.
They knew this was only the calm before the storm.
Once they were brought before the duke, they would be tried and punished for their crimes.
No one could save them then.
While they wanted to escape, they were suppressed by magic-sealing handcuffs, making them so weak even Arvell could beat them in a fight.
A toothless tiger was no longer a threat.
One of the women looked at those ve traders and then looked back at the knights.
"Is it ok if I can beat this bastard up? I want to at least make them feel the same pain I did."
Naturally, Rupert who had the highest authority in the group answered her.
"It''s fine if you rough them up, but just don''t kill them. We might be able to get more information out of them and crackdown on the ve-trading ring."
"I understand," The woman nodded.
If they could prevent tragedies like this from happening to other innocent people, they would reluctantly avoid killing the ve traders.
"Do you mind if we join you?"
Upon hearing their conversation, the other girls got up as well, including Selena, the girl who got punched in the stomach for crying, as well as the girl who bit her tongue off.
The women cracked their knuckles and approached the ve traders menacingly.
The tables had turned.
The hunters had be the hunted.
"Please¡ It was a joke! See! We were just¡ ugh¡ taking you on a scenic trip! We meant no harm!" One of the ve traders quickly spoke.
One of the women looked at the man and kicked him in the face.
"You punched a girl in the chest for crying about her dead father! You bastards forced this girl to bite off her tongue to protect her dignity! You used our loved ones as bait for the beasts! HOW THE HELL CAN YOU FIND THE CONSCIOUS TO CHALK IT ALL UP TO A JOKE?"
The man''s nose made an eerie cracking noise, as it started to gush blood.
The girl who bit her tongue off walked over to the guy who tried to **** her.
"Please, I was just trying to save your life. You would have died if I didn''t heal you! Let''s just get alon- ARGHHHHHHHHHH!"
The girl brought her leg down straight onto the man''s ''little brother'' crushing it into a pulp.
"ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"No¡. Please, anything but tha- ARGHHHHHHHHH!"
*Pop Pop Pop*
Ominous popping sounds rang out as the men cried out in pain.
Slowly, one by one the ve traders had their ''little brothers'' shattered.
Arvell, Zenos and the other male knights all felt a cmity-ss danger directed towards their manhood and instinctively crossed their legs.
They needed to cover their family jewels for protection!
Despite being the captain of a knight order, even Rupert felt a chill go down hisher regions.
Even Lykos gripped his ''holy sword'' for protection, it didn''t matter to him that he was in an ethereal form.
The danger still felt just as real.
''Even if I use my rejuvenation skill the nightmares would remain.'' Arvell shuddered.
Having your balls crushed as a man would be quite traumatizing after all, to say the least.
"Even themander is scared stiff!"
"I wonder if our men would scream that loudly? You know, if they swapped spots that is?"
The female knights watched this y out in amusement, it wasn''t every day they could see their fearlessmander shivering like a traumatized kitten.
Hearing their words, the men broke out a cold sweat.
''To make jokes even after seeing a man''s little brother get ground into paste? Women are scary¡'' The men unanimously thought.
"I''m going to go take a walk¡ To improve my cardio¡"
One of the men stood up.
A glimmer of hope rose in the hearts of the men.
"Me too¡ My wife keeps telling me to lose weight!"
"I need to go take a piss!"
One by one the men rose and began walking away.
This scene was far too horrific for them to continue witnessing.
These were iron-willed men, who could withstand grisly torture and still keep their mouths sealed.
But¡
This¡
Even though they knew the ve traders deserved it¡
They couldn''t watch anymore.
Only Zen, Arvell, Uriel and Rupert remained behind.
Arvell and Zen were far too exhausted to move, so much so that they''d rather just stay seated, while Uriel and Rupert had their dignity to maintain as the vice-captain and captain.
"How much farther is the Silvercolt estate?" Arvell asked.
Arvell decided to change the direction of their conversation away from the bandit''s shattered manhoods. For the sake of everyone''s sanity.
Rupert understanding Arvell''s intentions, was more than happy to oblige him.
"We would need another day of travelling by foot. If we depart tomorrow at dawn, we would arrive by nightfall.
Zen raised an eyebrow after hearing this.
"I was meaning to ask this for a while, but where are the mounts? Did you alle here by foot?"
Rupert had an awkward smile.
"Yes¡ This was supposed to be somewhat of a covert operation. We just wanted to send a survey team to quickly assess the situation with the rank 6 beast. The 4th circle mages were just sent in as a backup in case there was a fight. We decided to travel light, so we left the mounts behind."
Rupert sighed.
"If we knew this was going to turn into a search and rescue mission, we would have brought our mounts."
The nearby knights nodded their heads tiredly.
It would have been far easier on them had they just brought their mounts.
"Travelling back would take only a couple of hours. It only took us a few hours to get here since we ran here at top speed."
Arvell didn''t care too much.
It was just one more day.
It didn''t matter too much.
"Still, that''s not too far then," Arvell reassured.
"On the plus side, at least the journey there will be far easier from now on," Zen added.
"Yeah! The number of beasts from here on will be far less than before!" One of the female knights nearby happily agreed.
Less work for them was far better than working their asses off.
''The distance from the Silvercolt estate to the capital would be around a 5-day journey on foot. However, If we can hitch a ride, it will be quite faster. Maybe around a 3-day trip by carriage.''
Arvell nodded.
''I can probably ask Zenos if I could join him, he doesn''t seem like he would mind.''
''Yeah I agree, he would think of it as a way of ''repaying you'' for what you did.''
They had less than two weeks before the entrance exam, so Arvell Ideally wanted to make it in time to properly register for his admission.
Shortly after the group had dinner together, and decided to call it a night.
***
In the pitch-ck darkness, a figure silently walked toward the sleeping girls.
The figure was silent, silent to the point where one would need to strain their ears to even hear the figure''s footsteps.
The only thing notable about this figure was his eyes.
Eyes that glimmered like amethysts in the darkness.
It would have been an alluring sight, had anyone been awake to witness it.
The figure stopped in front of a girl, and gently removed the nket covering her face. He looked closely at the girl, but shook his head and moved on.
After repeating this several more times, he finally found the person he was looking for.
He brought his hand down onto the girl''s mouth as if he wanted to prevent any sounds from leaking from it.
[Rejuvination]
The figure''s hand glowed blood red, for a few moments.
After aplishing his task, the figure left.
Without anyone noticing him or his actions.
Chapter 41 That Which Was Once Lost
"AHHHH"
A scream awoke everyone in the nearby vicinity.
After hearing a scream ring out in their camp, the knights arrived at the scene in a panic.
"Did something happen?"
"Was anyone hurt?"
The knights were on full alert.
They instantly prepared for the worst.
If their young master were toe to harm due to theirte response, even their heads would not be able to appease the duke.
Thus the knights sprinted towards the source of the scream in a scramble.
What they found however only served to confuse them.
One of the girls they had rescued was grabbing her tongue and holding it with her right hand.
She ran her fingers up and down her tongue as if its very existence confused her.
"Whai thoo ai thath thai thongue!?"
(Trantion: Why do I have my tongue?)
This sight visibly confused the knights, they began looking in the surroundings to see if it was another girl who screamed.
Seeing their confusion one of the nearby girls stepped up.
"That girl was the one who screamed."
One of the knights threw a sideways nce at the girl clutching her tongue.
"Do you know why she screamed? Is she hurt? Also¡ Why is she grabbing her tongue like that?"
"What if she simply bit her tongue?" One of the nearby knights chimed in.
"I don''t see any bite wounds¡ Could it be that it''s an internal condition?"
The girl who stepped up shook her head.
"That''s not it¡"
The knight looked back at her with a slight trace of irritation.
What was going on? Was there a problem or not?
"Can you please exin what''s going on here? We all rushed here when we heard a scream."
The girl threw a pitiful nce at the girl holding her tongue.
"This girl¡ She shouldn''t have a tongue¡"
The knight was visibly confused.
"Why shouldn''t she have a tongue?"
However, the person who answered his question wasn''t the girl, but instead one of his colleagues.
"If I remember right¡ One of the girls we saved had her tongue cut off¡ Apparently, she tried to kill herself to avoid being humiliated¡ I''m pretty sure this is the girl they spoke about."
Everyone in the vicinity was baffled.
How could one just grow a missing body part back?
This was nigh impossible!
Only healing magic of the highest order, as well as extremely costly healing potions, could help regrow body parts.
But, who had that kind of power in their group?
Due to themotion, everyone had more or less gathered together.
"What''s going on here?"
Rupert broke out from the crowd and approached the girl who was still clutching her tongue.
She seemed so fascinated by it that shepletely ignored everyone else around her.
One of the nearby knights walked close up to Rupert and ryed the current situation to him
"She just regrew a tongue overnight? Are you sure this information is correct?"
"Yesmander, several people saw her bite her tongue off. Some of the knights even remember seeing her open her mouth to eat. They can personally verify that all they saw was a fleshy stub."
Rupert nodded.
"This is quite intriguing¡ Do we have any idea as to how this happened?"
The knight shook her head.
"No captain. We have no clue how this happened."
Rupert squinted his eyes.
"I see¡"
He walked up in front of the girl who regrew her tongue.
By now she was starting to take in the massivemotion she had caused.
"Youngdy, everyone ims that you regrew your lost tongue. Is this true?"
The girl snapped out of her daze and nodded her head.
"Yes sir! I bit my tongue off yesterday, but when I woke up this morning, it was perfectly healed!"
While she was confused, the girl was extremely ted at this oue.
She was starting to worry about living life without a proper tongue, but mysteriously her tongue was healed after she slept?
Did she have some kind oftent powers?
Or did someone else help her?
"Did you do anything yesterday that may have contributed to this? Did someone use magic on you or give you a potion?"
While the odds for both options were quite low as there were only a handful of magic spells and potions that could regrow lost limbs, Rupert still felt like that was his best bet.
"No¡ I didn''t remember anyone casting healing magic on me, however, I did consume a potion. The ve traders gave it to me," She shivered.
Just thinking about that moment made her break out a sweat in fear.
That moment left a shadow in her heart, that she might never be able to ovee.
Rupert put his hand on her shoulder in reassurance and gave the girl a warm look.
"Don''t worry, your safe now. Just tell me what happened at your own pace."
The girl nodded her head.
"Mmm."
"The potion they gave you, was it a rare one?"
The girl shook her head.
"They imed that it was a normal cheap potion. One that could only close the open wound to prevent blood loss. It was incapable of regrowing lost limbs."
Rupert put his hand to his chin and tried to figure out what had happened.
"Maybe they somehow got their hands on a high-ranking potion in a mix-up, and fed you that potion."
Uriel stepped forward.
"Commander, you know just how rare those potions are. ve traders like them wouldn''t be able to afford one even if they spent their whole lives gathering the money."
Rupert nodded his head.
"I know, but that''s our best guess. If anything this is a good thing, after all, she did get her missing tongue back. Just have our healers take a look at her and make sure she''s really all right."
Uriel saluted.
"Yes sir!"
Rupert nodded his head and dispersed the crowd.
"We will set out in 30 minutes! I want all of you to be ready to hit the road!"
The day''s journey was quite uneventful.
No bandits decided to try their hand at robbing them when they saw the Silvercolt house g.
After all, picking a fight with a ducal family was just asking for death!
Any beast that tried to attack their group was mercilessly killed.
It wasn''t long before they finally found a paved road.
It was covered in carriage tracks, showing just how frequently it was used.
Rupert smiled and turned to look at the group following him.
"We are almost there everyone! Just a bit farther."
The sun was already starting to set, so the exhaustion was starting to kick in for many of the weaker members of the group.
Walking for a full day with minimal stops was quite tiring after all.
Luckily, it wasn''t long before they saw arge wall appear on the horizon.
"We are almost there!" Zen eximed.
''Mother, father, big sis Ang¡ I''m finally back!''
Chapter 42 Welcome Home
The Silvercolt estate was located in the city of Talion, and from there they managed all of thend under their authority.
Being the duke in charge of maintaining the ntryan-Vispian border, Talion served as thest bastion against a Vispian invasion.
Most of the city was inhabited by knights, soldiers and their respective families.
In order to better serve its purpose, the city was naturally built like a fortress.
The pitch-ck walls looked quite intimidating to the group.
It was as if they were entering a demon''s castle.
The walls were reinforced to withstand even magic from a 4th circle mage without a single scratch.
Even during the war, Talion was one of the key contributors to their war efforts.
This single fortress managed to repel a Vispian invasion force 10,000 strong.
All without them taking one step into Talion.
This was a widely known tale, and due to it, almost everyone on the continent knew the might of the Silvercolt family.
As the group approached the city gates, they heard a voice yell out above them.
"State your name and purpose."
It was getting a bit too dark, so the guard standing on the ramparts couldn''t identify the approaching people.
Hearing this, Rupert shrugged and sighed.
He walked close enough so that the torches on the city wall could illuminate his face.
"Grett, you know who I am. Just open the gate."
"C-C-Commander Rupert? Didn''t you say you wouldn''t return for a few days? I''m terribly sorry for this!"
Hastily ordering the nearby men to open the gate, he saluted Rupert.
"Wee back Commander!".
The nearby knights also followed suit.
"Wee back Commander!"
"Wee back Commander!"
Rupert had a sly smile, as he reached out his hand at Zenos.
"You louts shouldn''t be weing me back with such gusto. If anything, this young man here is the one who should get this reception."
Zen awkwardly stepped into the torchlight, letting all those nearby see his face.
"H-Hi?"
The guard''s eyes went wide at this new development.
"I-I-IT CAN''T BE!"
"It''s the young lord!"
"The young lord has returned safe and sound!"
"Someone quick! Inform the duke!"
While one of the guards left to ry their news to the lord, the nearby knights all fell onto one knee.
"Young master Zenos! Wee home!" They unanimously shouted.
Zenos nodded his head, while tears threatened to spill from his eyes.
He had suffered for so long, even losing hope that he would ever be able to go back.
Finally¡ At longst, he was home.
Rupert guided Arvell and Zenos the Duke''s manor, while a few of the knights escorted the freed girls to a ce where they could rest.
As for the ve traders? They were taken straight to the jail and locked up.
They would be tried in the following days for their crimes.
The group travelled through the city, and Arvell was visibly astounded.
He had assumed the city was nothing more than a glorified fortress, with no one but knights and soldiers living here with their families.
However, the city looked just as lively as Talmek, the Vispian capital.
While it was nightfall, there were still quite a few people drinking, dancing and singing.
However, as the knight order passed by, the nearby people all saluted them.
''Is this some kind of custom here?'' Arvell wondered.
''Well, these people almost all have a member of their family in the duke''s army. Saluting the captain might just be a trait that they picked up from their loved ones.''
Arvell was confused.
''Why would you salute the captain of a knight order if you aren''t even a knight? Even if he''s your spouse''s boss, it doesn''t mean you need to salute him?''
Lykos sighed.
''It''s probably just a local custom. I mean, look. The knight order and the army protect their entire country by managing this border. It''s probably just their way of showing respect.''
Arvell nodded.
''I see.''
As Arvell quickly noted, the city was quite beautiful.
There were masterfully carved statues of a man whom Arvell presumed to be the duke, as well as statues of the king and queen of ntrya.
There were even ones of a girl and two young men beside them.
Arvell''s heart froze when he saw those.
''Lily¡''
He wouldn''t forget that face, no matter how many years had passed.
She looked older in this picture than the eight-year-old appearance he remembered her by.
Zenos saw Arvell gaping at the statues, and smirked.
"Are you lovestruck by our princess''s beauty? You wouldn''t be the first!"
Arvell instantly snapped out of his daze and red at Zenos.
"You wish."
Ever since Zenos got reunited with the knights of his family, he was slowly bing more open.
Since he no longer had to constantly fear for his life, he was slowly going back to his old self.
While Arvell was happy for him, he didn''t appreciate having a second Lykos around him.
''One Lykos is already more than I can handle'' Arvell sighed.
''You do realize I can read your thoughts right? Even if you can''t hear my inner thoughts, I can still hear yours. Whether or not I actually want to." Lykos huffed.
Ignoring a pouty Lykos, Arvell decided to clear up Zenos''s misunderstandings.
Better sooner thanter.
"While she is indeed beautiful, she and I live in different worlds. Also, I am not ''lovestruck'', I was just wondering why there was a statue of the royal family here."
Zenos looked at Arvell with a wry smile and a gaze that said "I don''t believe you!"
Arvell felt veins bulge in his forehead, but he just sighed.
"Believe what you want."
The group continued on through the streets until they saw another gate.
Zenos turned towards Arvell and bowed dramatically.
"Wee to my humble abode."
Arvell followed Rupert and Uriel along with Zenos, as the two entered the gates of arge manor.
From up-close, they could marvel at the sight of the imposing manner.
It would have looked quite intimidating to an average person, but for Arvell who used to be a prince, this was nothing to get excited over.
"Wee back young master Zenos!"
The instant they walked in, they were greeted by almost 50 maids and butlers bowing their heads.
However, Zenos didn''t care about that.
He was too busy fixated on the person looking down at him from the top of the staircase.
The man''s eyes were baggy, showing hisck of sleep for at least a few weeks.
He looked at Zenos, rubbing his eyes a few times to make sure he was seeing properly.
The maids and butlers quickly left the scene, after all, they didn''t want to interrupt their intimate moment.
A woman and a teenage girl walked up to him and joined him.
However, after one look at Zenos, the two of them burst into tears.
The woman and the girl started racing down the stairs and hugged Zenos tearfully.
"Zen, my precious son¡ Thank the heavens you are ok!" The woman cried.
"Zen¡ I''m so sorry, I was unable to keep you safe. I failed you as a big sister."
Finally seeing his family again broke thest semnce of self-restraint Zenos had. The tears he managed to contain earlier started flooding out.
"Mother! Big sis Ang! I missed you all so much!"
Seeing this, the only person left standing on the staircase also rushed down and joined the three for a group hug.
"My son, is it¡ is it really you?"
Zenos''s mother pped her husband on the back of his head.
"What kind of father can''t even recognize his own son! You need sses!"
Seeing this, Zenos broke into augh.
"It''s been so long that I''d almost forgotten. Mother really has you on the ropes father!"
The slight scowl on Zenos''s mother''s face broke, recing it was a childish smile.
"Of course! Otherwise how could I make sure he doesn''t do any phndering behind my back?"
Ang looked at the two and pouted.
"Mother! Zen just came home, and you already are quarrelling with Father!"
Hearing his daughter stand up for him, the duke nodded his head.
"My daughter is correct!"
However, this just earned him another p on the back of his head.
"Don''t go hiding behind our daughter now!"
Arvell watched this y out with an amused smile.
''It seems like Zen''s father can give you a run for your money, eh Lykos?''
Lykos scoffed.
''I am far more shameless than him!''
Arvell rolled his eyes.
''The very fact that you argue for being more shameless speaks volumes.''
While the two were going at it, Zenos remembered that they weren''t alone.
He looked at his family and then back at Arvell.
Seeing Arvell''s amused smile, he felt a flush of embarrassment.
While his family was normally like this, they wouldn''t act the same in front of guests.
However, they finally saw their missing son after so long.
After bearing those heavy feelings for so long, they finally cut loose.
Not even noticing that they were in the presence of a guest.
After all, their son finally came back after going missing for weeks.
*Ahem*
Zenos lightly coughed, getting everyone''s attention.
"I''d like to introduce someone to you all."
Zenos walked over and put his arm around Arvell''s neck.
Ang''s eyes went wide when she saw Arvell.
She had seen her fair share of handsome men, but they paled inparison to Arvell.
His beauty was in a league of it''s own.
"This is Arvell. He''s the main reason why I managed toe back safely."
Zenos''s words confused everyone there but Rupert and Uriel.
After all, they had already found out about this when they questioned the two earlier.
"He saved you? Not the knight order?" Zen''s father questioned.
Zen nodded his head.
"Yes father, he was the one who rescued me from my kidnappers."
The duke''s face turned grim.
"Follow me to the study."
Chapter 43 Moving Performance
The duke directed them to his study which was on the second floor of the mansion.
While they walked through the hallway, Arvell was able to glimpse at the Silvercolt family''s vast wealth.
''It seems that defending their country during the war has made them quite profitable.''
He could see their house''s crest decorating various tapestries and even a statue of a silver griffin.
It wasn''t long before they reached the study.
Since all the butlers and maids had left them earlier, Rupert had taken the lead and opened the door for the duke.
The group followed the duke and slowly filed into the room.
Ang and Zenos''s mother was still clinging to him as if he would disappear at any moment.
Zenos naturally understood their fears and bore with them.
Even if he was a little embarrassed by their over-the-top affection¡
The duke instructed them all to sit down on the nearby sofas.
Arvell, Rupert and Uriel sat on one side, while Zenos and his family sat on the other.
Zenos felt a little awkward with this seating arrangement.
Since they were going to ask him and Arvell what happened, shouldn''t he be sitting with him?
Ang gripped Zenos''s shoulder harder.
"I''m not letting you escape so quickly Zen!"
His mother, not wanting to be beaten by her daughter, also grabbed Zenos''s arm tighter.
"Neither will I!"
Zenos felt a headachee on.
"Why are you two evenpeting?"
Arvell smiled mischievously.
After Zenos teased him back at the town square, he was finally getting some indirect revenge on him.
Zenos felt even more embarrassed when he saw Arvell''s smile.
He red at Arvell with a beet-red face.
''Just you wait¡ I''ll get you back for this.''
Arvell naturally understood Zenos''s not-so-cryptic message, but he simply shrugged.
After all, he didn''t do anything.
Zenos''s family was more than enough to embarrass him.
*Ahem*
Feeling that this was going off-topic, the duke lightly coughed to get everyone''s attention.
The Duke rose to his feet.
"I am the duke of the Silvercolt Duchy, my name is Wilfried von Silvercolt. The ones seated beside me are my wife Lienna, my daughter Ang, as well as my son Zenos."
Arvell also stood up and bowed.
"My name is Arvell Silvanus. I was raised in Rimel vige, a small vige located a little farther down south from Talion."
Having been raised in the Vispian royal family, Arvell was more than used to noble etiquette.
How to properly speak, as well as how to show respect.
Whilemoners weren''t usually taught this, a few of the ones that learned to read and write also practised etiquette, so as to not offend a noble if they were to meet one perchance.
After all, offending a noble could get you and your entire family killed.
However, no one in the room was paying attention to Arvell''s show of etiquette.
Wilfried looked at Arvell with shock.
"Did you just say you were from Rimel vige? That vige was raided and burned down years ago!"
Arvell solemnly nodded his head.
"My vige was raided and my father was killed¡ Only the women and the children were left alive¡ But even then, we were kidnapped and transported to Vispia as ves."
Arvell gripped his fist tightly, turning his knuckles white.
His eyes burned with rage, and his entire body was shaking.
Even Lykos had to admit that Arvell''s acting abilities were nothing short of impressive.
All he had to do was remember the rage from 5 months ago, and he was more than capable of pulling off an award-winning performance.
Seeing this Wilfried reached out and held the boy''s shoulder in support.
He didn''t know what this boy did to help his son, but knowing that his son''s saviour had gone through such a traumatic experience made him feel an urge to help him.
Arvell''s performance with his innate beauty moved everyone in the room.
Lienna and Ang also felt an urge tofort him.
"It''s all right, you''re safe here. Just take a deep breath and continue at your own pace, after all, there is no rush." The Wilfried reassured.
Arvell nodded his head and took a deep breath to ''calm'' himself down.
"I was separated from my family due to my beauty. I was considered to be one of the most handsome kids in the vige, so I was naturally to be sold at a higher price. I only managed to escape after they let down their guard thinking I was just a kid. I lived in the wilderness for a few years, waiting for a chance to finallye back home."
Everyone in the room felt a burning rage when they heard this.
"How dare those bastards! Trying to sell such a handsome guy as a ve!" Ang rose and shouted in indignation.
Lienna nodded her head in agreement.
"It''s downright inhumane."
Wilfried sighed.
"Don''t interrupt our guest you two."
While he agreed with his wife and daughter, it was still rude to interrupt their guest mid-speech.
Arvell shook his head.
"It''s all right, I don''t mind. I''m thankful you all are getting angry on my behalf. It seems that Zen has a wonderful and caring family."
Arvell''s heartfelt (?) words removed any remaining caution they had towards him.
Lienna stood up and walked towards Arvell and buried his head into her ample chest.
She patted his head soothingly.
"(sob) You are too good for this world¡ Don''t worry, Mother will protect you!"
Zenos looked at Arvell''s situation with a wry smile.
''Don''t underestimate my mother''s motherly instinct. She won''t ever let you go now~''
He had already heard Arvell''s story, so he was not moved to tears like everyone else.
He felt a connection with Arvell if anything.
As someone who underwent the same plight as him.
He watched Arvell''s face flush red with an amused smile andughed silently to himself.
Chapter 44 Something Doesn’t Add Up
Arvell was quite confused with these developments.
''Why is Zen''s mom referring to herself as my mother?''
''You''re his sworn brother now, so doesn''t that make his mom your mom too?'' Lykos teased.
Arvell understood the concept in theory, but¡ He just met the woman today!
How was he supposed to call someone he just met ''mother''?
It seemed his performance was a little too believable¡
Well, what happened, happened.
He needed to deal with the consequences.
"HMMPH!" Arvell struggled.
''I can''t breathe!''
It seemed the consequences for his actions were life threatening¡
Lienna seemed oblivious to Arvell''s plight as she continued to smother him with her chest.
He continued to struggle, but Lienna didn''t seem to notice it.
She was too caught up with her own emotions.
However, lucky for Arvell, Zen came to the rescue.
"Mother, you''re suffocating him!"
Lienna snapped out of her daze and saw Arvell iling around.
She immediately released Arvell and apologized.
"I''m so sorry! I don''t know what came over me!"
Arvell smiled awkwardly and shook his head.
"It''s okay, I could see that you weren''t doing anything to harm me on purpose."
He needed to keep their affinity with him high.
After all, he needed a backer if he wanted to stay safe in the country.
Naturally, this meant he needed to bear this with a smile.
"I''m sorry for my wife''s actions, she can get caught up in her emotions sometimes." Wilfried also apologized.
Feeling the awkward mood in the room, Arvell decided to address the elephant in the room.
He sat back down onto the cushioned sofa.
"Why don''t we discuss what happened with Zen?"
Wilfried and Lienna also sat down in their respective seats and nodded.
"If you don''t mind would you tell us what happened?"
Arvell and Zenos recounted their tale of how Arvell killed the bandits kidnapping Zenos, how they travelled to the Algreppa mountain range, the secret tunnel, and finally how they found Rupert and the others.
After hearing this, Wilfried banged his fist onto the table, carving a sizeable fist-shaped indent into the ebony wood.
"THOSE BASTARDS! THEY KIDNAPPED MY SON AND TRIED TO SELL HIM OFF AS A SLAVE? WHO DO THEY THINK I AM?"
Wilfried was enraged at this revtion.
Since Ang had no desire to be his sessor, the next person in line to inherit his territory was Zenos.
He had lost his eldest son in the war, leaving Zenos and Ang as his only two remaining children.
Now someone tried to take another one of his precious children away from him?
His sessor no less?
Lienna put a hand on top of her husband''s in an attempt to soothe his anger.
However, this didn''t mean she was any better.
In fact, her eyes were aze with rage.
If Arvell hadn''t already killed Zenos''s kidnappers, she might have left right then and there to go finish the job herself.
Ang was in no better condition herself.
She had lost her elder brother, and now her younger one was being turned into a ve for foreign nobles?
There was no way she could tolerate this!
While the Silvercolt family was seething with rage, Rupert suddenly spoke.
"My lord, I feel like this entire scenario seems fishy."
Wilfried looked at Rupert with a confused look.
"What do you mean, Rupert?"
"If the bandits were a group of second and third circle mages who could be taken out by a thirteen-year-old with poison, how could they have managed to attack the young lord''s entourage and kidnap him? The young lord was kidnapped on the way back from visiting his fiance, but howe are the 4th circle knights apanying him were taken out so easily?"
Wilfried nodded his head.
"That is indeed suspicious."
Arvell also agreed with this.
After all, Zenos getting captured by a group of bandits despite being a duke''s son seemed quite confusing to him.
Lienna leaned in and whispered something into Wilfried''s ears.
Arvell with her supernatural hearing still couldn''t hear her whisper.
''They are using wind magic to create an area where sound can''t travel through.'' Lykos exined.
''I see, I guess since they are Zen''s parents, they must also have ess to wind magic, just like him.''
After lienna finished her message, Wilfried''s eyes opened wide in shock.
He looked disbelievingly at his wife.
"Are you sure? You of all people know you can''t say stuff like that lightly!"
Lienna shook her head.
"I am not sure, but it has the highest probability. Think of what would happen if Zenos were to permanently ''go missing''? Wouldn''t that benefit that person the most?"
Wilfried looked downwards and sighed.
"Still¡ while I don''t want to think that is the case after Zenos was kidnapped, I can''t take this lightly anymore."
While Arvell was curious as to what they were discussing, it was too much of an unneeded hassle to worry about their problems.
He had enough of his own.
Wilfried looked at Arvell and bowed his head.
"Thank you for saving my son. You have my eternal gratitude."
Lienna, Ang and Zenos followed suit.
"Thank you very much."
"It''s fine¡ Leaving him to die would have gone against my morals." Arvell replied with a charming smile.
''He''s learning,'' Lykos smiled.
Even though Arvell only raided the bandits for tuition money, he managed to make the entire ordeal look as if it was out of his goodwill.
"I think it''s about time we all went to bed. Our family hasn''t been able to sleep properly ever since Zenos went missing, so perhaps tonight we can finally get a good night''s worth of sleep."
Deciding that it was getting quitete, Wilfried decided that it was time to let everyone go to sleep.
Furthermore Zen and Arvell were visibly exhausted after their travels.
Everyone agreed, and they all left the study.
After they exited the study, Wilfried called over a nearby pce maid to lead Arvell to a vacant room.
Arvell had high expectations for his room, considering this was the mansion of a duke.
The room didn''t disappoint.
It was elegant, to say the least, with silver-white wallpaper that matched Arvell''s hair colour, to the silver griffin insignia sewn onto the curtains.
It was beautiful.
Even if the colour silver was overused quite a bit.
"Sir Arvell, I will excuse myself for now, but if you need anything, just call. Someone will assist you shortly."
"Mmm, thank you"
The maid bowed and exited the room, leaving Arvell on his own.
Chapter 45 The Power Of Charm
After the maid excused herself, Arvell began exploring the room.
A room like this was a foreign, yet nostalgic sight for Arvell.
He didn''t quite like the all-silver colour scheme, but it looked elegant nheless.
Fitting for a duke''s mansion.
He gently ced his bag on the floor and crashed on the bed in exhaustion.
Keeping up a facade in front of the Silvercolts was a tiring task, to say the least.
He would much rather train until he passed out than do this.
Unfortunately for Arvell, earning their support was fundamental for procuring his future in ntrya.
After resting for a couple of minutes, he pushed himself back to his feet.
He wandered through the room, taking in the sights.
He ran his fingers along the surface of the drawer, feeling the hard ebony wood under his finger.
Looking at his finger, he smiled.
''Not even a speck of dust. However, for some reason, Silver and Ebony wood seem to be recurring quite frequently though.''
''Maybe the duke really likes the contrast between the light-silver room and the dark ebony wood? To the point where he made his entire house the same colour scheme?'' Lykos mused.
Arvell let out a small smile.
''Maybe.''
As Arvell explored the room, he stopped in front of a full-length mirror in the corner of the room.
His jaw dropped as he nkly gaped at the mirror.
Or rather, it''s reflection.
''I never got to look at myself using a proper mirror, only using my reflection off of nearbykes and rivers as a reference. But¡ My face¡ It''s so perfect?''
Arvell touched his face and felt his cheek.
It was quite soft and supple, feeling just like that of a woman''s.
He hadn''t cared too much about his appearance since he was living out in the wild for thest 5 months.
Beasts didn''t care about your appearance, only strength mattered.
However, for intelligent species such as humans, looks yed a crucial role in social interactions.
For example, the meeting with the Silvercolts would have gonepletely different had Arvell been a smelly, pot-bellied old man.
They would have been warier of Arvell, treating him with far more vignce.
Instead, they treated him with trust, gratitude, and sympathy.
Even his made-up backstory was quite believable for them.
Such was the power of charm.
Arvell''s mouth curled up as it slowly distorted into an icy smile.
''This wille in handy~''
Seeing Arvell stare so intently at his reflection, Lykos let out a soft chuckle.
''Be careful to not fall in love with yourself! I know it must be hard, but don''t be too narcissistic. Dealing with Narcissists is annoying!''
Arvel sighed.
''Believe me, I know. I understood first hand how hard that is.''
Lykos''s smile twitched.
He could read Arvell''s mind, so he could naturally hear his inner thoughts.
Even those calling him out on his hypocrisy.
Deciding to leave it at that, Arvell backed away from the mirror.
He gave it one more cursory nce, before heading back to the bed.
Grabbing his bag that was lying in the middle of the floor, he brought it over to the drawer.
As he was putting it on the surface, a sh of realization went through Arvell''s mind.
''Shit!''
He hurriedly opened the bag, only to find the egg safe and sound.
Letting out a sigh of relief, he lifted the egg and brought it with him to the bed.
He had forgottenpletely about the egg, with everything that had happened to them in thest few days.
Arvell was far too preupied with keeping Zen and himself alive to notice.
Even after they got rescued, Arvell still had to sneak and heal the girl''s tongue.
He didn''t see any value in helping her, in fact, it might have made them suspicious of him and his powers.
However, he didn''t want to lose sight of who he was.
Arvell grew up hearing tales of those who lost their way in revenge.
Those who let themselves be consumed by their own emotions.
People who were reduced to former shells of themselves.
A shadow of whom they once were.
While he didn''t want to risk his own life for the sake of those he didn''t care about, ignoring a situation where he could help without losing anything?
That would be nothing less than killing any good he had left in him.
The boy who gave alms to the hungry slum kid, even though he was not any better off himself.
That boy would no longer exist.
Arvell Rs Vispia was already considered dead, however, he didn''t want Arvell Silvanus to be gone as well.
He had made sure that none of his actions could be traced back to him, and only after making sure that his n would work did he heal that girl''s tongue.
He had not wanted to further risk himself, but he couldn''t just turn a blind eye.
In short, her bravery moved Arvell.
She willingly tried to kill herself through multiple methods.
First by stabbing her throat, and second by biting her tongue off.
All of this, just to avoid being a toy to those men.
She gritted through the pain and bit her tongue off.
Something that only those with a strong will could pull off.
Arvell felt it was a pity that such a woman would have to suffer for her whole life due to these bastards.
That''s what moved him to heal her.
Against his better judgment.
Luckily that situation was able be diffused properly, however¡
A seed of doubt had been nted in everyone''s minds.
A seed that might one day grow into a thorn in Arvell''s side.
''I guess I just have to get stronger than.'' Arvell smiled.
He wouldn''t run away from his problems but face them head-on.
What if he wasn''t strong enough?
He would buy himself time to get stronger then.
Due to his new body and powers, Arvell couldn''t even begin to fathom his potential.
Or what awe-inspiring might he will possess in the future.
All he needed was time, resources, and a stimulus to get stronger.
Luckily, he already had the stimulus.
Chapter 46 Not Enough Time
Getting abandoned, betrayed and killed was more than enough stimulus for Arvell to get stronger on its own.
However, revenge wasn''t the only thing driving him.
As someone who barely survived the icy hand of death, he started valuing life far more than ever before.
He wanted to experience more precious moments with his loved ones, and spend more time with them.
Arvell wanted to die without regrets next time.
Not wishing he had one more chance to fix everything as he slowly bled out.
He wanted to live a fulfilling life.
One where he wasn''t dictated by those stronger than them.
For that he needed strength.
While he had the drive to get stronger, as well as the potential, he was stillcking in 2 aspects.
Time and Resources.
Arvell already had an idea of how to make money in the future, so getting resources wasn''t a concern for him.
The main concern guing him was time.
He needed to find a way to get stronger without being killed first.
Lykos told Arvell there was a special method he could use to help with this.
Unfortunately, he wasn''t anywhere near strong enough to do it yet.
Bringing Arvell back to square one.
Arvell fell backward on the bed and sighed.
''While getting the backing of the Silvercolt house would help me right now, I might end up on my ownter. Especially if my cover gets blown. If either my powers nor my identity are revealed, I''d hunted by both Vispia and ntrya.''
Arvell''s powers were far too unique to use haphazardly.
This was also one of the main reasons he was limited in his options while he was travelling with Zen.
There were times when Arvell considered just abandoning Zen and travelling on his own.
If he did this, he could use his full strength to his heart''s content.
Furthermore, he wouldn''t need to worry about taking care of an additional person. Especially in life or death scenarios.
Scenarios like the one with the 4th rank beast.
He couldn''t just use any ability other than his Aether abilities that rted to time.
Arvell could at least pass that off as speed enhancement magic.
A sub-species of body-enhancement magic.
Using any other abilities would be far too shy in front of other people.
While he could go all out if there was nobody nearby, he would have to limit himself in front of others.
In order to appear ''normal'' he needed to just stay inconspicuous.
As invisible as possible.
That meant intentionally making himself look normal.
Lykos smiled when he saw Arvell''s thoughts.
''It seems ready for the second lesson.''
''Hmm? You mean you lessons on how to manipte people''s emotions?''
''This isn''t... Really a method to manipte people per se, but it''s quite useful. Especially to someone like you.''
Arvell''s interest was piqued.
''What is it?''
Lykos gave a knowing smile.
''ying the pig to eat the tiger.''
''What? Do you mean I should y weak to kill those stronger than me?''
''Precisely, I knew you''d catch on quick.''
Arvell nodded his head.
''I agree. Inurate information is sometimes, if not almost always worse than no information. If I can make my enemies underestimate me, I could kill even stronger enemies without much difficulty.''
''Be as un-noteworthy as possible,'' Lykos continued, ''Make everyone think your strength is non-existent. Make them feel like you are someone simply not worth their time.''
He would not only not appear conspicuous, but he would also make his enemies underestimate him.
This was simply killing two birds with one stone.
Arvell brought his hand to his chin, rubbing the underside of his chin with his thumb.
''I see. I''ll keep that in mind when I start attending the academy.''
Arvell redirected his attention back at the egg he was holding in his hand.
The once-lustrous golden egg had turned into the ordinary pale white.
Even after Kujak''s death, the illusion persisted.
Arvell could vividly remember that scene that happened only a few days ago.
The ck Dragon Kujak had gone as far as to sacrifice his soul to keep the egg safe.
He threw away his chances of reincarnation, just to protect the egg.
As if this egg''s survival was far more important than his existence as a whole.
Seeing this disy, Arvell would be lying if he said that the creature in the egg didn''t pique his curiosity.
Perhaps this egg was Kujak''s child?
It would make sense that he begged Arvell to take care of it before dying.
Parents often do go to extreme lengths to ensure the safety of their children.
As Arvell had sworn to Kujak, he had kept the egg safe.
There was not even a scratch on it.
However, that was more of a testament to the shell''s hardness.
Arvell ran his cream-coloured fingers along with the white shell.
''Dragon eggs feelpletely different from normal eggs. It feels like I''m touching cold steel.''
Lykos''s eyes widened.
''What did you just think?''
''I just thought that it feels like I''m touching cold steel. Why are you making me repeat my thoughts? You can hear them loud and clear even if you don''t want to.''
Lykos furiously shook his head.
''This is bad! Very Bad!''
Arvell sat up and threw Lykos a confused look.
''Are you ok Lykos? What''s ''bad''? Is something wrong?''
''Arvell we have a problem¡ That egg might be dying¡ If it isn''t dead already.''
Chapter 47 Life Manipulation
Arvell''s eyes went wide as he was processing Lykos''s words.
''Are you sure?''
Lykos grimly nodded his head.
Pulling the egg close to his ear, Arvell tried to hear for any signs of life.
*badump badump*
''Phew, It''s still alive, but the heartbeat felt quite weak.''
They both breathed out sighs of relief.
Perhaps they could somehow fix this?
Arvell started brainstorming ways to deal with their current scenario.
''Eggs need to be incubated by a parent, namely the mother¡ But, we don''t know where either of them even are¡ If they are even still alive that is. We need to find a heat source, but I can''t manipte heat¡ Should I ask the duke? Perhaps he knows some people who can help.''''
Lykos suddenly interrupted Arvell''s train of thought
''You know there is a much simpler way right?''
Arvell looked at Lykos questioningly.
''A simpler way? What would that be?''
''You quite literally have the ability to manipte life, surely someone like you can figure it out?''
In a moment of realization, Arvell eye''s widened before he nodded.
''I see. You''re proposing that I inject my Nether into the egg, and give its lifeforce a kickstart.''
Lykos gave a small smile.
Arvell immediately started injecting hisher reserves into the egg, filling it with as much life energy as he could use.
He could slowly begin to feel a hint of warmth emanating from the egg, showing that his n was working.
After about 10 minutes of consistently filling the egg with Nether, Arvell copsed onto his back.
He was desperately gasping for air while drenched in his overflowing sweat.
Slowly bringing the egg near him, Arvell put it next to his ear.
*BADUMP BADUMP*
''It worked!''
The egg felt considerably warmer than before, and its heartbeat was also many times louder and stronger than before.
Lykos nodded his head.
''Why go about using roundabout methods such as incubation, when you can just inject the egg with life? This method is far more simpler and effective.''
Arvell let out a small chuckle.
''You forget that I''m the only one who can do that. At least to my knowledge.''
Lykos had a conflicted look on his face, but it onlysted for a fraction of a second.
Not even Arvell, who was too busy looking at the egg in his hand noticed it.
After lying down for a while, Arvell got up and ced the egg back into his bag.
''I''ll check on it again in the morning.''
He walked over to the full-length mirror.
[Inventory]
Arvell reached into his inventory and pulled out the Hasty Iron sword.
Taking a few steps away from the mirror, he shed down.
*WOOSH*
Arvell pulled his sword and assumed another striking posture.
This time he thrust directly forwards.
*WOOSH*
Following that he swung his sword again, however, it was a horizontal sh.
The widest space in the room was directly in front of the mirror.
Something Arvell used to his advantage when practising his swordsmanship.
He didn''t have a proper mirror before, so he couldn''t quite see the minute details he was making.
While Lykos was able to give him helpful pointers, being unable to even see his ws for himself was definitely a problem for Arvell.
Arvell had travelled the full day and even exhausted hisher supply to stabilize the egg''s condition.
He was simply in no condition to train.
That didn''t stop Arvell though.
''The best way to get stronger is to push my limits!''
''While that is true, normally it would do you more harm than good if you overexert yourself. Fortunately, you can just heal yourself if it gets too bad.''
Arvell smirked.
Nether maniption was quite a handy power.
Especially for training junkies like him.
He could train to his heart''s content, heal, and then train some more.
That kind of power would be a dreame true for training addicts.
Especially considering that he could save so much time waiting for his body to recover energy on its own.
Pushing one''s limits to get stronger was a proven fact, but there was a thin line between help and harm.
The option to heal himselfpletely negated the potential harm that could be done to his body, if he chose to push himself too far.
''My posture is a bit off. My Legs are a little bit crooked. My arm is bending too far.''
Arvell began noting down every single mistake he saw himself making, and was able to correct his swordsmanship in real-time.
While it wasn''t easy to fix most of his bad habits, he was able to work towards eliminating as many as possible.
There was a qualitative difference between hearing about what you needed to work on and seeing it for yourself.
Lykos taught Arvell what he considered to be the ''basics'' of swordsmanship.
He wanted Arvell to develop his own unique swordsmanship.
One that was unique to him, and him alone.
A swordsmanship that would be perfect for him.
Arvell after all was not Lykos, so their fighting styles were not the same.
Arvell relied on using his brain, while Lykos''s swordsmanship was designed to overwhelm enemies with superior technique and raw power.
In short, it wasn''t suited for Arvell''s fighting style.
Hence Lykos decided to take a more hands-off approach with Arvell''s training, letting his sessor follow his own unique path.
This was only for the basics, however.
Lykos still wanted to pass on the entirety of his god-ying swordsmanship techniques to Arvell.
Being a thirteen-year-old child with only a 1st circle Aether Core, and 1st Refinement Nether Body, there was only so much he could aplish.
Dimension sh was only the first stance, and using it just once is enough for Arvell to almostpletely run out of energy.
If he couldn''t even properly use the first stance, using the others in his current state was a pipe dream.
Continuing to swing his sword for another hour, Arvell finally decided to call it a night.
He was beyond exhausted at this point, so instead of properly tucking himself in, he just simply crashed onto the bed.
Not too long after Arvell fell asleep, his bag shook ever so slightly.
*Crack*
Chapter 48 Golden Baby
*Lick*
"Stop tickling me¡ I just want to sleep for a bit longer."
"Kyuu?"
"Yes me¡ Let me sleep."
"KYUU!"
*THUMP*
"AHHHH"
Arvell woke up in a shock, feeling a pain radiate from his abdomen.
Groggily reaching down to feel his abdomen, his finger brushed past something else.
The texture felt quite scaly as if he was petting a lizard-like beast.
''What''s this?''
He moved his hand back to the scaly object, but after he touched it, it suddenly moved.
Now instead of feeling a scaly texture, all he could feel was a soft slimy piece of flesh.
Arvell sat up in visible confusion, only to find a small golden lizard liking his fingers with an innocent look on its face.
As if noticing Arvell was looking, it looked back at him.
"Kyuu?"
''Wait¡ This ''Lizard'' has wings¡ Is it a?''
''Yes. It''s a dragon. Namely, the dragon who resided in the egg that Kujak left for you to take care of.'' Lykos answered.
Lykos was just as astonished as Arvell when he saw this dragon.
However, the reason for his astonishment was slightly different from Arvell''s.
''What are the odds that this happened? Of all things¡''
Lykos thought to himself for a moment, while Arvell was trying to process the current situation.
''Lykos, Why did it hatch so soon? It was almost dying yesterday?''
Snapping out of his reverie, Lykos shed a knowing smile.
''You underestimate the power of Nether. That and this egg was already bound to hatch any day now. Its hatching was probably dyed due to theck of natural warmth. Now that it got a dose of Nether, It should be fine now.''
''I see¡ Well, it''s a good thing that it was able to survive. Kujak''s sacrifice might not have been in vain then.''
Arvell slowly brought his hand near the golden dragon, and gently touched its cheek.
"Kyuu!"
The golden dragon affectionately rubbed Arvell''s finger with its cheek, as if enjoying Arvell''s touch.
''What''s the deal with this dragon? It seems quite overly friendly.''
Arvell didn''t particrly mind the tant affection this dragon was showing him, but this felt quite weird for him.
The dragon just met him, and it was already treating him like a valued family member.
It felt quite awkward for Arvell, who preferred to be detached from others.
However, he didn''t have the heart to push away the newborn dragon.
Also, he made a promise to Kujak, pledging to take care of the dragon.
If they were going to be together for a while, they might as well get along.
If the dragon was taking the initiative to make a positive rtionship with him, who was he to refuse?
''I don''t get it, why does this dragon seem to like me so much?''
''I believe it''s one of two options or both.'' Lykos proposed.
''What two options?''
''One: It thinks your its parent, and two: It knows you were the one to save its life.''
Arvell raised an eyebrow questioningly.
''It was only born not too long ago¡ I think? I don''t know the specific time, but that''s beside the point. How would it even know?''
Lykos had a conflicted expression on his face before he responded.
''Dragons have always been being with extraordinary senses. It probably felt the Nether energy that saved its life, and the Nether energy within you is the same.''
''Is that even possible? Can''t you only sense Aether and Nether if you can use them?''
Arvell was in disbelief at Lykos''s words.
Was the dragon race also capable of Aether or Nether maniption?
Maybe even both?
Understanding Arvell''s confusion, Lykos shook his head.
''It''s not what you think, dragons can''t use Aether and Nether. Their senses are just extraordinary.''
Arvell breathed out a sigh of relief.
''That''s good.''
Arvell frankly didn''t want toe in contact with another Aether/Nether wielder anytime soon.
He would much rather fight them when he was on a more even ying field.
That, and the fact that fighting someone else who might have these powers would be the equivalent to willingly killing himself.
He only had ess to these powers for 5 months, and he didn''t even actively increase his Nether Body refinement and Aether Core power stage.
Arvell was far too busy learning Alchemy, his skills, and swordsmanship.
He didn''t actively spend that much time properly increasing his strength, but focused more on his core fundamentals.
Lykos warned Arvell about the dangers of having a shaky foundation, especially when he was stronger.
Instead of rushing through his refinement and power levels earlier on, only to crash and burn, Arvell took a more slow and steady approach.
When he does finally solidifies his fundamentals, Arvell would be able to shoot through the ranks much faster.
That was the ideal oue Lykos and he had hoped for.
While Arvell was deep in thought, he heard a knocking on his door.
"Guest Arvell, would you like toe for breakfast?" A voice softly asked.
Arvell could recognize that this voice belonged to the maid who led him to his room yesterday.
"I''ll be there shortly" Arvell responded.
As soon as he heard the maid walking away, Arvell lifted the dragon sitting on hisp.
The dragon offered no resistance, to the point where it was willing to let Arvell pick it up.
''So¡ What do I do about this? Hiding a normal dragon won''t be easy, much less one a shiny golden one¡"
Chapter 49 Handling Children
As Arvell was mulling over what he needed to do, a certain memory passed through his head.
Namely Kujak''sst moments.
''Didn''t Kujak say he would give this dragon the ability to use illusions to hide itself?''
Lykos nodded his head solumnly.
''That''s correct. After all, in order to pass on this specific power to this baby, he sacrificed his soul.''
Arvell looked at the dragon in his hands inquisitively.
"Use an illusion."
He tried to give it some kind of verbal instruction, trying his luck to see if it could understand him.
"Kyuu?"
Sadly this didn''t seem to work.
"Come on use an illusion!"
He tried tomunicate with the dragon, but nothing seemed to work.
Trying tomunicate with a newborn was quite difficult after all.
They didn''t understand anynguage, nor could they properly express themselves with words.
Parenting wasn''t this easy.
''Arvell calm down. Agitating the baby would only do more harm than good.''
Arvell put the baby dragon back onto the bed.
''What do we do then? We can''t just have it roaming around looking like that. It''s far too eyecatching''
The little dragon was around the length of Arvell''s arm, with lustrous golden scales.
The dragon had thin wings sprouting out of it''s back, which was also coated with these golden scales.
It''s eyes were an illustrious azure colour, which shone like sapphires.
This dragon was captivating to say the least.
There was absolutely no way he could just sneak it around without it being seen.
He either needed to get it to somehow get it to use it''s illusion ability or hide it.
Hiding it was pretty hard as well, since Arvell wasn''t sure if it would willingly let him hide it.
Children were quite curious by nature and hated to be kept in one location.
If Arvell tried to hide it, it would most likely it would get bored and wander off.
If he tried to lock it up, it would most certainly cry and make noise, which would draw attention from others.
Furthermore¡ Locking up children left a sour taste in Arvell''s mouth.
They just dealt with ve traders after all.
Locking up a newborn the same day the human traffickers were being judged for their crimes was kind off¡ Hypocritical?
Arvell of course didn''t care about being or not being hypocritical.
It was more of the fact that he didn''t find the heart to lock the baby dragon up.
Arvell didn''t want it to feel like he betrayed it or anything like that.
He didn''t want to destroy it''s innocence so soon.
Lykos watched the scene y out with great interest.
''This child already made it into his closed off heart? This was an unexpected development¡ To think someone he just met would be able to break through the walls he put around his heart¡''
Arvell sat down on the bed and brought the dragon back onto hisp.
He slowly stroked the dragon''s back with his left arm.
An action that the baby dragon seemed to enjoy very much.
"Kyuu~"
Reclining on Arvell''sp it brought it softly purred as Arvell continued to stroke it.
''If only I could disguise this dragon as a beast, I could pass myself off as a beast tamer... Wait¡ Beast tamer? Maybe ''that'' might work!''
Arvell suddenly stood up in a moment of enlightenment, startling the golden dragon.
It quickly jumped off of Arvell''sp.
"KYUU?"
Arvell looked at the panicked dragon with a guilty smile.
"Sorry¡"
"Kyuu¡"
Seeing that everything was alright, the dragon jumped off the bed and nuzzled against Arvell''s leg.
As if demanding more of his attention.
Unfortunately, Arvell was too busy have a mental conversation with Lykos to properly notice it.
''-So that''s what I think would be the best course of action.'' Arvell exined.
Lykos rubbed his chin while deep in thought.
''That should theorertically work¡ But are you sure you want to do this? You can''t go back on ur decisionter. At least without facing repercussions.''
Arvell thought for a moment before nodding his head.
''I don''t want to break my promise. This is the least I can do for Kujak after looting his corpse.''
Arvell still had a guilty conscious for taking parts of Kujak''s corpse, but he didn''t want to throw away a golden opportunity to get stronger.
Taking care of this baby was the least he could do.
Arvell bent down and picked up the golden dragon.
''I just hope the little one won''t resist. After all, the process will only work if the baby dragon consents wholeheartedly to this.''
Lykos shook his head.
''I don''t think thats a worthwhile concern. From what I''ve seen, this dragon is quite attached to you. It might even be overly attached to you, treating you like it''s own parent.''
With a jolt of realization, Lykos mouth curved up into a teasing smile.
''If you''re technically something like my son, and he treats you like a parent¡''
Arvell felt beads of sweat rolling down his neck.
''Lykos¡ We both know what your thinking right now¡ Do us a favour and keep it to yourself. Please¡ Don''t make this weird.''
Sadly Arvell''s heartfelt pleas were tantly ignored.
''I guess this dragon is my new grandchild? To think¡ You would have a child at the age of 13! Don''t worry I won''t judge!''
Veins bulged on Arvell''s forehead.
''Can''t you keep your thoughts to yourself? Why? Why do you need keep doing this?''
''Your reaction makes it all worthwhile~ However, you shouldn''t be worried about me. Your future marriage prospects seem to be in a far worse state. Marrying someone who is already a father is a turnoff for quite a few women. However, you do have an amazing appearance, only second to mine¡ I guess you''ll probably be fine!''
Arvell sighed.
He learned from experience to just ignore Lykos when he got like this.
It was moments like these which shattered any admiration Arvell had for him.
''Sigh¡ Lets just start the process. We don''t have much time.''
Lykos''s teasing smile disspeard as if it never existed.
''Ok. You need to do-''
Lykos told Arvell what he needed to do.
Arvell nodded his head and picked up the dragon.
He bit a portion of his finger, allowing a fresh stream of blood to flow.
Looking at the dragon, Arvell opened his mouth wide.
He pointed to his mouth a few times, which seemed to draw the dragon''s attention.
It looked curiously at Arvell and tilted it''s head.
"Kyuu?"
Arvell kept repeatedly pointing to his mouth, while opening and closing it a few times.
It tried to mimic Arvell, opening it''s mouth wide as well.
Before it could close it''s mouth again, Arvell quickly put his finger into it''s mouth, letting his blood flow into it''s mouth.
The dragon was quite perplexed with Arvell''s actions and curiously licked his finger, tasting a somewhat sweet metallic vour in it''s mouth.
Arvell closed his eyes, and followed Lykos''s instructions.
It took a few minutes before Arvell heard another voice echo in his mind.
''Kyuu?''
Chapter 50 August
''It worked!'' Arvell rejoiced.
He turned to look at the baby dragon.
''Jump up in the air once.''
The baby dragon bent its knees before jumping upwards.
After itnded back on its feet it looked at Arvell expectantly.
Arvell smiled gently and patted its head.
''Good job.''
The little dragon purred contently.
''Kyuu!''
It seemed that listening to the white-haired man earned it more head pats!
The dragon wanted more headpats¡
Looking at Arvell, it stared intently as if asking for its next tasks.
It will get more headpats!
Noticing its eager gaze, Arvell wanted to try his original goal once more.
''Cast an illusion on yourself.''
While the little dragon was unable to understand Arvell''s words, his intent was directly conveyed to it.
The little dragon scrunched up its face as it focused single-mindedly on using illusion magic.
"KYUUUU!!!"
White-coloured mist started forming around the dragon, covering it from head to toe.
The mist gradually thickened, going frompletely see-through topletely opaque.
The colour of the mist changed as well.
It went from a see-through white topletely pitch-ck.
Even with his enhanced sight, Arvell was unable to see the dragon anymore.
After a moment, the mist started receding, leaving only a confused-looking ck fox.
"Kyuu?"
The fox looked down at its body and went into a panic.
Its body went from gold to ck!
Noticing a short fluff of ck on its right-hand side, the fox tried to catch it.
Unfortunately, this fluff was one step of it, no matter how hard it tried, it couldn''t catch it.
While the fox kept itself busy chasing its tail, Arvell was marvelling at its new appearance.
''I don''t see any ws! I can''t believe forming a pact even worked like this.
Weren''t dragonkin different from beasts?''
Lykos simply shrugged his shoulders.
''There are many things in this world you can''t exin with your limited knowledge.''
The two of them had tried to form a taming contract with the little dragon.
Normally beast tamers used these pacts to be able to bettermunicate with their beast.
This connection worked simr to Arvell and Lykos''s only on a more superficial level.
By using blood as a catalyst, they could form a connection between their two souls, allowing them tomunicate with each other mentally.
However, this kind of contract is only possible if both parties are willing.
It can''t be one-sided.
While it could be said Arvell made use of the young dragon''s innocence and naivety to form a contract with it, Arvell didn''t do it with impure intentions.
Nor did he have any desire to cause harm to the newborn dragon.
He did this purely for mutual benefit.
Furthermore, most beast summoners formed contracts with beasts when they were young and less aggressive.
They would slowly build kinship while letting the beast grow older, resulting in them beingpletely loyal to their respective tamer when they grew up.
The fox teetered back and forth before copsing onto the ground.
It gently panted for air as ity sprawled on its back.
''Sigh¡ To think it got dizzy and copsed while chasing its tail.'' Arvell sighed.
He squatted down beside the fox and picked it up, cradling it in his arms.
Arvell began walking to the door, before Lykos''s apparition stopped right in front of him.
''Hmm? Do you want something Lykos?''
Lykos gave Arvell a deadpan gaze.
''Are you doing this right now?''
Arvell was visibly confused.
''What do you mean?''
Lykos face palmed and sighed.
''This child was just born not too long ago. Are you just going to call him ''dragon'' for the rest of his life? Give him a name for crying out loud!''
Realizing Lykos had a point, Arvell embarrassingly nodded his head.
''What do you think we should name it?''
''You''re the one it has a connection with, not me. It''s only fitting that you are the one who names it.''
Realizing he had a point, Arvell nodded.
''That does make sense¡''
Arvell began brainstorming ideas for names.
After much deliberation, Arvell''s eyes widened in realization.
''Why not call it goldie? It''s gold right?''
Lykos visibly cringed.
''Sigh¡ I had forgotten since the incident with Sepis and Nord, but damn your naming sense utterly sucks.''
Lykos recalled back to when Arvell had first created the 2 skeletons.
He wanted to call them Overpowered Skeleton 1 and 2.
Simply since they were better than ordinary skeletons.
His naming sense was so bad, that it was reminiscent of a certain cksmith.
If it wasn''t for Lykos''s intervention, things would have turned outpletely terrible in the future.
Instead of striking fear into his enemies, they would be either confused or would simplyugh at the two skeletons.
Veins bulged on Arvell''s forehead.
''Nord''s name doesn''t strike fear into the hearts of his enemies! It''s not that different!''
Lykos felt offended.
''Nord terrified the bandits!'' Lykos pointed out.
''That''s only because they didn''t hear his name!'' Arvell countered.
"KYUUUU!"
Hearing a series of voices echo in its head, the fox desperately clutched its head in an effort to make it stop.
Since it was connected to Arvell''s mind, it could hear Lykos as well.
This many voices in someone''s head would drive anyone crazy, much less a newborn.
Hearing its pained cries, Arvell and Lykos stopped their squabble and looked at the fox who was trembling in Arvell''s arms.
''Sorry,'' the two of them unanimously apologized.
Lifting its head the dragon looked at Arvell with a tearful look.
''Kyuu?''
''Don''t worry we''re done¡'' Arvell guiltily apologized.
Realizing he had gotten sidetracked again, he decided toe up with a better name.
One that the dragon could proudly call itself in the future.
Arvell gazed down at the little fox in his arms.
He gave it a conflicted look.
''So¡ What gender is this dragon anyways?''
Lykos almost facepalmed.
''Did you not bother to notice? Is getting stronger the only thing you care about? You''re being far too rxed with all of this! This child deserves better!''
''But¡ Getting stronger is the most important thing¡''
''That doesn''t mean you can just ignore everything else!''
''Fine¡'' Arvell reluctantly nodded.
''Sigh¡ It''s a boy, so don''t go giving it a girl name.''
Arvell nodded once more.
Arvell pondered for a minute before he gave Lykos another name.
Instead of giving Lykos another deadpan look, Lykos instead had a somewhat bitter smile.
''I feel like you could do better, but It''s far better than your other names.''
Arvell lifted the fox and held it by its arms in front of his face.
"From now on you will be August."
Chapter 51 First Bath
After the three of them had finished sorting out August''s name, Arvell put August onto the silver carpet and walked over to the bathroom.
Since this was a duke''s mansion, the entire estate was quite developed in terms of amenities.
They even had a bathtub in the corner that had taps with running hot water.
While normal citizens had to go to public bathhouses, or use personally drawn water from a local water source to bathe, through the use of beast cores and inscribed magic spells, mages were able to create running hot water.
They took a beast core from an aquatic beast and engraved it with a simple spell to produce water, before putting it behind a beast core taken from a beast capable of using fire.
Engraving the beast core with a spell to produce warmth, the produced water would be warmed to the desired temperature.
Naturally, this discoverypletely shook the world, making those select few mages incredibly rich.
Selling their inventions to nobles was an excellent way to earn money after all.
People who had too much money were the ones who tended to spend more on personal luxury.
Why not enjoy benefits if you had the money?
While these nobles had to rece their beast cores every few months or years due to them running out of energy, they felt that it was still worth it.
Once you experience a nice warm bath, you can''t simply go back.
Arvell wholeheartedly agreed with this.
He had missed having warm baths when he was living out in the wilderness.
Plunges in the coldkes and rivers had be his norm.
If he hadn''t forgotten about the fact that the duke''s ce had warm baths, he would have taken onest night as well.
He wasn''t really dirty, even after their trip, since he had quickly washed before they set off yesterday.
If he wanted to meet the duke, there was no way he would poorly present himself.
First impressions were quite important after all.
As the water began filling the tub, Arvell took off his clothes and slid into the bath with August in his arms.
After removing his shirt, Arvell''s two mismatched wings sprung out, extending outwards.
''It''s been a while since I could properly stretch my wings,'' he smiled to himself.
August had dispelled his illusion since Arvell told him he could, returning him into his golden dragon form.
Hey curled up on Arvell''s tummy, enjoying the feeling of warmth that Arvell provided.
It was quite rxing for August, making him feel safe and at home.
¡Which was why he didn''t see the rising water until it was toote.
"KYUUUUUU!!!"
August went into a panic when the warm water touched his scales, and tried to jump out of the tub before it could get him any wetter.
''Come on August, It''s just a bath! There''s nothing to be worried about!''
Arvell tried to convey to August that it was in no harm, but the baby dragon was far too panicked to listen to him.
August didn''t know what that warm wet stuff was, but it didn''t want any more of it!
Arvell quickly grabbed August and hugged him tightly, before letting the warm water warm him up.
August closed his eyes tightly in fear.
As the warm water washed slowly over him, August quivered in fear.
Why was this man making him do this?
Was something bad going to happen?
However, unexpectedly nothing happened to August.
In fact¡ The water felt kind of good¡
"See, It''s perfectly fine!" Arvell reassured.
August slowly opened his eyes, and moved his wed hand through the water, causing a small disturbance on the water''s surface.
His eyes lit up as he put his hand back into the water, but this time he yfully pped the water.
A small spurt of water shot out and hit Arvell square in the face.
*Ptooey*
Arvell coughed out some water that made it up to his nose, before turning his gaze to the dragon who was throwing him an apologetic gaze.
Through his contract, he could tell the dragon felt sorry for what it had done.
It could feel that Arvell wasn''t too happy when he identally inhaled some water.
Arvell''s frown broke into a soft smile before he sshed the baby dragon back in retaliation.
It was August''s turn to be bewildered now, however it took Arvell''s actions as a deration of war.
The two of them began spraying each other with water, spilling a sizeable amount of it onto the floor as well.
Lykos watched the two y with a content smile.
''Instead of a father and son, these two are more like siblings¡'' He mused.
If Lykos was, to be honest, he was a little surprised when he saw Arvell''s smile.
After all¡ Unlike his usual fake smiles, this time, it was genuine.
The kind of smile he would only ever show to Lykos himself, as he was one of the few people Arvell could actually open up to.
This could only mean one thing.
He hadpletely opened up to August.
''Hopefully, Arvell can open up more in the future¡ Maybe he could even ovee his inner demons¡''
Chapter 52 Mirror Dragon
Arvell and August got out of the tub a few minutester, bathed in a rich afterglow.
Grabbing a towel hanging on a nearby rack, Arvell quickly dried himself off.
As he was reaching over to August to dry him off as well, August suddenly shook his whole body, causing water droplets to fly everywhere.
Including on Arvell¡
However, instead of being annoyed, Arvell started chuckling and began removing any remaining droplets on August with the towel in his hand.
After he managed to dry himself off once more, Arvell walked out of the bathroom and started putting on a different pair of clothes, while tossing his used ones back into his bag.
Walking over to the full-length mirror, he started fixing his hair.
He was still in a duke''s house, so his manner of presenting himself was quite important
While Arvell was fussing over his appearance, August watched him with a curious gaze.
Wanting to see what Arvell was staring so fixated at, August waddled towards him.
August popped his head in front of the full-length mirror and saw a little golden dragon staring back at him
"KYUUU???"
August cried out in shock.
Where had this creaturee from?
Why was it suddenly in front of him?
What shocked August the most was the fact that the strange dragon seemed to scream back as well.
August jumped in fright and ran to hide between Arvell''s legs.
Once he knew he was safe, August took a cursory nce back at the strange dragon, only to find it also hiding behind someone''s legs!
Maybe¡ Maybe the strange dragon wasn''t scary!
Maybe that strange dragon was just like him!
August slowly took a step forward and saw the other dragon do the same.
He walked up to the other strange dragon and tried to touch it with his ws.
Unexpectedly August didn''t feel the other dragon''s scales, but instead a smooth surface.
''Kyuu?''
What was this?
August walked around the mirror and noticed that the strange dragon wasn''t on the other side.
Was the strange dragon inside of this box?
Maybe it was trapped!
It needed help!
August ran up to Arvell and restlessly wed at his ankles.
''Is something wrong Aug?''
Arvell found August liked the nickname ''Aug'' so he decided to keep it.
Giving August a nickname made Arvell feel closer to the young dragon as well.
While August was still unable to properly speak, it was still able to convey its intentions to Arvell through their connection.
Hearing August''s desire to ''rescue'' the dragon trapped in the mirror, Arvell let out a soft chuckle.
Even Lykos let out a smallugh.
''Aug, there''s no dragon trapped in there.''
August looked at Arvell with a perplexed look, before looking back at the dragon in the mirror.
What was he talking about?
There was a dragon right there!
It was even looking back at them
Deciding that it was better to show August, Arvell picked up August and brought him onto his shoulder.
''Take a look now.''
August looked back at the mirror, and noticed something strange¡
The strange dragon was still there¡
But¡
There was another Arvell?
Why were there 2 Arvells?
Were there more Arvells in the world?
How many were there?
Feeling August waspletely misunderstanding the current situation due to his inexperience with the world, Arvell decided to make it a bit easier on the newborn dragon.
''Those people in the mirror are us. This object shows the appearance of whoever looks into it.'' Arvell exined.
August was still a little unconvinced.
Why did they look so real then?
Arvell raised his hand, and the mirror Arvell did the same.
''See? You can try for yourself.''
Following Arvell''s prompt, August also tried lifting its hand.
The mirror dragon did the same.
August''s eyes widened with realization.
It hopped off Arvell''s shoulder and began looking at itself in the mirror, getting familiar with its appearance.
While this was happening, a knocking sound rang out from the other end of the room.
Namely from the other side of the door.
"Guest Arvell, breakfast is ready anytime you wish toe."
"Thank you, I''ll be there shortly," clearing his throat, Arvell responded.
Sometimes using his mouth for talking felt weird, especially after using his mental connection for extended periods.
Arvell was afraid he might start a conversation with someone one day, only to realize it was all in his mind.
That would be embarrassing¡
Arvell finished fixing up his appearance, before turning back to August who was still fascinated with his appearance in the mirror.
''Aug, can you cast an illusion? We need to go now.''
Nodding his head, August brunched up his eyebrows and soon mist clouds rolled in, covering August from head to toe.
The mist clouds changed colour, going from white to pitch-ck.
Shortly afterwards the ck mist began to recede, leaving only a cute ck fox.
''Come on, let''s get going.''
Without giving August a chance to admire his new appearance, Arvell picked up August and put him on his shoulder.
"Let''s go have some breakfast."
Chapter 53 Breakfast With The Silvercolts
Arvell opened the door of his room and confidently stepped outside.
He was dressed in what would be called casual attire, but it was the best of what he had avable.
It was a simple white tunic with sandals.
While the attire made him appear like amoner, his natural physical appearance was able topensate for it.
Arvell didn''t have any actual formal attire remaining, especially since he pawned it all off for money back in Talmek 5 months ago.
He mostly had clothes that were easy to move in and maintain, since he didn''t have the luxury of constantly tending to his clothes in the wilderness.
? He rarely stayed in any nearby town for more than a day, and that was only to drop off any kidnapped people he had managed to rescue.
He did spend a portion of the money he took from some of the bandits to buy himself a few more clothes, but as the white tunic he was currently wearing, they were not formal attire.
Either way, it didn''t take much to make Arvell shine, so he didn''t spend too much time or brainpower on it.
He would rather spend that time training.
The maid standing near his doorway bowed upon seeing Arvell exit his room.
"Good morning guest Arvell, I pray you had a good sleepst night."
Arvell nodded his head.
"Thank you,st night I was indeed able to sleep quite well."
"I am happy to hear that."
The maid stopped bowing and stood up straight.
"The Duke and his family are expecting you for breakfast. Shall I lead you to the dining room?"
"That would be much appreciated."
The maid bowed once more before leading Arvell down the hallway.
They passed by a series of paintings disying men who looked simr to the current duke.
''Those must be the previous heads¡'' Arvell thought to himself.
While stronger mages were able to live longer in general, the Silvercolt heads were all most likely 5th circle mages.
Pushing their lifespan to its utmost limit, they would be able to squeeze out around 400-500 years.
That was also assuming they didn''t die prematurely.
For a kingdom as old as ntrya, which spanned tens of thousands of years, this meant that there were countless family heads over the years.
Especially for the Silvercolt family, which served as both the shield that protected ntrya from Vispia, as well as the spear that would invade Vispia if the chance ever arose.
Their family had gone through many trials and tribtions over the years, losing countless heads in wars and disputes.
It seemed this wall was built tomemorate them.
''Hmm, I can see the uncanny resemnce. Zen will probably look like this when he''s older.'' Lykosmented.
The maid led them down a stairway and then through another hallway, before stopping promptly in front of the door at the end of the hall.
She opened the door for Arvell and bowed once more.
"We have arrived. I wish you a pleasant meal."
Arvell thanked her for guiding him before he stepped into the room.
He could see Zen and his family sitting around a long dining table, with Wilfried at the head.
To his left, Ang and Zen were seated, while Lienna sat to his right.
As Arvell walked into the room he was greeted by everyone at the table.
"Good morning Arvell, did you sleep okay?" Wilfried inquired.
"Yes lord Duke, I was able to have a pleasant sleepst night."
Wilfried smiled contently.
"That''s good to hear."
Noticing the ck fox on Arvell''s shoulder Zen looked at Arvell with a confused look.
"Arvell where did you find that ck fox? You didn''t have it before?"
Arvell grinned.
"Remember that time I told you I found a beast egg? It was only a few days ago."
Zen nodded his head.
"Yeah, I remember you saying something like that. Did that fox beast hatch out of that egg?"
Arvell nodded his head.
Zen gave Arvell a puzzled look.
"When did that happen?"
"Actually¡ He hatched when I was still sleepingst night."
Arvell patted August''s head lightly.
"I woke up to this little guy happily licking my face."
"Kyuuuu!"
August purred when Arvell began patting his head.
"Oh yeah, he seems to like headpats for some reason," Arvell exined.
Ang suddenly shot up and walked towards Arvell with an odd glint in her eyes.
Arvell involuntarily took a step back when she approached him.
Arvell felt some instinctual response to back away when he saw Ang like this.
"H-hey¡ Arvell? C-Can I pet him?"
Arvell looked at Ang and breathed out a sigh of relief.
It seemed she just wanted to pet August.
Lifting August, he passed him to Ang.
"He''s so cute!" Ang began to stroke August''s back with zeal, "Did you give him a name yet?"
Arvell gave a proud smile.
"His name is August."
As if in response to hearing his name, August responded with a resounding "Kyuuu!"
Ang smiled as she pet August.
"So your name is August? That''s a wonderful name."
While Wilfried and Lienna nodded in agreement Zen had a somewhat suspicious look etched on his face.
''Arvell surely didn''t just name him August since he was born in August right? Surely it must be just a coincidence. Arvell wouldn''t be sozy with making a name.''
Zen shook off those thoughts and watched his elder sister happily stroke August''s back with an ecstatic face.
Their dad had promised her a contracted beast before they started their academy year.
Even though it was only a few more days until she could receive her own, she was quite ecstatic to hold a contracted beast in her hands.
At least she assumed August was contracted.
He was far too tame to be a wild beast after all.
Seeing everyone energetically watching August, Wilfried cleared his throat to get everyone''s attention.
"A-Ahem"
Everyone turned to look at him, including August who curiously lifted his head.
"Why don''t you take a seat next to Zen, Arvell? I''ll tell the chefs to prepare some food for August as well."
Arvell nodded and took August back from an unwilling Ang.
"You can y with him again after breakfast," Arvell reassured.
Ang nodded and walked back to her seat, while Arvell also walked to his.
After the two of them sat down, the doors burst open as a line of chefs rolled in various delicacies that made Arvell''s mouth water.
''How I missed having properly cooked dishes!''
Chapter 54 Part Of The Family
Once the chefs ced the food on the table, Zen and Arvell began scarfing down the food.
While they still paid attention to their table etiquette, they couldn''t hide their tion at being able to taste properly cooked food.
After eating roasted meat and fruits, having prepared meals was an exhrating experience for them.
Lienna watched Zen eat with a bittersweet smile.
''Just from watching him eat I can tell how much he suffered out in the wilderness¡ At least from now on, he can hopefully be safe¡''
Last night Wilfried and her had a chat privately in their room.
***
LAST NIGHT
After they led Arvell and their children to their respective rooms, Wilfried and Liena retired to their room for the night.
As soon as they entered, Wilfried made sure the room waspletely closed off.
Even going as far as to form a wind domain around him and his wife to create a sound-free zone.
He looked at his wife with a serious gaze.
"If the people who kidnapped Zen are whom we think they are¡ We need to make preparations to confront them."
Lienna nodded.
"Those people can''t be taken lightly. If we don''t do this properly¡ We might end up destroying the Silvercolt duchy as a whole."
The matters this time were far too serious to be handled normally.
Their son was kidnapped after all.
Their daughter Ang didn''t want to be the next head, so it was decided that Zen would be their sessor instead.
"I''ll leave Rupert in charge of the operation, after all his loyalty is undeniable."
Lienna nodded at her husband''s decision.
"That would be for the best"
Wilfried paused for a moment before asking his wife a question.
"So¡ What do you think about that boy Arvell?"
Lienna brought her hand to her chin and deliberated for a moment.
"I feel like he is hiding something¡ But I also didn''t feel any traces of hostility from him either. I don''t feel like he''s Vispian since he knew about a remote vige that was destroyed years ago, so unless he has an insider providing him with detailed information about ntrya, he''s not a Vispian spy."
Wilfried nodded his head.
"I feel the same. While I felt quite inclined to believe him,
I''m not so young to naively believe what I hear. However, this doesn''t change the fact that he still brought Zen back to us.
ording to Rupert, Arvell almost died giving up his life for Zen.
There was nobody nearby to help them other than Ruper''s men, and there was no way Arvell would be able to take down a rank 4 beast at his age.
Even if he was a legendary Empyrean."
Lienna looked at her husband dumbfounded.
"He nearly sacrificed his life for Zen? On top of saving him?
No wonder Zen became sworn brothers with him.
I for one agree with our son''s decision.
People like Arvell are rare if not almost impossible to find.
Befriending him would definitely pay off in the long run!"
Wilfried nodded.
"We are in turbulent times right now. There''s still civil unrest after the war, and it''ll only take a spark to start another conflict between our two nations. In the future, Zen will need all the help he can get."
"Do you think we should ask Arvell if he wants to enroll in Sky Sword Academy? From what I heard, Arvell seems to be quite the talented boy. It would benefit him greatly to study at the academy." Lienna proposed.
"I agree as well. I feel like we should give him a chance to enrol there. It''s the least we can do to repay him." Wilfried agreed.
The two of them didn''t want to enrol Arvell only to repay him.
If Arvell made it in, Zen would have someone he was close with, so if he ever ended up in trouble, Arvell would be there to help him.
After hearing that Arvell saved their son''s life on numerous asions, Lienna and Wilfried decided to entrust their son''s safety to him.
He did have a proven track record after all, and actions did speak louder than words.
"Since there are only around 2 weeks until the entrance exam, we can still pull some strings to get Arvell enrolled. But to actually get in? He''ll need to prove his worth," Wilfried dered, "Of course, if what we heard about him was true, it should be a cakewalk for him."
Lienna nodded her head.
"Let''s ask Arvell tomorrow at breakfast. We should at least ask him if he wanted to join or not."
"All right, let''s do as you say."
***
After Arvell finished cleaning up his te, Lienna turned her head to look at him.
"Arvell I would like to ask you a question"
Arvell looked curiously at Lienna.
"Of course, what would you like to ask me Lady Silvercolt?"
Lienna smiled gently.
"Just call me mother, didn''t we agree on that yesterday?"
''That''s just something you decided on your own!'' Arvell screamed inwardly.
"Ma''am¡ Isn''t that improper?" Arvell nervously questioned.
"Your my son''s sworn brother, which makes you my son too! You''re a part of our family now!"
Arvell took a nce at Zen who was softly smiling at Arvell''s nervous appearance.
It wasn''t every day he saw Arvell that riled up after all.
''When did he tell her that? Was it after I went to my room?''
Lykos materialized next to Arvell.
''Just do it¡ She won''t relent no matter what. Just save yourself the hassle.''
While Lykos acted as if he too was tired of Lienna''s instance on Arvell calling her mom, the teasing grin on his face told a different story.
He was definitely finding fun in Arvell''s misfortune!
''Fine¡ I''ll do it¡'' Arvell unwillingly relented.
"Yes¡ M-Mother?"
Lienna had a wide grin on her face.
"See! It wasn''t that hard!"
Arvell''s smile twitched, threatening to break at any moment.
Zenos made a silent prayer for Arvell, seeing the emotional damage his sworn brother was going through.
Lienna looked from Ang and Zenos, and then back to Arvell.
"Would you like to join these two in attending Sky Sword academy?"
Chapter 55 Another Big Sister?
Hearing Lienna''s proposition, Arvell and Zen exchanged nces.
"Actually mother, the two of us already discussed this, and we already decided that we would attend together" Zen answered.
Lienna had a content smile on her face.
"That''s wonderful! I''ll arrange for Arvell''s name to be added onto the roster for the entrance exam."
Zen looked at his mother with visible confusion.
"What? Why does he need to do the entrance exam? He''s with us right?"
Wilfried sighed when he heard this.
"Normally that would be the case. We could guarantee Arvell admission as your retainer, but it''s far toote to admit him like that. I would already have to be pulling a lot of strings to even let him enter the exam."
"There''s less than two weeks before the entrance exam. If we wanted to use the Silvercolt name to let him get admitted without doing the exam, we would have had to have done that months ago." Lienna continued.
Zen nodded reluctantly.
It seemed that Arvell would have to go through the normal entrance, usually used only bymoners and lower-ranking nobles.
''Wait¡ Arvell''s strong enough to breeze through it! He should be fine!'' Remembering Arvell''s monstrous strength and skill, Zen was able to breathe out a sigh of relief.
Arvell looked like he didn''t mind it, but he wasmenting behind that calm facade.
''What? Entrance exam? That sounds like a pain¡ I have to find a way to act inconspicuously and not draw attention to myself. I''ll just stick to limiting myself again with only using time maniption¡''
He hated fighting with his hands tied behind his back.
Arvell preferred having fights where he could use everything in his arsenal.
Having fights where he had to handicap himself to avoid being found out was a pain for him.
It ruined the thrill of a fight for him.
"Don''t worry Zen, I''ll be fine," Arvell reassured.
"Yeah, I know. I did see your skills first hand after all."
Zen smiled.
His sworn brother was as strong as they came.
Who knows?
Maybe Arvell might even be in the top 10 strongest for their year?
"Hmm? Arvell''s going toe to Sky Sword Academy?" Ang cut in, her eyes gleaming with excitement.
"I''m going into my third year, so I''ll be your senior! Hmm¡ Since you''re Zen''s sworn brother, and mother got you to call her mom¡ Just call me big sis Ang! You don''t need to be shy! Zen does it too!"
Arvell cringed inwardly.
What was with this family?
Why were they trying to get him to y house with them or something?
Seriously.
He saved their son, and due to a slip of the tongue became his sworn brother.
Now he needs to call someone he just met mother?
How would his real mother feel about that?
Wait¡ Knowing his mother, Arvell probably felt that she would ept it with a defeated expression.
The queen probably felt that she had failed her son, and was no longer worthy of his familial love.
Arvell of course didn''t me her.
Queen Clementina had done her utmost to keep Arvell safe, but even then she was powerless to save him.
Still¡
Arvell loved her all the same.
Knowing that she still cared for him just as much, even after finding out about his condition.
That was true motherly love.
Unlike of course the king.
The bastard who immediately kicked him out like he was filth.
Due to his love for his mother, calling someone else ''Mother'' felt very awkward, but he could tell Lienna''s intentions were pure.
Plus he needed to win them over.
But¡
Now he had to call Ang his ''big sis''...
If Tristan or Alecia were to ever hear about this? Let''s just say it might be the leading cause of the next big war.
Those two must never know what transpired here¡
Arvell solemnly swore himself to secrecy.
For the greater good of both kingdoms.
"S-sure¡ Big sis Ale-Ang!"
He almost slipped out and called Ang, by his sister''s name.
''I wonder how those two are right now? How would they react after hearing about my condition? Would they even mourn my death?''
Arvell sincerely wanted the two of them to love him the same, regardless of having no mana, but after seeing the disgust etched on his eldest half-sister, the first prince Cornelia, Arvell couldn''t be too sure.
While Arvell was brooding about his family problems, Ang smiled contently.
She had not only gotten her little brother back but got a second one as well!
It was a little brother bargain sale!
By one get one free!
Moreover¡ Her new little brother was hot as hell!
Imagine her friend''s faces when they saw Arvell?
Knowing them they would be drooling with lustful desires.
Even she was kind of inclined with starting a rtionship with him¡
But too bad¡
She already had a fiance.
Furthermore, the two of them got along really well.
However, not everyone had a fiance in the academy.
There were bound to be numerous hungry wolves all aiming for the plump sheep that was Arvell.
It would be up to her to protect her new little brother!
"See? It wasn''t so hard!"
Arvell wanted to retort, but he wanted to change the conversation topic as soon as possible.
He nervously looked at Wilfried.
If the duke was going to request Arvell to call him ''daddy'', Arvell wouldn''t even know what to say.
Before giving the duke to formte any ideas, he needed to change the topic.
Just as he was about to open his mouth, the doors burst open.
"Lord Duke! The Winstrel family''s young miss has just arrived! She''s on her w-"
A beautiful youngdy came bursting out from behind the man, and hurriedly surveyed the room.
Upon seeing the person she came for, tears began to spill down her cheeks.
She ran towards Zen and hugged him tightly.
"I knew you were alive! I just knew it! Thank goodness you''re okay Zen!"
Chapter 56 Reyna
Zen at the girl crying in his arms with a look of guilt.
"Reyna¡"
"Hic- Everyone said that you might not even return¡ I didn''t believe them! I knew¡ I knew you''de back!"
Overwhelmed with emotions, Zen returned the hug, pulling her close to him.
He gently kissed her on the forehead.
"I''m sorry for worrying you."
Reyna buried her head in Zen''s chest, enjoying the sound of his heartbeat.
"I-I know you weren''t at fault for this¡ But¡ Don''t do that again! I don''t want to lose you!"
*SSSIIIPPP*
Everyone around the table sipped tea while enjoying the spectacle they put on.
They all treated the event as a good source of entertainment.
Realizing they were being watched, Zen''s face flushed red as he whispered something into Reyna''s ear.
"Hieeeee?"
She raised her head and noticed everyone staring at her.
Reyna''s entire face went red.
She promptly got back up on her feet after reluctantly parting with Zen.
Facing the duke anddy, Reyna lifted the edges of her skirt and curtsied.
"Reyna Winstrel greets Lord and Lady Silvercolt. I hope you can forgive my earlier emotional outburst."
Lienna and Wilfried exchanged nces and smiled.
"It''s fine. It''s always pleasing for parents to know that their child is loved, especially by their betrothed. But¡ The two of you should save that stuff for when you are alone together." Lienna said with a teasing look.
"W-We will k-keep that in mind!" Reyna stuttered.
Wilfried sighed.
"Lienna, don''t be too hard on her. You weren''t any less emotional when you saw Zen again."
Lienna stealthily pinched Wilfried''s thigh.
"Hmm? Did you say something, dear?" Lienna said with a smile that didn''t quite reach her eyes.
"N-Nothing, I said nothing at all!"
Wilfried hurriedly tried to pacify his wife.
Even though he was the duke, they had a strict hierarchy in the house¡
Everyone in the roomughed after watching this scene, even Reyna.
"Come on, Lienna! You''re making me look bad in front of the kids!" Wilfriedined.
"Hmmph!"
Lienna finally let go of Wilfried''s thigh, allowing him to sigh in relief.
"Since everyone finished eating, let''s head to the drawing-room. I''m sure Reyna has some questions of her own."
Wilfried stood up and led the group to the drawing-room, which was only across the hall from the dining room.
After everyone was seated, Zen narrated the story of what had happened to him and of Arvell''s help throughout their endeavours.
Reyna sat silently while taking in the details, but her facial expressions revealed her immense anger and resentment towards the fate that befell her fianc¨¦.
After Zen finished narrating his story, Reyna walked over to him and hugged him deeply.
"To think that while I was sleeping in a warm bed while indulging in delicacies, you were forced to sleep in a cage with little to no food in your stomach. I feel ashamed to call myself your fiance. I could do nothing to help you, yet I spoke of taking care of you for the rest of your life..."
Tears began to spill from Reyna''s eyes.
"I-I''m sorry, Zen, I am so sorry!"
Zen''s eyes became soft when he saw his fiance shedding tears for him.
Knowing that she loved him to that extent touched his heart.
Zen reached out and hugged Reyna, cing his hand on Reyna''s back. The unexpected hug caught her by surprise, causing her body to shake.
However, after remembering it was her fiance doing this, she gave up all resistance, allowing Zen to slowly stroke her back.
Reyna allowed the sense of security Zen gave her to take over and melted in his embrace.
"None of this was your fault¡ Even if you knew what was happening, there wasn''t much you could have done."
Taking his other hand, Zen wiped the tears from her eyes with a handkerchief he produced from his pocket.
"Look, all that matters is that I''m home now. So don''t be sad anymore, okay? You look much better with a smile on your face."
Reyna looked at Zen with a conflicted expression etched on her face but decided to listen to her fiance.
"Mhmm"
A small smile formed on Zen''s mouth, and he turned to Arvell
"I''m just d that Arvell was there to save me. I may have never been able to return if it wasn''t for him."
Hearing Zen''s words, Reyna snapped out of her daze.
Hurriedly fixing her appearance, she detached herself from her fianc¨¦ with a flushed face.
Taking a deep breath to calm her heightened heart rate, Reyna turned to Arvell and bowed.
It was not a simple bow to show courtesy but a deep bow.
One reserved for extremely important people or people that deserve immense respect.
To her, Arvell was thetter, of course.
"Thank you for saving my fianc¨¦ Zen''s life! I Reyna Winstrel am in your debt."
Arvell took a deep breath and put on his most lustrous smile.
"Don''t worry about it; I only did what was right. It''s good to see that my sworn brother has such a caring fianc¨¦."
Frankly, Arvell was tired of having to act like a saint, but he did need to keep up appearances¡
While Arvell was inwardly cringing, Reyna felt her heart skip a beat when Arvell smiled at her.
''He''s¡ He''s so handsome! But¡ Zen''s the one for me. There''s no way I can be unfaithful to him.''
Seeing Reyna''s flustered face, Zenos shot Arvell a stink eye.
''I know you''re single, but there is honour among sworn brothers! So don''t gun for my fianc¨¦!''
Arvell could almost hear Zen yelling at him purely through his re.
Arvell put his hands up to show that he didn''t mean any harm.
''This drama routine is making me lose brain cells¡ Can''t I go back to training or something?'' Arvellmented inwardly.
Lykos brushed his ethereal hair to the side.
''Sigh... This is the curse of being too good-looking. I had to deal with it, and now it''s your turn.'' Lykos sympathized
Chapter 57 Did You Say Spar?
Feeling the awkward tension in the room, Wilfried decided to change the topic.
"You''ll be happy to know that the ve traders are going to be publicly executed for their crimes after we finish interrogating them."
Zen nodded his head.
"For what those bastards did, they got what they deserved. However, what are we going to do about the freed captives?"
"We n to send those with families back home while giving financial and medical support to those that require it. Due to the traumatic experience, they went through, some of them will most likely need therapy to get back on their feet." Wilfried responded, "We n to offer them everything they need in order to fully integrate back into society."
"That''s for the better."
After talking for a bit longer, Lienna and Wilfried excused themselves to go check up on the captured ve traders, leaving behind only the children and August in the drawing-room.
Arvell decided to use this as his chance to escape.
He stood up out of his seat, alerting the 3 to his surroundings.
"Since I''m going to be participating in the entrance exam, I want to spend some time training to hone my skills."
Seeing Arvell walk towards the door Ang stood up as well.
"Since you''re going to be training, why not have a sparring partner? If you want I could train with you."
Arvell immediately paused mid-step.
He slowly turned his head and looked at Ang.
"You want to spar with me?"
Arvell''s smile grew distorted, morphing into a maniacal grin.
Ang gulped in nervousness.
She felt like Arvell was eyeing her like how a starved wolf would eye a b of fresh meat.
But¡
She was the youngdy of the Silvercolt family!
There was no way she would go back on her word!
Plus¡ This side of Arvell had its fatal attraction as well¡
''No! I''m engaged! I can''t!''
Sensing a disturbance in his sister''s mental state, Zen angrily looked at Arvell.
''First, it''s my fiance and now it''s my sister? Who''s next? My mother? Both of them are engaged for crying out loud! Lay your hands on someone else!''
However, unlikest time, Arvell didn''t pay attention to Zen.
He was far too excited at the prospect of being able to fight someone!
Even if Ang was a third-year student, and had a 2-year advantage on him.
This was just a friendly spar.
It would serve as training for him on how to properly fight stronger opponents.
Normally he wouldn''t get this kind of opportunity, since¡
Those stronger opponents would be after his life.
He couldn''t properly train against stronger enemies when they were trying to kill him.
No.
Arvell would run away instead.
Why fight an enemy you can''t win against if you would just die for no reason? Especially when the option to run away still exists?
This wasn''t the case now, however.
Since Ang offered to train Arvell, she wasn''t going to kill him.
While Arvell would have preferred to fight someone whom he wouldn''t mind showing his various powers to, this would have to suffice.
Since he had resolved to hide his powers, learning to fight without them was crucial.
After resolving herself, Ang led the group to the knight''s barracks.
Since the knights regrly trained there, there were arena-like fighting areas where even the 4th circle mages could have all-out fights.
Through the use of barrier magic, they didn''t need to worry about causing coteral damage to their surroundings.
If the barrier could tolerate full-on beatings from peak fourth circle mages, it would normally be overkill to have people like Arvell and Ang fighting here.
But¡
Being the daughter of the duke, she naturally had the right to train here.
A right which she used quite often.
After countless hours of training here, it had be like a second home to her.
After asking the knights if they could use one of the duel arenas, the knights currently using it quickly finished up their fight and made space for Ang and Arvell to enter.
The nearby knights all stopped what they were doing to witness the fight.
They had all heard about Arvell''s exploits and were curious about his strength.
After all¡
No one had actually seen him fight.
When they found Arvell he was already overpowered by the rank 4 beast.
The only measure they had to go off of for Arvell''s power was Zenos''s word.
While they didn''t want to use their young lord of lying, many still felt that his impression of Arvell was biased.
Arvell did save Zenos''s life after all.
Perhaps Zen deified Arvell in his mind?
After all¡ Finding children as strong as how Zenos described Arvell¡
Frankly, there were only a handful of children like that in the country, and almost all of them belonged to influential families who spent countless resources and treasures on them.
Hearing that an orphaned boy had that level of strength seemed like it was quite the tall tale for these knights.
While Arvell was walking onto the stage, he noticed all the knights staring at him with scrutinizing looks.
Only Zen looked at him with zeal.
Ang and Reyna also had expectations for Arvell, but they weren''t that high.
However, instead of feeling intimidated by those scrutinizing gazes, Arvell was too busy having a moral dilemma.
''Do I make myself look strong or weak? I n to make myself look as weak as possible to not draw attention while attending the academy¡ But if I reveal any talent here it would ruin my future ns. However, I also need to show the Silvercolts that I am someone worth nurturing¡''
Arvell pondered for a moment.
''I guess I''ll just show them what I showed Zen. It might seem somewhat advanced for my age, but it''s not that special.''
Arvell and Ang faced each other with wooden swords they received from the barracks.
Since neither of them were considered Arcane mages, both of them had opted to choose swords as their weapons.
Meaning that the fight was going to be almostpletely within close quarters.
Something Ang with her higher-ranked magic circle would normally have an advantage with.
However¡ Arvell wasn''t your normal mage.
Chapter 58 A Spar With Angela
"I am ready when you are."
Ang took a fighting stance and beckoned Arvell to do the same.
Nodding his head, Arvell took his own stance.
Watching Arvell carefully, Ang was perplexed.
"What kind of swordsmanship is that? I never saw anything like that before."
Arvell watched Ang intently, expecting that she would use this moment of distraction to attack.
After seeing she was genuinely asking out of curiosity, he responded.
"It''s self-taught."
Since Arvell couldn''t reveal the existence of Lykos, he kept the origin of his swordsmanship to himself.
"I see¡ Well, let''s see how good your original swordsmanship is!"
Ang jumped backwards, creating distance from Arvell.
"Cloak me in a veil of wind! Grant me the power of the neverending gale¡"
The surrounding air began to form currents surrounding Ang as she chanted.
Slowly bing more ferocious as time passed.
Arvell would be an idiot if he let this continue.
[Time Maniption]
Arvell pretended to mutter under his breath, as time around him sped up.
He needed to pretend as if he needed to use a chant since all mages needed to chant to use magic.
Whether they be Arcane Warriors or Mages.
If he started speeding up to superhuman speeds without using chant¡ that would be a red g.
To say the least.
Arvell ran up into a striking range, but Ang swiftly blocked his sh with her own sword.
*BANG*
A loud noise rang out as the two swords collided with each other.
If these training swords were made of normal wood they would have broken long ago.
However, these two were not.
They were actually magical artifacts with much higher durability.
While they were blunt and provided the wielder with no additional benefits,
These swords could take a beating.
A slight frown formed on Ang''s face.
Arvell disrupting her chant cost her to lose her focus, resulting in her spell being dyed.
Not letting up, Arvell continued to pressure Ang.
He shed down at her face, prompting her to block it.
As her attention was directed at the swording down onto her head, Arvell''s eyes glimmered coldly.
He threw a swift kick at her shin, causing her knees to buckle.
Due to Arvell''s time maniption, Ang didn''t have the time to react to it.
Caught off guard, Ang tried to stabilize her bnce.
¡Only to remember Arvell''s vertical strike at her head.
Arvell had a disappointed look on his face.
''To think that she would be so weak¡ Without magic, these people are no different from normal humans. This¡ This is disappointing.''
While Arvell wasmenting the anti-climactic ending of the fight, Ang''s look of shock turned into an amused smile.
The knights were watching this y out with an amused expression.
Knowing firsthand the strength of their young mistress, they knew that this wasn''t the end.
It was far from it.
Staring head-on at the oing strike, Ang took a deep breath.
"ZEPHYR CLOAK"
The wind surrounding Ang increased in power, from small gusts of wind into a full-blown gale.
Using the wind, Ang''s sword increased in speed as she shed it at Arvell''s sword.
*BANG*
Arvell''s body went flying backwards hitting a nearby wall.
*BOOM*
Despite Arvell being the one to swing at Ang, he was thrown backwards by this exchange.
Arvell slowly pulled himself up, but he fell to one knee.
He could feel a familiar metallic taste fill up his mouth.
A trickle of blood slowly leaked out of his mouth.
''To think she could turn this entire fight around in one moment¡ This¡ This is amazing!''
His opinions on Ang did aplete 180 after theirst exchange.
Arvell was particrly astounded by the fact that Ang could stay calm under those circumstances and finish casting a spell within a fraction of a second
Despite his entire body aching after that one exchange, Arvell couldn''t suppress the surge of emotions that had gonee over him.
''I wonder how well I could match up if I was fighting at full strength? Could I fight evenly with that kind of strike? I''m still not at that level yet¡ But it shouldn''t take me too long to get there!''
Arvell''s heart beat faster with excitement while envisioning replicating that kind of strength.
On the other hand, however, Ang watched Arvell''s condition with a shocked expression.
She bolted towards Arvell, and with her vastly increased speed it took her only a moment to appear before him.
Expecting an attack, Arvell brought his sword close to his body to defend from all angles.
? Unexpectedly that attack never urred.
"Are you okay? I''m so sorry, I was flustered by the sudden attack that I used way too much force. "
Arvell lowered his guard.
Wiping the blood from his trickling down his mouth, Arvell smiled.
"There''s no need to worry. I''m fine."
Ang looked at Arvell like he was crazy.
"Fine? You were sent flying! Even in the academy, only a few in my year can withstand that sh. You haven''t even attended your first day yet!"
"What can I say? I have a strong body."
"Even so! We should get you healed immediately!"
Arvell looked at Ang with a displeased expression.
"I can still fight! This is nowhere near enough!"
Ang flicked Arvell on the forehead, and due to her increased speed, he couldn''t dodge it.
"Oww"
Thankfully she didn''t put too much force behind it.
Arvell clutched his forehead and looked at Ang with an annoyed expression.
"Listen to big sis! We can always train again after."
''But¡ you aren''t my sister¡''
Chapter 59 Unorthodox Fighting
Since Ang no longer wanted to fight him, Arvell didn''t have any other option than to nod his head and listen to his new ''sister''.
As the two left the arena they were met with looks of admiration from the nearby knights.
"To think that he could take one of Lady Ang''s swings and just walk it off¡"
"What is that kid''s body made of? Reinforced steel?"
Ang walked up to one of the knights.
A somewhat bulky-looking man, who looked big even among the knights.
"Owen, could you take a look at Arvell? While he says he''s fine, he still has some internal bleeding."
Owen took a look at Arvell and smiled.
"Of course! It''ll be a shame to let such a handsome boy walk around all beat up wouldn''t it?"
Arvell opened his mouth to thank him, but he paused when felt a sense of danger from the man before him.
However¡
It wasn''t the same as when he came across a strong opponent he couldn''t beat.
While Arvell was sure he wasn''t able to beat this knight, this feeling of danger didn''te from that.
This feeling of danger was a foreign sensation for Arvell.
It was like every cell of his body was screaming at him to get away from this man.
Arvell was curious about this feeling and took another look at the incredibly buff man standing before him.
Owen gave Arvell a small wink when the two made eye contact.
Shivers spread down Arvell''s spine as his eyes widened in realization.
''Oh¡ My chastity is in danger.''
***
It wasn''t long before Arvell was able to pull himself free from Owen''s clutches.
''Shouldn''t this technically be a crime? I''m only 13!'' Arvellmented.
He still felt ''unclean'' after being profusely touched by Owen.
However, Owen imed that he had only done it to heal him¡
Mostly¡
None of the onlookers said anything, but their pitying faces spoke volumes.
''Look at it this way, you made it out without losing your virginity. I consider that a win.''
Lykos materialized next to Arvell and decided to try to ''encourage'' him.
"..."
Arvell decided to bury that memory, permanently.
Zen and Reyna walked over to Arvell after his treatment finished.
It was a fairly speedy process, so they didn''t need to wait long.
"That was insane! You had my sister on the ropes for a moment!"
"Yeah! That fight was amazing! I had my doubts when I found out you saved Zen, but you''re really strong!"
Arvell gave them a small smile.
"She still defeated me in one move."
Zen and Ang exchanged looks.
''Is this guy an idiot?''
Zen walked up and ced his hand on Arvell''s shoulder.
"You do realize my sister is going into her third year right? My sister is incredibly strong, even in her year. Being able to push someone like that is impressive."
"I concur," a voice rang out behind them.
They turned around to see Rupert walking up to them while pping his hands.
"I saw your fight from the window," Rupert pointed to a nearby building, "That fight was quite impressive Arvell. In a real fight, you should use anything and everything to gain an advantage. Even if other people consider it a ''dirty'' tactic."
While many would consider kicking someone else''s shins in a swordfight would be cowardly, Arvell was definitely not one of them.
In a real fight to the death, would you get ''disqualified'' for doing actions like this?
No.
So why should he care?
Arvell considered the act of attaching ''rules'' to real fights to be nothing more than pure stupidity.
Why lose his life when he can use ''dirty'' tactics and win?
As long as they didn''t infringe on his core principles, he would do anything to win.
"Hey so now that you''re all healed, do you want to do a rematch?" Ang asked after joining them.
Arvell''s smile curved into a devilish smile.
"Of course~"
While Ang and Reyna took lethal damage from that smile, Zen threw Arvell an angry re.
Arvell shrugged it off and slowly made his way back to the fighting arena.
Watching this scene, Rupert had a pained expression on his face.
''This kid is going to be every man''s worst nightmare¡''
***
A FEW HOURS LATER
*CRASH*
Arvell onto his back desperately gasping for air.
The two of them sparred until sunset, mostly because of Arvell''s insistence of course.
Ang wasn''t any better.
The instant she saw Arvell''s pleading eyes, she crumbled like a house of cards.
Giving in to his request to train for longer.
Zen, Reyna and the knights had already, leaving just the two of them to train here by themselves.
Reyna wanted some time to catch up with Zen, while the knights went back to their respective homes for the day.
Reyna also took August with her, since she didn''t want to make the baby dragon wait until the two finished their sparring session.
Ang walked over to Arvell and sat down beside him.
"While you aren''t yet able to match me in strength and speed, your technique is amazing. I''ve seen countless forms of swordsmanship, but yours stands out."
''Well yeah, it wasn''t meant to be used by humans,'' Lykos butted in.
"It''s (Gasp) self-taught, so that might be the reason," Arvell responded.
"Even so, your strikes seem¡ Unorthodox. I feel like I would struggle to perform those techniques. I could simply do the motions of course, but they wouldn''t be as impactful as if you were the one to do it."
"I did say this was self-taught (gasp), so it''s personalized for me. Also, you were far stronger than you let out in our first round."
Ang chuckled nervously.
"About that¡ I was using a spell that I hadn''t fully mastered yet, so the chanting time look far longer than normal. The power of Zephyr Cloak is quite strong, but right now it''s almost impractical for me to use it in fights."
"So¡ You underestimated me and decided to just use a half-baked technique," Arvell responded with an amused smile.
"Yeah¡ Sorry about that. I learned my mistake after the first round."
While the first round was quite vtile, the other rounds were heavily favoured for Ang.
She had a considerable advantage on Arvell due to Arvell''s handicap and the rank difference.
While Arvell''s swordsmanship was superior to Ang''s, it didn''t bridge the gap created by her overwhelming strength.
If Arvell was able to use his full strength, he could theoretically be an even match for her.
If she didn''t use Zephyr Cloak of course.
However, the handicap resulted in Arvell fighting an uphill battle.
*Creak*
While they were talking, the room to the barracks opened and a group of maids entered.
"It is time for dinner, Lady Ang and guest Arvell." One of the maids stepped forwards and announced.
Arvell pulled himself up to his feet and helped Ang up too.
*Rumble¡*
As if on cue, Ang''s stomach rumbled.
Her face visibly turned red with blush, as she tried to cover her head with her hands.
"T-This is because we trained all day! We didn''t even eat lunch! I-I''m not a glutton!"
Seeing his ''big sister'' try to hide her embarrassment, Arvell had an amused smile.
"Sure¡ Anyways, I''m hungry too now, so let''s go."
Chapter 60 Getting Ready To Depart
Almost two whole weeks had passed since Arvell and Zen arrived at the Silvercolt estate.
Arvell spent most of that time training with Ang, interacting with Zen''s family, and ying with August.
It was a nice change of pace for him after living in the wilderness for 5 straight months.
Having a warm bed, freshly cooked food, and a safe environment to get stronger.
There wasn''t anything more Arvell wanted, making this his ideal environment.
While he did like hunting and killing beasts and being able to test the full extent of his power, training with Ang and the other knights was good for him.
Even Uriel and Rupert had a few rounds with Arvell.
However, even with them suppressing their strength, Arvell wasn''t able to do much damage to them.
They weren''t the captain and vice-captain for nothing after all.
The ve traders were all tried for their crimes and publicly executed as well.
Their bodies were on the city''s walls, as a warning for others who might want to follow in their footsteps.
While some might consider it barbaric, most people agreed with this decision.
They needed to pay for what they did.
And pay they did.
After a full two weeks of training, it was finally time.
They were finally going to depart to Karsia, the ntyrian capital.
*Knock Knock Knock*
Arvell rubbed his eyes groggily and yawned.
"ahhhh-hhaaaaaa¡"
Pulling himself to his feet he slowly sauntered to the door and opened it.
Only to find Ang standing there with an excited expression.
"Arvell! We''ll be leaving soon, so hurry up and get ready!"
Arvell had an amused smile when he heard Ang''s energetic tone.
"Are you a child? Why so energetic in the morning?"
It was quite early in the morning, around 5 am to be exact.
The sun wasn''t even out yet.
But Ang was up and raring to go regardless.
However, after hearing Arvell''s words, his face turned red with blush.
"Um... I''m just really excited for¡ School! Yeah! School! It''s been so long since I wasst there you know! I missed my friends and the professors!"
Arvell watched her charade with a deadpan expression.
''I call bullshit.''
''I second that.'' Lykos agreed.
''Welp, whatever it is, as long as it doesn''t affect me I don''t really care.''
Arvell found it would be too bothersome to stick his head in Ang''s business, so he decided to drop the matter.
"A-anyways! Be ready in an hour! We leave at sunrise sharp! If you''rete, I''ll drag you out myself!"
During their time at the estate, the two of them had gotten a little closer, to the point where Ang started treating Arvell as if he were her actual brother.
Even Arvell started to open up a bit to Ang, but he never allowed her past the mental walls he put up around himself.
While he was nowhere near ready topletely trust her, his friendliness towards her became less of an act, and more genuine.
He still found it a little awkward when she treated him like he was her actual brother.
Arvell was still sensitive about that whole topic after all¡
After Ang left, Arvell went over to wake up August.
The baby golden dragon still assumed his ck fox form, even while sleeping, so that they wouldn''t have any unexpected problems if someone burst into Arvell''s room while the two were fast asleep.
Arvell put his hand on August''s face and tapped his cheek a few times.
"It''s time to get up Aug."
August slowly lifted his head and rubbed it against Arvell''s hand affectionately
"Kyuu?"
''It''s time to go take a bath and go now! Come on, let''s get going.''
Aug looked at Arvell and put his hands outstretched as if he was expecting a hug.
''Kyuu!''
*Sigh*
''Fine¡ I''ll carry you to the bathtub.''
Arvell lifted up Aug by holding him under his arms, before bringing him to the bathtub.
The two of them enjoyed a nice warm rxing bath before Arvell got dressed.
After Arvell finished putting everything he owned into his bag and his inventory, the two of them finally bid farewell to the room that they used for the past two weeks.
August was quite sentimental about it, considering that this was the room he was born in after all.
He had grown attached to it.
''Don''t worry, we can alwayse againter. More importantly¡ Don''t you want to see the rest of the world? You only have one life so you should live it to its fullest.''
''KYUU!''
Arvell had told August about the various ces that he had been to or heard about.
Even ces that Arvell didn''t even know if they truly existed.
Sunken underwater cities¡
Floating castles¡
A turtle that was so massive it could carry a continent on its back¡
August listened to Arvell''s stories with unbridled fascination.
These tales served as Arvell''s version of ''bedtime'' stories for August.
August was especially fascinated with thest one.
He had never even seen a turtle before, so August was quite intrigued, to say the least.
One could even say that at this point Arvell''s nighttime stories had be an integral part of their daily routine.
August dramatically bid onest farewell to the bedroom, before the two of them went to go meet up with the others.
Chapter 61 Leaving Talion
The two walked up to the front of the mansion, where Ang and the others were waiting.
It turned out that Wilfried and the Lienna would be joining them on this trip since the two needed to discuss the happenings of the Algreppa mountain range with the king.
After all, they had found a secret tunnelway that could be exploited if a war ever broke out with Vispia again.
It would no doubt be an extremely important strategic location.
Furthermore, they also had to discuss the happenings regarding the rank 6 beast with the king.
If that beast were to ever descend down the mountain range, the only fate awaiting those who crossed its path would be certain death.
The king needed to be ready to mobilize at any moment to deal with that threat personally, being a rank 6 mage himself.
Wilfried had already sent one of his trusted knights to inform the king the morning after Zen and Arvell returned, but he needed toe either way.
There was probably going to be a summit held to discuss their next actions.
The reason Wilfried and Lienna joined the kids was due to already anticipating such a summit.
Sure enough, they had received a messenger from the king that morning summoning all of the nobles count-rank and above.
Which naturally included the Silvercolt family, being a ducal house after all.
"Are you all set Arvell?" Lienna turned around and asked.
"Yes, I have finished packing all of my things," Arvell responded with a nod.
"Well, I guess it''s time to set off then!" Ang excitedly announced.
Seeing this, Zen sighed.
"Sis, I understand that you''re excited to see James again, but can you at least try to hide it a little?"
Ang''s face went as red as a tomato.
"W-who said anything about James? I-I''m just excited to see everyone again!"
''This James person''s probably the reason she seems quite restless to go.'' Arvell thought to himself.
Hearing her daughter''s desperate attempts to conceal her true emotions, Lienna''s mouth curled up into a teasing smile.
"Ho? So you don''t want to see James again? He''d probably be quite sad if he heard that¡"
"W-what? I-it''s not like I don''t want to see him again¡"
"So you are excited to see him again~" Lienna teased.
Wilfried sighed when he saw his wife bully his daughter.
"Lienna give her a break, it''s not like you were any dif- EYAAAA"
Wilfried cried out in pain as Lienna stealthily pinched his sides.
"Hmm? What were you saying? H-O-N-E-Y~"
Seeing his wife''s smile not quite reach her eyes, Wilfried felt a shiver go down his spine.
"N-nothing¡"
''Sorry Ang, I did what I could. The rest is up to you''
All he could do at this point was offer a silent prayer for his daughter.
While Arvell felt that Wilfried should man up and face her, after all, even he didn''t want to get on Lienna''s bad side.
There were some people you just don''t mess with¡
The group all got into two carriages and they took off.
Since Reyna was already here, her parents decided to meet with her in the capital.
Since they had already heard about a potential summit from Wilfried, the Winstrel family had already made preparations to journey to the capital as well.
Since they were all going to the same ce, Reyna decided to tag along with Zen.
Throughout the entire two week period, she spent most of her time stuck to Zen as if worrying that he might disappear the moment she took her eyes off of him.
Ang, Wilfried and Lienna were the same in that regard.
When they weren''t busy doing work, they spent a lot of quality time with Zen.
The incident had left a shadow in their hearts.
After all, they almost lost their precious family member.
Most of the time people abducted like this never made it back.
While they never lost hope that he woulde back, they didn''t get their hopes too high.
They had problems sleeping and spent almost every waking moment trying to find signs of their lost son/brother.
While his return was able to lighten their mood significantly, the shadow in their hearts still remained.
''What if he got taken again? What would we do? What could we even do?''
Such thoughts kept guing them.
Only by being near him and reaffirming his safety with their own eyes, could they rest easy.
Zen was of a simr mentality.
Being with those who care about him was able to make him feel safe again, letting him ovee his traumatic memories.
"Kyuuu!"
August looked out the carriage window and cried out in amazement.
"Auggie seems to be quite interested in the outside view. It''s the first time he rode in a carriage after all." Reyna smiled.
''Auggie?''
Arvell cringed a little when he heard that nickname.
''Calling a dragon ''Auggie'' seems¡ Kind of wrong? I feel like giving him a cute-sounding nickname wouldn''t be good in the long run.'' Arvell thought to himself.
Hearing Arvell''s thoughts, Lykos looked at Arvell with a deadpan expression.
''You are the absolutest person who should be criticizing someone else''s naming sense.''
''Fine, fine.''
August had gotten used to hearing Arvell and Lykos''s telepathicmunication over the past two weeks, so he no longer had a headache if the two ever spoke to each other.
While August did find it a little annoying at times, he could bear with it far better than before.
As they were leaving Talion, Arvell took onest nce at the statues of the royal family situated in the center of the city
"Lily¡ I''ll see you soon."
Chapter 62 Atrocities Of War
Their trip to Talion was a fairly uneventful one.
Apanied by Wilfried, who was a 5th circle mage, the group didn''t run into any major troubles.
Furthermore, since Wilfried was a highly aplished wind mage, he could use his magic to speed up the carriages.
They were already able to see the Karsia''s city walls by the time the sun had set.
It would have taken Arvell at least 3-4 days on foot, and that was assuming that he didn''te across any trouble on the way.
Travelling fast,fortably and luxuriously¡
Returning Zen back to his family was definitely the right option!
Arvell wanted to thank his mom for instilling him with at least basicpassion.
Something he had done out of pity had paid off this much.
August watched the uing city walls with visible excitement.
The carriage ride had been an extremely entertaining ride for the young dragon, to say the least.
The carriage had passed bykes, forests, meadows and countless other locations, letting him see many things for the first time.
Since they were travelling at a high speed, August wasn''t given much time to see everything in detail, but even so, he was content.
After all, August wanted to explore the whole world!
He wanted to see everything the world had to offer!
Even if he wasn''t able to see much this time, he could alwayse backter.
August had his entire life ahead of him after all.
Arvell had told August about Karsia since he had visited the capital a few times as a kid.
Mostly to see princess Lilianna.
Both kings wanted to use their marriage to end the centuries of war between the two neighbouring countries, and wanted their two children to get along.
If their marriage went well, perhaps both kingdoms could finally put aside their differences and seek peace.
Sadly it didn''t work out like how they intended.
Their engagement was annulled, and the two nations went to war.
It wasn''t just a simple border skirmish either.
The war threatened to destroy both countries as a whole.
If the two kings didn''t sign an armistice, both countries might have ceased to exist.
While the previous wars were considerably devastating for both countries, thest war was unlike those before it.
If tens of thousands had died in previous wars, thest war imed millions.
Both countries had their poptions culled significantly.
Ordinary citizens were treated like grass, with them being killed left and right¡
Entire cities were burned to the ground¡
People killed their own family members due to food shortages¡
It was a scene straight out of hell.
Due to the knights and soldiers being busy with the war efforts, no one was left to maintain civil order.
Crimes such as theft, **** and murder ran rampant throughout the unguardedmunities.
Human trafficking was especiallymon at this time, with countless young men and women being kidnapped as ves.
This was one of the reasons Arvell used this as his alibi.
After all, one of those kidnapped ves just happened to have been bought by the king himself to be one of Arvell''s caretakers.
Sometimes buying a ve was cheaper than paying a maid''s wages, so it wasn''t an umon practice.
When Arvell first met his new ''maid'', it was almost like he was talking to a corpse.
Outwardly his new maid looked fine, but she might as well be dead on the inside.
Having her entire family ughtered, while she and her friends were sold off as ves.
It was more than enough to break someone, especially someone as young as her.
Even though Arvell was a prince of the very country that had imprisoned her as a ve, his empathetic nature moved her.
Making sure to not mistreat her, Arvell had never looked down on her, even with her status as an enemy ve.
Arvell treated her with kindness and empathy.
Hoping to help ease her pain, if only a bit.
''I wonder how she''s doing now?''
While it did take Arvell some time, he was eventually able to make her open up and tell him about her past.
Arvell had used her vige''s name as his ''birthce'' when tricking Zen''s family about his background.
He hoped that at the very least she was assigned to the twins.
Those two would surely take good care of her.
Tristan and Alecia were raised by the same empathetic mother after all.
As the carriage headed towards the gate, feeling parched, Arvell grabbed a nearby water sk and poured himself a cup of water.
He brought the cup close to his mouth and enjoyed the cool sensation wash over his tongue.
"Oh yeah, Arvell¡ Don''t you share the same name as the deceased Vispian prince?" Zen suddenly asked.
"PTWHOO"
A volley of water escaped Arvell''s mouth, drenching the face of an unexpecting Zen.
Chapter 63 The City That Never Sleeps
Zen stared nkly at Arvell, water dripping down his face.
Seeing her brother''s face drenched in water, Ang burst outughing.
"HAHAHAHAHA! Zen your face! It''spletely drenched!"
Reyna quickly produced a handkerchief and passed it to Zen, while doing her best to suppress augh.
"Here use this."
Zen wiped his face and red at Arvell.
"What the hell was that for?"
Arvell looked at Zen with a somewhat guilty expression.
"Sorry, your question kind of caught me off guard. But¡ why would you bring up the dead disinherited prince?"
"I was just thinking of how the royal family might react if you ever met with them. After all, that person is a bit of a taboo topic in the capital. After all¡ You do know how the war started right?"
Arvell instinctively brought his hand to his chest and gripped it tightly.
"Yeah¡ I heard about it."
"I just hope they won''t show you prejudice because of that. I mean Arvell isn''t that umon of a name, so maybe I''m just overthinking things."
Ang brought her fingers to her chin and thought for a bit.
"If I remember correctly Princess Lily is entering your current year, right? Ex-prince Arvell was her fiance in the past. Who knows Arvell? Maybe you got a chance with her!"
Everyone looked at Ang with awkward expressions, especially Arvell.
"Sis¡ That joke was in very poor taste. Saying that the two would be a good match just because her former fiance had the same name as him¡ Furthermore, when that former fiance has already died¡ That''s just tantly insulting the princess." Zen chided.
Realizing what she said, Ang looked down guiltily.
"I was just trying to tease Arvell¡ I didn''t mean to insult the princess."
"Sigh¡ As long as you don''t say anything else bad about her we can all just pretend we didn''t hear anything."
Arvell watched Zen lecture, Ang, with mixed emotions.
Technically¡ Ang''s statement wasn''t really an insult.
After all, he was the said ''former fiance''.
But it wasn''t like he was going to tell them.
Who knew how they would react?
While they passed time by talking amongst each other, the carriage finally reached the city walls.
However, with Wilfried being a duke, they didn''t need to go through the normal security checks at the city walls.
They were directly given ess to enter.
As they entered the city, August''s eyes went wide with amazement.
This city was far more massive than Talion!
While Talion was more of a glorified fortress, Karsia was a proper city.
Furthermore, it wasn''t just any city.
It was the capital of the entire country!
Even during the nighttime, the roads were still as active as ever.
Arvell watched a bunch of drunk men stagger out of a pub.
''The nightlife here is far more active than Talmek.''
''Karsia didn''t get the title ''The City That Never Sleeps'' for nothing you know.''
Arvell never really got to experience the Karsia nightlife in the past due to his age.
There wasn''t much a child who wasn''t even eight could do after all.
Drinking, gambling, and going to the red-light district.
These weren''t typical child''s activities.
He would normally be sleeping around this time either way.
Lily did have a bad habit of waking him up at the first crack of dawn¡
He needed to sleep far earlier than he normally would to still get his full eight hours of sleep.
''Seriously¡ I used to hate getting woken up in the mornings.''
However despite saying that, a soft smile leaked onto his face.
The carriage travelled through the crowded streets, which immediately dispersed after the people saw the insignia on the two carriages.
Obstructing the passage of a noble was akin to disrespecting them and their house.
Who in their right minds would disrespect a duke?
Much less Duke Silvercolt, the man who was one of the main reasons Vispia wasn''t able to take over ntrya?
The duke was akin to a god of war in the eyes of the average citizen.
Even though they were busy with their own things, they immediately gave way to Wilfried.
Thanks to this it wasn''t long before they reached their destination.
The duke''s second mansion.
Almost every noble had some kind of estate in the capital.
It was not only convenient to stay in if they were summoned by the king, their estate would be a physical representation of their wealth and power.
Since Wilfried needed to keep up appearances as well, being of the few dukes, his mansion was by no means small.
While it wasn''t as big as the house he primarily used, this house was still considerablyrge.
After the coachmen brought the carriage by the front of the mansion, the group slowly disembarked.
Wilfried headed towards the children, stopping before Arvell.
"The entrance exam starts the day after tomorrow, so take it easy tomorrow. It''s better to be in peak condition before the exam begins."
"Alright, I shall do as you say, Lord Duke."
Arvell politely bowed, before following Zen and the others to find a room to sleep in.
Chapter 64 Where Is He?
ALGREPPA MOUNTAIN RANGE
A young man was sitting down with his back against a wall, appearing to be deep in thought.
The man was sitting in what looked like a cave since the icy mountain air didn''t reach his spot.
He wore a pitch-ck hooded robe and a horned mask that covered the entirety of his face while clutching his arm tightly with a blood-soaked rag¡
At least what was left of it.
The entirety of his right arm was missing, leaving only a short stub under his shoulder.
Even if healing magic and high-ranking potions could regenerate lost limbs, they couldn''t regenerate missing limbs asrge as this.
If he lost a finger or two, or even his tongue for example, if the man could find a highly skilled healing mage or a top-tier healing potion, it wouldn''t be too much of a concern. That was only if he could get ess to either of those in the first ce. Highly skilled healing mages and top-tier healing potions didn''t grow on trees after all.
However, the man was missing a whole arm.
Nothing could regenerate entire limbs thatrge.
*Thomp Thomp Thomp*
The sound of approaching footsteps brought the young man out of his daze.
He turned his head to find another simrly dressed man approaching him.
"Did you find them?"
The second man shook his head.
"We couldn''t find either of them."
"Damnit!"
The young man bit his lip in frustration, before mming his fist onto the ground.
*BOOM*
His fist left arge crater-shaped mark in the ground, shaking the entirety of the cave.
Some of the stctites hanging from the walls broke off and fell crashing to the ground.
"Where could he be hiding? He couldn''t have gotten far with those injuries! We had to fight that fucking ape as well!"
"That beast alone caused us to lose half of our men. Just dealing with a celestial dragon king was already enough. Having to deal with a rank 6 beast on top of that¡"
The armless man looked up at his colleague.
"Kujak won''t be able to survive with those injuries, hell he''s probably already dead. Instead of staying here and pissing off that ape more, let''s just go back."
The second man shook his head.
"We can''t risk that egg hatching. You witnessed the strength of that thing''s father, it can''t be allowed to grow up. It will almost certainly interfere in the great one''s ns."
The armless man sighed.
"I understand that, after how long we waited, letting a variable like that run free is thest thing I want. But, what else can we do? There is no way that an infant can survive here on its own. Even if it''s a golden dragon, it''s still a child."
The second man put his hand to his chin.
"Let''s stay here a few more days before reporting the result to the higherups. We also need to make sure that ourrades get a proper burial. We can''t let any nearby brutes defile their bodies."
"Let''s go with that." The armless man nodded, "by the way, do you have any ale on you? It''s not like I can do much to help with my current condition anyways, so a drink won''t hurt. Might even help with the pain."
He pointed to the bloody stub that used to be his arm.
"Sigh¡ Just this once. Drinking on duty isn''t something you should do."
He produced a bottle of ale under his robe and ced it in front of the armless man.
"You say that, yet here you are with a bottle yourself!" The armless man teased.
He used his only arm to remove his horned mask to drink, tossing it to the floor.
However, the removed mask didn''t have any horns on it.
Just 2 holes on the mask''s forehead, where the horns once were.
***
KARSIA
"Fuuuu, having a day off like this once in a while is not bad."
Arvell was reclining on a pool chair while drinking a ss of red liquid from a straw.
Despite having an exam many children his age would feel extremely nervous about undergoing, he didn''t seem to care too much.
He was far more interested in the book he was currently reading.
A book titled ''The History of ntrya''.
''Hmm¡ So the first ntryan king was believed to be blessed by Angels? What the hell is this?''
Lykos shook his head.
''Defying a kingdom''s ruler is only natural¡ But even that has its extremes. I had to listen to these stories repeatedly when I was still in the hands of the ntryan nobles.''
Arvell quickly finished reading the book and put it to the side, on top of arge stack of books.
''I already memorized the details of every other past ruler, as well as some basic ntryan history and culture. I should be fine for any knowledge-based test they throw at me. Even if they ask me something I don''t know, I can just ask you.''
Due to having a new and far more improved body, Arvell''s memorization abilities have far surpassed those of his past self.
If before he was hailed as somewhat of a genius, now he''d be considered nothing short of a monster.
He was able to quickly skim through dozens of books, whilepletely memorizing the content.
This newly acquired information was incredibly valuable for someone who preferred to use every tool to his advantage.
¡Even if it was riddled with tant propaganda.
Having this knowledge would let him blend in better in society and avoid sticking out more than he already is.
While he was debating his next book, a volley of water shot toward his face.
Chapter 65 Downtime Before The Big Exam
Seeing the volley of water approach him, Arvell reacted immediately.
[Time Maniption]
Arvell instantly moved his head to the right, dodging the water spray.
As the water flew past his head in slow motion he turned his head to identify the source.
''Tsk, Ang.''
Ang, Reyna and Zen were currently swimming in the outdoor pool, while only Arvell was reclining in a
"Come on Arvell! The water''s perfect!"
Arvell shook his head.
"Thanks, but I''m fine right here."
"Come on! Do you not like me anymore? Fine then¡ I''ll find someone else to be my training partner" Ang pouted.
Ang decided to use her trump card.
She knew just how much Arvell loved training, there was no way he would decline when his position of training partner was in jeopardy.
Surely this would work!
Arvell sighed inwardly.
''It''se to this, huh?''
Backed into a corner, Arvell decided to pull out his surefire win card.
"Sorry, but I need to study. You want your ''little brother'' to pass right?"
Arvell shed Ang the brightest smile he could muster.
''Ugghhhhh! I can''t say no to that smile!''
Despite her best attempts to resist, Ang gave in and sumbed to Arvell''s smile.
"Fine¡ But next time you''re joining us! Okay?"
"Of course, of course!" Arvell nodded his head while attempting to pacify Ang.
Like a father trying to convince his daughter that he will buy her a toy, ''next time''
''Well, that was easier than expected.''
Lykos sighed when he saw Arvell''s attitude.
''Rejecting such a beautiful girl calling you out like this¡ Maybe you really are destined to be alone¡''
Arvell grimaced after hearing that.
That title that he had on his status board was something he would rather pretend never existed.
Would anyone want to hear they had no destiny with love?
''You seem to forget the fact that she already has a fiance, one that she seems to be infatuated with.''
''It''s not like you couldn''t change her heart if you wanted. You know this just as well as I.''
Arvell red at Lykos.
''Why the hell would I want to cause problems like that? I don''t even love Ang, furthermore, why would I go out of my way to ruin the happiness of someone who took care of me?''
Instead of retorting to Arvell''s outburst, Lykos simply smiled.
''It''s refreshing to see that you haven''t lost sense of your reason. You''ve been resorting to using your charms far more often than before, using them quite often to get things your way. Remember to never let yourself be corrupted by your power.''
Realizing that Lykos only brought up the matter of seducing Ang as a test, Arvell calmed down.
''I see¡ Thanks for reminding me.''
Arvell looked back on his actions the past two weeks and couldn''t help but agree with Lykos.
He had be far too dependent on using his natural charm to solve any problem he encountered, or even to get something his way.
While the act of using his natural charms to get his way wasn''t technically wrong, as he was just using one of his strengths to his advantage, he was bing entirely dependent on it.
It wasn''t like Arvell could really use anything else though.
What was he going to do, beat the duke into submission if he wanted something?
No, he needed to use his munication'' skills for that.
What Lykos was worried about was the possibility that Arvell would begin to misuse that power to create trouble.
For example, what if he used his charms enough times on Ang that she actually fell in love with him?
That would just be an unnecessary headache for everyone.
He had to remind Arvell to tone it down a little, to avoid such problems.
''But that aside, rejecting a beautiful girl to read books is still quite a sad thing to do.''
Arvell''s right eye twitched in annoyance.
''Shut it.''
Arvell and the others stayed outside by the pool until sunset, before heading in for supper.
Since he had to attend the exam early the next day, Arvell decided to sleep earlier.
While Arvell was confident with passing, he still wanted to be cautious.
There was no such thing as too careful.
***
Arvell woke up early the following morning and quickly finished taking his bath.
Carefully choosing his attire for the day, he looked at his reflection in the full-length mirror with an excited grin.
Finally, the fateful day hade, the day Arvell had long waited for!
The first day of the entrance examination!
Chapter 66 Entering Sky Sword Academy
Walking down an incredibly packed street, Arvell raised his head to view the massive structure before him.
''So this is Sky Sword Academy? It lives up to all of the hype around its name, at least the campus''s outside appearance does.''
Arvell wasn''t able to see much of the campus from his position, but he was still more than capable of grasping howrge it was.
He could see manyrge tower-like structures in the distance, which he assumed were still part of the campus grounds.
The academy itself was situated on the northern side of Karsia, with it not being too far from the city''s walls.
Sometimes the academy professors would need to leave Karsia to get materials for their research, so one of the main reasons the location was so far north was to amodate them.
Arvell looked around for the queue for the entrance examination, but he didn''t need to look for too long.
He could see an incredibly long line of people around the same age as him, starting at the academy gates, and ending several kilometres away.
''I heard entrance waspetitive, but holy fuck!'' Arvellmented.
Arvell made his way to the end of the line since he did need to wait his turn.
Wilfried had given Arvell the option of driving him by carriage to the academy, giving him a priority when entering for the examination, but Arvell had declined this.
The exam was being run for all of the participants at the same time, so there was no real merit in getting there any quicker.
Secondly, Arvell didn''t want to bring too much attention to himself, soing in a duke''s carriage was something he would rather avoid.
Ang, Zen and Reyna wanted toe to cheer him on, but they wouldn''t be allowed past the entrance gates, so Arvell asked them to wait for him at the duke''s mansion.
Arvell knew it was only a matter of time before he came to the spotlight due to his rtionship with the duke, but he would rather stall that for as long as possible.
''Should I ask Zen and the others to pretend like we don''t know each other?''
Arvell felt that was the best option in the end.
He finally reached the end of the line and stood there patiently.
Arvell frankly didn''t want to be gawked at by those around him, so he decided to wear a standard hooded robe.
He didn''t want to be a roadside attraction for all of the girls in line.
That would just be a pain.
So why not just cover up his face?
That was the obvious solution.
While he was standing in the line, his ears started subconsciously picking up on some of the nearby conversations.
"Hey did you hear? This year''s roster is apparently quite special, to say the least!''
"What do you mean by ''special'', do you mean to say they''re unique or something?''
"More than just unique! We have Princess Lillianna, Zen Silvercolt, Marcus Athburg, and quite a few others!"
"Really? I knew about the princess since well, she''s royalty, but those 2 as well? Sigh¡ I might as well just give up¡"
''Hmm¡ It seems like this year''s roster is full of bigshots.''
Arvell decided to double down on his idea to pretend that he didn''t know Zen.
''I feel like my troubles would increase exponentially if it were known that we had a connection.''
Lykos sighed.
''So you''re going to just throw away your ''sworn brother'' after using him? Isn''t that too cruel?''
''One, I am not ''throwing him away'', i''m just putting a little distance. If he gets into trouble and it''s not too much work I''ll still help him. Two, I never ''used him'', I took care of him for a bit and he took care of me. It''s a deal with mutual benefits.''
After spending 5 months with Lykos, Arvell started to pick up on his shamelessness.
Arvell continued to wait outside for what felt like a full hour before he could start to see the line in front of him moving.
''Finally!''
Arvell followed the person in front of him, as they reached the entrance gates.
Some of the academy staff were verifying their entrance exam passes to make sure that no one tried to sneak into the exam hall.
Reaching into his pocket, Arvell produced his own entrance pass.
It wasn''t anything fancy, being a small metal insignia with the academy''s logo on it.
One of the staff members carefully looked it over before moving to hand it back to Arvell.
As he was about to return it to Arvell, the staff member realized that Arvell was wearing a robe that covered up the entirety of his face.
"Young man, you can''t wear that robe while inside. Would you mind removing it?"
''Sigh¡ Welp, I tried.''
Arvell reluctantly removed the hood, to the amazement of the nearby onlookers.
"Are my eyes deceiving me? Can a guy even be that handsome?"
"To think I was standing there silently behind him for an hour! I should have said something!"
One of the nearby girls watched this with an evil grin, licking her lips expectantly.
''I can use this.''
However, Arvell noticed none of this, as he quickly took back his entrance pass and bolted towards therge circr building that all of the nearby examinees were heading to.
[Temporal Maniption]
Some of the people tried to chase him but Arvell''s speed with temporal maniption was unmatched.
''Fuck! Why can''t I just enter normally!''
Arvell pulled into a corner, and after making sure that he wasn''t being followed, he pulled a book out of his inventory.
A book coincidentallybelled ''A Brief History Of Sky Sword Academy''
Using the book as a cover to hide his face, Arvell suppressed his presence before joining back with the crowd of test-takers.
This time he was able to make it to the examination hall rtively easily.
After entering, he found it to be an extremelyvish theatre hall.
All of the test takers were directed to sit down in one of the thousands of avable seats until the rest of the participants all made it in.
Since there was still some time before the exam began, Arvell put the book on his face, closed his eyes and rested.
It wasn''t long before the sound of a loud voice woke him from his slumber.
"-e you all here today."
Arvell opened his eyes to find that the entire auditorium had gone dark, with everyone around him watching the theatre stage earnestly.
Lykos materialized next to Arvell.
''Wakey, wakey sleeping beauty, the exam''s going to start soon!''
Arvell saw an old man with a long white beard standing before the on-stage podium, reading what appeared to be a pre-written script.
Looking closely, Arvell realized he had seen the man before.
Not personally, but instead from an illustration in the book he was holding.
That man was none other than the current headmaster of the academy, Newton baster Westfield!
Chapter 67 Entrance Exam [1]
Arvell looked at the man on the stage with disbelief.
Why is the headmaster himself here?
Lykos smiled.
''Do you think they would let any random professor be in charge of the entrance exam? To avoid any problems brought about by bribes or any other shady deals, the headmaster himself proctors the exam.''
''That makes sense, but why not just send someone you can trust? He probably has at least a few people he can rely on right?''
Lykos shook his head.
''Even if his subordinates can''t be bribed, there are still other ways for people to ''convince'' them.''
Arvell nodded his head in understanding.
''Some people would do anything to get what they want, resorting to any means at their disposal.''
Arvell returned his attention back to the headmaster.
"Before we begin today, I would like to go over the rules and the methods used for the evaluation once more."
The old man looked up at the audience from behind his half-moon sses.
"You will all first undergo a written evaluation, which will assess your knowledge regarding everything from history to magic. This will give us an urate understanding of your mental capabilities. Next, we will be assessing your magic circle rank. We do not expect much from most of you in this aspect, but it will still y a part in whether or not we will offer you a spot in our prestigious halls."
Headmaster Westfield paused for a moment, before throwing the audience a knowing smile.
"The contents of the final evaluation will remain undisclosed until the results of the first two evaluationse in. Only those who have passed the first two evaluations will be given a chance to attend the final evaluation. That is all, and I wish you all the best of luck."
Headmaster Westfield turned around and exited the stage.
As soon as he stepped off of the stage, a young but mature woman stepped onto the stage.
She was extremely pretty in her own right, with pitch-ck eyes, and long silky ck hair.
However, it wasn''t her face that caused all of the guy''s stares to focus on her.
It was her ''ample'' assets.
While her facial beauty was undeniable, her twin cannons served as a much greater source of attraction.
Even causing some of the girls in the room to stare enviously, while wondering if theirs will be that big too one day.
However, the woman didn''t seem to care much about the various stares she was getting.
It was as if she considered that to be beneath her.
She crossed her arms underneath her chest further entuating her already massive knockers.
"Alright, you brats! Let''s hurry up and get started on the written assessment! We''re burning daylight out here!"
''Well¡ She seems lively,'' Lykosmented.
''A little too lively if you ask me.'' Arvell sighed.
He had enough of being around overly energetic people after spending two weeks with the Silvercolts.
"Alright since you''re all here anyway, let''s just run the exam here. It''s too much of a chore to move all of you anyways."
''...'' Lykos stared at her nkly, ''isn''t she far too carefree?''
Arvell on the other hand was rather happy with this arrangement.
Having his exam where he currently was sitting was far better than having to go all the way to another building.
Who knows if a girl would catch sight of him and chase him?
Seriously¡ Everyone wanted to look more appealing to those around them, but Arvell''s new Nephilim appearance was taking it to the extremes.
At this point, it was going to cause more harm than good.
A group of student helpers began walking amongst the students, handing out exam papers to each of the students.
The man who was stopping in front of Arvell to pass him his examination sheet froze after taking one look at Arvell''s face.
His face contorted into a frown as he tossed Arvell''s examination sheet before walking over to the next person with a huff.
''All handsome men should explode!''
For someone who had trouble with girls, seeing Arvell''s near-perfect appearance snuffed out his pride as a man.
Arvell stared nkly at the man walking away.
''What was his deal?''
''Sigh¡ Get used to it, you''ll be seeing it far more often.''
After the exams were all handed out, the woman on the stage suddenly snapped her hand, causing thin white walls to appear in between each student.
Each of the white walls waspletely opaque as if designed to not allow the examinees to look at each other''s answer sheets.
"May the first round of the examination begin!"
Arvell''s eyes widened in shock when he saw this.
However, it wasn''t the appearance of the white walls that confounded him.
Something else had caught his eye.
Something that he had previously perceived to be impossible.
He was watching that woman closely, but not once did she mutter a word throughout the entirety of that spell.
The spell was almost instantaneous.
It was as if she didn''t need to chant at all!
Chapter 68 Entrance Exam [2]
''How¡ How did she cast a spell without using a chant?''
Lykos had an equally bewildered expression on his face, but quicklyposed himself.
''When a mage bes a fully fletched 6th circle mage, they unlock the ability to cast magic without a chant.''
Arvell turned to Lykos, with a look of visible confusion.
''How can ntrya have two 6th circle mages? Doesn''t every country only have just one?''
Lykos shook his head.
''She''s not a 6th circle mage. Only a few rare geniuses canprehend the nature of chantless magic before the 6th circle. I believe her to be one of those few people.''
Arvell was tempted to check her status information, but he knew that he wasn''t strong enough to see.
At his current level, he couldn''t see the status screen of anyone at the 5th circle or higher.
Which was why he wasn''t able to see the status information of Zen''s parents or even Rupert.
Arvell pulled out the pen he had brought with him and looked at the testid out in front of him.
''Let''s get this thing finished.''
***
Arvell followed the group of students exiting the theatre hall as they headed towards arge rectangr building which supposedly contained a tool to measure their magic circle ranks.
While most of the examinees carried defeated expressions on their faces, Arvell was too busy trying to avoid being noticed by the crowd.
He found travelling in-between examinations to be much harder than the actual examinations.
Arvell found the exam to be nothing short of a walk in the park.
It was so absurdly easy for him, that he spent half of the time sleeping.
He didn''t even need Lykos''s ''assistance'' while writing the exam.
Arvell waspletely prepared for it.
Especially the questions on different herbs and elixir effects.
After studying with Lykos, he gained a firm understanding of almost all alchemical herbs and elixirs.
It wasn''t even fair topare him with other people his age.
Understanding this, Arvell didn''t want to stand out too much, so he intentionally answered some questions wrong, aiming for around an 80-85% on the exam.
What he considered would be the ''mean average'' of the passing students.
After he entered the next examination building, he was instructed to stand in line.
It seemed that they would be using some kind of measuring tool to find out their magical circle rank.
Since it was going to measure their mana cores, normally Arvell would have a problem.
Since Arvell didn''t have a mana core in the first ce, it wasn''t like the machine could measure it.
After all, it wasn''t designed to measure Aether and Nether.
However, Arvell didn''t seem too bothered with it.
He wasn''t the type to go into a problem without a n after all.
As reached Arvell''s turn, he confidently walked up and ced his hand on the measuring device.
The measuring device was shaped like arge ss ball and was designed to light up when someone touched it.
The degree of light intensity was dependent on the strength of their mana core.
At least for someone who actually had mana in their body¡
Meaning that for someone like Arvell it wouldn''t light up.
However, that wasn''t the case.
As soon as Arvell ced his hand on the device, it lit up dimly.
"A fully formed mana core, but only at the 1st stage of the first circle¡"
One of the attendants looked at the ball and wrote down Arvell''s results.
After finishing his measurement, Arvell turned around to leave.
With a small mischievous smile stered on his face.
Even Lykos was impressed with Arvell''s show of ingenuity.
''Using warp in such a way was practically brilliant!''
What Arvell had done was something that required immense control and precision.
Something that couldn''t be easily pulled off, if it wasn''t for the rigorous training he had to endure.
***
A FEW MINUTES AGO
When Arvell entered the examination building he saw the examiners measuring the examinee''s mana cores with severalrge crystal ball-like instruments.
''Lykos, do you happen to know what those are?''
Having seen them numerous times in the past, Lykos nodded his head.
''Those are devices capable of measuring the mana core of whoever touches it.''
''So it only measures the magic circle of whoever touches it. How much of their body needs to touch it?'' Arvell asked.
''Hmm¡ I think just a little should be enough.''
After hearing Lykos''s reply, Arvell''s smile grew into a mischievous grin.
''So can''t I just have someone else touch it on my behalf?''
Lykos read Arvell''s thoughts before nodding his head.
''Your idea seems a little risky though. If it fails, you know what will happen right?''
''It''s not like we have any other option.''
''That is true.''
Arvell began looking at all of the nearby students using Appraisal, in order to get a general idea of the Average student''s capabilities.
He then selected a nearby examinee who could be ssified among the 80th percentile in the examinee group.
Since this was an incrediblypetitive examination, he needed to choose someone he was sure would pass.
Someone who would pass, but barely.
When it was Arvell''s turn to ce his hand on the crystal ball, he ced his hand only a little further away from the ball.
Close enough that it looked like his hand was touching the ball, but not close enough to actually touch it.
Arvell calmed himself down and focused on the surrounding Aether particles.
[Warp]
Arvell connected a small portal between the crystal ball and the hand of the examinee he chose earlier.
Making the other examinee''s hand touch the crystal ball in Arvell''s stead.
Effectively fooling the device.
Feeling a foreign sensation on his hand, the examinee pulled his hand out of his pocket to take a look at it.
But nothing was there.
While he was slightly confused, the examinee didn''t pay it any further mind.
He chalked up that sensation to be nothing more than a byproduct of exam stress.
''I need to pull myself together! I can''t risk failing due to something like stress!''
The examinee pped his cheeks to wake himself up and red at the crystal ball with renewed vigour.
''I will pass!''
Meanwhile, the actual culprit walked past the examinee with a mischievous grin etched on his face.
Chapter 69 Delusional Girl
69 Delusional Girl
Since the two preliminary examinations werepleted, the examinees were all resting while awaiting their results.
Most of the examinees were talking amongst themselves trying to figure out the ''correct'' answers for the written examination, while others spected about the contents of the final round of the examination.
There was also the group nkly staring at the sky, trying to escape reality.
Almost all of the examinees appeared to be suffering from their own version of PTSD.
Post-Test Stress Disorder.
While there was another group full of people waiting confidently for their results, not many were a part of this group.
Arvell on the other hand was a part of his own group.
He wasn''t used to socializing much with other kids his age, so he wasn''t going to just go up and start a conversation.
Furthermore having more people follow him around would be nothing less than a pain.
He wanted to spend his time training, but that would attract too much attention.
Instead, he decided to just read his book.
Some might say that he was being too introverted, but since when did he care what others thought about him?
Unless Arvell had something he wanted or had to give some a certain impression of himself, Arvell would much rather keep to himself and further increase his strength.
Of course, if they wanted to fight him, he would be more than happy to oblige.
But only if that fight would allow him to get stronger.
Fighting people who were far stronger, or far weaker than him wasn''t too useful after all.
Unless of course, they could teach him something he didn''t know before.
Arvell was reclining while flipping through the pages of the book in his hand.
*Click Click Click*
Hearing the clicking of what appeared to be high-heels approach him, Arvellzily turned his head to face the source.
Only to find a woman staring right at him.
''Hmm? She can see me? Even with me hiding my presence?''
Arvell was visibly confused by the whole situation.
How did a kid, moreover someone his own age manage to see through him hiding his presence?
That made no sense!
The only way for her to have found him would be if she had intentionally looked for him.
Systematically scanning every seat in the waiting hall.
But¡ What did she want with him to go so far?
Seeing her stare at him, as if she was looking at prey, Arvell sighed.
''Of course¡ She''s after me cause of my appearance¡''
Arvell ignored her at that point, returning to reading his book.
"Hey, you! Don''t just look away!" The girl''s face contorted with anger.
How dare this man ignore her?
"Just because you''re a little handsome, doesn''t give you the right to ignore me! Know your ce, you filthymoner!"
''Hey Lykos, is this what most nobles are like tomoners?''
''Hmm¡ most of them aren''t this bad, she seems to be a ''special case''.''
''Greeeaaat¡ Just what I need¡ another self-righteous prick¡ I saw too many people like this at parties, but thest time I was a prince and didn''t see this side of them.''
Arvell turned his head back to the girl.
Her breathing visibly got heavier the instant she got a good look at his face, even herchest started visibly rising and falling.
He felt a sense of disgust welling up in him the longer he looked at the girl.
At this point, Arvell would rather just leave.
But leaving now would onlye across as a sign of weakness.
He needed to stand his ground and just ignore her.
What was she going to do?
Attack him?
Arvell could behead her within a fraction of a second if she really tried anything like that.
While he might not be able to survive the aftermath, he was more than confident in killing the bitch before him, if she really did try anything.
''Arvell, there are better ways to handle these kinds of confrontations, instead of relying on just brute force. Just follow my instructions, and I''ll teach you one of my more ''useful'' techniques! I call it¡ The face p.''
''Face p? Didn''t you just say that I shouldn''t rely on using brute force?''
Lykos smiled.
''The face p isn''t an attack that does much using brute force. It''s the emotional and mental damage that''s the truly deadliest part of this art. This skill is so deadly, that it can reduce grown men into crying children. Physical wounds may heal, but healing damage to the mind is oftentimes irreversible.''
''Ho? I like the sound of that.''
''Alright, I want you to do as I say¡''
Hearing Lykos''s words Arvell''s lips curved up slightly.
''Oh? That sounds interesting! That might even be more fun than punching her in the face!''
Lykos nodded in agreement.
''Inflicting mental and emotional damage onto your enemies is often quite more satisfying than simply beating them up.''
''Well then, let''s get this party started."
***
Arvell looked at the girl with a seemingly disinterested gaze.
"Do you need something?"
The girl''s eyes widened.
''Even his voice is amazing! Ever since I saw him at the entrance gates, I just knew he was just perfect! I''ll give him the honour of bing my male pet! If I reveal my background to him, a smallmoner boy like him would surelye! I''ll even excuse his attitude from before! Aren''t I a good master?''
She tried topose her face but failed miserably.
This was the first time she had seen someone handsome enough for her to throw away all reason.
"You,moner! I came here to give you the chance to join under me. From today onwards you''re now my official male pet. Now kiss my foot to show me your sincerity!"
''Wh¡ what the fuck?''
Despite trying to follow Lykos''s instructions, the girl''s wordspletely confused Arvell.
Even Lykos wasn''t any better.
''Is this kid high or something? Weren''t any and all intoxicating herbs banned for children under the age of 18 in this country? Why would she take one beforeing to an entrance examination?''
Arvell internally shook his head.
''I don''t think that she''s on anything¡ I think she''s just mentally insane.''
While Arvell was shocked, he was also incredibly pissed at her attitude and her words.
For someone like Arvell who trained till his breaking point, all in order to have control over his life, the girl''s words were something he never wanted to consider.
In fact, he would actually rather die than be her ''pet''.
If even someone who wanted to live as much as Arvell would rather die, that alone showed how much he loathed that girl''s proposition.
And in extension, the girl who proposed it.
We have finally hit chapter 69!
Also please add my book to your library!
My goal is to hit 1k collections by 100 chapters.
An almost impossible goal, but I still want to try regardless!
Chapter 70 You Call That A Punch?
Arvellposed himself, not letting any of his anger or dissatisfaction leak out behind his calm facade.
He shed her an enchanting smile.
"And you are?"
The girl straightened her appearance and looked at Arvell earnestly.
"I am A-"
"Actually¡ I don''t care who you are," Arvell interrupted, "All I can tell you is to fuck off as far as you can go, or I''ll take make you do so myself. Don''t believe that just because you''re a woman I won''t hurt you. I''m an advocate of true gender equality, drop kicking one or two women isn''t much for me. Not that I even want to touch the filthy thing you call a body."
Arvell threw her one more disgusted look before returning to his book.
Proceeding topletely ignore the seething girl standing before him.
''WHAT DID THIS COMMONER JUST SAY TO ME? HOW DARE HE! I''LL NEED TO DISCIPLINE HIM PROPERLY!''
Arvell''s words snapped her out of her lust-induced reverie, causing her judgement to no longer be clouded with desire.
The only thing that remained was anger.
She was a noble''s daughter!
It was bad enough she needed to participate in this dumb examination, but a meremoner decided to stand up to her?
Insult her even?
There was no way she would let this slide.
She looked across the room and beckoned to a group of fellow examinees.
Something that Arvell honestly couldn''t be too bothered to care about.
After all, he knew what wasing next.
The examinees all bent down on one knee.
"What do you desire mdy?"
They all spoke in perfect unison as if they had done this many times in the past already.
The girl pointed to Arvell.
"I want you to go teach thatmoner about the consequences for defying me! Make him suffer!"
The girl didn''t seem to care that she was in an examination facility for the most prestigious academy in the country.
She waspletely blinded by rage.
As for the consequences?
Her family would handle it.
After all, it''s just amoner kid.
Surely no one would care about filth such as them, right?
Seeing the group of examinees approach him, Arvell sighed.
''No matter how hard I try, I can''t seem to stay under the radar¡ Seriously, why is this so hard?''
''What''s done is done, you just have to deal with the consequences.'' Lykos consoled.
The nearby examinees also started to notice something was wrong, and all gathered in a circle to watch the proceedings.
One of the people sent by the girl stopped in front of Arvell.
"You can only me yourself for what happens next. This is the fate of those who defy Lady Antote Turley."
Without lifting his head from his book Arvell responded.
"I thought I made it pretty clear that I don''t care who the hell she is."
After finishing the page he was on, Arvell flipped to the next one.
Theck of interest Arvell was showing them served to only piss them off further.
Eventually, one of them snapped and hurled a punch straight at Arvell''s head.
"No technique, and barely any power¡ What a failure of a punch."
Arvell twisted his head to the left, calmly dodging the punch effortlessly.
It was so fluent, it was almost one continuous movement.
He did all of this, without even taking his eyes off of his book.
With his heightened Nephilim senses, there simply was no need to.
Even if he couldn''t see something, he could hear it, smell it, or even feel the change in the movement of air with his heightened sense of touch.
All of those gave him an almost 360 view around himself, so even if he couldn''t see something with his eyes, he could still sense it all the same.
However, this kind of view wasn''t really useful in fighting enemies far stronger than him, since most were fast enough to enter within striking range before Arvell could even sense them.
Even so, it was perfect for fighting enemies that were at his level or weaker.
This might even let him close the gap if his enemies are only a little stronger than him.
The girl who missed her punch looked at her hand with a confused look.
"T-that must have been a fluke!" Antote yelled in her squeaky, high-pitched voice.
Arvell felt that he would rather prefer listening to nails scratching a chalkboard, instead of her.
His sensitive ears meant that listening to her was far more excruciating than normal.
While Arvell had a high pain tolerance, he didn''t like to test its limits unless it was in a fight.
"Seriously¡ How deluded can one person be? Yo denied something you saw with your very own eyes, just because it hurts your precious little ego? You really must be mentally ill."
"YOUUUU!" Antote screamed.
Antote had it with this insolentmoner, she would make his life a living hell!
"Please kindly shut up. My ears can only handle so much of your noise pollution."
At this point some of the other examinees had also started to gather around as well, to see the source of themotion.
They were mostly alerted by Antote''s high-pitched screams¡
Before Antote could scream in anger again, the examinees she sent after Arvell all briefly exchanged nces and nodded their heads.
"Let''s beat him up together! There''s no way he can dodge all of us."
All five of them surrounded Arvell, forming a pentagon shape with Arvell in the center and cracked their knuckles menacingly.
One of them stepped up and took a swing at Arvell.
? "Let''s see you handle this, pretty boy!"
"Sigh¡ It seems that in order for you all to shut up, I need to do it myself."
As Arvell was preparing to fight back, he suddenly heard a somewhat familiar voice call out.
"So who among you would care to exin what''s going on here?"
Chapter 71 Oppressive Pressure
Arvell stopped himself and turned around.
''It''s her?''
Taking a look at the woman, Arvell realized it was the same woman he''d seen from the written examination.
The one who used chantless magic to produce walls earlier, so they couldn''t cheat on their exam.
Antote stepped forwards and pointed at Arvell.
"Thismoner disrespected me, so I am educating him on his ce in the world. If you understand you may leave us."
The woman looked at Antote with a deadpan expression.
"Of course, you''re the one causing the issues."
"Huh? What was that supposed to mean?"
Antote red at the woman.
"I am a noble! I can have you executed for speaking to me that way!"
The woman massaged her forehead with a sigh.
"So this is why the headmaster argued so vehemently that day¡" She mumbled to herself.
She looked around the scene.
"From the looks of it, no one was injured. So I guess I can let it slide," She looked at Antote as a fierce pressure exploded out of her, "but if you try something like this again, the consequences will be grave."
Bombarded with a sudden oppressive force, Antote and her goons fell to their knees.
Their faces were drenched with sweat, and a suspicious yellow puddle began to form underneath them.
''Weaklings,'' the woman snorted to herself.
However before she could turn to leave, she noticed something odd.
One of the kids was still left standing.
His appearance was stunning, to say the least, but the woman was more interested in something else.
''That look in his eyes¡ I can feel a strong determination from this kid.''
The woman''s mouth curved up into a small smile.
''This kid is interesting.''
After throwing Arvell onest look she left.
Watching her leave, Arvell could feel a cold sweat trickle down the back of his neck.
''That woman¡ She''s dangerous.''
Lykos looked at Arvell with a deadpan gaze.
''She''s a 5th circle mage for a reason.''
''Right¡''
While talking with Lykos, Arvell smelled something sour permeate the air.
Looking around for the cause of the smell, he found 5 small yellow puddles slowly approaching his feet.
"E!"
Arvell instinctively cringed in disgust.
Before the yellow puddles could dirty the elegant ck shoes that Wilfried had given him, Arvell quickly vaulted over one of his aggressors andnded on the other side.
Effectively leaving their ''encirclement''.
"Don''t tell me I got any on my shoes¡"
Arvell meticulously scanned his shoes, looking for any liquid that may have touched them.
After a few moments, he smiled.
"I''m clear."
The surrounding students also began to notice the small yellow splotches on the ground.
"This guys actually pissed themselves!"
"Eww! That''s disgusting!"
"They acted so high and mighty when they tried to beat that silver-haired guy earlier, but look at them now!"
"Speaking of the silver-haired guy¡ Where is he?"
"Hmm? He was just there?"
Some students began to look around, but no one could find Arvell.
It was as if he had vanished into thin air.
"Hmm¡ Maybe he ran away in terror?"
"Running away is still better than pissing your pants."
Some of the surrounding students began to chuckle amongst themselves.
"That''s true."
After a few minutes, the crowd dispersed, resuming their anxious wait as the academy faculty judged their prior results.
However, due to the events that had just transpired, the group was feeling more at ease.
That incident allowed them to ease their taut nerves.
At least most of them.
A particr 6 examinees, however, were seething in red-hot anger.
"Damn that woman! How dare she make me disgrace myself like that!"
Antote stomped her foot on the ground in anger.
"After I get home, I''ll tell daddy to p-punish her!"
When Antote thought back to that woman''s ice-cold gaze, she shuddered in fear.
Shaking her head a few times to forget about that woman, she directed her thoughts to the other person she needed to get revenge on.
"As for that silver-haired bastard¡ I will make him regret ever being born!"
***
After another 20 minutes of waiting, the academy faculty walked into the waiting hall and posted arge sheet on the wall.
"We have posted the sessful examinees from the first 2 exams on the board. If you are among these students, please follow me. As for those who didn''t pass, my colleague here will lead you out."
A mob of students all began rushing towards the board, desperate to see their results.
With his enhanced vision, Arvell didn''t need to join this mess.
Standing behind most of the crowd, he began searching for his name.
Finding it after only looking for a few moments.
''Arvell Silvanus - Pass''
Chapter 72 The Final Entrance Exam [1]
Shepherded along with the other passing examinees, Arvell followed the person who was supposed to be taking them to their next destination.
As a group, they entered the expansive auditorium where they had their written examinations earlier in the morning.
Since they were given permission to choose their spot, Arvell found one in a small corner.
One where he wouldn''t stand out too much.
If there was any benefit from the whole ordeal with Antote, it would be the changed attitude of the other examinees.
Now even if people saw Arvell, they would steer clear of him.
No one wanted to get on a noble child''s bad side by befriending someone who insulted her to the face.
Quite ruthlessly in fact.
Taking his seat, Arvell tiredly watched the other examinees slowly enter the auditorium, shuffling around while looking for a seat of their own.
After he saw thest person enter the room, Arvell''s eyes slightly widened.
''Half¡ Half of the group failed?''
He knew that the examination was quitepetitive, but seeing that many people fail before even stepping foot into the final examination?
That¡ waspletely unexpected.
The chances of getting into Sky Sword academy was 1 in a hundred, with it being one of if not the mostpetitive academy in the country.
If already half of the people were cut off before the 3rd examination, Statistically¡
¡Their group will be cut in 50.
Only one out of every 50 of the remaining students would be able to actually attend the academy.
''Hmm¡ I wonder what the final entrance examination will be?'' Lykos rhetorically asked.
Despite this, Arvell decided to humour him and respond.
''There''s probably going to be some kind ofpetition amongst the students. Measuring the student''s resolve and ability to work under pressure.''
Lykos nodded his incorporeal head.
''That seems usible enough.''
Not too long after the final examinee found a spot to sit, headmaster Westfield walked back onto the stage.
"Congrattions to all of you for being able to pass the first two examinations and make it here."
The headmaster quickly swept over the examinees before shaking his head.
"Normally, there should be far more of you who''d pass, but¡ It seems that this year''s written exam difficulty was a bit too high."
Arvell looked at the headmaster with tant disbelief.
If there were far more people cut off this year than in prior years, how many students would the final exam fail?
Normally one in every 100 examinees make it into the academy, but from what the Headmaster stated, the odds were that this year''s entrance statistics would be drastically different than before.
"However¡" The headmaster continued, "the noble batch of this year has shown to be a cut above previous years, so it bnces out in the end."
''Hmm, again about this noble batch¡ Zen wasn''t too strong, but what about the others?''
''Actually Arvell, Zen''s actually quite strong for his age.''
Arvell looked at Lykos with a face that screamed ''I don''t believe you.''
Lykos sighed.
''Well, on average 13-year-olds can barely produce spells, being quite weak to start off.''
''What? Tristan and Alecia were way stronger than that!''
Lykos shook his head.
''I''ve seen those two while watching you grow up. Their strength far eclipses that of other geniuses their age.''
A small smile formed on Arvell''s lips.
''My elder twin siblings really are something else. I wonder if anyone in the noble batch could match up to them?''
Arvell redirected his attention to the headmaster.
"The final exam will take ce over the next 3 days. You won''t be able to go home during the duration of the 3rd examination."
Sensing the anxiety among the examinees, he continued, "don''t worry, your families have already been informed about this. There is no need to worry about that."
The majority of the examinees in the room breathed out a sigh of relief at this news, while a sizable amount began to fret over the contents of the final examination.
Since it took ce over 3 days, was extremelypetitive, and they weren''t even allowed to go home, the examination was guaranteed to be a gruelling and arduous task.
However, none of them wanted to throw in the towel.
They didn''te this far just to back out.
If they failed they failed, but giving up before even seeing the starting line was beyond foolish.
Especially considering that they wouldn''t get another chance to apply again.
If they failed their admission, they would never be able to walk through these halls again.
"Now that I''ve said my part, I''ll let Professor Orina take over from here"
The headmaster stepped off of the stage, letting the chantless magic casting professor from before back onto the stage.
While most of the guys ogled her weapons of mass destruction, a certain group of guys and a girl started shivering in terror when they saw her step up.
"Oh shit¡ It''s her again!"
Professor Orina quickly located the group among the crowd and a small smirk formed on her lips.
"Fuck¡ She''s looking at us!"
Feeling that she''d traumatized the kids enough for one day, she looked at all of the other students, stopping on Arvell as well for a moment.
"Alright I''m only going to say this once, so Listen up! The 3rd exam is going to be one of the most gruelling and arduous things you''ve ever experienced in your life."
"Be warned¡ There have been casualties during previous years, while we can do our best to minimize the risk of you losing your lives we can''t give you any definitive guarantees. There is still a chance that some of you might get severely injured or even die."
"If you are not willing to take that risk, you may leave."
After hearing Professor Orina''s words worried looks began to form on the examinees'' faces.
They had heard that the task was dangerous, but no one ever said anything about people dying before.
But¡ With the academy''s power and influence, wiping an incident like that under the rug was as easy as snapping their fingers.
Staying here might result in their death.
But leaving would deny them their hard-earned chance at attending Sky Sword Academy.
Saying that the examinees were conflicted was a severe understatement.
Watching the looks of confusion on the faces of the examinees, Professor Orina sighed.
"For those who are debating on leaving, just remember. Even if you don''t make it into the academy, you are young. You will surely find another path to achieve your goals and dreams. However, if you die, it''s all over. The only ''second chance'' you have after that is bing an undead."
The professor''s words seemed to work, as a handful of students stood up and walked towards the exit.
"I''m sorry guys, but I don''t wanna risk my life. Please understand."
One of the guys apologized to the others around him.
Instead of disparaging him for being a coward, they nodded their heads.
"It''s alright we get it. Wish us luck okay?"
The former examinee smiled.
"Yeah, you got this!"
The group of former examinees started filing out of the auditorium, leaving just the Headmaster, Professor Orina, the examinees and a handful of staff remaining.
? Professor Orina took a deep breath.
"Now that the only people left are the ones going to undergo the 3rd examination, let''s start going over the details. Let''s first start off with the concept of the 3rd examination."
Everyone in the room perked up their ears.
This was the information for the examination that they had been anticipating the entire day after all.
"The main concept of the 3rd examination is¡ Surviving in a beast-infested forest."
Chapter 73 The Final Entrance Exam [2]
"A beast-infested forest? But we''re just kids!"
"I barely managed to finish forming my mana core just yesterday!"
"No¡ Why didn''t I leave with the earlier group?!"
A chorus of murmurs erupted among the students, expressing their confusion at the shocking revtion.
Professor Orina decided to give them a moment to let the information sink in.
''Sigh¡ as expected, they fell into a panic. Evenst year''s group wasn''t this bad, a few initially panicked, but not all of them. I wonder just how many people can pass this year?''
A certain silver-haired boy watched this y out with a dumbfounded face.
''Lykos¡ I just got a nice warm bed and a roof above my head, right? So¡Why the hell am I being deported off into the wilderness again?''
Lykos honestly didn''t know how to respond, so he just tried to change the topic.
''Isn''t it a great day outside?''
''It is¡ I wouldn''t want to spend the night outside though.''
Only for the conversation to go right back to where it started.
''Sigh¡ It''ll be fine, think about it like this. You survived on your own for 5 months, what''s another few days?''
''Still¡''
''Let''s just be happy they won''t ask you to show off your magic while holding onto a magic measuring orb. If anything, you''d probably find this kind of test far easier to do.''
Understanding the truth behind Lykos''s words, Arvell nodded his head.
''Makes sense.''
After giving the students a few moments toe to grips with the information, she raised her hand, prompting them to all stop talking.
"The examination will be conducted in a small forest, only several kilometres east of Karsia. The objective of this examination is for you to collect small coins that have been ced throughout the forest, either being hidden, or attached to various beasts."
"The purpose of this exam is to see how you would react thrown into a situation where you would need to fight to survive."
Arvell snorted to himself when he heard this.
These people here probably had no idea what it was like to really like to fight with their lives on the line.
Furthermore, since there was no way the academy would send a bunch of entrance examinees to their deaths, without offering them some kind of protection.
"There is no need to be so tense. All beasts stronger than the 1st rank have been removed from the forest, furthermore, each of you will also be given an enchanted artifact that will alert one of the exam proctors to your location."
Professor Orfina pulled out a small crest with a winged sword from her pocket.
"All you need to do is break this crest, and someone will head to your location shortly."
Many of the students breathed out sighs of relief.
However, this only left one question, how did students die in the past?
If there were so many fail-safes, it didn''t make sense for so many students to die there in the past.
Since practically everyone in the room was thinking the same thing, it was quite obvious to Professor Orfina what they were collectively worried about.
"The main reason people ended up dying was due to their own stupidity and dumb pride. These idiots tried to y hero and didn''t call for help. After all, asking for help will naturally fail you. I''m going to give you all one piece of advice."
"Don''t be these kids. Even if you can''t get epted, it doesn''t matter. You can do other things with your life. Don''t just throw it away your life for a chance to get into a school, especially when there are other academies you can attend."
Some of the students in the audience nodded their heads, finding that her words made sense.
"Onest thing, whilepetition among students is okay, torturing, sexually assaulting, threatening, or upright killing students will not be tolerated. Anyone charged with any one of these offences will be punished severely."
Arvell found the entire event to be nothing more than a child-proofed version of his earlier struggles.
In the past, Arvell wished he could have a convenient safety like this.
Especially during the times he was chased by beasts countless times stronger than him or had to fight for his life.
This could hardly be considered ''surviving in the wilderness'', but Arvell was sure that he had to face this kind of situation before meeting Lykos, he would have reacted in a simr fashion.
Professor Orfina spent another 10 minutes ironing out the details for the examination, before letting the examinees out of the building, where a series of coaches were already waiting for them.
"Go find a carriage and get in, it fits 4 per carriage, so you''ll have to sit next to a few others." Professor Orfina''s voice yelled from behind them.
Arvell walked past the students and stepped into an empty carriage, where he sat down and closed his eyes.
Only a few minutes passed before, a bald, yet somewhat toned boy walked over to the carriage.
Putting his hand onto the door in an attempt to open it, the boy identally pulled the whole carriage door right off.
*CRACK*
"Ah¡ Was I supposed to push this one?"
Hearing the loudmotion next to him, Arvell was jolted awake.
However seeing a bald boy holding the carriage door in his right hand, Arvell was immensely perplexed.
The boy was holding a carriage door as if it werepletely weightless
''Is this some kind of body-strengthening magic?''
"I''ll fix it."
The boy moved the door back to where it was but held it on a nt, so it couldn''t fit properly.
He began pushing hard enough that even more cracks appeared on the door of the carriage, until it snapped into 3 pieces, while also further damaging the carriage.
"Ah¡"
Arvell watched the boy with a dumbfounded expression.
''What the hell is this strength? More importantly¡
How did he ever pass the written examination?''
Chapter 74 The Final Entrance Exam [3]
The boy arranged the broken pieces on the ground in a way that resembled the door before it broke as if he were solving a puzzle using the broken wood as the pieces.
He reached into his pocket, producing a jar which looked like it was full of a yellowy-white substance, as well as a small brush.
Unfortunately, though, themotion caused by the door beaking alerted the coach driver, as well as a small crowd of onlookers.
Everyone watched with confusion as the boy unscrewed the jar, and dipped the brush into it.
Bringing the brush close to some of the broken wood fragments, he began to ther them with the coated brush.
The coach driver couldn''t watch this anymore, so he slowly got off of his seat, and approached the boy.
''What are you doing! First, you break the carriage, and now you''re rubbing some weird paste on it? Stop! You''ve done enough damage for one day!''
The boy didn''t seem to have heard him, being too engrossed in his task.
He stuck two of the broken wood fragments together, attaching them near-seamlessly.
Seeing this, the coach driver''s eyes widened with realization.
''Wait¡ are you using wood glue to fix it?''
The boy once again seemed to not be able to the coach driver.
After finding his rhythm, his hands were so fast that they were hard to follow with the naked eye.
Within mere moments, the entire caravan door appeared to be fixed¡ for the most part.
It was still covered in cracks and was quite easy to tell that it had already been damaged, but for the most part, the door was fixed.
Taking one more glob of wood glue onto his brush, he thered the rim of the carriage door, before walking back over to the broken carriage.
''Turn it to the side this time¡'' The boy muttered.
He managed to fit the door in perfectly this time, but just to be on the safe side, he thered more wood glue on the exterior, especially on the cracked areas.
The boy took a few steps back from the carriage and began inspecting it for a few moments.
After spending a good 20 seconds, the boy nodded to himself.
''Good¡just need to let it dry a little,'' he mumbled under his breath.
The boy puffed out his chest and began inhaling deeply, before exhaling in the direction of the carriage.
*WOOSH*
A column of air exited the boy''s mouth as it engulfed the repaired caravan.
The surrounding people watched this with dumbfounded expressions.
''How is he doing this? Is this wind magic?''
''I think so, I saw him mumble something under his breath just now! Maybe he was chanting a spell?''
Arvell however watched this with a scrutinizing gaze.
He''d heard what the boy had mumbled earlier due to his sensitive hearing, so among the entire crowd, he was the only one who knew.
Whatever this boy was using, clearly wasn''t magic.
''Lykos, how''s he doing this?''
Arvell turned to his spectral teacher in hopes of finding a way to understand the current situation.
''Hmm¡ This¡''
Lykos''s eyes widened for a split second before regaining their usual calm glimmer.
''This just got interesting¡''
''Would you mind telling me what''s interesting?''
Lykos''s mouth curved into a mischievous smile.
''Why ruin the surprise? Letting you try to figure it out for yourself seems far more interesting than me spoonfeeding your information all of the time.''
A vein bulged on Arvell''s forehead.
''This is important! Can''t you y your games at another time?''
Lykos sighed to himself.
''This doesn''t really impact you, so you''d lose nothing if I withhold this information. How about this, I''ll let you know if it ever bes a threat, but for now¡ You''re on your own.''
Arvell scoffed.
''You do realize, I can just check his status right?''
''By all means, go ahead and try.''
Arvell turned to face the boy.
[Status]
Name: UNKNOWN
Species: UNKNOWN
Age: UNKNOWN
HP: UNKNOWN
STA: UNKNOWN
DEF: UNKNOWN
SPD: UNKNOWN
UNKNOWN: UNKNOWN
UNKNOWN: UNKNOWN
Titles: UNKNOWN
Skills: UNKNOWN
Arvell''s eyes nked when he saw this.
Not because he was wondering what was going wrong with his system, but because he had seen something like this in the past.
Whenever he tried to use his status skill on August, he faced a simr situation.
''Just what is going on? What do he and August have inmon?''
Arvell watched the boy walk up to the coach driver and give him a 90-degree bow.
"Sorry for the damages."
"I-its okay¡ idents happen," the coach driver nervously responded.
While he did his best to hide it, he had been slightly intimated by the boy''s show of power.
With the strength the boy had disyed, there was an extremely high the boy would make it into the academy.
At that point, what was one measly carriage?
This was the academy''s property anyway, so it wasn''t like the driver personally lost anything.
Plus, the boy even fixed it up, so at least the carriage regained its functionality.
Even if it did look a little banged up¡
''Welp that''s the academy''s problem. I''m just paid to drive the kids.''
The driver nodded to himself.
He was just a humble driver, no point in worrying about anything like this.
"Okay get back on the carriage, we''ll be departing soon."
The driver looked at the surrounding examinees and waved his hands in a shooing gesture.
"All of you get going now, go find a carriage and sit down."
The group of entrants threw onest look at the patched-up caravan and then back at the bald youth, before heading off to go find their own seats.
None of them dared to sit in the same caravan after seeing the boy''s disy of absurd strength.
Something the person in question didn''t seem to mind all that much.
Instead, he reached over to grab the door handle.
Before he could reach it, another hand caught his wrist, preventing him from grabbing it.
"How about I open the door for you?" A soothing voice called out from behind him.
Arvell stepped forwards and gently opened the door.
"Here."
''He might break the door again if I let him open it,'' Arvellined inwardly.
The boy however nodded his head with a smile.
"Thanks."
Chapter 75 The Final Entrance Exam [4]
Several kilometres east of the capital city of Karsia, there exists a small forest by the name of Urnio Woods.
While the forest was known to be infested with monsters, the strength of each individual monster wasn''t too high.
With almost all of them being below the second rank.
As for the stronger beasts?
The Karsian royal army dealt with all of them.
Killing any of the beasts that would be considered a threat to travelling caravans.
Karsia, being a city that was renown for its nightlife, needed a way to prevent beasts from attacking their alcohol shipments.
If a country like Karsia as dependent on alcohol as Karsia ever had an alcohol shortage, that would put many of its citizens out of a business.
Such was the case in the past.
Travelling merchants were frequently the targets of the many beasts that inhabited the nearby forest area.
Since the main trading route was quite close to the forest, the passing merchants would unknowingly alert the beasts.
In hopes of escaping them, these merchants would make ast-ditch effort to save themselves by chucking the prized alcohol straight at the various beasts.
While this on its own wasn''t too useful, when paired with fire magic, the beasts would quickly go up in mes.
This wasn''t enough to upright kill them but was more than enough to buy the merchants the precious time to escape.
With how frequent merchants would deliver alcohol to Karsia, hundreds if not thousands of bottles of prized alcohol were wasted in such a manor.
This was until the time of the previous king, Lily''s grandfather.
The ntryan royal family always had a particr fondness for alcohol, but the previous king was borderline obsessed with it.
To the point where his enemies would often refer to him as the ''The Drunk King''.
Seeing so many bottles of alcohol wasted like this enraged him.
To the point where he would personallymand his army to eradicate every beast, they could find that would pose a threat to the merchants.
After a five-year-long campaign, The Drunk King managed to wipe out the popce of all nearby monsters above the 3rd grade.
Even destroying their habitats and their offspring.
While his actions angered the Alchemy Association, since killing the beasts would result in them having a shortage of beast cores in the future, the king didn''t pay it much heed.
After all, he had managed to save his capital''s copsing economy, as well as secure his supply of alcohol.
Now the nearby woods had been devoid of most of its stronger beasts, the forest became somewhat of a training ground for the Capital''s youth.
Sky Sword Academy in particr used this forest quite often, normally to conduct their examinations and recreational activities.
Arvell put his face near the window and watched the sea of trees steadily enter his field of view.
''Let''s hurry up and get this thing over with.''
He took a nce to his side to see the bald boy staring outside with a nk expression.
It seemed that the boy was a ''strong but silent'' type, and with Arvell''s inclination to avoid interacting with people if he didn''t have to, both of them spent most of the ride inplete silence.
''I wonder how Aug''s gonna react when I don''t return home today¡''
Arvell pictured his small dragonpanion tearing while watching the front door with a saddened gaze.
''Sorry buddy, I''ll make it up to youter.''
The carriage came to a stop near only a few hundred meters before the forest entrance, prompting Arvell and the boy to step out of the carriage.
Seeing their fellow examinees gathering nearby, the two walked over to join them.
Arvell walked up and noticed Professor Orfina and a few of the examiners standing with a series of metal briefcases before them.
Seeing more students file in behind him, Arvell patiently waited until they all joined them.
Which luckily didn''t take more than four minutes.
After the final student entered within earshot of her, Professor Orfina pointed to the metal briefcases sprawled out on the ground.
"The crests that you will use for the examination are over here, in these briefcases."
Opening one of them, she disyed a metallic crest which disyed the school''s insignia.
"This is made of ''Terminal Iron'' a material capable of emitting a specific mana frequency, but this frequency is currently being blocked by arger magic circle that covers the majority of the crest. The metal itself is quite brittle and easy to break through."
She bent the crest lightly with her fingers, causing it to snap.
"This is all you need to do to alert one of us. By breaking therger magic circle, it would allow for the Terminal Iron''s frequency to be released, alerting some of our more specialized tools to detect it."
She passed the broken pieces to one of the nearby examiners.
"As you know, we won''t be able to directly watch all of you during the duration of the exam, since that would infringe on several privacyws, but if any of you decide tomit any unsavoury acts, thinking we won''t know¡"
A wave of pressure burst from Professor Orfina, causing the examinees to fall to their knees.
Knowing better this time, Arvell decided to pretend and fell to his knees as well.
Professor Orfina threw them a prating re.
"...We have our means of finding out."
She turned around, and walked back over to the carriages, allowing the students slowly gather their bearings.
"Best of luck to you all."
She turned around and gave them onest encouraging message, before disappearing into one of the carriages.
*CLAP CLAP*
One of the examiners pped his hands to get the attention of the nearby examinees.
"Ok, so all of youe here and get your crests. If any of them break even by ident, you will be disqualified immediately."
The examiner then pulled out a small pin and handed it to the nearest examinee.
"Prick your finger with this needle, and let some of your blood fall on the emblem. Once this is done, if you are too far from your emblem, the emblem will shatter on its own, and let us know toe and pick you up."
One of the surrounding examinees raised their hands.
The examiner beckoned for the person to say their piece.
"How will you find us in the off-chance that we separate too far from our emblem?"
The examiner nodded his head.
"That is a valid concern, however, there is no need to worry. Many strong mages excel in scouting among the examiners, so they should locate you even if you lose the emblem. After all, it''ll break if you get too far, so it won''t be too hard."
The examinee breathed out a sigh of relief and thanked the examiner for the rification.
Seeing as there were no more questions, the examiners began to pass out the emblems to the examinees.
Once the examinees had all received their emblem, one of the examiners pulled out a whistle.
"Once I count down from 3 and blow on this whistle, all of you can begin the assessment."
The examinees all watched with bated breaths as the examiner brought the whistle to his lips.
"3"
Some of them could even hear their hearts beating, echoing through their body.
Sweat dripped like a steady stream down their necks as they took a deep breath in preparation for what they knew was only a matter of time.
"2"
The majority of the examinees even opted to take sprinting stances, all to be the first to enter the forest.
After all, the first there would have priority on the coins!
"1"
Arvell turned to see the bald boy he rode with not too long ago take one of these sprinting postures.
*FUUUUUHHH*
White puffs of air exited his mouth with him exhaling, forming what appeared to be a small cloud of mist.
''How heated up is he that his breath is forming mist? It''s not that cold yet!'' Arvell watched in disbelief.
However, he wasn''t given much time to think.
The examiner blew the whistle, dering the start of the examination.
*FWEEET*
***
Author''s Note:
I finally got a contract offer from Webnovel!
Yay!
But here is the bad news: I will be locking some of the earlier chapters in the uing days, and locking all of the newer chapters.
I hope you all still continue to support my book even if it''s no longer free.
If you want to join the discord server the link is here: https://discord.gg/D3s9gwVjnG (if you want to just copy and paste it''s also in the story synopsis)
Chapter 76 The Final Entrance Exam [5]
*WOOSH*
The bald boy disappeared in a sh, leaving only arge gust of wind behind.
The other patients looked on with confusion, as the boy disappeared into the cover of the sea of trees.
However, they didn''t dawdle absentmindedly for too long.
The group of examinees dashed into the forest in a frantic struggle to be the first one to enter.
Pushing, shoving and forcing others to the side to increase their chances of being the next person in.
At this point, they resembled more of a pack of wild animals than intelligent humans.
It seemed that the bald boy''s speed put a certain pressure on their group to catch up with him.
Arvell shook his head at their barbaric behaviour, and slowly strode after them.
Tests like this weren''t designed to rush through.
After all, they weren''t measuring their speed, but the end coin count.
Even if they got in there first, they would need to still locate and acquire the coins.
Both of which would pose to be arduous tasks, to say the least.
Furthermore, exhausting himself right now would only leave him weakenedter.
Instead of blowing through all of his energy haphazardly, Arvell would rather take a slow and steady approach.
After reaching the forest, Arvell could see countless students digging through dirt and shrubbery desperately looking for coins.
One of the examinee''s eyes lit up, as he pulled out an iron coin from underneath a rock.
"I found one!"
The surrounding examinees looked at the student with envious gazes, while some even had a cold glint in their eyes.
''Haaa¡ Why announce it to the whole world? Enjoy being a target for all of the nearby examinees.''
Arvell sighed to himself and walked through the group, and headed deeper into the forest.
Arvell wasn''t particrly concerned with sifting through mud and dirt to find an odd coin here and there.
No, what he wanted was far better.
Since there were various beasts across the 1st rank, there were bound to be a few at thete first rank.
Knowing the academy, they would probably reward students with higher coins if they managed to take down ate first-rank beast.
Naturally, they didn''t expect them to do it in a head-on 1 on 1 fight, but by using teamwork or ingenuity.
If there were enough coins for a whole team, if Arvell monopolized it all for himself, he could just do something else during his time in the forest.
Like train for example.
Arvell walked up to a nearby tree, scaling it in a matter of seconds.
He suppressed his presence and began running through the treetops, keeping his eyes and ears peeled for any tell-tale signs of nearby beasts.
Since all of the examinees were thrust into the forest with little more than the clothes on their back, they were for the most part travelling light.
Not that it really affected Arvell due to his inventory skill either way though.
Running silently through the treetops without carrying any additional baggage was almost effortless for Arvell since he''d often practised this same feat while carrying weights on his back.
He didn''t bother using temporal maniption to speed up, since he was pretty fast either way.
''If only I could fly¡''
Flying would have been a better option since it was faster, and his wings were aching after not using them in a while.
ording to Lykos at least, when Arvell got more used to it, he''d be able topletely retract his wings, to the point where no one would notice anything by looking at his bare back, but as of right now Arvell was only able to shrink them in size a little and furl them around his back.
These wings functioned something like retractable limbs, like a certain superhero with retractable knuckle-ws, but Arvell wasn''t yet able to fully retract them.
Instead, he was forced to fold them tightly against his back.
Moreover, he needed to keep it like that 24/7 to not arouse any suspicion.
Ever since he met Zen, apart from his daily baths with august he wasn''t ever able to stretch his wings.
This bothered Arvell to no end.
Like he was forced to hold a really annoying posture.
He was able to somewhat tolerate it, due to his incredibly strong willpower and pain tolerance, but it was still annoying, to say the least.
He wasn''t able to reveal his bare body to anyone either, so he couldn''t use public baths, change in front of others in change rooms, or even swim with other people.
All situations Arvell would no doubt have to deal with in his school life.
It wasn''t like Arvell hated his wings, however.
He''d actually gotten quite fond of flying, even practising some techniques for aerialbat.
The rush of wind on his face, the sight of the whole world beneath you¡
That feeling of freedom, as if nothing could hold you¡
They were all sensations that Arvell had begun to crave.
Feeling his thoughts drift he shook his head.
''I can always flyter, but right now the risk is not worth it. If one of the academy examiners or another student sees me with my outstretched wings¡ I''m finished.''
He kicked off of the branch he was standing on hard, sending himself soaring at a somewhat distant tree branch.
However, even that wasn''t enough to make the jump.
Desperately reaching out, he barely managed to grab the tip of the branch.
Unfortunately, he felt his weight begin to cause the branch to snap.
In a desperate attempt, Arvell pulled himself with all of his upper body strength. He grabbed onto another branch from the same tree, with this one being a little more durable.
*SNAP*
Unfortunately, the branch that Arvell had originally grabbed broke off and fell to the soli-covered ground.
At least that''s what should have happened, but it fell into a nearby bush.
*THUNK*
The bush shook a few times before a cry rang out.
*SCREEEE*
Author''s note:
Discord Server Link: https://discord.gg/D3s9gwVjnG
Chapter 77 Hunting For Coins
A bestial cry of pain erupted from the bush, and a small fox-like beast popped out.
Its fur was white with ck patches around its face, tail and paws.
It looked around desperately for the source of the attack, not being able to locate Arvell who immediately hid amongst the tree branches.
Arvell watched the beast search desperately with a cold smile.
''Prey number one found.''
[Status]
[Status Information]
Species: Colian Fox
Beast Rank: Middle First Rank
[A white fox with entuating ck patches. While the fox is incredibly normally incredibly docile if it were to ever get angry, it wouldn''t relent until the target of its anger is dead.]
''I guess hitting it the head with a stick would count as angering it right?'' Arvell smiled with visible amusement.
''Well, I need to start collecting coins at some point. Might as well start now.''
[Inventory]
Arvell pulled out his trustypanion, the hasty iron sword.
Instead of swinging it, however, Arvell held the tip between two of his fingers and closed his left eye.
With his increased strength, lifting his sword in such a manner was quite effortless.
He steadied the de and aligned it in a direct line with the fox, and threw it.
As if he was throwing a kunai.
*Fwoosh*
He pulled out another sword from his inventory and repeated the same process.
The hasty iron sword sailed at the beast, but the beast sadly heard iting and jumped to the left.
But instead of being disappointed that his attack missed, Arvell was smiling to himself.
''Checkmate.''
The second sword he threw flew straight to where the fox dodged, aiming right at its heart.
Even though it noticed the sword, it wasn''t like the fox-like beast could just dodge in mid-air.
*SHKK*
"SCREEEE!"
The fox howled in pain, as it slowly felt its life slip away.
Sadly, there was nothing it could do now.
Arvell watched its death throes with a neutral expression.
He''d experienced the exact same thing the fox had, but instead of empathizing with it, he slowly waited for it to die.
This was the fate of those that were weak.
Something Arvell never wanted to experience ever again.
Even though some would argue that killing a fox would be something he should avoid since August used a simr appearance to the one he stabbed when using illusion magic, Arvell didn''t care.
That was like saying since you have a human friend, killing humans is a bad thing to do, even if you''re in a fight to the death.
That was just stupidity.
Something Arvell didn''t really care much for.
The light in the fox''s eyes disappeared as it twitched onest time, finally breathing itsst breath.
After confirming his kill, Arvell jumped down and quickly grabbed his swords.
Arvell began to closely inspect the fox, but it didn''t take him too long to find it was that he was looking for.
He removed a small string with several iron coins strung on it.
These coins seemed to have a square shape in the middle, allowing for the string to keep them all together.
''These look different from the coin that person found in the dirt. Perhaps they made them different intentionally? To see how we acquired our coins, and evaluate us based on that as well?''
Lykos nodded his incorporeal head.
''I agree, but don''t jump to conclusions. You should find a few more coins to properly test your theory.''
''That''s true.''
He used the hasty iron sword to remove its beast core, before tossing it into his inventory.
Without wasting another moment, Arvell climbed back up the tree and began surveying his surroundings.
''It''ll be faster to hunt for beasts if I just stay here. They''ll be naturally attracted to the smell of the Colian Fox''s blood.''
Arvell hid his presence and watched his surroundings calmly.
Whenever a beast would appear, he would swiftly kill it and collect its core and coins.
He repeated this process until the sun began to threaten to set.
''I think this is enough for today.''
Arvell jumped down and threw a few of the beast corpses into his inventory.
With portions of Kujak''s remains still upying his inventory, he didn''t have many ces, especially considering the other essentials he crammed into it.
Since all of them wouldn''t fit, he left some of them out in the open and began searching for a proper shelter.
Since he was under the threat of being robbed at night, he needed to pick a location that he was sure other examinees wouldn''t walk over to.
Stealing was a loophole in the examination''s rules that Arvell was sure the other examinees would have picked up on.
As long as the person who was being robbed didn''te to harm, stealing their coins was fair game ording to the rules.
This means that all of the idiots who revealed they got coins would have a hard time getting any sleep.
Constantly watching to make sure that no one made any moves on their loot while they were fast asleep.
While Arvell was trained enough to be able to wake up at the slightest sense of danger, who in their right minds would want to be awoken from their peaceful slumber?
Finding a secure ce to sleep was an extremely important task for his mental well-being.
Arvell looked up at the sky.
While most of the sky was blocked by the many trees, he was high enough to get a somewhat stable vantage point.
''No clouds¡ Sleeping outdoors is fine for tonight.''
This saved him a lot of effort in finding a proper shelter.
Luckily it didn''t take him long before he found 2 trees with intertwined branches, with more than enough space for him to lie downfortably.
He plucked a bunch of leaves from nearby trees, and covered the branches to make a proper cushion for his ''bed''.
Arvell fell backwards onto his bed and crossed his hands under his head, watching the countless bright lights that decorated the night sky.
''I guess¡ Sleeping outdoors does have its advantages. You can''t see such a beautiful sight when you''re inside a house.''
Arvell smiled to himself as he closed his eyes with a content expression.
Chapter 78 Cruel Mistress
"Keep going! I need to get the most coins!" A particrly unpleasant high-pitched feminine voice rang out, "I need to teach thatmoner the difference between us!"
Antote looked at her followers with visible annoyance.
Something which sent shivers down their spines.
Even though they were extremely tired and thirsty, it wasn''t like they couldin.
After all, they and their families were on her family''s payroll.
If they upset her, their family falling into poverty was the best possible oue.
More often than not they would be tortured and killed.
The bullies who threateningly came at Arvell were nothing more than meekmbs in front of their master.
Even when their master made them carry her since her ''legs felt tired'' 5 minutes after the start of the examination, they had to ept it no questions asked.
More so they needed to smile while doing it.
Maintaining their sick charade of actually caring for her.
If selling themselves to their shitty master wasn''t enough, they needed to act like they actually liked her.
Even so, they persevered.
"Yes ma''am! No one other than you deserves to win this!"
Their words seemed to somewhat pacify their master.
"Good! Now get moving!"
"Yes!"
The group bit their lip in frustration.
They wanted nothing more than to rest, but that was a luxury they couldn''t afford.
"Keep a look out for that silver-haired peasant! If you see him, I want you to bring him to me. Make sure he''s at least barely breathing."
One of the group members looked at Antote with visible confusion.
"Isn''t it a bad idea to kill him while he''s under the academy''s protection? It would be better if we could wait until he''s returned back to his house before we kill him. It''s far safer that way," She exined.
The girl who spoke just happened to be the one who tried to punch Arvell earlier that day.
Antote''s body twitched when she heard the girl''s words.
The others flinched when they saw this.
Even the girl hurriedly brought her hands to her mouth, wishing she could''ve just sewn it shut instead.
Antote turned to her with an angry re.
"How dare you advise me! A meremoner like you, a servant no less! I am your better!"
Tears began to form in the girl''s eyes.
She knew what was going to happen next¡
Antote raised her hand and aimed it at the girl.
"Ignite a flower of burning crimson¡ Fire!"
A small wisp of fire flew out of Antote''s handsnding straight on the girl''s face.
"AAAAAHHHH!"
The girl screamed as the fire ate away at her face.
She desperately tried to put the fire out by rubbing her face against the ground, but sadly Antote''s next words removed any hope of doing even that.
"All of you hold her still. Don''t let her put out the fire, or you''ll experience the same."
Besides the person carrying Antote on their shoulders, there were only three other people.
The reluctantly turned to the burning girl, and bound her arms, preventing her from putting out the fire on her face.
''I''m sorry, but please bear with it.''
''We don''t have any way to reject her.''
''If we don''t do this, we''ll experience the same fate as you.''
The boy holding Antote on his shoulders breathed out a sigh of relief.
At least he didn''t need to participate in that.
But his shoulders holding up Antote felt a lot heavier after witnessing this.
If he identally dropped her, he would be next.
Making his increasing fatigue a real concern at the moment.
After the fire on the girl''s face went through its toll, the girl''s face was a charred fleshy mess.
Any of the beauty she had earlier waspletely gone.
Antote had left her alive, since she still had value in the exam, but afterwards?
Her fate was already decided.
She ordered the girl to cover he face with some clothes, so Antote didn''t have to ''disgrace her eyes'' with that sight.
At this point, the girl couldn''t do anything but cry.
At least with the clothes covering her face, no one would see the tears trailing down her cheeks.
However, even that stung.
The cold tears running down her scarred flesh caused her to feel mild pain on her cheek, but after facing the pain of having her face burned off, a minuscule pain like that was nothing.
"Now that the problem''s been suitably dealt with, let''s get back to business."
Antoine instructed the group to continue on their original path, ordering them to keep an eye out for coins and Arvell.
Suddenly Antote noticed a glint of light, causing her eyes to light up.
''It must be a coin!''
She smacked the person who was carrying her on the back of the head to get their attention.
"Go there, I see a coin!"
Antote pointed in the general direction of the flickering light she saw earlier.
"Yes ma''am."
Her entourage followed her directions, going in the direction where she supposedly saw the coin.
Upon reaching the spot where she saw the coin earlier, Antote''s eyes widened in joy.
She pushed the person whose shoulders she was sitting on and jumped off of their back.
Losing their bnce, the person fell to the ground face first.
"Oww¡"
Antote didn''t seem to notice much less care for the plight of the fallen boy, instead, she was too busy being distracted by something else entirely.
She raced over to the coin she saw glimmering on the ground.
However, instead of being one coin, she found a whole pile.
She was rich!
"Yes!" Antote shouted in visible excitement.
Without turning back, she yelled to herpanions.
"What are you doing, just standing there? Come help me!"
"..."
Surprisingly only silence greeted her.
"I told you to get your arses over here! If you ignore my order, I''ll have all of you punished!"
"..."
At this point, Antote was seething with rage.
How dare they ignore her, not once, but twice!
In an angry huff, she turned around to face the bastards who so willingly ignored her.
Only¡ to see that none of herpanions were still there.
"Where did they go? Did they just leave me!"
"Hissssss"
Antote heard a small sound behind her.
"Huh? What the hell is going on?"
''Did they sneak behind me to im the coins for themselves?''
An angry scowl formed on Antote''s face.
''How dare they!''
She turned around to face her backstabbingpanions, only to realize¡ There was nothing behind her.
It was all¡ ck?
She couldn''t see anything.
The pile of coins, the trees, the moon, everything.
It was as if¡ they all just disappeared somehow.
"What is going o-"
*GULP*
No more sounds were heard, as the area became filled with an eerie silence.
Chapter 79 This Can’t Be Real… Right?
*RUSTLE*
The rustling of a bush was heard, as a somewhat sizable mouse-like creature hopped out.
*SPPPHLT*
A shower of red liquid coated the nearby area with a coat of crimson.
"Screeee¡"
The beast made onest desperate cry as it took itsst breath, dying before it even hit the ground.
A white-haired youth hopped down from a nearby tree and removed the sword embedded in its gut.
At this point, Arvell was debating making a more borate trap for his prey, but he honestly didn''t feel any need to.
After all, he was more than capable of killing them by just throwing his sword at them.
If something worked near-perfectly, why waste time creating something that wouldn''t even increase his efficiency?
More than anything it would consume time to create, time which he could use to hunt for more prey.
Since 1 day had already passed, he only had 2 days left.
Just today and tomorrow.
Despite having 2 more days, Arvell was already confident he had more than enough coins.
Since he was aiming to just pass, he was more than confident that he already made that cutoff.
Plunging his hand into the open wound in the beast''s chest, Arvell fished out its beast core.
''Time to add this to my ever-increasing collection.''
As soon as Arvell got back to the Silvercolt''s capital estate, he was nning on locking himself in a room with only himself, his alchemy pot, and all of his beast cores.
With the number he''d harvested so far, Arvell was sure that he would be busy creating elixirs for at least a few days.
He also had some of the elixirs he prepared before to increase his strength, but he never had time to use them.
His enemies were either too weak or too strong to use them on.
But keeping a few trump cards handy was always important to stay alive.
Arvell jumped back up to the tree top and sat down on one of therger branches.
[Inventory]
Arvell reached his hand into this inventory, grabbing a rag covered in what appeared to be dried bloodstains.
Taking the rag, he wiped the blood off the sword, returning the crimson de back to its metallic silvery-grey colour.
If he didn''t want his des to rust this was the least he had to do.
Arvell reached into his inventory, producing a fresh red-coloured fruit.
He couldn''t find any cave-like structure hid the smoke of fires, so he avoided cooking any beast meat to eat.
Instead, he opted to find fresh fruit to eat, since those left little to no indication of his presence in the area.
After eating several simr fruits, Arvell got to his feet and began sprinting deeper into the forest.
While he felt that he had no need to hunt for any more coins, Arvell wasn''t the type who would just sit around doing nothing.
He was somewhatzy, but that was only in the regard that he didn''t like troublesome things.
Fighting and training had their own special category for him.
At least if he could find a strong-enough beast, he could keep himself busy.
Due to the examination, he was deprived of daily training with Ang.
Something Arvell didn''t like in the slightest.
''Sigh¡ My muscles ache¡ I want to fight something."
Arvell was starting to experience ''training withdrawal'' symptoms.
"KYAAA!"
Hearing a sudden scream, Arvell instantly turned in the direction of the sound.
''What''s going on?''
He instinctually hid his presence and kicked off of the branch he was standing on, heading in the direction of the scream.
It wasn''t long before he saw what he presumed to be the person who screamed.
He found a girl surrounded by 4 guys, each with sinister smirk etched on their faces.
The girl was extremely beautiful, with long pink hair that reached her waist.
Even though she was 13, she was already capable of being considered a ''goddess-level'' beauty.
However, the guys around her were not even close to matching her beauty.
While they were not ugly per se, being beside the girl might haveparatively made them so.
Arvell stopped on a branch within earshot of the group, using the leaves as a cover of sorts.
"Why are you doing this? The academy is not going to ever let this go!" The girl screamed in defiance as one of the guys bound her arms.
Her response caused the guy''s eyes to widen, causing them to exchange confused looks.
"The academy?" One of the guys asked in disbelief, but his confused face quickly changed into one of amusement.
"PFFFT! HAHAHA! Did you hear this bitch? Apparently ''the academy'' is going to do something to us!"
The other guys joined in the first boy''s twistedugh.
"Why don''t you tell us? What exactly will the academy do to us?"
"Y-you will get punished! T-thrown into jail! M-maybe even¡ Killed!" The girl stuttered fearfully.
This was her only form of leverage on her aggressors, so she needed to make sure they knew what they were messing with.
This was nothing short of herst straw.
If she failed here¡ She would experience a fate worse than death.
She tried to call for help, but it didn''t seem like anyone came.
They were so far into the forest, that the girl was sure that there weren''t that many people even nearby.
Plus, they already apprehended her.
If she tried any more stunts like that, they might even treat her worse.
"Jail? Killed?"
The group of boys once more exchanged nces.
"How will that be an issue if we¡" The tip of the boy''s finger became covered in ayer of sharp rocks, which he held at the girl''s throat. "...Silenced you?"
Beads of sweat began to form on the girl''s forehead, and her breathing became ragged.
She could feel the sharp point dig into the flesh on her neck, creating a sense of urgency.
These people¡ They were going to assault and kill her!
There wouldn''t be any evidence either since they nned on disposing of her.
She closed her eyes as tears began to form.
''Someone, please¡ Save me¡''
Meanwhile, A certain silver-haired youth watched this y out with a dumbfounded expression.
''Is something this cliche really happening right now? I kind of feel like this is some kind of trap¡ For example the instant you ''rescue'' the girl, she''ll backstab you and rob you clean.''
Arvell watched the group with a scrutinizing gaze.
''Their acting is on point for that matter.''
Lykos face-palmed when he saw Arvell''s attitude.
But¡ Even though Arvell felt that the situation was cliche, he still had doubts.
''I think this is really happening right now¡ Best if you save her,'' Lykos advised.
''Sigh¡ Being the white knight for a damsel in distress sounds like more of a pain than anything else, but if she''s actually going to get r*ped and killed, I can''t just turn a blind eye.''
A cold glint passed through Arvell''s eyes, while his lips curved into a cold sneer.
''While killing them is off the table, a little pain wouldn''t be too bad right?''
Chapter 80 Conforming To A Cliche
"Plz don''t do this... My family is waiting for me.
While trembling in fear, the girl turned to face the boys.
There had to be a way for her to convince them otherwise, right?
Since they were only 13-year-olds like herself, they couldn''t have all been bad, right?
Only adult offenders would typicallymit crimes of this nature, not young boys her age.
So why were they acting in this manner?
The girl''s mind began to race with questions as she frantically searched for a solution to get out of her current situation.
Sadly no such answer managed toe to the girl.
It was impossible for her to resist because something sharp was piercing her neck.
In other words¡
She was forced to follow the boys'' orders due to her predicament.
Reflexively, the girl shut her eyes, as if doing so would make her attackers vanish.
But she knew deep down.
For her, it marked the end of the road.
''I hope the school learns about what urred here and makes them pay''
She really hoped that these individuals would be held ountable for what they were about to do, even if it meant that she would first be humiliated before being killed by these boys.
The academy was the only group that was capable of doing so.
They were all she had left.
''What if Imitted suicide?''
Her thoughts shed images of her family working hard to save money to send her to the academy.
Every waking hour was spent by her father working in the fields as he desperately tried to raise money for her school.
To give their daughter a better life, her mother worked endless extra hours in the cafe, dealing with countless rowdy clients.
Even though they were perpetually worn out, the girl''s parents always greeted her with a friendly grin.
Her eyes started to water on the sides.
Mom... Dad... I''m very sorry. All of your efforts... all of your love and consideration in raising me... Only for me to die like this
The boys'' breathing became ragged when they noticed her tear-stained face.
Because of just how stunning the girl was, they were deeply moved by her crying visage.
However, a rush of pleasure flowed alongside their feelings of pity.
Some of their darkest emotions came to the surface as they saw the girl struggle with tears in her eyes
Some of their darkest emotions came to the surface as they saw the girl struggle with tears in her eyes
It was the sort of cruel satisfaction a young child would experience when tearing an ant''s legs off.
The same cruel thrill from seeing a helpless creature entirely at your mercy.
Because of the girl''s beauty, threatening her was even more enjoyable.
One of the boys licked his lips with visible excitement.
As he approached, he took a fistful of the girl''s hair and held it up to his nose.
*SNIFF*
He closed his eyes in satisfaction and let the scent of her hair fill his nose.
"You smell beautiful, even after spending a day outside in this wretched forest."
With a whimper, the girl turned her head away from the boy.
''Someone¡ Please help me¡''
Before turning to his friend, whose finger was covered with a sharp rock, the boy holding her hair took one final whiff of her smell.
"I think it''s time to ''prepare'' her."
The boy whose finger was covered in a rock smiled eerily.
"Do you want it all off? Or just a bit?"
"We don''t have all day. If someone elsees here by ident, everything will go to sh*t. Plus, I want to see how she looks without all of those useless clothes!"
The boy holding the girl''s hair nodded in agreement.
"Let''s hurry up then."
The four boys all gathered around the girl and pinned her down.
Since one of the guys still held a sharp rock to her neck, she wasn''t able to struggle.
While she knew that she would most likely die, she was too afraid to do something as extreme as biting off her own tongue or letting the boy plunge his finger into her neck.
Somewhere deep down she still held the naive belief that as long as she persevered, somehow everything would work out.
She would somehow escape from her aggressors and be free.
One of the guys gulped down hard and reached for her shirt, in an attempt to remove it.
However right before he could, he heard the sound of a ss shattering behind him.
*BANG*
The guys all turned around in rm but quickly realized something was wrong.
The entire area was engulfed in a cloud of smoke, causing the boys to cough violently.
*Cough Cough*
"I can''t see anything!"
"What the hell''s happening?"
"Why is there smoke!"
"Someone must have found us!"
The boys all stood up and began to search their surroundings.
They began to desperately scan the smoke, to find anything that could indicate where their possible attackers could be hiding.
The boy who grabbed the girl''s hair noticed something silver-coloured rush past his line of sight.
He couldn''t properly judge who the figure was, but by its body structure, it appeared to be a human.
"G-mmhh!"
He opened his mouth to alert his friends, but the instant he opened he felt a blunt force strike him in the stomach.
"ACK!"
Feeling the sudden onught of pain, the boy''s eyes rolled up and he fell backwards with a *THUNK*.
Thest thing he saw was the cold glowing amethyst-coloured eyes.
Something straight out of a horror movie.
If it wasn''t for the pain overloading his pain receptors, causing him to faint, he might have peed his pants in fear.
"What was that? Are you guys okay?"
"I''m good but something happened! Nick and Lucas, are you guys okay?"
"Don''t worry I''m still good here, Nick how about you?"
Hearing no response, Lucas decided to ask again.
"Nick, are you deaf? The answer already!"
"...Lucas, get into a fighting stance. Whomever it was, already took out Nick."
"FUCK! WHOMEVER YOU ARE YOU FUCKER, WE''LL END YOU!"
Seeing their reactions, Arvell smiled coldly to himself amidst the smoke.
"Let''s see you try."
***
Author''s Note:
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT:
Chapter 18 was missing half of the chapter due to me identally deleting it while editing. I put the chapter back up now, if you all wanted to read it. Thank you to everyone who pointed it out, and I''m sorry for thete response
Also:
Sorry for the dy with chapters, I''ve been busy studying for an uing exam.
I''ll try to write as much as I can, but I can''t give any guarantees at the moment.
Chapter 81 Almost Too Easy
Arvell concealed his presence and dashed at the boy situated to the far right of their group.
If there was evidence that the boys were killed, a thorough investigation would have been run to identify the culprit, but simply beating them up wouldn''t garner that much attention.
Since Arvell didn''t want any charges of murder, he wasn''t able to upright kill them, but due to the examination rules, he wasn''t really allowed to beat them up either.
If they caught him doing so, they would have failed him instantly.
While Arvell didn''t fantasize about himself as some champion of justice, tantly ignoring stuff like this while being able to stop it wasn''t something Arvell was too fond of.
Hence why he decided to take a page from Lucas''s little group.
If he wasn''t caught, how would he get in trouble?
All he needed to do was make sure that no one there could identify him.
If he could break their line of sight, he wouldn''t need to worry about being identified and punished.
Fortunately, Arvell had a small stockpile of various utility-based elixirs which included his smoke bomb.
The smoke bomb was a tool Arvell had to primarily use against humans.
While most beasts were fully capable of locating other organisms using only their body scent, humans were far too dependent on their eyesight, almost pitifully so.
If he could take out their vision, beating them up would be almost too easy.
Especially considering just how strong these kids were.
They were nothing more than weak brats who just managed to form their mana core.
Even if they were the same age, Arvell was leagues ahead of his peers.
After all, if having either Aether or Nether is better than having mana, having both would be far better.
Fighting ordinary people his age was almost too easy for him.
While he might have trouble fighting the kids of wealthy nobles, the boys before him would be nothing more than a warm-up.
Even if Arvell concealed his strength, he was more than confident of being able to effortlessly beat up Lucas''s group.
He kicked upwards with his right leg, hitting the boy square on his jaw.
*BANG*
"MHMMMM!"
The boy cried out in pain before his eyes rolled up, and fell unconscious.
Hitting someone in the jaw was an easy way to rattle their brain, thus knocking them unconscious.
The boy copsed like a house of cards, while Arvell reached into his inventory.
[Inventory]
Grabbing 2 swords, one for each hand, he threw them straight at the 2 boys that were still left standing.
*BANG*
*BANG*
In order to make sure they didn''t die from being impaled in the gut, Arvell put a spin on the swords, causing them to smack them in the head with the hilt.
Before the swords could fall back to the ground, Arvell dashed to the falling boys and caught them.
''Done.''
He threw the 2 des back into his inventory and took onest look at the copsed boys.
While they had a hard time seeing in the smoke, it wasn''t too hard for Arvell with his trained senses.
Even if he couldn''t see them, he could quite easily hear them.
Having no experience with hiding their presence, these kids were practically announcing their positions.
Being a skilled hunter, Arvell certainly wouldn''t give up on such easy prey.
Arvell exhaled with a dull expression
''Sigh¡ If they could put up a bit more of a fight, it would have been actually fun¡''
Lykos shook his head.
''You have too many expectations of ordinary people.''
''Still, couldn''t they have tried a little harder?''
''You make it sound like they got knocked out on purpose.''
''But they did? Who just yells threats in these kinds of situations? If they shut their mouths and listened instead of screaming, maybe they might have caused some trouble for me.''
Lykos couldn''t help but nod at Arvell''s point.
Yelling and making their location known like that was quite stupid.
''If this wasn''t an exam they would be dead. Let them count their lucky stars they got out with only a few fractured bones.''
Arvell turned his attention to the girl, who was looking around her fearfully.
''The smoke''s going to disperse soon, so I should get going before she sees my face.''
Arvell threw her onest look before disappearing from the scene, leaving only a confused girl and 4 unconscious boys with several bone fractures.
The girl was too terrified to move away from the ce she was standing, opting to stay almost perfectly still.
She didn''t know what was going on, but she was thankful that she didn''t have to face humiliation at the hands of those boys.
At least for now that is.
Who knows when they mighte back to continue what they started?
The girl didn''t even know if this was a human or some kind of beast attacking, but she was leaning on the former since she heard her aggressors yelling threats aimed at humans.
''Could this person be saving me? Or are they the same as Lucas''s group?''
She had already been tricked once today, so she wasn''t willing to openly trust anyone who imed they were going to ''help'' her.
Lucas''s group helped her in a pinch when she was struggling to kill a beast and offered to partner up with her, telling her that if she stuck with them, she''d have a higher chance of passing.
Through the girl''s naivety, she wasn''t able to see through their deceptive smiles.
Smiles that masked their sinister true intentions
It was only after they made it far away from any perceivable group, that they revealed their true natures.
Feeling confident no one else would intrude on them, they attacked the poor girl intending to **** and kill her.
After facing this kind of betrayal, and the trauma of almost being assaulted, the girl wasn''t about to just trust any people she just met ever again.
However it seemed as if the girl''s fears were unfounded, as when the smoke dissipated, she found only 4 horribly injured boys passed out around her.
Looking around, she couldn''t see any signs of the person or beast which attacked them.
''Was I really saved?''
Hope returned to the girl''s eyes, as she began to cry tears of relief.
"Thank you! Thank you for saving me!"
The girl silently muttered to herself before running away from the scene, unaware that the object of her thanks was listening in.
A soft smile formed on Arvell''s lips.
''Getting thanked like this feels nice from time to time. But I don''t n to make it my life''s ambition to end crime or anything of the sort, that sounds like a pain.''
He turned around and took off, heading deeper into the woods.
Lykos''s mouth curved into a smirk.
''Who knows? You could be a guard! You already have plenty of experience stopping sexual assaults.''
Arvell cringed.
''Why does this keep happening? Like just steal their money or something. Keep it in your pants for crying out loud! There is more than life than fulfilling your libido!''
''Spoken like a true loner! As expected of someone who with the title of ''Forever Alone''!'' Lykos teased.
Vein''s bulged on Arvell''s forehead.
''When will you give that a rest, I''m still thirteen! I still have many chances to find a lover in the future!''
''Talk like that when you can actually find one!''
Arvell grit his teeth in annoyance, before deciding to ignore Lykos for the time being.
***
30 MINUTES LATER
Lucas opened his eyes with a disoriented look, before feeling a pang of pain originating from his stomach.
"W-what happened¡?"
Suddenly the memories of the silver sh flooded in, as Lucas''s eyes widened in realization.
"Urgh¡"
The memory of the horrific punch made his pain feel even more vivid than it did before.
Clearly remembering how he got the injury made him feel like he re-lived that hellish experience.
He shivered in terror as he remembered the feeling of oppressive terror he felt from that person.
It was as if he was nothing more than a b of meat on a carving board, with his only option being to let himself be killed whenever that being wished.
He''d never experienced anything like this ever before.
Lucas was even surprised that he''d managed to survive.
He was sure that he was dead the instant he fell unconscious.
Slowly pulling himself into a sitting position, he looked around only to find his 3 friends all lying unconscious on the ground.
Neither the culprit nor the girl could be found anywhere nearby.
Inhaling deeply he shouted to his friends.
"GUYS WAKE UP! WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE!"
Being unable to muster up the strength to walk, he resorted to yelling at his friends to get their attention.
"COME ON GUYS WAKE UP!"
Instead of seeing his friends wake up, Lucas noticed something else.
*SRSSS*
It was the sound of something dragging on the ground?
The boy couldn''t quite turn around due to his abdominal pain, so he opted to yell at whichever asshole was behind him to show himself.
"Which f*cker is behind me? Show yourself!"
He heard the noise slowly approach him before abruptly stopping.
"Who the hell are you!"
Sweat began to drip down Lucas''s neck.
Being in a situation where he couldn''t turn around due to the pain, he was starting to shake in terror.
However, instead of receiving a response, Lucas noticed something else.
His shadow¡ Was growing?
It got to the point where the sun in the corner of his eyes was no longer visible.
"What the hell is going on?"
At this point, Lucas began to panic.
Something was definitely wrong.
"Hiss?"
He looked up to see what appeared to be a giant figure looking down on him.
"Oh, lord¡Please save me¡"
The figure''s mouth opened wide, before falling onto Lucas, swallowing him whole.
***
Author''s Note:
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT:
Chapter 18 was missing half of the chapter due to me identally deleting it while editing. I put the chapter back up, if you all wanted to read it. Thank you to everyone who pointed it out, and I''m sorry for thete response
Chapter 82 Mysterious Tree
Arvell kicked off the branch he was standing on and elerated deeper into the jungle.
From the growing trend of the nearby beasts, it was safe to assume that the stronger, higher-ranked beasts could be found deeper on.
While he had no idea just how strong the strongest beast in the jungle was, Arvell wanted to test his luck and find an opponent which could at least entertain him for the majority of the exam''s allotted time.
The only ce he could hope of finding such a beast was deeper in the forest.
More specifically wherever the center was.
Arvell didn''t really have a clear direction where he was heading to find the ''centre'', but he just continued in a rtively straight line from where he entered the forest.
He left markings on certain trees to find his bearing whenever he veered off course, so even with interruptions such as the incident with the group of boys assaulting the girl, he was able to quickly get back on track.
Deciding that he might be able to get a better grasp of the forest area, Arvell was on the lookout for any particrlyrge tree or rock on his path, which he could to properly survey thend.
Luckily he didn''t need to travel too far before he found just what he was looking for.
Only a few metres before him, he found a specific tree that appeared to tower over its peers, being over 20% taller.
Arvell smiled to himself when he saw this.
''Jackpot.''
Jumping at the tree, he attempted tond on its branches, but instead ofnding properly, the branches moved right before he couldnd.
Momentarily surprised with what just happened, Arvell kicked off of the tree''s bark in mid-air.
Backping onto one of the nearby trees, before retreating out of sight.
''What happened?''
Arvell trained his senses on his surroundings, looking for any signs of life.
Maybe someone was using nt magic to take him out without attacking him.
This was a brilliant idea, to say the least.
In this kind of scenario, it would look like Arvell tripped and fell to his death or got injured on his own.
They just needed to rob a defenceless Arvell, and they could walk away with every coin he owned.
Following this thought pattern, Arvell was almost certain that a nearby examinee had manipted the tree using magic to injure him.
Surprisingly, he wasn''t able to find any nearby examinees.
''Are they able to hide their presence to the point where even I can''t sense it? This makes no sense. What do you think Lykos?''
Lykos shook his head when he heard Arvell''s question.
''You should try to figure out an enemy''s strengths and weaknesses on your own. It''s an essential skill for any warrior. Relying on my knowledge to solve every problem is nothing more than a crutch that will bring you to harm in the long run.''
Finding reason in Lykos''s words, Arvell nodded.
Since he couldn''t find his enemy through conventional means, Arvell decided to use his trump card.
[Status]
Arvell began to scour his environment for any hint of life.
[Status Information]
Structure name: Yirn Tree
[A tree that normally grows in abundant forest environments. The fruits produced by this tree have powerful antioxidant properties]
[Status Information]
Structure name: Erasis Bush
[A bush with characteristic spiral-shaped thorned leaves. While this bush is primarily found in arid climates such as deserts, it''s spread to other ecosystems as well.]
[Status Information]
Structure name: Ruan Tree
[A tree with sap that is said to beparable to honey. This tree is normally found in extremely dense forests]
No matter where he looked, all he could see was the status information for the local flora.
There weren''t even any beasts around either.
Something that struck Arvell as quite odd.
That was until something caught his eye.
It looked like it was a small white rock protruding from the ground.
However, its shape was quite familiar to Arvell.
It was something he saw quite often while living in the wilderness for 5 months.
To verify his suspicions, he focused all of his attention on the white rock.
[Status Information]
Structure name: Surio Leopard Skull
[A Skull that belonged to a first-rank Surio Leopard]
''I was right, that''s a bone. A Skull no less.''
After focusing on the singr bone, Arvell begins to see other simr white-shaped objects protruding from the ground.
''Why are there so many bones here?''
Strangely enough¡ All of the bones on the ground were nearby, forming what appeared to be a small circle surrounding the same tree from which Arvell had almost fallen off.
''What is going on here? Wait¡ could it be?''
A momentary realization dawned on Arvell, causing him to raise his head at the tree.
[Status Information]
Species: Lesser Treant
Beast Rank: Late First Rank
[A beast that mimics the appearance of a normal tree, feeding off any unfortunate soul that lets down their guard and gets within its killing range.]
Arvell''s eyes widened in shock, but the shock was quickly reced with a toothy grin.
''Late first rank? This will be far more fun!''
Knowing that he was up against a tree-like enemy, Arvell did what he perceived to be the only natural decision.
[Inventory]
Reaching into his inventory, Arvell produced several bottles with what appeared to be cloth sticking out of them, along with a matchbox.
His toothy grin contorted into a much more eerie sadistic smile.
Lykos shook his head with a disappointed sigh.
''Great¡ he''s going into his pyromaniac phase again¡''
Arvell ignored Lykos''s inner dilemma and proceeded to light a match stick transferring the me onto the cloths on one of the bottles.
Without hesitating another moment, Arvell chucked the bottle at the treant as hard as he could, sending the bottle flying at rapid speed.
Sensing something approaching at a fast velocity, the treant instinctively moved some of its branches to protect itself, but sadly its efforts were in vain.
The ss bottle shattered on impact, spreading a roaring me all over the treant''s branches.
"KRYAAAAAH!"
A deep gurgled voice screamed out.
Arvell''s smile widened when he saw the beast''s cries of pain.
"Next time¡ Don''t try to make me fall!"
Arvell wasn''t the kind to forgive grudges easily¡ no matter how petty they were.
***
Author''s Note:
Sorry again!
I mixed up ch 69 and 79 while editing chapter 79, so chapter 69 was not correct for awhile.
For those who didn''t read the correct ch 69, its avable to read now.
Thank you to the people who pointed it out!
Chapter 83 Finally… Some Fun!
*BANG*
*BANG*
*BANG*
Arvell continued to chuck several of his homemade Molotovs at the treant, allowing the mes to engulf it.
"KYAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Some of the branches burned away, revealing a gnarled face that seemed to be carved into the tree''s bark.
''It hid its face behind its branches? I guess that''s the least it needs to do to camouge itself.''
Arvell aimed one of his incendiary bombs at its opened face, causing his ming concoction to enter its wide-open mouth.
*BOOM*
"RYAAAAAAAAH"
mes escaped from the Treant''s eyes, nose and mouth.
Almostedically in fact.
However, its bestial cries of pain would stop anyone fromughing at its almostical plight.
Unless the said person was named Arvell.
He had a maniacal grin stered on his face, as he mercilessly chucked more Molotovs at the screaming treant.
It was almost like he derive some kind of sick pleasure from lighting it on fire.
After realizing he only had a few incendiary potions remaining, Arvell decided to cease his ruthless barrage.
He needed to save some of them in case of an emergency after all.
But at that point, most of the treant was a charred mess, covered in what appeared to be ayer of ck charcoal underneath the raging ze.
The treant waspletely helpless to resist the mes, having no effective way to put them out.
All it could do was writhe in agony.
Arvell watched it with a neutral expression.
Having felt he''d finished getting his ''revenge'' on the treant for its earlier antics, Arvell felt that finishing the treant off as soon as possible was his main priority at the moment.
[Inventory]
Arvell pulled out what appeared to be a sk of foamy water, and proceeded to douse it on himself.
''This should be enough''
Arvell kicked off of the branch he was standing on and began barreling towards the treant.
[Temportal Maniption]
Time began to visibly slow down for Arvell as he dashed towards the ming treant.
[Inventory]
Opening two separate portals for his inventory, one for each hand, Arvell pulled out two swords, one for each hand.
One of which was his prized magical sword.
[Haste]
Activating the Hasty Iron Sword''s skill, Arvell''s speed increased once more.
At his point, he was a blur of silver as he raced through the tree branches towards his ming adversary.
Without wasting a single breath, Arvell jumped off a branch and plunged both of his swords into the bark of the tree.
Due to his momentum on top of the damaged bark, the two swords cut through the tree''s bark like hot knives through butter.
*SHHHHHKKKK*
Hanging from his two embedded swords, Arvell began to slide down the height of the tree while holding onto the swords, leaving 2 long sh marks on the bark of the tree.
After the swords finished sliding downwards, Arvell pulled out the sword in his right hand and impaled it into the tree a little higher than before.
Repeating this process with his left hand, Arvell began to scale the length of the ming tree.
While the mes were bothersome, he''d already doused himself in water, so it wasn''t too much of a concern for Arvell.
He continued to rapidly scale the length of the treant as if he were climbing a mountain.
Realizing that the cause of its current agony was the small human who was impudently trying to climb it, the Treantshed out in a fit of rage.
While its mind was consumed by the immense pain from being burned alive, it wouldn''t just let the perpetrator of said pain go without making them experience the same hell it had to undergo.
Countless ming branches flew toward Arvell''s head.
However, unlike what one might expect from someone in Arvell''s scenario, Arvell didn''t fall into despair while watching the iing branches.
If anything, he was calm¡ almost too calm.
Just as one of the branches was about to hit Arvell, he positioned himself so his feet were t on the trunk of the tree.
Kicking off of the tree he pulled both of his swords out of the bark,nding directly on the ming branch that was poised to hit him just moments ago.
Without waiting a moment, Arvell began to run up the ming branch, in an attempt to reach the treant''s face.
The ce where Arvell presumed was its weakness, considering how effective throwing an incendiary potion into its mouth was.
Seeing Arvell run along the length of the branch, the treant desperately tried to shake him off, but that seemed to be to no avail.
Arvell''s bnce wasn''t something that would be rattled that easily.
Since it couldn''t shake him off normally, the treant decided to change up its n of attack.
All of the branches near Arvell snaked their way towards him, in an attempt to hit him off of the branch he was standing on.
As the closest branch neared him, instead of trying to dodge, Arvell repeated his earlier strategy and proceeded to jump onto the branch.
Which caused the branch he transitioned over to, as well as countless others, to hit the air instead.
Without pausing for a breath, he resumed his frantic run towards the treant''s face.
As long as he could reach its face he would win, but if the treant could knock him off, he''d need to use some of his more costly techniques to get to safety.
Something Arvell wanted to avoid at all costs.
''This¡ This is fun!''
Arvell''s mouth curved into a maniacal grin, as he continued to dodge branches left and right, asionally swapping branches in an effort to confuse the treant.
This was the thrill he was looking for!
A fight that pushed him to make countless decisions on the fly, a fight that pushed him to the very edge.
While he wasn''t able to use all of his strength due to the concern that some nearby examinee might see him, he was able to go all out within the power constraints he set for himself.
For Arvell, even this is something worth being ted over.
He''d managed to finally find a beast that could let him have fun.
Jumping onto onest branch, Arvell was finally within striking range of the treant''s face.
"It was fun while itsted, but now¡ It''s over."
Arvell readied his swords to strike at the treant, but a loud noise that came out from behind him caused him to reflexively turn around in an attempt to identify the source of the noise.
"SQUEAAALLL!"
A brown boar-like beast entered Arvelll''s field of view as it dashed through the forest, heading in their direction.
But what surprised Arvell wasn''t the brown-coloured beast.
It was the person that was running after it.
It was none other than the boy that broke the carriage door!
Chapter 84 Titus
''Why is he here?''
Arvell watched the bald boy run after the beast with tant disbelief.
''He appears to be hunting that beast.''
Feeling a gust of scorching hot winding from his left, he immediately jumped into the air, dodging the iing branch.
''I guess I should first worry about my business before I worry about his.''
Arvell pivoted the swords in his hands mid-air, bringing them down onto the treant''s face.
*CHHKKKK*
"KYAAAAAAAAAH"
The treant''s howling intensified significantly with Arvell''s attack, causing its shrieking to turn into an auditory assault if anything.
Beads of sweat began to roll down Arvell''s neck due to the blistering heat, and with the ears feeling like they were going to rupture, Arvell''s mind was thrown into a frenzy.
However, this only served to hasten his moves.
His hands became blurs as he furiously shed, pierced and stabbed at the Treant to kill it once and for all.
Feeling another gust of hot airing from behind him Arvell jumped and backflipped, causing the Treant''s branch to miss and hit itself in the face.
Finding his footing Arvell once again continued his onught.
''I might need to get serious.''
[Vitality Drain]
The treant began to wither at a visible pace, while Arvell''s raggedplexion became more calm andposed.
He continued to sh at the treant like a crazed maniac, in a desperate struggle to finish off the ming monstrosity once and for all.
"Just hurry up and die already!"
Arvell''s stabbed his two des as deep as he could into the treant''s ''eyes'' and punched each of the swords as hard as he could, causing the full length of the sword, hilt and all to embed themselves into the treant.
"KYAAAAAAAHhhhhh¡"
The treant cried out in pain onest time, as its branches slowly fell motionlessly.
Arvell pulled both his swords out of the treant''s body and began looking for its coins and core.
The academy tended to put each beast''s coins in a ce where it was almost impossible for the beast itself to remove.
Sometimes on rings hanging around their necks, or on a part of their body they physically couldn''t reach.
For the treant, it appeared to be inside the treant''s hollow nose-shaped carving.
Luckily the rings didn''t melt under Arvell''s barrage of fire, but they were still scolding hot, to say the least.
Arvell picked the chain with the coins with his sword and dropped it into his inventory.
It didn''t take him too long to find the core of the treant either, being that it was located behind its ''face''.
After finally looting the treant''s corpse of these 2 items, Arvell jumped off of the burning corpse, and onto one of the nearby trees.
"SQUEALLL!"
Noticing a familiar squealing sound, Arvell turned his attention to the boar-like beast running desperately from the bald youth.
Arvell could have sworn he saw small droplets of tears falling out of the beast''s eyes.
''Is it running as fast as it can to not get eaten or something?'' Arvell mused.
The scene was quiteical, to say the least.
As if the poor boar was running for dear life from the big bad human.
''It looks so sad that I almost pity it¡'' Lykos muttered to himself while shaking his head.
However, the beast couldn''t match up with the youth''s monstrous speed and was soon caught in his grasp.
The beast began shaking visibly in terror, while the tears under its eyes turned into bonafide streams.
It gave up struggling since it knew it was no use.
Having seen the youth''s strength firsthand, the beast knew it couldn''t escape.
''It tried its best, but sometimes that''s just not enough¡'' Lykos sighed.
The youth brought his hand to the beast''s neck, causing it to turn its head away and closed its eyes in fear.
However contrary to the beast''s expectations, somethingpletely different happened.
Instead of killing the beast right then and there, the boy unfastened the coin ring off of the beast''s neck and gently put the beast back onto the ground.
The beast looked at the bald youth with a look of confusion.
The bald creature caught him right? Why didn''t it kill him?
If anything the creature removed the chain that''s been irritated the beast''s neck for thest few days.
Ever since other humans came earlier and stuck that thing around its neck, it''s been suffering from slight neck cramps.
But this human¡
Not only did he not kill it, but the creature also removed the annoying thing around its neck!
The beast looked at the bald youth in apletely different light.
Perhaps¡ Humans weren''t such scary beings after all!
The boar-like beast slowly walked over to the bald human and nuzzled his leg affectionately.
Seeing the boar-like beast''s amiable attitude the youth smiled and ruffled its fur with a smile.
"PTHOO!"
Arvell was drinking some water to quench his parched throat before he spat out water in surprise.
Not only did the youth not kill the boar, but he also befriended it?
''What kind of twist is this?''
A small grin formed on Lykos''s face.
''A wholesome one to say the least.''
Hearing the sound of water spitting, the youth raised his head in Arvell''s direction.
''Sh*t he saw me¡'' Arvellmented.
Having your cover blown because you spat out water from being surprised?
Seriously how stupid was that?
Lykos shook his head in disappointment.
''You need more practise on calming your heart.''
Knowing that his cover was already blown, Arvell sighed to himself before jumping off of the tree he was standing on andnding on the ground.
He slowly approached the youth and waved his hand.
"Hey, how''s it going? We rode on the carriage together, remember? My name''s Arvell" Arvell asked with a feigned smile.
''Wow, real smooth.'' Lykos teased.
''Shut up, the mood''s too awkward right now.'' Arvell countered.
The youth smiled back in response.
"Hello, my name is Titus"
Titus pointed towards the burning corpse of the treant.
"Was this you?"
Arvell shook his head.
"I''m nowhere near strong enough to take this thing down on my own."
Since there was no way a kid their age could kill a treant that big on his own, Arvell had no choice but to lie.
Perhaps one of those rich noble''s children could but the kids here certainly couldn''t.
Furthermore from what Arvell saw from Zen''s ability, the noble''s child needed to have enough time to properly train and receive the necessary resources as well.
Since Zen was kidnapped only shortly after turning 13, he wasn''t given the chance to properly get stronger yet.
From what Arvell saw with Ang''s strength, if Zen was given enough time, he''d also be quite the force to be reckoned with.
This is also why Zen had been given countless elixirs and treasures ever since they made it back to the Silvercolt estate.
Even Arvell managed to get his hands on some, courtesy of Wilfried.
If anything, Zen was probably getting magic coaching from his father and sister while Arvell waspleting the exam.
There was no way those two wouldn''t whip their son into shape before he began attending the academy.
Otherwise, he''d simply be left in the dust by his peers.
Hearing, Arvell''s words, Titus pondered for a moment before nodding his head.
"Makes sense."
Kneeling down, Titus rubbed the boar-like beast behind the ears, as if it was his pet.
Arvell felt that this was his cue to leave.
"Anyways, I should get going. After all, I need to collect coins to pass."
Titus looked at Arvell and nodded his head.
"Good lu-."
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"
A loud scream reverberated through the forest, causing Arvell and Titus to immediately turn in the direction of the noise.
"Something must have happened¡"
''It''s none of my concern though.'' Arvell thought to himself.
He stopped the sexual assault since it was happening right before him, but he wasn''t going to y babysitter for this many kids his age.
Moreover, they had their emblems to call for help.
Arvell only helped that girl because she didn''t have the option.
Just as Arvell was about to turn around, he heard Titus speak out.
"They need help."
Arvell shook his head at Titus''s ims.
"They''re probably fine. The academy handed out emblems remember? If they were in danger, they could just use that."
Unfortunately, Arvell''s argument didn''t seem to work as Titus shook his head.
"There is a big fire."
Titus pointed at a rising ck plume in the direction of the scream.
"People will need help."
Arvell sighed when he realized the boy''s words had meaning to them.
Even if the examiners came, some of the students might still die.
Furthermore, it was deep enough that Arvell''s group might have been the only ones to have heard their screams.
''F*ck it, it''s not like I have anything better to do.''
Deciding to give in, Arvell sighed reluctantly.
"All right¡ Let''s go help them."
Titus nodded his head at Arvell''s suggestion.
"Yes, let''s go quickly."
Chapter 85 Feat Of Strength
Following the plume of smoke, Arvell and Titus raced through the forest.
''Seriously¡ Why do I keep having to bother saving these people?''
Arvell red angrily at the plume of smoke with visible annoyance.
If he was still in need of hunting for coins, he would have definitely not bothereding to help some strangers.
''Sigh¡ I hope at least whatever or whomever it is attacking them is strong. It''ll at least make my time feel less of a waste.;
Arvell turned over to Titus who was running next to him.
He''d seen Titus''s speed before, but Arvell still couldn''t help but watch on with amazement when he saw it.
Titus was able to run at Arvell''s top speed even when he was running with his temporal maniption active.
While Arvell wasn''t using the haste on his hasty iron sword, since the skill had a 4 hour cooldown time between uses, he was by no means slow without it.
''Just what is he? First, my status skill doesn''t work, next, he lets the beast go free without killing it, and now he can match my top speed?''
The beast in question didn''t tag along with them.
It wasn''t nearly fast enough to keep up with the two of them, so Titus gave it onest stroke on the head before setting it free.
The beast however was reluctant to part, something Arvell found somewhat amusing, considering around 5 minutes ago, it would have done anything and everything to separate itself from Titus.
As Arvell neared the cause of the smoke, he noticed a small patch of forestry lit aze by a roaring fire.
"As expected, the forest has been lit aze."
Titus nodded his head.
"People are in the fire."
Arvell squinted his eyes, trying to make out any signs of movement from within the fire.
However, he was still too far to urately judge.
If anything he needed to get closer.
Arvell put his hand into his pocket and stealthily opened up his inventory.
[Inventory]
He pulled out a small sk filled with a soapy fluid, identical to the one he used when taking out the treant, and doused it on himself, covering himself from head to toe with a soapy fluid.
From Titus''s perspective, it looked like Arvell covered himself in water to avoid getting burned by the raging mes.
While he wasn''tpletely wrong, that wasn''t quite it either.
The elixir Arvell applied onto himself was a special fire-resistance concoction.
Something Arvell whipped together to prevent himself from being burned in simr situations.
Arvell was tempted to give Titus a bottle too, but he withheld that decision.
He couldn''t let him know that he brought elixirs with him to the examination.
Considering that this examination was a surprise, none of them had time to prepare, so if Arvell unts elixirs like that, it couldn''t look any more suspicious.
''He probably has his own way of dealing with this right?''
After the disy of strength he witnessed from Titus, Arvell was sure he would surprise him yet again.
However, Titus stared at the zing forest fire with a nk expression.
He put his hand into his pocket and produced what appeared to be a small crumby object.
''Is that¡ A cookie?'' Arvell watched Titus with a look of tant disbelief.
How was a cookie going to help them in their scenario?
''Wait¡ is that cookie special or something? Perhaps it''s made using various medicinal herbs?''
Arvell had heard from Lykos that there is a way to make some elixirs easier to consume by turning them into food.
However, these delicacies were often the richest of the rich.
Arvell had seen and even tried some of these dishes while he was still a prince.
But¡ those dishes almost always gave off dense medical aromas.
However, even with his sensitive Nephilim nose, all Arvell could smell was burning wood.
Titus stared at the cookie with all of his concentration, as if he was trying to bore a hole right through it.
"Goodbye."
Titus plopped the cookie into his mouth and closed his eyes as if trying to savour thesting taste on his palette.
Titus turned to Arvell.
"I am ready."
Caught off-guard Arvell simply nodded.
"Okay, let''s get going then."
The two broke into the ming forest and began to search for any signs of life.
They kept their heads low to avoid inhaling any poisonous substances, but even if they had been poisoned, Arvell was sure he''d be able to escape the ordeal almost unscathed.
Mostly due to his stockpile of various elixirs inside his inventory.
Arvell turned to see portions of Titus''s shirt badly singed, but strangely enough¡
His body appeared to bepletely fine.
Albeit somewhat covered in soot.
''What kind of effects did that cookie have?''
Arvell was somewhat tempted to ask Titus, but he refrained from it.
After all, the two of them had more pressing concerns at the moment.
They needed to find any survivors and get them out.
It wasn''t long before Arvell found a girl copsed among the wreckage of burning branches.
The girl didn''t appear to be physically harmed but she was still unconscious.
Arvell however realized that girl seemed somewhat familiar¡
''Wait, this is the same girl I rescued a little while ago.''
Arvell saw her pitiful state and shook his head.
''This poor girl can''t seem to get a break, first, it was being attacked, and now it''s this.''
Arvell approached her and ced the back of his hand in front of her mouth.
''Good.''
"She''s still breathing," turning towards Titus, Arvell responded.
Titus responded by nodding his head in acknowledgment.
"We should get her out of here."
Arvell lifted the girl in a princess carry and pointed with his head at the way they came.
The two couldn''t find any other people in the nearby area, so either there was no one there in the first ce, or they were somehow trapped under the burning logs.
Either way, it meant that they had to leave now.
Even if someone was trapped under the burning logs, they would have already be charred corpses by now.
It wasn''t worth risking the life of an injured person to hunt for people who most likely were already dead.
That was simply stupid if anything.
*CRASH*
*ROAR*
One of the nearby trees copsed onto the ground, directly blocking the path from which the two entered.
"F*ck."
Arvell cursed under his breath as he saw their only escape route blocked by arge ming tree.
"Allow me."
Titus walked past Arvell and approached the fallen tree.
The diameter of the cylindrical tree trunk was the full length from his finger to his shoulder.
It was quiterge, to say the least.
However, this wasn''t any concern to Titus.
He walked up and readied his fist.
Arvell''s eyes widened in disbelief.
''No way¡ Is he going to punch it?''
*BANG*
Titus''s fist was so fast it would have been nothing but a blur for the average untrained eye.
Before Arvell could even blink, the massive tree was split in two, with each of the two pieces flying backwards,nding sever metres away.
Seeing this, Arvell''s breathing became ragged.
A kid his age was able to disy this level of strength?
This was something he had never imagined!
A maniacal grin formed on his lips.
''I want to fight him!''
Chapter 86 It’s Coming…
Seeing that Titus cleared the path, Arvell bolted as fast as he could.
The ce where they were right now was nothing short of dangerous.
They needed to get out as soon as possible.
Staying any longer would be directly risking their lives.
[Time Maniption]
Arvell used a burst of Aether to speed himself up and escape from the burning cluster of trees.
"It looks like the forest fire spreading to the surroundings." Arvell noted out loud, "We should go a little further away."
Titus nodded his head in understanding.
"Makes sense."
After finally escaping, Arvell ran for another 2 minutes before stopping next to a tree.
He gentlyid the girl down and began to look further into her condition.
Arvell needed to know if the girl got knocked out due to ack of oxygen, inhaling too many poisonous fumes, or any other serious injuries.
He needed to bepletely sure that the girl was stable, and wouldn''t die left alone.
Arvell ran his hand across her scalp to feel for any bumps or bruises, making sure to check for any liquids spilling from her head, namely blood.
Being so engrossed with his task, he didn''t realize just how close he was to the girl.
That is¡ until her eyes fluttered open.
Seeing a face appear right in front of her, one that was far too close, the girl screamed in a panic.
"Hey, how are you feeling?" Arvell asked with a smile.
"KYAAAAAAAAAH!!!"
She pushed Arvell away and crawled away at lightning speed as if desperately trying to escape Arvell.
Arvell''s smile froze and threatened to break.
''BWAHAHAHA!'' The sound of Lykos''sughter erupted in Arvell''s mind.
His ethereal manifestation quite literally rolled on the ground withughter.
''She took just one look at yo- PFFT! She took only one look at you and screamed in fear! HAHAHA, She-she even crawled as fast as she could to run away from you! Mr. Forever Alone!''
At this point, Arvell felt a blood vessel pop on his forehead.
''Lykos I swear to god, I will exercise you if you so much as breath another word!''
At this point, Arvell was sincerely wishing he could trade up the powers of Aether and Nether maniption for a power to beat up Lykos.
Arvell swore to himself that the instant he managed to get back to the Silvercolt estate, he''d look into how to perform exorcisms.
It was time that the old ghost to finally move on.
''H-Hey Arvell, those are some scary thoughts you''re having right now¡''
If Lykos could sweat, he''d be sweating buckets after hearing Arvell''s thoughts.
At this point, even Lykos felt he went a little too far.
''Hey look, she''s probably just terrified of boys right now. You do remember what happened only a short while ago right?''
Arvell exhaled in an attempt to calm himself down.
''You make a valid point, she''s probably just nervous.''
Arvell looked at the girl who was still desperately trying to crawl away from him.
"You don''t need to worry, I''m not going to hurt you."
"How am I supposed to know that you aren''t trying to get me to let down my guard? Before you have your way with me?" Without even turning around, the girl yelled back.
Arvell sighed.
"If I was that low of a human, I would have justid my hands on you while you were sleeping."
"Isn''t that what you were trying to do? You were touching me while trying to kiss me weren''t you?"
"Huh? Touch you? Kiss you?"
Arvell tilted his head in confusion.
''She probably misunderstood your intentions when you were checking her condition.'' Lykos noted.
Arvell turned with a shocked look on his face.
''Wasn''t it obvious that I was just checking her condition?''
Lykos shook his head.
''From a first-person standpoint, it would have lookedpletely different.''
''Great, so I have to clear up a misunderstanding now before I getbelled as a sex offender.''
Arvell walked towards the scurrying girl, which prompted her to try to get up to her legs to run away.
Sadly her legs felt like jello.
The girl couldn''t rise to her feet at all, leaving crawling away being her only option to escape from Arvell.
It wasn''t long before Arvell managed to overtake her and stop before her.
"Sigh¡ Look. I don''t have any intention of doing anything to you. We only came when we heard your scream echo through the forest. That along with the plume of smoke were red gs."
"Fire smoke?"
The girl asked without looking up at Arvell.
"We found you in the middle of a burning forest fire."
"Forest fire?"
Arvell raised his left eyebrow in confusion.
"You don''t know?"
"I-I everything seems so fuzzy¡ Why was I there again? Thest thing I remember was hearing the sound of something rubbing against the floor¡"
The girl''s eyes widened in a panic.
"That thing! I remember now! That thing came for me so I tried to use fire magic to fend it off! But I wasn''t able to hit it, it was too fast! I-I ended up hitting the nearby trees, which caught fire and spread the fire to the surroundings¡ I remember suddenly feeling weak, and the next thing I know I was here¡"
The instant the girl finished her sentence, the realization dawned on her.
"I-I''m so sorry! You saved my life and I treated you in such a way! How can I ever repay y-"
The girl raised her head and looked at Arvell.
However, the rest of her sentence got stuck in her throat as she stared at Arvell.
"Handsome¡" The girl quietly murmured to herself, but with Arvell''s sensitive hearing, he was able to hear it clearly.
''Hah! She didn''t run away after seeing my face!'' Arvell beamed inwardly.
While he knew that the girl probably ran away due to her earlier experience like Lykos proposed, he was still somewhat self-conscious after that.
However, the girl''s reaction toward Arvell''s charm managed to let him regain his pride as a man.
Seeing Arvell''s attitude Lykos shook his head with a sigh.
''You''re too Narcissistic.''
Hearing Lykos''s tant hypocrisy, Arvell quipped back.
''Look who''s talking.''
Arvell turned to the girl.
"You said you were fighting a ''thing'', could you borate a bit more? You were the only one we found there."
"It was a horrifying beast! It looked like a-a¡"
The girl''s face suddenly paled as she began to shudder in terror.
"Like what?"
Arvell asked.
"Hey, are you okay? You look like you''ve seen a ghost."
''Hey Lykos, did she see you or something?'' Arvell wondered inwardly, ''Makes sense why she''s shuddering in fear.''
''Ouch¡ But okay that was deserved.''
Arvell grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her lightly.
"Hey, are you alright?"
"It''s here."
Titus, who silently watched Arvell interact with the girl finally spoke.
Turning to Titus, Arvell furrowed his brows in confusion.
"What''s here?"
"Hiss¡"
Arvell heard a hissing sound ring out from behind him.
''Let me guess¡ Whatever it was that attacked her is right behind us right now.''
''I would assume so.''
Arvell exhaled dramatically.
''This is almost too cliched to be real.''
Letting go of the girl''s shoulders, Arvell turned himself around.
Only toe face to face with a giant snake the size of a full-grown tree.
Chapter 87 Rasian Python
"Hiss"
The snake towered above the group as it looked down on them.
Arvell felt a feeling of condescension emanating from the snake''s demeanour.
It watched them as if it was looking at a couple of ants.
Arvell knew this feeling quite well¡
After all, he''d seen the same expression in the eyes of those who ridiculed him.
The same look the countless nobles gave him as he left the throne room as an exiled prince.
Arvell''s blood boiled.
Who was this oversized worm, and what right did it have to look at him that way?
''I''ll just need to cut it into ribbons.''
He inhaled deeply in an effort to rpose himself.
''I can''t lose my cool¡.''
Losing hisposure was already losing half of the fight.
He needed to keep a calm and rxed demeanour.
''Thinking about this rationally, I should first judge its capabilities.''
Arvell focused his attention entirely on the snake-like beast.
[Status Information]
Species: Rasian Python
Beast Rank: Early Second Rank
[A Large reptilian beast that is known to swallow its prey whole before digesting them while they are still breathing. Its scales are known to be as hard as steel.]
Arvell''s eyes went wide at the revtion.
''Why is there a second-rank beast? Did the academy staff just gloss over a problem asrge as this?''
While Arvell was confident he could fight with a second-rank beast, that was only if he could use 100% of his strength.
As for when he was in a constricted state like now?
That was a foregone conclusion.
He would be ruthlessly ughtered.
Even more so, considering he burned through his Aether reserves, killing the Treant and saving the girl.
If he''d known about this, Arvell would have just ignored the Treant.
Now he was caught between a rock and a hard ce.
Furthermore, he couldn''t even use the haste skill on the hasty iron sword since it was still on cooldown.
And to top it off, he had his swords stored in his inventory.
A blunder on his part, to say the least.
In other words¡ he was in no condition to fight the beast.
Having no other choice, Arvell turned to the girl.
"Break your crest right now; this thing is too strong for us."
However, Arvell didn''t get any response from the girl.
"Hey, can you hear me? Break your crest!"
Arvell wanted to break his instead, but with how closely the beast was watching his movements, Arvell was sure that the instant he attempted to reach for his crest, the Rasian Python would use that opportunity to strike.
While the beast looked at them with pure unbridled condescension, he was still quite sure that the beast was treating them with some apprehension.
It was as if, deep down, it regarded Arvell to be somewhat of a threat.
But it refused to admit that such a small human child could be a threat.
The same applied to Titus as well.
Even though Arvell didn''t want to put too much trust in another person, especially someone he only met yesterday, he was sure Titus would be able to pull his own weight if a fight broke out.
From what he''d seen so far, he''d be a powerful asset, to say the least.
So the person who could call for help was none other than the girl he''d rescued twice earlier.
"Hey? We might die here!"
Arvell was getting nervous.
He was confident he could still escape if they were pushed into a corner, but he would need to reveal the existence of his wings.
There was a high probability someone else would see if he tried to fly away.
It would only be downhill from there.
He would be kept as ab rat and experimented on; that was only the best-case scenario.
The response that Arvell instead got from the girl was quite murmuring.
He turned in with his ears to try to hear her more clearly.
"...flower of burning¡."
Arvell began to feel a heat emanating from behind him.
''Why the h*ll is she casting magic now? She''s nowhere near strong enough to beat it!"
Arvell took a peek from the corner of his eye.
The girl had a somewhat crazed look as she stared at the beast.
''Sh*t, she lost her mind!''
"...crimson¡ Fire!"
The girl finished her chant and fired a fireball at the towering beast.
However, before the fireball could reach it, the snake tilted its body slightly, letting the fireball soar past it and hit a neighbouring tree.
Despite the tree being alive, the part it hit burst into mes.
Magical fires were generally more potent and hotter than typical fires.
While it might be hard for a newbie magician to do much damage from a wide-scale point of view, it was not too hard to burn a tree if hit.
This is why fire magic was usually not used in forests; after all, forest fires were a hazard to the caster and everyone in the vicinity.
''This stupid girl! We just got out of one forest fire, and here she goes starting another one!''
"No way¡ It won''t hit¡ I-I will die¡."
The girl copsed onto her knees and looked at the beast with pure terror.
Using the girl''s feeble state to its advantage, the snake tilted its head back and spat a green glob of goo at the copsed female.
Watching the approaching green clump, Arvell felt a sense of immediate danger.
"Get out of the way!"
Arvell pulled the girl with him as he jumped back, letting the goo sail past his face.
The goo missed them and hit a tree behind them, melting a hole straight through it and the several other trees behind it.
''That looks like it''s some kind of acid¡ Stomach acid, perhaps? It''ll spell certain death if any of us get hit by it.''
Arvell felt sweat form down the back of his neck.
He turned his head to the snake, realizing it wasn''t where it was before.
In fact¡.
All he could see was a ck void.
''Oh, sh*t.'' Arvell cussed inwardly
"Gulp"
Chapter 88 Get Stronger
Arvell saw the gaping maw of the snake-like beast quickly approaching.
''Oh, Sh*t.''
The Rasian Python closed its mouth with a snap, devouring Arvell and the girl in a single bite.
¡But the weird thing was that the only thing it could taste was empty air.
???
The beast prodded around its mouth with its elongated tongue, looking for the prey it was sure it swallowed.
However¡
It still couldn''t feel them.
What had happened?
It was sure it ate them!
How did its prey just disappear?
That made no sense!
Wait¡ There was one more human right?
The snake-like beast turned its head to Titus.
However, he was standing a few feet away with his mouth agape.
"You ate them?"
The snake could not understand him, but it knew that this human hadn''t interfered with its meal.
*SNAP*
The snapping sound caused the snake and Titus to turn their heads.
A silver-haired boy was holding a girl in his arms only a few metres away from the snake.
The girl was frightened to the point where she had shut her eyes tightly while the boy was holding what looked like a bent piece of metal.
***
A FEW MOMENTS EARLIER
Arvell saw the fast-approaching gaping mouth of the Rasian Python and then looked at the girl in his arms.
She had shut her eyes out of fear while shivering in fear.
''Sigh¡ I''ll have to use ''that''. I don''t really have any other option.''
Arvell took a deep breath and channelled every ounce of remaining Aether in his body.
[Warp]
He disappeared from his position with the girl in his arms, appearing 2 meters to the right.
Seeing the Python was distracted by him suddenly going missing, Arvell reached into his pocket and produced his copy of the academy insignia.
He''d already used up almost all of his Aether stash, leaving only a tiny, trace portion of it remaining.
There was no point in trying to be headstrong about getting trying to pass this exam if he would lose his life doing so.
While there was a chance he would be pardoned for requesting staff aide during the exam, on ount of having to deal with a second-rank beast, he wasn''t leaning too heavily on it.
After all, the rules were the rules.
''Welp, here goes my happy academy life.''
Arvell reluctantly formed a fist with his hand, causing the insignia to turn into nothing more than a lump of crumpled metal.
The sound seemed to alert both the Python, who looked at Arvell and the girl with a look of evident confusion.
"Good, you''re alive."
Titus''s lips curved into a smile.
Arvell gave him a slight nod in response.
"Can you keep it busy while I try to get this girl to safety?"
Titus nodded his head in acknowledgement.
"Ok."
Titus closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.
"Fuuuuu"
Steam began to leave Titus''s mouth as he took a fighting stance.
"Come."
As if irritated by its prey''sck of fear and reverence towards itself, the Rasian Python slithered over towards Titus in a frenzy.
Seeing that he had time, Arvell turned to look at the girl in his arms.
She clung to him with visible desperation.
As if holding him tighter would make the beast disappear.
"Sigh¡ Isn''t it time you let go?"
He flicked the girl on the head, which startled her, to say the least.
"AHHHH! DON''T EAT ME! I''M NOT TASTY!"
Instead of releasing him, she ended up only clinging tighter.
''Is this girl deaf or something?''
Arvell looked at his palm and nodded to himself.
''It''s for the best.''
*SLAP*
Feeling a sharp pain on her cheek, the girl snapped out of her reverie.
"Ow¡"
"Snap out of it. Titus and I can hold it off until the professors get here, but we can''t do that with you here."
"I-I can help!"
The girl didn''t want to be a burden to the two any more than she already was.
How could she just leave the people who were kind enough to save her?
That too, just to save herself again?
Arvell raised an eyebrow when he heard the girl''s deration.
"How? By starting another forest fire?"
''Ouch,'' Lykosmented.
''She needs to realize she can''t do much to help here. But, even if I need to be harsh, it''s far better than losing our lives.''
''I''m not saying you''re wrong, but a gentleman needs to be more delicate with thedies.''
''Good for me; I''m no gentleman.''
The girl looked distraughtly at Arvell.
"Is there really nothing I can do?"
"No. As you are right now, you''re far too weak."
The girl reluctantly nodded but silently dug her nails into her palms.
''I was saved twice by them, and I can''t even do anything!'' Shemented inwardly.
While she was deathly terrified of the beast, she still wanted to try and help.
Arvell''s lips curved into a slight smile after seeing her reaction.
''She''s like me¡ She desires strength.''
''You should give her a push then,'' Lykos suggested.
''Hmm¡ You may be right.''
Arvell lifted the girl''s chin, so she was looking him right in the eye.
Usually, she would have been flustered, being so close to an attractive boy, but she was too distraught to feel anything.
"You feel unwilling, don''t you? Don''t you wish you were stronger?"
The girl nodded her head without overthinking.
She cursed her own weakness.
Due to her weakness, she was nearly assaulted by a group of boys, almost burned to death by fire and acid, and then was nearly eaten alive.
She still didn''t know how she survived thest one, though¡
"I-I want to be stronger, but I''m far too weak right now¡."
"Then do anything you can to get stronger, chase after strength with all of your heart, and most importantly¡ Arvell pointed to her heart with his hand. Don''t ever forget this feeling. Keep the pain of being powerless in your heart. Let that be your motivation to get stronger. So that you will never find yourself in a simr situation."
"Do anything to be stronger?"
"As long as those things don''t cause you to lose yourself in your thirst for power, of course."
The girl nodded in understanding.
"I''ll leave this to you two, but I promise¡ I''ll one day get strong enough to pay you back."
Arvell''s smile grew when he heard the girl''s response.
"I''ll be waiting, miss¡."
"Lydia. My name''s Lydia," The girl added.
"...Lydia."
The girl smiled at Arvell.
"I''ll leave this to you two then. If I see a professor, I''ll point them here."
"That would be appreciated." Arvell smiled in response.
''I don''t really see why they need your help when they can just track the emblem. However, I don''t want to ruin the moment,'' Arvell thought inwardly.
Some things were better off left unsaid¡
Chapter 89 Lets Dance
Seeing Lydia run off into the distance, Arvell focused his attention on the Python.
He''d already spent a somewhat sizeable amount of time giving Lydia her ''pep'' talk.
If he stalled for any longer, Titus might be in trouble.
At least that''s what he thought¡
Surprisingly, reality, on the other hand, had something else entirely in store for him.
''Is he¡ riding it?''
Titus appeared to be sitting on top of the beast''s head as he repeatedly pummeled it with his right hand.
The Python shook from the impacts, but it didn''t look like it was taking much damage.
In fact, it was treating Titus as more of an annoying flea than anything else.
Even so¡
For a 13-year-old kid who hasn''t even been admitted to an academy to hold off a 2nd rank beast¡
That was nothing short of awe-inspiring.
''It doesn''t look like he can stay up there for too long.''
Arvell surveyed their surroundings, looking for anything he could use to fight the beast.
He couldn''t reveal his swords since none of the students came with actual weapons.
It would raise far too many questions, considering he managed to not only sneak them onto academy grounds but also into an academy proctored exam.
While he was confident in his raw strength, he was in a conundrum without ess to most of his aether supply.
''There has to be something I can use¡.''
*BOOM*
A loud explosion rang out from some nearby trees to Arvell''s right-hand side.
Namely a portion of the inmed forest.
''Why did the fire¡ explode? What''s going on?''
*BOOM*
Another loud booming noise rang out, but it was on Arvell''s left-hand side this time.
''What is going o-''
Arvell ducked on reflex, dodging a spew of acid that flew right over his head.
*BOOM*
Some of the trees behind Arvell exploded in a plume of fire.
Arvell turned his head just in time to see some of the ming trees crash to the ground.
*BAM*
He stared at the scene with his mouth agape.
''What the f*ck?''
Arvell shifted his gaze back onto the snake.
Being unable to remove Titus from its head, it resorted to trying to shake him off while spewing balls of green acid.
The instant the green acid hit the ming portions of the forest, they exploded into a shower of fire.
''No wonder this thing didn''t kill Lydia when she was unconscious in the burning forest! Its acid isbustable!''
Arvell''s lips curled up at this revtion.
''I can work with this!''
***
"Bad snake"
Titus continued to pummel the Rasian Python''s head with relentless fervour.
He knew the instant he let up, the snake would go back to trying to kill Lydia, who was the weakest link in their group.
Arvell had asked him to stall it for a bit, at least until the teachers came.
He intended to follow through on that.
After he managed to draw the beast''s attention, the Python lunged at him, fully intent on swallowing him whole.
Using this opportunity, Titus jumped into the air,nding directly on the beast''s head.
An action which served to agitate it.
Titus held desperately onto the Python with his left hand while keeping it focused on him by hitting it with his right.
He wasn''t sure how long he could hold on, but the longer he did, the higher their chances of making it out alive were.
"Stop moving."
Titus smacked the beast right in the eye.
"HISSSSS!"
In a fit of pain-induced fury, the Python gave up reason and began thrashing around in a frenzy while spewing acid haphazardly.
Titus felt his grip slowly slipping and resorted to using both hands to hold onto it.
Sadly even this wasn''t enough.
The Rasian Python lurched forward before snapping backwards, sending Titus flying straight into a tree.
*BANG*
The portion of the tree where Titus hit caved in, causing the tree trunk to mould into a somewhat concave-looking imprint.
Lucky for him, Titus didn''t hit one of the ming trees but one of the few untouched by the rapidly spreading fire.
"BWACK"
Titus coughed out a mouthful of blood as he staggeringly pulled himself back up to his feet.
While the attack caused Titus some internal damage, his body was still, for the most part, still functional.
Just that wouldn''t be able to knock him out.
"Over here, you overgrown worm!"
The sounds of screaming alerted the beast causing it to turn around and face the silver-haired boy from earlier.
The one who somehow managed not to get eaten.
The beast soon realized that the human was holding something in his hand.
It was a stick, but that wasn''t all.
Said stick was on fire!
The Python looked at Arvell with one good eye, observing him.
It wanted nothing more than to kill that human, but if the fire in his hand kept it at bay.
It knew it would explode whenever it spits acid at that ''orange wavy thing''; it learned from prior experiences.
The Python had been badly injured in the past after messing around with that substance, which caused it to develop a form of phobia.
It had to somehow take the fire out of the boy''s hand.
If the reason why the snake was weak to fire was that fire would cause its acid to explode, wasn''t the opposite also true?
The snake lurched its head back and sent a ball of acid flying straight at Arvell, namely at the ming stick in his hand.
''Trying to blow up my stick, to take me down with it? Quite the smart snake we have here,'' Arvell thought, ''It''s not wrong that I''ll be in danger as long as I''m holding onto the branch.''
Arvell knew the dangers of their n, but it was something he had to do.
They had to hold this beast off until the staff could get here.
He wasn''t sure they could outrun it, but if they showed their backs, the snake would most certainly attack them from behind.
His eyes narrowed while his lips curved into his signature maniacal smile.
A smile that didn''t suit his usual pretty-boy look.
He looked at the snake, dead in its one remaining eye.
"Let''s dance."
Chapter 90 One Last Shot
Arvell ducked as a ball of acid flew over his head, barely clipping his ear.
''Not being able to manipte time is a pain.''
He jumped to the left as a ball of acid came dangerously close to hitting his hand.
The same hand in which was holding the ming stick.
Beads of sweat formed on Arvell''s neck as he breathed a sigh of relief at the close shave.
While he looked like he was desperately trying to survive, inwardly, he was delighted.
Being able to fight to the level where a single misstep would spell out his untimely end¡
These kinds of situations were the most fun!
After all, these would push him to his max, allowing him even to surpass his limits.
Surviving these kinds of fights would make him iparably stronger than before.
After all, only through pressure would diamonds form.
How would he be strong enough to get revenge without even this much pressure?
While Arvell wanted to preserve his life, he didn''t want to live a life where he was powerless to control his own fate.
Without experiences like this to grow, he would never be able to be as strong as he wanted.
Arvell jumped, dodging a ball of acid aimed at his feet.
It was only after he was airborne did he realize his folly.
"Sh*t"
A glob the size of a basketball was headed straight at Arvell.
Even if he managed to shield the fire from the acid, he would still take the full brunt of the acid.
''This is going to sting!''
Arvell clenched his teeth, awaiting the burst of pain he knew woulde in only a matter of time.
"Here," A voice called out from Arvell''s left.
*WOOSH*
The sound of an object sailing through the air could be heard as a piece of wood hit Arvell straight in the stomach, sending him flying out of the acid''s way.
"HMMPH!"
Arvell grunted as he crashed a few metres to the side.
''I was expecting pain, but not like that.''
Arvell rubbed his sides with a conflicted expression.
''Well, it can''t be helped; you would have taken far more damage from the acid. However, Titus''sst-minute save came in pretty clutch there.'' Lykosmented.
''I''m not ming him; he had no other choice in that scenario. Normally humans would die if they get hit by something of that magnitude. If anything, it was my fault for underestimating my enemy''s intelligence, even if they are a beast.''
Arvell pulled himself to his feet and grabbed the ming stick.
The fire had consumed arge portion of the stick, so it wouldn''t go out that easily.
[Inventory]
Arvell stealthily reached into his inventory and pulled out a small vial.
He popped the lid off and downed its contents, not even leaving a single drop.
"BWAH!"
He coughed a mouthful of blood and clutched his stomach with a grimace.
''You''re resolved enough to use that?'' Lykos asked with an eyebrow raised.
''It''s not like these so-called examinees areing any time soon. We need all the help we can get, and I''m not the type to leave things up to luck. At this rate, both of us will die.''
Lykos sighed while lightly shaking his head.
''You''re right about that.''
Arvell took a deep breath to divert himself from his constant pain.
It was as if his whole body was screaming in pain with every movement of his muscles.
"It''s time for round two."
Arvell disappeared from his spot with a sh, travelling at a speed that was hard to follow with the naked eye.
The Python spat out a volley of acidic balls his way, but with Arvell''s newfound speed, this was not a concern.
The elixir he''d consumed was a special elixir that granted the consumer a burst of energy, even if their body was alreadypletely drained.
However, there was one main drawback to this almost-miraculous sounding elixir.
The user would copse and be unable to move for at least a few hours after consuming it.
Arvell would be nothing more than a sitting duck for the Rasian Python if he failed his gamble here.
Prey readily served on a silver tter.
The effects of the elixir would onlyst for one minute.
Meaning he only had 1 minute to decide his life and death.
Arvell dodged several of the acid balls, with them only hitting his afterimages.
Dancing through the acid rain, Arvell dodged the entire thing without so much as a drop hitting the ming stick in his hand.
He saw another blob flying in the direction of his feet.
"Oh,e on, use that big head of yours! Using the same trick twice won''t work on someone like me!" Arvell chided.
Instead of jumping, he jumped to the left this time, letting him dodge not just one ball of acid but two.
The second one was poised to hit him the instant he jumped.
Arvell watched the Python with a predatorial glint.
He was already within striking distance from the Python.
The beast also tried to slither away and create a distance between them, but it soon realized that no matter how hard it pulled, it wouldn''t budge even an inch.
Turning its head in confusion, it found the bald boy from before, clutching its tail with both of his hands.
He had a pained expression on his face as he used his whole body''s strength to hold it in ce.
Titus''s feet were beginning to drag forward as he was starting to lose the battle of strength.
But for Arvell, this was more than enough.
Arvell blurred once more as he shot towards the beast like an arrow.
He ran up the beast''s tail in a desperate struggle to reach its head.
It was now or never!
He climbed to the beast''s head and prepared to kill it once and for all.
However, the beast finally broke free from Titus''s grasp, causing its body to lurch and Arvell to lose footing.
Before Titus could react and hold it back in ce, the Python smashed its tail into his chest, sending him flying.
Now that one pest was dealt with, it was time to deal with the other!
Namely, the silver-haired ant on its back!
The snake thrashed around madly as Arvell struggled to keep himself afoot.
He was slowly losing his grip.
If he fell now, his life was basically forfeit.
In an act of desperation, Arvell plunged the ming stick into its one remaining eye.
"HISSSSSSSSS!"
The snake hissed in pain as its punctured eyeball burst into mes.
"Dumb*ss, I was waiting for you to open your big fat mouth!" Arvell yelled in satisfaction.
[Inventory]
He pulled out one of the remaining incendiary bombs he''d stored in his inventory.
"Enjoy yourst meal, you overgrown worm!"
Arvell leaned over the snake''s head while using the impaled stick to keep his bnce before chucking the incendiary bomb into the snake''s mouth.
Something the snake unknowingly swallowed due to itsck of eyesight.
Arvell knew he only had a few seconds to act.
He jumped off the Python and used every ounce of Aether he had left in his systems, squeezing out everyst drop he could muster.
[Warp]
*BOOM*
A massive explosion rang out, surrounding the area in a plume of mes.
Chapter 91 Desperately Buying Time
"Haaaaaah"
Arvell exhaled deeply as he felt his strength leaving his body.
He felt a sharp pain emanating from his chest, but he was too weak even to move his arms at this point.
''At least that thing is finally dead.''
Arvell smiled softly at the realization of his victory.
"I won. I somehow won that."
Even if he voiced it aloud, he still found it hard to believe.
They really managed to take down a 2nd rank beast like that.
Arvell did it without expending any Aether nor Nether.
While he expended the remaining Aether in his systems, it was merely to escape in the end.
The actual act of killing the beast didn''t require it.
His grade 1 ''Limit Break'' elixir seemed to do the job.
He only had one of these due to the immense rarity of the ingredients necessary to craft it.
After robbing bandits and finding the ingredients through pure dumb luck, he''d finally managed to craft one of them.
These elixirs were immensely hard to craft as well.
Using mana as a catalyst would never be enough to make one.
Only through Aether or Nether would an alchemist be able to craft it.
Due to this, knowledge surrounding this elixir was almost non-existent.
This is also why the ingredients are cultivated in herbal fields like many other alchemical herbs.
Arvell could only gather enough to create one of them, which he nned on using as a life-saving trump card.
He even debated using this in the Algreppian Mountain range, but the aftereffects would have almost guaranteed his death afterwards.
There was no way he could harm a rank 4 beast, much less kill it, so using it to be faster for only one minute was pure stupidity.
Arvell stared nkly as several clouds passed overhead.
''Seriously¡ The academy staff are so slow. It''s been ages since I broke that insignia, but they still hadn''t shown themselves yet.''
Arvell estimated it would have been around 5 minutes since he broke the insignia, but even so, he saw no signs of the academy staff.
''At this point, it''s better they don''t show up and fail me. Who knows? Maybe I can still sneak back into the exam by stealing someone else''s insignia?'' Arvell mused.
''There''s no use in doing that; the insignia you used was bound to your blood. So no way taking another person''s insignia would work.'' Lykos replied.
''I regret breaking that insignia now¡'' Arvell sighed to himself.
He would have never broken his insignia if he knew he could take the python beast without the academy''s help.
Sometimes being too cautious was a problem in itself.
''I''ll need to talk to Wilfried about thister. Maybe he could pull some strings for me?''
''I don''t think that''s too far of a stretch,'' Lykos agreed, ''you not only saved his kid but took out a beast which shouldn''t have even been on the examination. I doubt the staff would be that ignorant with their faults, to the point where they make you shoulder the me for their mistakes.''
''Let''s hope so.''
*SHHHK*
Arvell heard a noise slowly getting louder as it slowly approached him.
A small smile formed on his lips.
"Titus, I see you made it out in one piece as well."
"Hsshurgle."
Arvell raised an eyebrow when he heard a guttural noise.
"Did your lungs fill up with blood or something? Are you okay?" Arvell asked in an uncertain tone.
''What''s going on?''
Arvell was quite confused with the sounds that ''Titus'' was making.
They didn''t sound like something a human was capable of producing.
A ck shadow appeared over Arvell, blotting out the sun.
Arvell''s eyes widened.
"You''ve got to be kidding me¡ How the hell are you still alive?"
The visage of a giant python appeared over him, dripping blood and acid.
Its face was utterly burned, leaving only a mess of flesh and bone.
The Rasian Python was evidently on itsst legs.
A single push was all that would be enough to kill it.
Even so¡
Arvell was in no better condition.
All the python had to do was sink its teeth into Arvell''s skull, and he was dead.
While he could regenerate most of his body using Nether, if he didn''t have a brain, he couldn''t control Nether to restore himself.
Meaning¡
He would die in the truest sense of the word.
''How did it find me? It doesn''t have eyes, nor does it have its tongue to ''smell'' me,'' Arvell questioned.
''You spoke loud enough for it to hear you,'' Lykos responded with a worried tone.
''Ah¡ So I screwed myself over¡.''
Arvell wanted nothing more than to go back in time to punch himself in the face.
Why did he have to gloat like that?
Doing that was almost always a red g.
Arvell red at the python that was towering over him.
''Is this seriously how I go out? Hell, I''ve survived worse!''
Arvell tried his best to move his limbs, but the effects of the elixir he consumed prevented him from mustering even that much physical strength.
He was just amb under the meat cleaver, entirely at the mercy of the Rasian Python.
Or what was left of it.
Even so, Arvell knew it was imusible that it would have a sudden change of heart and let him go.
Meaning, he was dead anyway he put it.
Arvell didn''t know where Titus or Lydia was, but he was sure they couldn''t get there in time.
He was on his own for this one.
Arvell furrowed his brows in concentration as he used every ounce of his willpower to move his fingers.
His fingers twitched but ultimately still followed his instructions.
Arvell felt around the ground in his surroundings.
Biting his lip in frustration, Arvell slid his fingers around a pebble and grabbed ahold of it.
''Just a bit more!''
He mustered all of his strength in his condition and flicked the pebble as far as he could, making itnd several feet away.
*Plop*
The rocknded a few feet away from Arvell.
''Please work!''
Arvell desperately prayed.
The python twisted its head to the left, in the direction of the sound.
As if trying to ascertain the cause of the sound.
It slothfully slithered to wherever the rock had fallen before smashing its head into the ground, sending a shower of dirt and pebbles towards the surrounding area.
Causing a cloud of dust to rise in the surrounding area.
"COUGH!"
Before Arvell could stop himself, he involuntarily gagged on a dust cloud.
''SHIT!'' Arvell screamed inwardly.
Arvell''s eyes shifted in the direction of the Rasian Python.
''Surely it didn''t hear that, right?''
The Rasian Python raised its mangled head and turned in Arvell''s direction.
''Sigh¡ Of course not.''
The python slowly slithered over to Arvell.
''Seriously? Why can''t you just keel over and die already?''
Sadly no matter how much Arvellmented, he couldn''t do anything about it.
If he wasn''t inhibited by the side effects of the Limit Break elixir, Arvell was one hundred percent sure he could have effortlessly killed the beast.
But right now, he was in a worse condition than even it.
Arvell stared in the direction of the beast with a look of indignation.
''Lykos, is there anything I can do?''
''No¡ If you were only a little stronger, there would have been a way to turn this around, but now you''re far too weak to use it.''
Arvell couldn''t even summon Sepis and Nord to fight for him.
He needed his hand to open his inventory where they were stored.
Arvell was pushed into a corner, in the truest sense of the word.
''There''s got to be something, anything I can do!''
''I''m sorry, Arvell¡ Unfortunately, there''s nothing else you can do.''
The python reached Arvell''s side and assumed a striking pose.
Arvell resolutely red at the beast''s mutted visage.
"Even if you kill me, you''ll die in only a few minutes. So at least¡ this wasn''t a one-sided loss."
The python lowered its head, fully intent on crushing Arvell to death.
At least that was what it intended.
*SLASH*
*PLOP*
Arvell''s eyes widened in surprise as he saw the Rasian Python''s bisected head fall to the ground.
"What!" Arvell yelled in surprise.
''It was too fast for my eyes to see; what happened?''
''It seems that help finally arrived.'' Lykos answered.
Arvell shifted his eyes from the decapitated python to notice a familiar girl standing beside him.
"I found help!" Lydia smiled enthusiastically.
She pointed to the woman standing next to her, whom was none other than Professor Orfina!
"Hmm? Why is there a rank 2 beast here? Someone''s head is going to roll!" Professor Ofina muttered to herself.
Turning around, she faced Arvell.
Her eye''s narrowed when she saw Arvell, recognizing him from the incident involving Antote.
"Boy, were you the one who needed help?"
"Yes, that was me."
Professor Orfina looked at Arvell''s beaten-up body with a scrutinizing gaze.
"You look much worse than thest time I saw you. Let''s get you some help first."
Chapter 92 End Of The Exam
"Can you stand?"
"No¡ I can''t move my body at all."
"I see."
Professor Orfina snapped her fingers, and Arvell''s body began to lift in the air, supported by a white rectangr object.
''What is going on?''
Arvell could not see just how he was floating off the ground since he still didn''t recover enough strength to turn his head.
Looking at professor Orfina, Arvell decided to figure it out himself.
[Status]
[Status Information]
Status: Unavable
Arvel wanted to smack himself in the head.
He''dpletely forgotten he''d tried to check her status at the start of the entrance exam but failed.
There were only a few things he couldn''t see the status of.
Namely, he couldn''t see the status of mages from the 5th circle and above, August, Titus, and his pendant.
Arvell still had no idea why he couldn''t see the status of thest 3, but he knew that it was probably because he wasn''t strong enough.
Lykos had mentioned that he needed to get stronger to utilize more of his status skill''s power, so that was probably the reason he couldn''t.
Professor Orfina sighed when she saw Arvell looking at her perplexedly.
"You''re wondering why you''re floating, right? Everyone has a simr reaction when I use my magic. Well¡ I can tell you since it''s not much of a secret either way. I''m a user of barrier magic."
She pointed to Arvell, or more specifically, what was underneath him.
"You''re currently lying down on one of my barriers. We can''t risk moving you haphazardly in case you had any spinal injuries, so keeping your back straight is our top priority."
''So she mistook my condition as a spinal injury? I guess it might be easy to think that, considering I can''t move my body right now.''
Arvell didn''t want to tell her it was the side effects of an elixir he snuck into the exam, so he decided to let her have her misunderstandings.
It''s not like he ever told her he had a spinal injury.
If she made an incorrect assumption of his condition, that''s on her, not him.
Plus¡ he was too tired to correct her.
Professor Orfina turned to Lydia.
"You said there were 2 people who needed help, right? So where is the other one?"
Lydia looked around frantically before turning her attention to Arvell.
"Do you happen to know where the other boy is?"
Lydia''s eyes widened as she covered his mouth.
"Is he¡?"
"No, he''s not dead. At least he shouldn''t be."
Lydia breathed out a sigh of relief.
"Where is he then?"
Arvell motioned with eyes in the general direction where Titus was sent flying.
Professor Orfina nodded and began walking to where Arvell had pointed.
Arvell''s motionless body began to float after her while Lydia followed them with a spring in her step.
She was d she managed to get help in time to save Arvell''s life.
However, it wasn''t like Professor Orfina needed her help¡
If anything, her main contribution was giving Professor Orfina details of what had transpired.
"Ah, he''s there!"
Lydia''s cries alerted Arvell and Professor Orfina.
Following her finger, the two found Titus slumped against a tree, fast asleep.
"SNORE"
While he was out cold, surprisingly, Titus''s body showed no indication of serious injuries.
Instead, he looked like he was just out cold.
Professor Orfina walked up to Titus and shook his body.
"Wake up."
Titus looked around groggily.
"Hmm? Cookie?"
Professor Orfina took a closer look at Titus before a conflicted expression formed on her face.
"Weren''t you the youth who broke the carriage door? I can see your body is¡ quite durable."
Titus''s back was leaning on a tree, but the tree looked like someone had hit it with a giant mallet.
It was bent so far that none of them would have been surprised if it came crashing down any second.
Meanwhile, Titus looked like he had escaped the ordeal rtively unscathed.
Moreover, his luck wasn''t anything to scoff at either.
Most of the forest was burning as well, making the fact that he didn''t burn to death a miracle.
He didn''t even choke out from inhaling any of the harmful gasses either.
Titus pulled himself to his feet and looked at Arvell with a smile.
"We won."
Arvell replicated his smile.
"Yeah, I couldn''t have done it without you."
This was the first time Arvell had ever fought alongside someone like this.
Someone who could actually help in a fight.
After all, most kids weren''t anywhere near Arvell''s level of strength, so they couldn''t really do anything to help him in a life or death situation.
While he felt ufortable leaving his safety in someone else''s hands, fighting alongside a partner was a new and enjoyable experience for him.
Titus sniffed the air before turning to the raging forest fire.
"That is not good."
Professor Orfina narrowed her eyes as she gazed towards the burning forest.
She turned her head, ring at Lydia.
"Couldn''t you have been more sensible when using fire magic in a forest?"
"Eep!" Lydia froze as sweat began to form on her forehead.
"I-I''m sorry, I did it in a panic!"
Kneading her forehead, Professor Orfina sighed.
"I guess it''s not entirely your fault. Your life was in danger after all."
Professor Orfina raised her hand, causing an opaque white shape rectangle to form in the air shortly in front of her.
She swiftly swiped her outstretched hand to the side, an action which the floating apparition mirrored almost identically.
*WOOSH*
A loud gust of air spread out from the floating barrier, hitting the ming forest with an onught of wind.
*PSHHHH*
The fire was almost instantly put out, leaving only the charred mess of countless burnt trees.
''This person can utilize the wind far better than Ang, even though she''s not even a wind mage!''
Marvelling at the raw disy of power, Arvell began to feel a sense of admiration for the professor.
After repeating the process a few more times, all of the fires in the surrounding area were put out.
After putting out thest remaining sparks, Professor Orfina looked at Arvell and the others.
"Let''s get you three back to the forest clearing. Once we do, I''ll need you three to give me a full ount of what transpired here."
Chapter 93 Isn’t That A Little Too Convenient?
"Are you telling the truth?"
Professor Orfina asked with a scrutinizing re.
After the group had managed to escape from the forest, they were shepherded straight towards the medical tent, where Arvell''s condition was being treated.
They''d force-fed Arvell various concoctions, aiming to heal his body, but none of them seemed to work.
In the end, Arvell told them that his body was fine, and he was just exasperated after the ordeal.
Somehow the medical team all believed him and decided to redirect their attention to the other injured examinees.
Arvell returned Professor Orfina''s prating gaze with a soft-yet confident smile.
"Yes. We only managed to harm that beast to that extent because we threw an enmed object into its mouth."
Titus nodded in agreement.
While Titus didn''t see Arvell pull it off, if he was alive while the beast was covered in horrible burns, it was pretty clear what had happened.
Of course, he''d not seen the corpse himself, but ording to Lydia, Arvell and Professor Orfina, the beast was covered in many terrible burns.
Having heard from that many people, Titus had taken their word as the general truth.
Why would all three of them lie to him?
"Um¡ I did notice that it seemed to be afraid of fire. With its huge physique, any normal beast would have been fine taking my spell head-on, but for some reason, this beast tried its best to not let the fires touch it. It didn''t eat me since it would have risked being touched by the fire." Lydia added.
"I see¡"
Professor Orfina jotted some notes onto her clipboard and sighed to herself.
She inhaled deeply before shouting at the top of her lungs.
"MALCOLM!"
A young man who looked to be in his mid-twenties hurriedly entered the medical tent.
"You called professor?"
His appearance looked slightly ragged as if he had barely received any sleep.
The dark circles under his eyes only added to that impression.
"We''ll have to cancel and end the exam early."
Malcolm''s eyes went wide as he stared at Professor Orfina nkly.
"End the exam early?"
"We don''t know how many examinees that thing has killed or if there are more of them lying around."
Realizing the truth in Professor Orfina''s words, Malcolm nodded his head in understanding.
"T-that does make sense¡ I''ll get right to it!"
He respectfully bowed to the professor before hurrying out of the tent to inform the other staff on standby.
They''d need to bring back all the examinees scattered throughout the forest.
A taxing ordeal, to say the least.
Arvell turned his Professor Orfina with a conflicted expression.
"If you don''t me asking, do you have any idea how a big beast managed to sneak onto the examination grounds?"
While he was asking politely, Arvell was internally seething.
Due to a blunder on their part, he almost lost his life.
He wasn''t too angry at Professor Orfina, considering she saved his life, albeiting only at thest moment.
Arvell''s anger was directed at the examination team as a whole.
Wasn''t this ntrya''s most prestigious academy?
How could they make blunders this big?
"You don''t need to act so reservedly; as a victim, you have every right to know."
Professor Orfina kneaded her brows with a pained expression.
"We don''t know exactly why this urred, but we have suspicions and several usible theories. Right now, we''re leaning toward the possibility that this beast ranked up from the peakte-stage rank 1 to early-stage rank 2, without our knowledge."
Arvell sighed when he heard this.
Indeed, this could happen, and it wasn''t that rare of an urrence either.
Ranking up was a phenomenon that beasts typically underwent after storing up enough energy within themselves.
Energy which they slowly umted from consuming other beings.
Namely humans and other beasts.
But¡
If a beast was going to rank up, there would have been telltale signs from its behaviour.
Such as being far less aggressive and opting to avoid upfront confrontations.
Instead, they prioritized finding a safe ce to sessfully breakthrough instead.
This wasmonly referred to as the ''calm before the storm'' phenomenon by various beast hunters.
If a beast was acting unnaturally passive, that was a ring red g.
For an academy staff member to miss something that was basicallymon sense¡
Arvell didn''t even know what to say.
''Is this academy really worth attending, Lykos? From the big deal everyone made of this academy, its quality is surprisingly ycking.
As much as I hate to admit it, living out in the wilderness seems the better option here.''
''I''d have to agree with you there. This is too pathetic, especially for such a prestigious academy.''
A small smile formed on Arvell''s lips.
''At least I broke my insignia beforehand. So I can use that as a convenient excuse to not attend anymore.''
Lykos raised his eyebrow at Arvell''s words.
''What happened to trying to meet your childhood friend again?''
Arvell closed his eyes as his mouth curved into a frown.
''Not being able to see her is regrettable¡ to say the least. Even so, as long as we are alive, there is always a ''next time.'' If I can''t see her now, I''ll just have to meet her again in the future.''
Arvell decided to make his intentions to withdraw from the academy clear, but before he could open his mouth, Professor Orfina beat him to the punch.
"You were the one who broke your examination insignia, right?"
Arvell tried to nod but gave up after being unable to move.
"Yes."
"Ok, you don''t need to worry about that anymore; I''ll pretend like that never happened."
"Huh?"
Arvell''s looked at Professor Orfina with visible confusion.
"But the exam rules strictly state that breaking your insignia garners an automatic fail."
A slight smile formed on Professor Orfina''s lips.
"I''m the one who made the rules, and I''m the one who can change them as well. We''ll consider your examination results as if you hadn''t broken your insignia."
While that didn''t mean he instantly passed the entrance exam, at least he didn''t fail.
"Isn''t that a little too convenient?"
Professor Orfina shrugged her shoulders with a tired look on her face.
"Perks of being in charge."
Chapter 94 Back With The Silvercolts
*LICK*
"Stop it¡"
*LICKK*
"Come on. Leave me alone for just a bit longer..."
*LICKKK*
"Fine, fine, I''ll get up."
Arvell rubbed his eyes sluggishly and looked up at the ck fox happily licking away at his face.
"Kyuu!"
Seeing Arvell finally wake up, August happily purred.
He brought his furry cheek over Arvell''s face and nuzzled him affectionately.
Smiling softly, Arvell gently stroked his head.
''Good morning Aug.''
Arvellmunicated telepathically.
"Kyuu!"
While he wasn''t able to decipher
Arvell sat up, bringing August onto hisp.
''Yesterday was a pain, to say the least.''
After dealing with a life-threatening situation, Arvell had been interrogated by the academy staff regarding what had transpired.
If that wasn''t bad enough, the instant Wilfried and his family saw Arvell''s immobile condition, they threw a fit.
Calling it just a fit would be aplete underestimation.
Lienna and Ang went into her ''overprotective family'' mode, trying their best to coddle Arvell.
While he appreciated their sentiments, it got tiring fast.
Especially when he had to convince them to not help him wash his back.
Since he couldn''t move his body, the Silvercolts wanted to help him by attending to his needs, so helping him wash his back wasn''t too far of a stretch in their eyes.
Arvell would have been thankful for their help if it wasn''t for one ring issue.
He had wings poking out of his back.
While they could retract to the point where people couldn''t see them under his shirt, if they saw his bare back, his secret would have been revealed in no time.
To prevent any unnecessary problems from arising, Arvell decided to use charisma to ''convince'' them not to.
Making up an excuse about having a terrible scar on his back from his time as a ve, he convinced the two women to back off.
They wanted to help him, but if it meant digging up any trauma he''d suffered in the past at the hands of his ''kidnappers,'' they''d rather give Arvell his personal space.
Zen was still recovering from his trauma, so they understood that it wasn''t something Arvell could just ovee on a whim.
Seeing their genuine sincerity and care, Arvell felt a nagging feeling in his chest.
Manipting kind people like this left a bad taste in his mouth, but it was necessary to preserve his life.
If he ever got the chance in the future, he''d repay them then.
Arvell stretched his exhausted muscles.
''Being able to move again feels like a blessing.''
August jumped onto Arvell''s shoulders, letting him stretch his legs.
''Thanks.''
Arvell scooted over to the end of the bed and got up off of the bed.
His muscles felt incredibly cramped after overexerting them yesterday.
While he could move just fine, it still felt a little forced.
''Nothing a nice hot bath can''t fix.''
Arvell took August and enjoyed a warm bath.
With the size of the bathtubs in the Silvercolt estate, he could stretch his body freely, even having enough space to release his wings.
2 enormous wings sprang out of Arvell''s back, one white as freshly fallen snow and the other as dark as an ever-consuming void.
While both wings looked beautiful in their own regard, seeing them in a single person felt¡ hard to look at.
It was as if Arvell was some horribly meshed abomination.
Having any of his two wings ented his beauty, but having both made him look¡ off.
Arvell, of course, wasn''t one to care much about that, and neither was August.
They both just rxed happily in the warm water.
Resting for almost 20 minutes, Arvell finally exited the bathtub with August in his hands.
After he finished getting ready, the two exited the room, heading for the living room to meet with the Silvercolt family.
Reaching the door, Arvell brought his hand to the handle, but he suddenly felt a shiver go down his spine.
Danger!
Arvell hurriedly jumped away from the door, dodging the figure who jumped out from behind the door.
Missing her target, Ang''s outstretch arms hugged the empty air.
"Tsk."
''Hold up, did she just click her tongue?''
Arvell looked at Ang with a deadpan expression.
"So close¡" She muttered under her breath.
She turned her head to Arvell with a bright smile.
"I see you''re all better now! Big sister was worried for you, you know!."
''Please don''t refer to yourself as ''big sister'' in the third person; it''s weird,'' Arvell thought inwardly.
He shed her an enamouring smile.
"Thanks, Ang-big sister Ang, having you personally take care of me helped me recover many times faster than usual."
Ang puffed her chest with pride.
"You can rely on your big sister anytime!"
Arvell''s eyes gave off a slight glint.
"Then¡ how about trainingter today?"
Ang froze and looked to the side with a somewhat embarrassed expression.
"You see, Arvell, today I''m a little¡ busy."
Arvell raised an eyebrow at Ang''s words.
"Busy? With what?"
Before Ang could respond, a boy''s voice answered from behind her.
"Because she''s meeting up with James today."
Zen popped out from behind the doorway with a smug expression.
"James?" Arvell inquired, "you mean Ang''s fiance?"
Zen nodded his head.
"The one she''s MAD in love with," he replied without thinking.
Ang''s face turned red as she desperately tried to hide her embarrassment from the two.
"ZENNNN!!!!"
Zen''s face paled as he realized he''d poked the sleeping tiger.
Now it was up to him the consequences.
He turned to Arvell and gave a 2-finger salute.
"It seems my life is in danger, so I''ll see you in a bit!"
Zen took off faster than the eye could perceive, with an angry Ang chasing after him.
Arvell watched the two act out their familyedy skit with a nk expression.
"Well¡ That happened."
Turning his attention back to the living room, Arvell cautiously entered.
However, even that wasn''t enough, as he felt a pair of arms circle around him and press his body into a pair of soft mounds.
"MHFFFFF!"
Chapter 95 Aftermath Of A Tragedy
Wilfried sighed as he watched his wife smother Arvell in her bosom.
"Honey, you''re going to kill the poor kid; at least let him breathe."
Lienna''s eyes widened as she realized Arvell was desperately struggling for air.
"Sorry, Arvell, dear, I got too carried away!"
She immediately let go of her fierce bearhug.
After he managed to get away from Lienna''s clutches, Arvell desperately gasped for air.
"Cough, cough. I''m fine."
Lienna looked at Arvell with a worried look.
"How are you feeling?"
Knowing she was talking about his body condition and not how he was after managing to survive her bear hug, Arvell responded.
"I feel slightly tired, but other than that, I''m doing perfectly fine."
Wilfried and Lienna breathed out a sigh of relief.
"That''s good. When we saw you yesterday, we had a panic attack!" Lienna shivered.
Arvell smiled when he heard Lienna''s worried tone.
"Thank you."
The Silvercolt family was thrown in a frenzy yesterday when they heard the examination had ended early due to the introduction of a rank 2 beast.
While Zen firmly believed in Arvell being safe and sound, knowing just how careful of a person Arvell was, the rest of the Silvercolts began to fear the worst.
Arvell was quite strong for someone his age, but sometimes that wasn''t all needed to survive.
Dealing with a rank 2 beast was a herculean task for a mere kid who didn''t even start attending a magical academy yet.
For example, if it was someone like Ang, they could kill it in a one-on-one confrontation.
However, this was only because she was a peak 6th-stage 2nd circle mage.
She was on the threshold of breaking through to the te-stage'' category of the 2nd circle.
Taking on a single early rank 2 beast wouldn''t be tooplicated for her to deal with.
However, for your average 13-year-old who hadn''t even formed their mana core?
It was a death sentence.
Hearing that their son''s sworn brother was thrown into a forest with a beast like that, they naturally began to fear the worst.
This was something that never should have urred in the first ce had the academy staff correctlypleted their work.
When the academy staff had finished evacuating the remaining students out of the Urnio woods, they were shocked, to say the least.
More than half of the students who went in didn''t make it back.
While they didn''t find any evidence of other beasts that surpassed the rank 2 threshold.
Even having just the Rasian Python set loose among the students was like letting a fox into the henhouse.
The hens, being the students in this scenario, were killed so that they could not even call for help.
They were either burned into puddles of acid or swallowed whole.
Having no way to fight back, all they could do was die.
Die and be food for the beast which killed them.
Turning into its fuel to go and hunt for other examinees.
One thing Arvell noticed was he couldn''t see the faces of Antote''s group nor the 4 boys who assaulted Lydia among the survivors.
Most likely, they had be snake food.
''At least one good thing happened from the whole ordeal.''
Arvell was neither a good nor bad person.
The way he treated those around him depended on how he viewed them.
If they pissed him off, he would take pleasure in their suffering.
If someone helped him, he''d do his best to repay the favour.
He had no mercy for those 2 groups of people.
The former tried to force him into bing theirdy''s pet, while thetter attempted to assault and kill Lydia.
An action which Arvell found immensely detestable, considering the number of run-ins he had with r*pists.
He didn''t bother enough to try and do something as meaningless as ''reform'' them.
If they were dead, it would be less filth to get his hands dirty withter.
They weren''t strong either, so he found no value in them staying alive.
While he felt some satisfaction knowing those two groups were probably dead, he still felt terrible for the Rasian Python''s other victims.
Most were just ordinary with grand ambitions of attending their country''s number one prestigious academy.
Ambitions abruptly halted the instant they heard the Rasian Python''s hiss.
Even as the Silvercolts took him back to their estate, Arvell was amazed at the sheer number of what he assumed were grieving family members.
Countless mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters were looking through the survivors to see if their loved ones had returned.
Some were lucky, while many were devastated by the knowledge of their loved one''s passing.
They weren''t even given a single corpse to remember them by.
A reality which was far too cruel for these poor souls.
While each examinee signed a waiver stating that the academy wasn''t responsible for any injuries or loss of life during the examination process, many of the examinees assumed it was just a formality.
Those who survived the ordeal opened their eyes to the world''s harsh reality.
The people they had talked to,ughed with and evenpeted with only one day ago had been taken away.
Never to be seen again.
''What if that was me?''
That single question began to gue the remaining survivors.
If they were the ones to have seen the menacing snake beast, would they have died in their stead?
That single question drove the survivors into a gnawing feeling of fear and despair that, coupled with their distrust in the academy''s capabilities, caused countless surviving examinees to withdraw their entrance applications in fear.
''The strong survive while the weak die. Those who don''t have the resolve to get stronger should just hide and waste away the remainder of their lives, submitting to the strong to protect them.'' Arvell scoffed to himself.
From his point of view, the examinees withdrawing from the academy for fear of losing their lives was pure stupidity.
If these people don''t want to lose their lives, all they need to do is get stronger.
Strong enough to dictate their own life.
Throwing away their chance to get stronger to turtle away in some self-perceived ''safe spot'' was the most illogical decision they could make.
After all, unlike Arvell, they didn''t have Lykos coaching them.
The academy professors were all they had.
Wilfried looked at Arvell with a grim look on his face.
"They identified the individual in charge of verifying the strength of the beasts in the area. Apparently, he snuck off to a tavern during his appointed schedule, got drunk, and faked his reportter."
Arvell looked at Wilfried with a conflicted look.
"Wasn''t Sky Sword supposed to be a prestigious academy? So how was someone like this hired?"
Wilfried massaged his temple.
"This is supposed to be kept a secret, but as a duke, I got ahold of this information through my informationwork."
''Why are you bragging about your status as a duke and your informationwork to a 13-year-old-kid?'' Arvell wondered inwardly.
"What did you find, if you don''t mind me asking?"
Arvell''s interest had been piqued.
"This person got his position through shady means. He didn''t get the job because he waspetent. No. He got the job because¡ he had ties with one of the princes."
Chapter 96 Alchemy
''Ties with one of the princes?''
Arvell''s eyes narrowed as he processed the new information he''d been given.
''Even if he''d received his job through underhanded means, how does that change anything? It''s not like a royal family member would find any value in killing off a couple of 13-year-old-kids.''
"Do you know which prince it was? Was it the first or the second?" Arvell asked.
Wilfried his eyes and exhaled audibly.
"That''s the thing; I couldn''t find anything more than that. So all I can say for sure is that the person responsible for surveying the beasts had received his position through one of the princes."
''Whoever did it is probably trying to keep a tight leash on the spread of information.'' Arvell hypothesized.
The prince in question probably didn''t want this incident to drag down his reputation, so he most likely removed any loose ends before the information could spread.
"Hmm¡ I see. Was his punishment decided?"
Wilfried''s grim expression took a darker turn.
"They n on executing him. This is because too many children had lost their lives because of him. Even if the children weremoners or the children of low-ranking nobles, they still ultimately lost their lives due to his error. Therefore, the only fitting punishment would be having him executed after being responsible for a massacre of that proportion."
"I see."
Arvell nodded his head.
He''d never seen or met the person responsible, but all he knew was that he almost lost his life because of that person.
? Arvell''s policy was merciless towards anyone threatening his life or freedom.
Meaning that the former academy examiner had already entered Arvell''s sh*t list.
"When is he being executed?"
Wilfried turned his attention towards one of the many papers that decorated the clustered table.
"It''s set to ur the day after tomorrow."
"I see," Arvell nodded.
*PAT PAT PAT PAT PAT*
The sound of 2 sets of furious running echoed from outside the room.
*BANG*
The door opened with a bang as a terrified Zen dashed into the room, followed by a pissed-off Ang.
"Zen, get over here!"
Zen frantically searched for anything in this room that could possibly save him from his elder sister.
His eyes brightened as they fell on Arvell.
"Arvell, save me!"
Zen ran up and stood before Arvell, keeping him as a barrier to protect him from his elder sister.
"Arvell, move out of the way! I need to let Zen know that teasing his sister has consequences!"
Ang yelled from behind him.
Arvell''s eye twitched slightly in annoyance.
He got dragged into their sibling drama.
''Well, as their new unofficial sibling, it only makes sense they include you. Doesn''t it?'' Lykos asked with a teasing grin.
''Spare me. I have enough sibling drama of my own, and thest thing I need is more.''
''As usual, you''re no fun.''
''My views on ''fun'' differ from yours substantially.''
''The only things you find are fighting and getting stronger.''
''Meanwhile, your definition of amusement is irritating me.''
While in the middle of a sibling argument, he started another fight¡ this time with his mentor.
***
Arvell walked into his room, closing the door behind him.
''That was tiring.''
He removed August from his shoulder, cing him on the ground.
Arvell found thergest avable space in his room and plopped down.
''It''s about time I start refining more elixirs.''
Arvell cracked his fingers and stretched his shoulders.
Reaching down, he wed the air with his fingers.
[Inventory]
He reached his hand into his private subspace, pulling out what appeared to be a small sealed cauldron.
cing it on the floor, Arvell began to extract various herbs and beast cores, creating a small mountain next to the cauldron.
After making sure that he had removed, everything, Arvell began to sort through the pile, ssifying and separating the various materials within the stack.
Creating arge cluster of herbs that spread across the entire room.
Using temporal maniption, the ordeal took only a few minutes.
This was because he didn''t expend too much Aether, just relying on the bare minimum.
After all, what came next would require him to use all of his saved Aether to aplish.
Arvell observed the sprawled-out herbs with a scrutinizing gaze.
''I have enough to make ''that.'' It''ll be cutting it a little close, though.''
He nodded to himself with a smile.
The Urnio woods was a forest rich in low-grade medicinal herbs with arge variety of beasts to hunt.
So much to the point, Arvell had mistaken it as a treasure trove.
In fact, if it wasn''t for the Rasian Python''s interference and his Inventory having a maximum limit for space, he would have tried to rob the forest clean.
For now, he''d need to make do with what he''d already gained.
If he needed anything, he could just ask Wilfried to purchase it on his behalf or buy it himself.
The human countries on the continent all shared the same currency, so the money he gained from hunting bandits in Vispia would still be useable here.
After all, purchasing a couple of grade 1 medical herbs was nothing too expensive.
Arvell began to grab various herbs across the floor and make another small pile in front of him.
Arvell closed his eyes and steadied his breathing, trying to achieve a state of perfect calmness.
He brought out a small knife from inside his inventory and cut some of the herbs, breaking some of the herbs into multiple differentponents.
"Direnal Grass must be cut horizontally to separate the poisonous tip from the rest of the stalk."
"Weisal Berries need to have the pit removed properly. No seeds can be allowed to stay inside."
Arvell mumbled instructions to himself under his breath as he slowly prepared all of the herbs.
He made a small pile of the trashponents of the herbs he didn''t need.
After finishing prepping hisst herb, Arvell stretched his palm towards the cauldron.
He''d already told the Silvercolts he was going to rest until evening, so he had at least a few hours to himself.
''Let''s get this started.''
Chapter 97 Once More Experiencing Hell
A trickle of blood red and sky blue energy intertwined from Arvell''s palm before flying towards the cauldron, basking it in a purple hue.
Waiting a few moments for the purple hue to be pronounced, Arvell removed the cauldron''s lid with his spare hand and began to toss the various medicinal herbs in.
Almost as if he was making a stew of sorts.
A stew smelled more like medicine due to the overpowering aroma of added medicinal herbs.
A purple mist began to form around the top of the cauldron, giving the cauldron a mysterious vibe.
Arvell continued to throw each of the ingredients in one-by-one until the pile of prepared medical herbs disappeared into the cauldron.
Arvell grabbed thest key piece for the whole process.
A beast core.
This beast core was harvested from a rank 1 beast known as a ''Shelled Boar.''
It was a boar-like beast that could curl into a shelled ball, like an armadillo.
It was a pain for Arvell to crack open his shell, so he simply waited for it to pop its head out before he killed it in one fell swoop.
He had smashed its beast core into a powder using the back of his knife, preserving it inside a bowl he removed from his inventory.
Arvell lifted the bowl full of crushed beast core powder and dumped it into the active cauldron.
*SHWOOM*
The purple light hue surrounding the cauldron began to slowlypress.
Bing smaller with every second.
Until it had disappearedpletely.
Arvell let his hand fall down as he exhaled with visible exhaustion.
Falling back, he stared at the ceiling with a satisfied look.
''Done!''
''Remember, this is the easy step. Whates next will be far more challenging.''
Arvell sighed as he remembered what precisely the next step was.
''In order to get stronger, it''s something that I have to deal with.''
Arvell closed his eyes and steadied his breathing.
He''d need all his willpower to ovee the trial ahead of him.
"Fuuuuu"
Arvell''s eyes fluttered open as he sat up on the floor.
He quickly tossed all of the surrounding medicinal herbs back into his inventory before walking over to the cauldron and removing its lid.
A pungent medicinal stench assaulted Arvell''s nose.
Arvell pulled out a small vial from his inventory and poured the contents from the cauldron directly into the vial.
Soon the see-through ss vial was filled to the brim with a light orange liquid.
Arvell tossed the cauldron into his inventory and took the ss vial holding the elixir with him as he entered the bathroom.
Disrobing, he walked over to the empty bathtub and slid into it.
Arvell had told August to not follow him this time but instead to stay in the bedroom.
While the young dragon didn''t want to separate from Arvell after spending an entire day without him, August reluctantlyplied when Arvell promised him belly rubs after he was finished.
Arvell looked at the elixir in his hand with a look of apprehension.
"Well, it''s either now or never."
Arvell brought the elixir to his lips and downed the concoction in one go.
"ACK!"
Arvell gagged and desperately grabbed his throat.
Lykos materialized in front of Arvell and looked at him with a severe gaze.
''Arvell focus! You need to use the elixir to its full capability! Don''t waste even an ounce of energy!''
"Urgghhh"
Arvell reluctantly released his throat and tried to suppress the pain caused by the consumption of the elixir.
Closing his eyes, Arvell began to channel the energy boost he''d received from the elixir to gather the tiny blood-red particles in the air.
Slowly he began to pull them into his heart.
He continued this same menial task for almost 40 minutes.
After filling his heart to the brim with Nether particles, Arvell sighed.
''Well¡ It''s time to experience hell again.''
Arvell reached into his inventory and pulled out a small cloth rag.
Tying it tightly around his mouth, Arvell tried to scream.
"MFFFFFFHHH!"
''Good, it should hold.''
Arvell once more closed his eyes and focused on his heart.
However, this time, he slowly let the concentrated Nether particles flow throughout his body, using his bloodstream as a highway.
And¡ this is where the hell began.
Arvell''s skin ruptured, and blood began to spill from every pore in his body.
His bones slowly shattered one by one while gaping parts of uncovered flesh appeared on his body.
His eyes, nose, and mouth began to gush blood as well.
"MPHGHHHHHHH!!!"
Arvell screamed in pain from the torturous pain, but it couldn''t do anything.
This was a trial he needed to ovee.
All for the sake of getting stronger.
Arvell began to il around in the blood-soaked bathtub; his body began to contort into shapes that no human body should ever have.
His bones were breaking apart, so nothing was holding up his body.
Arvell was now nothing more than a mush of bloody flesh.
His wings sprouted out of his back but soon turned red from the sttered blood.
Even while undergoing such a torturous condition, Arvell was conscious and actively sent more Nether throughout his bloodstream.
Saidher would then travel through his blood to other parts of the body, increasing the strength of his body in general.
The expelled blood was the waste blood which wasn''t enriched through the power of Nether.
Every time he refined his Nether Body, purifying his blood seemed amon urrence.
However, now that he''d done it a few times before, it wouldn''t be as long of a process as before.
Even if it was shorter than before, it still wasn''t an easy process.
After all, if Arvell sumbed to the pain and lost consciousness, everything would have been for naught.
? Even if he experienced hellish pain, it was something he needed to endure.
Arvell closed his eyes with a pained expression while screaming muffled cries into the rag.
"MPHHMMMM!"
''I JUST NEED TO HOLD ON!''
Chapter 98 Emergency
"Hmmm~"
Ang hummed a tune as she skipped down the hallway.
? "Just another hour before hees! But for now¡."
She stopped right before Arvell''s door.
"I should check up on my little brother!"
*KNOCK KNOCK*
"Arvell? Big sis''s here to check up on you!"
"..."
"Arvell, are you there? Are you sleeping?"
Ang put her ear to the door.
"Mphfff!"
Hearing a small muffled crye across the door, her face paled.
"Arvell! Are you okay?"
"Mphfff!"
Now Ang was apprehensive about his condition.
"Arvell, open the door!"
"Mphfff¡"
It must have been her imagination, but she heard the soft cries be fainter.
Sweat began to drip down her brow.
"Arvell, I''m going to get help! Just hold on!"
Ange had no means to enter the room without breaking down the door itself.
She wasn''t one hundred percent sure that he was in danger.
The best case was to call her father for help.
He probably had spare keys for the rooms.
"Cloak me in a veil of wind! Grant me the power of the neverending gale¡ Zephyr Cloak!"
A wind cloak surrounded Ang as she dashed off to find her father.
Usually, the usage of magic was strictly forbidden within the mansion, but this was an emergency.
Her new brother could be in trouble!
She ran so fast that she was a blur.
The countless maids and butlers within the mansion were thrown into a frenzy by the strong gust of wind she gave off as she dashed past them.
"AHHH!"
"What''s that?"
"Someone''s using wind magic!"
Ang felt guilty for knocking them down, but this was an emergency.
She ran to her father''s study and opened the door in a hurry, bewildering her parents and brother.
"Ang? Is something wrong, darling?" Lienna asked with a confused expression.
Wilfried narrowed his eyes as he scrutinized his daughter.
"That spell¡ Did you use Zephyr Cloak? IN THE HOUSE?"
Lienna''s mouth also contorted into a displeased frown.
"Ang, dear, you remember the rules on using spells inside the house, right?"
Ang nodded her head in a hurry.
"Yes, mom, but this is an emergency!"
The mood within the room immediately became heavy.
"Honey, what happened? Is everything okay?"
Wilfried''s displeasure at his daughter''s actions became overshadowed by his concern.
Ang wasn''t the type to lie.
If she said it was an emergency, it most likely was.
Ang shook her head.
"No, it''s not okay. It''s Arvell; I-I think he''s in danger!"
"Did something happen to him? He was only in his room for a few hours! He didn''t even leave. Could he be injured from his fight?" Lienna''s eyes widened, "could he be dying from a dyed poison or something like that?"
"I don''t know! His door was locked!" Ang anxiously replied.
"Oh no! He could be dying with no one around to help him!"
Wilfried stood up, walked over to his wife, and put his hand on her shoulder to calm her down.
"Take a breath, love. We should try to figure out what happened properly instead of creating empty spections to scare ourselves with."
"But¡ Arvell could be in danger!"
"Staying here and worrying won''t change anything."
"Arvell is tough. He''s probably fine; he was able to survive the Algreppian Mountain Range while also taking care of me. He''s not that weak!" Zen chimed in.
Wilfried nodded his head at his son''s timely assist.
He turned his attention back to his daughter.
"Where is Arvell right now?"
"In his room. The door is locked, so I can''t get in."
Wilfried nodded his head before rushing over to his drawer and removing a key from it.
"I''ll go on ahead, bring a doctor with you."
Luckily they had one over at the mansion right now.
They didn''t want to take any chances with Arvell''s condition, so they decided to let the doctor stay the night at the estate.
The instant he finished his sentence, Wilfried vanished, leaving only a trail of afterimages behind.
The gust was strong enough to disce some of the furniture in the room, causing the papers on his table to fly as well.
"I''ming too!"
Ang also took off after Wilfried, creating another st of wind.
Zen shook his head at the scene of countless papers sprawled across the room.
''And this is why using magic is strictly banned indoors.''
"Come on, Zen, let''s go find a doctor!"
Lienna pulled Zen to his feet and went in search of the doctor.
***
Wilfried dashed through the hallways as fast as he could.
''Hold on, Arvell, I''ming!''
The maids and butlers cleaning up the mess caused by Ang''s earlier burst of wind were once more blown away.
"Not again¡"
Pulling themselves back up, they tried to fix their dishevelled appearances.
Unfortunately, another wind blew them back to the floor before they were given a chance.
This time butlers and maids decided to just stay down.
On the chance of a third, Silvercolt decided to join the previous two.
"This is getting old fast." One of the butlers muttered.
The surrounding people all nodded their heads in agreement.
Life wasn''t easy for them¡
On the other hand, Wilfried had already reached Arvell''s door and began furiously knocking on the door.
"Arvell, are you there?"
Hearing no response, Wilfried resolved himself.
"I''ming in!"
Taking the master key, he popped it into the keyhole.
"Father!"
Ang came to a stop beside her father, watching him open the key to the bedroom with anxiety.
Who knew what they would find?
The instant they barged in, they found the room empty, except for one nervous-looking fox.
"Kyuu¡"
Ang raced over, scooping August into her hands.
"Auggie, where is Arvell?"
August paused briefly before turning his head toward the closed bathroom door.
His nervous face changed into expectation as the bathroom door opened, and Arvell appeared from the bathroom with a soft smile.
"Sorry, I fell asleep in the bathtub. So why are you all here? Do you need me?" Arvell asked with a soft-yet raspy voice.
Chapter 99 False Alarm
A FEW MINUTES EARLIER
Arvelly in a pool of his own blood, twitching in pain.
He had already undergone most of the process of increasing the level of his Nether Body.
In order to be able to upgrade his Nether Body, he needed to train his body to its utmost potential, umting enough energy to break through.
While it was possible to do this manually, using elixirs as a crutch was generally an exponentially faster process.
The natural way would have cost Arvell far more time.
Maybe taking another couple of months before he could break through.
And that was the best-case scenario.
Further refining his Nether Body became progressively more arduous of a challenge for Arvell.
Lucky for him, Arvell had a mentor who had extensive knowledge in alchemy, giving him an option to shorten this strenuous process.
Furthermore, with his experience, he could shorten the period of refining his Nether Body from two weeks to just a few hours.
Arvell gave himself a soft, muffled cry as his flesh wriggled together, meshing itself back into normal human skin.
His throat was aching from screaming non-stop for thest few hours, but that didn''t stop him.
He felt that his body was susceptible to pain at the moment.
''Wait, my body''s sensitivity increased because of my upgraded Nether Body?''
Furthermore, he was also still caked from head to toe with dried blood.
It had be sort of a second skin for him.
As if it was just onerge scab that epassed the entirety of his body.
''Just a bit more.'' Arvell thought to himself.
His thoughts were interrupted by a distant banging noise.
"Arvell? Big sis''s here to check up on you!"
''Ang?''
*Knock Knock*
"Arvell? Big sis''s here to check up on you!"
Arvell flinched as he heard Ang''s voicee from what he perceived to be the door to his room.
''Why is she here?!''
"Arvell, are you there? Are you sleeping?"
He tried to get up, but his knees were too weak to get up onto his feet.
Instead, he slipped and fell onto his healing back.
"MPHFFF!"
Arvell let out a muffled cry as he struggled to rub his aching back.
He tried to quiet down his voice but couldn''t stop his small scream.
Due to his body''s increased sensitivity, he could perceive the sensation of falling a little too well.
He didn''t cry out in pain but out of surprise.
"Arvell! Are you okay?"
Hearing Ang''s rising concern, Arvell tried to say he was okay and diffuse the situation.
"Mphmff¡"
Unfortunately, with his mouth covered, this proved to be an arduous task, to say the least.
He was unable to properly convey his message.
"Arvell, I''m going to get help! Just hold on!"
Arvell''s brows furrowed as he heard the sound of a st of air and a series of furious footsteps heading away from his room.
''F*ck!'' Arvell cursed, ''this is the worst-case situation! Why did shee so soon? Couldn''t she have waited another hour?''
He struggled to get to his feet as he turned the bathtub''s sink, letting the cold water fall on his skin.
"Mphhhff!"
''...I need to get rid of this rag.''
Arvell washed his blood-caked body before cleaning the bathtub to remove any traces of blood.
His body had formed for the most part, but small patches of skin were still missing.
Luckily they were all on his chest and upper thighs.
Things he could hide under clothes.
Arvell had left his clothes in the room, but this wasn''t too much of a concern for him.
He had already pre-packed several sets of clothes in his inventory, so it was merely an act of using some Aether to retrieve them.
Arvell picked out a blood-red shirt so that if he were to bleed in front of Wilfried and the others, they wouldn''t notice anything.
While putting on his clothes, Arvell heard another furious knocking on his room door.
This time it was Wilfried.
"Arvell, are you there?"
"Yeah, I''m fine¡."
Due to how raspy and dry his throat was, Arvell''s words were barely audible.
"I''ming in!"
''Great, just great¡ He couldn''t hear.''
Arvell finished putting on his clothes in a hurry and opened the bathroom to find a nervous-looking duke and his daughter looking at him with worried expressions.
"Sorry, I fell asleep in the bathtub. So... why are you all here? Do you need me for something?" Arvell asked with a soft-yet raspy voice.
He shed the two the most dazzling smile he could muster.
Wilfried breathed out a sigh of relief.
"Thank goddess, it was just a false rm."
Arvell feigned his ignorance by looking at Wilfried with a confused look.
"What do you mean, what was a false rm?"
Wilfried turned to Ang with a tired look in his eyes.
"Ang came to check on you a few minutes ago. When she didn''t hear any response, she naturally assumed the worst and ran in a rush to find me."
Ang flinched when she heard Wilfried''s words.
She turned to Arvell with a defensive look in her eyes.
"But¡ I heard muffled screaming! Why did you scream while sleeping in the bathroom?"
Arvell scratched the back of his head with a nervous look.
"I had a nightmare¡."
"But... Why is your voice a little ragged?"
"My throat is just a little sore right now. It''ll be better in a bit."
Arvell felt he was utterly pulling this one out of his a*s, but knowing how much the Silvercolts believed his words, he was sure they would let this fly over their heads.
"Oh¡ That makes sense!" Ang hit her open palm with her fist.
''Woman¡ At least try to question what you hear.''
Wilfried smiled softly.
"It''s good nothing bad happened; now we just need to convince Lie-"
"ARVELLL!"
Lienna rushed into the room and gave Arvell a spine-crushing hug.
''Oh no¡ Not this again!''
"I was so worried!"
Arvell shed Ang a re.
''This is all your fault!''
Ang met his eyes before hurriedly looking away, continuing to whistle her tune from earlier.
She decided to y innocent!
''I''ll get back at you!'' Arvell swore in his heart as his vision began to blur.
Smothered between Lienna''s twin mounds.
Chapter 100 Test Of Character
*Sip*
Taking a sip out of his teacup, Arvell looked at the boy sitting before.
"So you must be the boy who saved Zen! Arvell was it?"
The boy shed Arvell a friendly smile.
Arvell smiled lightly in response.
"James Verlice, I presume? Ang told me a lot about you."
James''s eyes went wide as his cheeks reddened slightly.
Looking away, he began to scratch the back of his neck.
"W-what did she say?"
''He can''t make his feelings any more apparent; he''s like a child.'' Arvell thought to himself.
''At least he''s honest with his heart. Let''s see just how well you fare when you fall in love. Don''t forget¡ You''re still a child yourself,'' Lykos countered.
''I''m not that emotional of a person, as if I would fall head over heels like that.''
''Let''s see.''
Throwing Lykos''s words to the back of his mind, Arvell focused his attention back on James.
"Every time you were so much as mentioned, her face turned red like a tomato."
A small smile formed on James''s mouth.
"Is that so¡"
"She even chased Zen all over the house after he teased her."
James''s expression changed when Arvell mentioned Zen''s name; however, Arvell was too distracted to notice.
''Heh¡ I got my revenge like I promised. Let''s see how you deal with that, Ang!'' Arvell internally smiled with a mischievous grin.
She had caused him to almost get smothered to death by Lienna!
Furthermore¡ she also caused him to leave the bathroom before his skin could adequately heal.
Arvell couldn''t just use Nether to heal it since he was using that same Nether to strengthen it.
He needed to let them heal without using his Nether maniption abilities, and Ang''s interference obstructed this process.
While he was fine now, it caused him needless pain and hardships.
Noticing that James had fallen silent, Arvell looked at him with a scrutinizing look.
It was about time he shed some light on the elephant in the room.
"So¡ Why did you want to meet me in private?"
After exchanging pleasantries with the Silvercolt family, while making sure to spend a little more time with Ang, James asked to talk to Arvell privately.
The Silvercolts were confused with this proposition, but before they could say anything, Arvell epted his proposal.
While Wilfried and Lienna were caught off guard by the series of events, it wasn''t like they could stop the two from talking if they wanted.
Ang and Zen didn''t say anything either, thinking of it as a good chance for the two to get to know each other.
On the other hand, Reyna returned to her family the same day Arvell left to partake in the entrance examination.
Since she had note to the capital in a while, she needed to pay a few visits to her rtives, her parent''s acquaintances, and business partners.
She wanted to see Arvell yesterday, but Wilfried asked her to hold off until Arvell was feeling better.
Peace and quiet were something that helped the most in the recovery process.
If only the other people in his house realized this¡
As James''s family chatted with the Silvercolts, Arvell led James to one of the many unused lounges that peppered the expansive manor.
That''s how they ended up in the current scenario.
James took a sip of the tea that the maids had brought earlier.
Closing his eyes, James savoured the exquisite taste of the tea leaves, along with their aromatic fragrance.
The Silvercolts only had the best of the best.
They had to keep up appearances as a ducal family, after all.
"I wanted to test what kind of person you were. That''s all."
Arvell sighed to himself.
"I thought as much. I would also be wary if some stranger got close to the people I care about."
James let a sigh of relief.
"Thank you for not taking this the wrong way. I never meant to make you feel like I don''t ept you or anything like that. If anything, I''m extremely thankful you saved Zen."
Arvell lightly smiled in response.
There were many times Arvell wanted to abandon Zen, but¡ he kept that to himself.
Arvell looked James dead in the eyes.
"So¡ What do you want me to do? Some kind of trial?"
James brought his fingers to his chin, seemingly deep in thought.
"You know¡ I didn''t think that far. I expected to gauge what kind of person you were from talking to me. But¡ I can''t even get a read on you at all. Hmm¡"
James''s eyes suddenly widened as he looked at Arvell with a look that didn''t do much to hide his visible excitement.
"I know! How about you tell me how you want me to test you?"
Arvell, who was calmly sipping tea, was caught off guard, causing him to almost choke on it.
"Urk!"
''I don''t know if he''s smart or a fool. He''s trying to gauge what kind of person I am by seeing how I would try to convince him of my intentions.''
''I think he''s thetter; he seems like the honest-yet simple type. Those types typically don''t overthink things too much.''
''Hmmm¡ If it''s like that¡ I have the perfect solution.''
Arvell''s smile curved up into a crazed grin.
"You see¡ My philosophy is that a person''s true naturees through their actions. So no matter how many sweet things they say or how many times people say they care for you, in the end, if they cast you away without a second thought¡ That bond was never real."
Arvell clenched his fist hard under the table, to the point where his nails dug into his fleshy palm.
James''s eyes nked for a moment as he processed Arvell''s words.
"I guess¡ That is true. I agree with the statement that a person''s true naturees through their actions. But how do you propose to show this?"
Arvell raised one of his fists and brought it down hard on the table.
It wasn''t strong enough to break the table, but it rattled the teacups and mini saucers.
"How about we fight?"
***
AUTHORS NOTE:
WE DID IT!
We finally hit 100 chapters!
When I started writing this as a pet project, I expected myself to get bored of writing and go read some manga or web novels instead.
However, the more I wrote, the more I became invested in the story of RAAN, to the point where I wrote 5 chapters worth of just plot notes.
It had unknowingly be something precious, almost irreceable for me, and having all of you join me on this journey is something I am incredibly thankful for.
Thank you to everyone who has supported me as an author, and I hope you continue to support me in the future.
Ps. On a side note... I set a goal to hit 1k subs by 100 chapters. I am so happy to say we crushed it! We hit 1.6k collections!
- Sleepy Slime
Chapter 101 Nobles Arena
"Fight?"
James was caught off guard.
Why did this thirteen-year-old kid want to fight him?
Arvell was the same age as his fiance''s younger brother; James was fifteen!
Wasn''t that a little too mismatched to be considered a fight?
No, wait¡
He''d heard from Ang that Arvell was pretty strong, even for his age.
Could it be that he could give James a run for his money?
Moreover¡
Whenever James looked into the silver-haired youth''s amethyst-like eyes, he felt a surge of fighting intent.
He could tell that Arvell truly wished to fight him, to the point where he couldn''t make his intentions any less obvious.
It wasn''t an urge to fight which stems from anger either; he truly wished to fight James just for the sake of fighting.
James felt an urge to see just how strong his junior was.
He''d initially asked to have a 1-on-1 meeting with Arvell to quell his overprotective nature surrounding his fiance and her family, but¡ this was turning into something far better!
"Are you sure you wish to fight me?"
James knew how redundant his question was, but he still had to ask.
He wanted to see just how Arvell would respond.
"Is there a need to even ask? You already know my answer."
James''s smile warped into one that closely resembled Arvell''s.
"Let''s do it then."
***
The noble''s arena.
It was the designation given to a particr building located in the centre of Karsia, adjacent to the king''s pce.
As the name implies, the noble''s arena served as a fighting practice area for aristocrats.
The ntryan aristocracy had grown very fond of the noble''s arena, typically utilized as a stage for young nobles to disy their power and prowess.
The building was initially constructed as ast-resort bunker in case the capital ever fell but was quickly transformed into a training area.
It was designed to withstand even the most devastating magic strikes, allowing nobles to unleash their full force without worrying about coteral harm.
Arvell walked behind Wilfried and James''s father as they entered the building.
The Silvercolt''s capital estate was not equipped with a training facility, so if Arvell wanted to fight James, he''d need to do it here.
Arvell had only been here a couple of times in the past, but that was almost a lifetime ago.
He remembered walking through these same doors with his family, eager to see his first magicalbat.
When his family came to Karsia to introduce Arvell to his new fiance, the first prince Tristan and Lillianna''s second brother got into a scuffle and decided to resolve their issues through a bout.
The second prince wanted his family to reject the political marriage between Arvell and his sister and, in a fit of rage, publicly denounced Arvell for being ''unquallified'' for his sister''s love.
An action which thoroughly enraged Arvell''s siblings, to say the least.
Tristan, who was only thirteen at the time, challenged the second prince to a battle for the sake of his younger brother''s honour.
The said bout resulted in a crushing defeat for the second prince.
Despite being the same age as Tristan, he wasn''t a match for Tristan''s overwhelming talent and ability.
Even though they were both royalty, there simply was noparison.
After experiencing such a crushing defeat, the second prince stopped showing himself at public events, but when he finally resurfaced a few monthster, he appeared to be a changed man.
Even apologizing to Arvell and the entire Vispian royal family for his actions and words.
No one knew what brought that sudden change, but seeing how it bridged the gap between the two countries, it was a wee one.
''Not much has changed since thest time I stepped foot in here.''
Arvell smiled as the nostalgia kicked in.
Even after that bout, he''de here whenever he visited Lily.
It became a fun past-time for them to watch magical duels, dreaming of the day that they too could fight like that.
''Well, that''s one thing off of the bucket list.'' Lykosmented.
''Yeah, to be honest, after the war, I never thought I would ever step foot in here again. Yet here I am.''
''Fate does work in mysterious ways.''
Wilfried approached the door to the facility and pulled out his family crest.
"I would like to request an avable fighting area."
The guards looked at Wilfried with a scrutinizing look before freezing.
"T-that''s the Silvercolt family crest!"
"It''s the war hero Duke Silvercolt!"
The two guards immediately brought their hands to their heads and formed a salute.
"It''s our honour, sir! It shall be done."
Wilfried nodded with a conflicted expression.
He was happy these two seemed to worship him, but¡
They were a little too loud.
"What? Duke Silvercolt''s here? Where is he?"
"Duke Silvercolt! Please give me your autograph!"
"Please tell me how I can be like you!"
Arvell watched nkly as countless passersby surrounded Wilfried, barely giving him room to move.
Zen, noticing Arvell''s expression, sighed.
"My dad is somewhat of a hero for the people. Everyone in the capital knows how he fended off the invading Vispian forces and began to idolize him. Since we don''t visit the capital too often, the few times we do, his ''fans'' tend to gather around him like that."
"Isn''t this highly improper to harass a duke like this?"
"It normally is¡ However, my dad doesn''t do anything. These people all respect and revere him, so it would leave a sour taste in his mouth if he used his authority to make them obey him. Furthermore, it''s not like they''re not doing this out of malicious intent. While he does get irritated by their pestering, he never punishes any of them."
Zen grabbed Arvell''s arm.
"Come on, let''s use this to get in. It''ll take awhile anyways."
"Is this okay? We''re kind of abandoning your father."
"It''s fine. Dad will catch up with us¡ eventually. Look, even Ang is doing that."
Zen pointed to Ang, dragging James with her as they slipped through the crowd.
James''s face looked guilt-ridden, but he let himself be dragged away by Ang.
''I guess it''s okay then?''
The rest of their families opted to stick with Wilfried.
Leaving him alone to deal with the crowd was too cruel.
Arvell gave onest look in Wilfried''s direction.
''I''m sorry, Duke Silvercolt¡ May you rest in peace.''
Chapter 102 The Power Of Earth
Arvell stepped through a pair of metallic doors, entering a sizeable sealed-off room.
*SLAM*
After he walked through the doors, they closed with a m behind him.
From where he was standing, Arvell estimated the room to be 25 m x 25m x 25m cube, with all of the doors, ceilings, walls and floorsden with enchantments to protect against magic attacks.
The floors were also covered in ayer of dirt, some small water puddles, trim shrubbery and otherponents of nature to simte outsidebat as urately as possible.
This was just one of the various arenas in the noble''s arena, with the entire facility having around 6 simr rooms.
The arena was designed to shelter the entire poption of Karsia in case of a future emergency.
Needless to say, there was more than enough space for their purposes.
Above a certain height, the metal wall appeared to have been reced by a see-through ss-like material, with a set of bleachers on the other side.
Taking a look, Arvell could see Zen, Ang, Wilfried, Lienna, and the Verlice family eagerly watching.
Lienna had a conflicted expression but forced a smile when Arvell looked her way.
''She doesn''t think I''m strong enough to fight him,'' Arvell thought.
Wilfried ced his hand on her shoulder and whispered something into her ears.
Hearing his words, Lienna reluctantly nodded before she gave Arvell a thumbs up.
Arvell looked at her nkly before responding with a simr thumbs-up gesture.
''I wonder what he told her?''
Lykos watched the duke and his wife with a scrutinizing gaze.
''Well, whatever it was seemed to do the trick.''
"Are you ready, Arvell?"
James gave Arvell a confident smile and tossed him a blunted metal sword.
Arvell reached out his hand to catch it.
Since this was only a spar, they were using specially designed weapons with a somewhat blunted end in case of potential idents.
To be fair, Arvell didn''t like the idea, especially since he was sure that nothing terrible would happen even if they were adequately sharpened; this was something Wilfried wasn''t willing to negotiate on.
Arvell started shing the air, trying to get used to the sensation of wielding the sword.
''The air resistance is more than usual. It feels¡ off.''
Arvell took a fighting stance, aiming the tip of his sword straight at James''s chest.
''That''s something I''ll have to get used to then.''
Arvell was itching for a fight since that was the only way he could truly feel the effects of refining his Nether Body to the 2nd stage of the 1st refining stage.
Shortly before James arrived, Arvell had taken the time to check the effects of refining his Nether Body had his overall strength.
[Status]
[Status Information]
Name: Arvell Rs Vispia
Species: Nephilim
Age: 13 years old
HP: 150
STA: 101
DEF: 88
SPD: 89
PHYS ATK: 92
POWER STAGE: 1ST CIRCLE 2ND STAGE
BODY REFINING: 1ST REFINEMENT 2ND STAGE
AETHER: 120/120
NETHER: 120/120
Titles: 3rd Prince of Vispia (Exiled), Inheritor of the Nephilim''s Legacy, Forever Alone?, Battle Maniac
Skills: God-ying Swordsmanship (SSS), Diplomacy (B-), Future sight (SS), Inventory (S), Temporal Maniption (SSS), Warp (SSS), Rejuvenation (S), Undead Summon (S), Vitality Drain (SS), Alchemy (C), Hide Presence (C), Night-Vision (C).
As before, refining his Nether Body had resulted in Arvell gaining 10 additional stats in each of his stat values.
After the pain had fully subsided, Arvell could even feel the increase of power in himself quite quickly.
He felt much faster, more potent than usual.
An addicting feeling, at the very least.
''If I was this strong during the entrance examination, I would have been able to kill the Russian Python, Aether or not.''
Arvell felt he would be more of a match for Ang now, but still not yet at her level.
Even so, that was a significant achievement.
What he had aplished in just over 5 months would have taken 2 years for some of the most talented mages on the continent.
''Time to see just how strong I really am.''
Arvell was tempted to use status on James, but after seeing it fail numerous times in recent days, he wanted to lower his dependence on it.
Learning to analyze his enemies on his own was also an essential skill.
Something he would never gain if he always used status as a clutch.
Taking a deep breath, Arvell observed James as if scrutinizing every muscle movement to see when James would strike.
Seeing this, James''s eyes narrowed as he assumed a simr stance.
But before they could start, one of the side doors opened, and a middle-aged man wearing a checkered uniform stepped onto the arena.
Neither James nor Arvell seemed surprised but calmly watched each other as the man approached the two of them.
The man turned to look at the two of them before nodding to himself.
"My name is Miles Retail, and I am the referee who will be overlooking the bout between Arvell Silvanus and James Verlice.
Under the grace of the gods above, I swear to maintain neutrality and judge the fight ordingly.
If I go back on my word, may the heavens smite me down!"
''Pretty dramatic for an introduction speech,'' Lykosmented, ''I wonder what they do when you know¡ heaven doesn''t smite them down?''
''It''s just a matter of speech; people often say things like that and then go back on their words right after,'' Arvell calmly responded.
''Hah, you''re right about that.''
Miles pulled out a small coin and put it between his index and thumb finger as if he was ready to flick it.
"The instant this coin hits the floor, you may begin."
Miles flicked the coin into the air and took a few steps back, bringing his back as close to the wall as possible.
Arvell and James looked at each other dead in the eyes as if they were hunters watching their prey.
Both waiting for the opportune time to strike.
Listening to the sound of the coin hitting the floor.
The sound of the iconic¡
*CLANG*
James and Arvell dashed at each other at breakneck speed.
Arvell began to mumble gibberish under his breath while James began his incantation.
[Temporal Maniption]
"Case me in an armour of earth! Give me Gaia''s grace¡ Earthen Armour!"
James''s sword and Arvell''s sword met with a reverberating *ng* as they continued their strenuous staring contest.
The earth around James''s feat began to slowly slither up his body, encasing himpletely in magically strengthened dirt from head to toe, as if it was a secondyering of skin.
Only small holes for his eyes, nose, ears, and mouth were left.
Everything else was covered under ayer of rocks.
"Earth magic?" Arvell asked out loud.
James nodded his head.
"It''s the Verlice family''s specialty.''
"Let''s test out just how strong it is."
Using his immense speed, Arvell unleashed a flurry of attacks on James.
Due to the increased weight of his body, it was almost impossible for James to properly move, resulting in him being unable to block most of Arvell''s sword swings.
However, what James lost in speed and maneuverability, he made up in raw defence.
Each of Arvell''s swings could leave only scratches on James''s Armour.
''This guy is like a turtle! I can''t kill him without breaking open his shell.''
Meanwhile, James watched Arvell with a shocked expression hidden under his helmet.
''How can a thirteen-year-old kid scratch my armour? That''s something that even some people my age can''t do! Moreover, this speed¡ It''s like I''m fighting Ang!''
Without relenting, Arvell continued on his flurry, attacking James repeatedly.
Unfortunately, he wasn''t dealing any substantial damage.
If anything, It looked like¡ James was healing?
Arvell paid close attention to one of the scratches he had put into James''s Earthen Armour while keeping on his onught.
An action that many would find near impossible to pull off.
Paying attention to a cut as small as that in the middle of a fight was incredible, to say the least.
*Shhhk*
The surrounding earth around the scratch began slowly filling up the crack until it was no longer visible.
Arvell''s eye''s widened at the realization.
''He''s healing! He can repair that armour mid-fight? But how?''
Knowing that any further onught would only serve to waste his stamina, Arvell jumped back,nding a couple of metres away.
If he wasted his stamina while James stood still and out healed his damage, Arvell was sure he would be the first one to fall.
He needed a better n of attack.
Seeing Arvell back off, James''s smile widened.
''This kid is a monster! He already saw through my self-healing armour within only a few moments of us fighting!''
Seeing Arvell suddenly back off when it looked like he had the upper hand, Zen turned to his sister, who was conveniently sitting next to him.
"Big sis, why did Arvell back off? Wasn''t he overpowering James?"
Alecia had a soft smile as she turned to her brother.
"Arvell saw through James''s signature gimmick."
Zen tilted his head in confusion.
"Signature gimmick?"
"The Verlice Ducal house has always been known for their incredible prowess in earth magic, which you already know. However, did you know that they draw power directly from the earth?"
"Power from the earth?"
"The Mayfields are strongest when nearrge bodies of water, the Brandels are stronger in hotter, more arid temperatures and we Silvercolts tend to have an advantage in areas with high wind speeds.
As for the Verlice family? They are experts when fighting onnd.
As long as they have their connection to the ground¡ They are invincible."
***
Author''s Note:
Sorry for the dy on today''s chapter!
I had to write an exam today, so I didn''t have much time to writest night or the majority of today.
Today''s and tomorrow''s chapters will be only 1 per day, but the 1 ch will be quite long.
Tomorrow''s chapters will most likely bete as well.
If everything works out, the day after tomorrow, everything should go back to normal.
I am sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused
-Sleepy Slime
Chapter 103 Impregnable Technique
Arvell watched James with a scrutinizing look.
''While there''s no way he can maintain that forever, I''ll probably run out of energy before I can break through his armour. Moreover¡''
Turning his attention to James''s feet, Arvell knitted his eyebrows.
''He still hasn''t taken a single step yet.''
James''s feet were firmly nted, showing that even with Arvell using all his physical strength, he had yet to make James move a single step.
''So much for testing the ability of my newly refined Nether Body.''
Arvell had wanted to fight James mainly because he wanted to test the capabilities of his new physique.
Before, he felt highly confident in holding his own against James, even with the age and experience gap between them.
It was a humbling experience for him, to say the least.
Never underestimate your opponents no matter what.
That was a teaching Arvell lived by while surviving alone in the wilderness.
However, living with the Silvercolts in a sheltered home with 3 square meals a day and several other luxuries that most normal people don''t have ess to.
They had mellowed out his mentality too much, dulling his sharp edge.
Even during the examination, Arvell knew he shouldn''t try to kill the treant but conserve his energy instead.
However, seeking the thrill of the fight, he ran in guns zing and wasted all of his precious Aether.
A situation that left him almost on the brink of death.
''I lost my edge.''
Arvell would instead scout out his enemies before trying to fight them, utilizing their weak points to his advantage, not someone who wanted to fight blindly.
Even against James, Arvell was too eager to go and fight him that he didn''t take into ount baiting James''s trump cards.
Arvell''s best course of action now was to simply wait and figure out how James''s ability worked.
After all, it wasn''t like they were in a cartoon where each person would list the details of their skill to their enemy.
In a real battle, knowledge was everything.
Arvell began to slowly circle James in an attempt to probe him.
James silently stayed still, not even caring as Arvell approached behind him.
''Does he not consider me a threat?''
Arvell had no way of attacking James with any ranged projectiles, so there was literally nothing he could do at his range.
Other than throwing his sword, that is.
If not utilized correctly, an action that would only let James end the duel far faster.
However, it didn''t change the fact that his back was revealed.
Arvell dashed as fast as he could, ending up behind James instantly.
He stabbed his sword forward as fast as possible, intending to use his sword''s momentum to pierce through James''s armour.
If he could break his armour fast enough, he could theoretically damage his real body before the armour had enough time to reform.
Thrusting attacks aimed at prating James''s defence were crucial in this fight.
Just as Arvell''s sword neared James''s body, James''s body spun 180 degrees, allowing him to parry Arvell''s thrust.
''What was that?''
Arvell has expected James to have some way to counter him because James had let Arvell get behind him without stopping him.
Never did Arvell expect James to turn around so fast.
Also¡
James didn''t move a muscle throughout the whole process.
It was as if the ground itself had turned James around with speed fast enough to parry Arvell''s thrust.
Zen watched the fight from the bleachers.
"Sis, how did James do that? It looked like the ground turned or something!"
Ang beamed with pride when she saw her little brother admire her fiance''s technique.
A technique that she had helped James perfect over the countless hours they trained together.
Zen hadn''t ever seen James fight before, so he was both surprised and amazed by what he saw.
"That was exactly what happened. Remember, James''s magic is earth magic, letting him manipte the earth to his will."
"So he can turn and move even when his feet don''t move?"
"Precisely, his attacks would be sporadic and random. Usually, a person''s bodynguage is a tell-tale sign of their subsequent actions, but this isn''t as effective on James.
While Arvell can still watch James''s arms and anticipate when he might attack him, Arvell has no way of knowing when and how James will manoeuver around Arvell''s attacks."
"Arvell is in trouble here. But¡ I know he has something up his sleeve."
Ang''s mouth curved up slightly.
"That he surely does."
Arvell jumped backwards, dodging James''s counterattack.
''The earth¡ He''s moving the earth! That''s probably how he''s healing up too! No wonder James never moved his feet. He needs to keep his connection to the earth to keep that spell!''
Arvell knew that to have a chance of beating James, he needed to get James off the ground.
Basically making James go airborne.
Arvell was sure that whatever he nned on doing was going to be a risky thing to do.
Sending someone quite literally tethered to the ground into the air was a herculean task, to say the least.
After all, he not only needed to sever James''s connection with the earth, but he had to make his body go airborne.
All while James did his best to resist him every step of the way.
If Arvell had ess to his other abilities, he could do anything from slowly whittling James down using Nether to simply create small pitfalls using his warp ability.
Either option would have worked as Arvell could have 1: ousted James, or 2. Separated James from the ground.
Both of which were options that Arvell simply didn''t have.
He needed to be able to defeat James without revealing any of his powers.
An incredibly arduous task with two dukes watching his every move.
But¡
It wasn''t impossible.
Arvell''s brain began to work at hyper speed as he tried to figure out a way to beat James.
Suddenly Arvell''s eyes widened in enlightenment as his lips curved into a slight smile.
''That''s it!''
Arvell felt his n was a little ballsy but something he could still pull off if he could y his cards right.
While Arvell would technically lose nothing by losing here, he still wanted to try to take James down.
He didn''t want to lose!
Moreover, with the recent event with the 2nd rank beast, hiding his powers seemed even more redundant.
Since the Silvercolts already knew that Arvell could take down beasts as strong as that, Arvell saw no use in limiting himself beyond hiding his more unorthodox abilities.
While he couldn''t use Sepis and Nord, nor use his spacial abilities, he could still pull out quite a lot of strength using just his time-based Aether abilities.
Arvell''s heart rate increased in excitement as he tried to regte his breathing to calm himself back down.
''This is going to be fun!''
Arvell dashed towards James as fast as he could, using every ounce of Aether to speed himself up.
Appearing before James, he stabbed his sword as fast as he could.
"Trying that again? Didn''t you see that it was futile to try that?" James questioned.
He was blown away by the fight Arvell had shown him so far.
While he was holding back considerably, limiting himself to melee-only attacks, Arvell''s ability was nothing to scoff at.
That''s why he knew that Arvell was nning something.
There''s no way someone with a fighting sense as good as Arvell''s would run haphazardly at his enemy without as much as a n.
''But what can he do, though? He''s right in front of me!''
James shed his sword diagonally to push the direction of Arvell''s sword to the side while also giving himself the chance to hit Arvell head-on.
However, Arvell didn''t move, deciding to continue on his trajectory regardless of James''s iing sh.
''Is he anticipating taking himself down just tond this blow? Of course, but with the strength difference between us, I couldpletely different his blow whilending mine simultaneously. Sure he knows this, right?''
James shed down with his sword, hitting Arvell''s sword to the side while shing directly at his unprotected head.
All ording to James''s predictions, except for one crucical thing.
After hitting Arvell''s sword, it seemed as if James was shing at air.
Almost instantly after the sword passed through Arvell''s body, Arvell disappeared into thin air.
As if it was never there.
''An afterimage!''
Having trained with Ang, he was used to her overwhelming speed, which often let her leave behind afterimages to confuse her opponents.
''But where is he?''
Arvell appeared right behind James and kicked him with all of his strength.
James reeled as he felt a sudden force assault him back.
Without losing his momentum, Arvell used the rebound force to twist his body and deliver a second kick in the same spot.
Thebined force of the 2 full-force kicks weakened the bonds keeping James to the ground.
However, just 2 kicks were not enough to knock his hulking frame into the air.
James''s aquamarine eyes flickered with amazement as he tried to stabilize himself.
''Give him a few more years, and I''m sure this kid will grow into a monster!''
Managing to evade his detection and get 2 attacks onto him was something James didn''t expect whatsoever.
Arvell even left his sword to direct James''s attention away from his movements, effectively tricking him into attacking an afterimage.
An unorthodox fighting style, to say the least.
Most people wouldn''t throw away their weapons just to kick their enemies.
Arvell was not only a highly skilled fighter but also fought using unorthodox methods.
Utilizing the short time Arvell bought for himself, he lunged over to the sword James had knocked down only moments ago before picking it up and throwing it back at James with every ounce of strength he could muster.
Seeing the sword approach him at high speed, James, still stabilizing himself, had no option other than to bring his sword as a shield to block the oing de.
Meaning he still had to take the full force behind the sword.
James would have to take a blow strong enough to pierce through his armour and hit him head-on if he didn''t block it.
Blocking it was the only option he had.
Unfortunately for him, blocking it was precisely what Arvell predicted him to do.
*CRACK*
The ground beneath James''s feet cracked as he flew backwards through the air.
***
Author''s note:
I will be running a limited time event for extra chapters.
Every 100 golden tickets will get you one free extra chapter.
Chapter 104 The Winner
"What?!?"
James''s mind nked as he felt his connection with the earth sever.
Arvell kicked off the ground, appearing right before James like a sh.
"Now, you shouldn''t be able to heal your armour."
Arvell grabbed his sword that was still in mid-air and swung it down hard on James''s sword arm.
"Gah!"
James''s grip on his sword loosened as his hand recoiled in pain.
Without giving him any time to recover, Arvell pulled away James''s sword, equipping himself with both of their swords at once.
Using both hands, Arvell unleashed a barrage of attacks on James''s body.
His hands were so fast they were a blur as his hands furiously shed at James''s body.
Noticing it carefully, Arvell was able to prove his theory.
James couldn''t heal while in mid-air!
He could beat him, but Arvell only had a few seconds, so he needed to make it count.
Now that James''s body was no longer regenerating its Armour, Arvell could release a barrage of attacks and shred through James''s Armour.
Not giving up, James swung a punch at Arvell''s face.
A punch that Arvell effortlessly moved his head to dodge.
*Crack*
James''s Armour made a cracking noise as several zig-zag-shaped crack lines began to form on his Armour.
''Just a bit more!''
Arvell began to focus his attacks on the cracked regions in desperate hope of breaking through James''s earthen shell.
*CRACK CRACK CRACK*
James''s Armour began to peel away, revealing his soft flesh underneath.
James began to mutter quickly under his breath, but Arvell was already on top of him.
Not letting his precious few seconds pass him by, Arvell plunged both of his swords into two holes that had opened near James''s gut area.
He made onest desperate attack since they were about to crash straight onto the ground again.
After that, he wouldn''t have another chance to pull something like this off again.
It was time to either do or die!
With both of Arvell''s swords hitting James''s exposed flesh, James grimaced in pain.
"AHHHH!"
Arvell gripped his hands around both swords'' hilts and kicked off James''s body, increasing its fall speed substantially.
*BANG*
James''s body crashed hard onto the ground, causing a cloud of dust to rise into the air.
Arvell to suppress his ted smile, but he ultimately failed as his lips curved upwards from satisfaction.
''I defeated him!''
...At least that''s what Arvell would have done if he hadn''t thoroughly grasped James''s abilities.
But Arvell knew the truth.
"PTHOOEY!"
A spitting sound reverberated throughout the arena.
Slowly rising from the ground, James''s body peaked through the cloud of smoke.
A small trail of blood flowed down his cheek as he looked at Arvell with a confident smile.
"By far, amongst your age group, you''re one of the strongest people I met. You''d give some of the third years a run for their money. All of this before you even joined the academy. I can''t wait to see just how far you grow!"
Earth from the ground snaked up James''s body, healing his Armour within only a few moments.
Arvell narrowed his eyes at sight before him.
''His mana capacity is nothing to scoff at either.''
The only thing Arvell had to show for his progress in their ount was a small splotch of blood that James had spat out after having his insides reel from Arvell''s attack.
In the end, despite his best efforts, he couldn''t defeat James.
At least that''s what Arvell thought.
Unexpectedly, James threw his hands in the air as if to surrender.
"It''s my loss."
Arvell tilted his head and scrutinized James with his eyes.
"What are you doing? I failed to be you before you hit the ground; how can it be your loss."
James shook his head.
"I may not have been defeated, but I broke the one limitation I put on myself before I started this fight. I promised to fight you in a close-quarters style fight and avoid using any ranged earth magic.
Right before you hit me, in a panic, I quickly used the ranged spell ''Earth spike'' to raise the ground and let me reinforce parts of my Armour before you hit me."
Thinking back, Arvell remembered James muttering something under his breath as he plunged both swords through James''s Armour.
Since they were blunted and identally stabbing James wasn''t an issue, Arvell used all of his strength to plunge those swords into his gut.
Arvell noted hitting something hard on hisst attack, but he assumed he''d hit James''s ribs.
Undoing his Earthern Armour spell, James walked up to Arvell and offered his hand for a handshake.
"That was a great fight."
Arvell returned it with a smile.
"Likewise."
Miles stepped forward and blew his whistle.
"The winner of the match is Arvell Silvanus!"
Arvell redirected his attention towards the bleachers.
He was curious to see the reactions of the two ducal families when they saw his show of strength.
Since he already had a solid backer in the form of Wilfried, showing his worth as a capable fighter would make the Silvercolts willing to invest more resources into Arvell.
After all, as Arvell was their son''s sworn brother, their son would also benefit in the end if he was stronger.
What Arvell saw when he turned his head caused him to be ck-jawed.
His heart palpitated so hard that Arvell could hear his own heartbeat.
His grip loosened on his sword, causing it to fall to the ground.
*Plop*
''No way...''
***
A Few Moments Earlier
*Creak*
The bleacher doors opened as two youngdies surrounded by countless heavily armoured bodyguards entered the bleacher section.
One of the youngdy''s eyes glimmered with surprise as she saw Arvell jump back to dodge James''s swing.
"Isn''t that spell ''Earthen Armour''? It''s one of the most iconic spells of the Verlice ducal house." The girl asked in a soft yet melodious voice.
The other girl nodded her head.
"It should be. That spell is far too iconic."
"Then that should be James Verlice in that armour, but who''s the one fighting him?"
"I have no clue. But¡ I had never seen him before. Even with his back turned towards us, his silver hair was far too unusual. Since when did people have silver-coloured hair?" The second girl turned to the first girl, "right?"
However, the first girl didn''t respond.
Instead, she absentmindedly stared nkly at Arvell''s back as if in a trance.
Her friend walked up and shook her lightly.
"Are you okay? You spaced out a little there."
"Huh? Oh yeah, I''m sorry. What were you saying?"
"I was saying that the boy''s silver hair is quite rar-" The girl''s eyes widened as she caught something in her peripheral vision.
"Duker Silvercolt! There''s Duke Verlice too! We finally found them! I can''t believe it took us 5 tries to find them!"
The first girl stared at her friend with a nk expression.
"That''s only because you insisted that the door in front of you was the ''correct one.'' You did the same thing every time!"
"Well, I was right, wasn''t I? He''s right here!"
"Going through every single door in session doesn''t count."
"But¡ If Duke Silvercolt is in the bleachers, that probably means he isn''t fighting then."
"Duke Silvercolt isn''t fighting? I was hoping to see how strong the war hero was with my own eyes. I''ll just have to hope he chooses to fight afterwards."
The second girl shook her head.
"Even if you see him fight, it would never be at his full strength. But, remember, he''s strong enough to even damage the Arena walls."
"I guess you''re right; he''s far too strong to fight out here. Anyways, let''s go greet them."
"That seems only proper."
The two girls, followed by their entourage of heavily armoured bodyguards, approached Duke Silvercolt''s group.
Hearing the sound of footsteps, the people sitting on the bleachers turned their heads away from Arvell and James''s fight to see who was approaching them.
Seeing the face of the first girl, Wilfried''s eyes widened in surprise.
"You are¡"
*BANG*
Arvell''s kicknding on James''s back reverberated through the air, cutting off Wilfried''s sentence.
Even the two girls turned to Arvell with surprise.
"How did he do that?" The first girl said in an excited tone.
For someone tond a hit on the son of a duke, they were probably a genius in their own right.
It didn''t stop there, he even managed to even knock him into the air!
Just who was this mysterious silver-haired individual?
Wilfried smiled when he saw the excited look on the girls'' faces.
"That boy is none other than my son''s sworn brother."
The two girls looked at Wilfried with looks showing their tant disbelief.
"Sworn brother? Of your son Zen?"
She turned her to Zen, who politely greeted her.
Wilfried nodded his head.
"That boy has done us a favour we can never repay. Since he was an Orphan, Zen decided to turn him into his sworn brother. So now he''s practically a part of the family."
Lienna nodded with a smile, "Arvell is definitely fast enough to be considered a Silvercolt!"
The first girl froze as she turned to look at Lienna with a look filled with a mixture of shock and confusion.
"Did you just say¡ Arvell?"
Author''s Note:
Every 100 golden tickets = +1 extra chapter
Chapter 105 Seeing Her Again
"Did you just say¡ Arvell?"
Wilfried flinched but then slowly nodded his head.
The second girl let out a long sigh.
"You realize that there are like¡ countless people sharing that name, right?"
The first girl hurriedly covered her mouth with her hands.
"I-I humbly apologize; I got carried away."
A sombre smile formed on Wilfried''s lips.
"It''s okay, I know."
*CLANG*
Everyone turned their attention to the arena to see a cloud of dust kick up.
"Arvell sent James flying!"
Zen''s face lit up as he watched Arvell kick off the ground to continue his assault while in midair.
Even Ang was caught off-guard by these developments.
"He managed to send James flying? How many people can even do that? I understand he''s holding back but still..."
Duke Verlice watched the fight y out with an intrigued expression
"To think he would sever James''s connection with the ground. Quite the brain this kid has."
Being a user of the Earthen Armour technique, he knew firsthand how hard it was to counter.
As long as the user was in contact with the ground, they could almost endlessly repair their armour.
The only cost was that maintaining it burned through mana.
But if they could bait their enemy to waste their abilities first, they could tire them out first and then beat them.
Basically, turning the fight into a test of endurance.
With Arvell being more than a full circle below James, there was no way he could oust him.
He simply didn''t have the resources to.
Thus sending him into the air was by far the best decision he could make.
The group watched the fight y out with bated breaths.
While a fight of this level was far below the level of the adults in the room, watching how this yed out was quite interesting for them.
"The winner of the match is Arvell Silvanus!"
Miles''s voice echoed through the bleachers as the group looked at Arvell with awe.
"I can''t believe he actually beat James! That kid is really something else."
Duchess Verlice muttered in disbelief.
Duke Verlice nodded in agreement.
"That kid is a rare gem. Make sure to polish him well."
Wilfried gave a small smile.
"That was our intention from the beginning."
"Arvell¡ Silvanus." The first girl muttered under her breath.
This was someone to keep an eye out for.
From what Duke Silvercolt said, he seemed to have strong ties with their house.
He was an extremely valued person to their family.
''But¡ That silver-haired boy seems familiar¡.''
The first girl shook her head to try and clear her thoughts.
''He and Arvell are two different people¡ Even if they share the same name. I can''t let myself be bound to the past. I need to move on, just like Keara told me."
*CREAK*
The doors to the bleachers opened, interrupting her train of thought.
When she turned her head toward the doors, she saw a man wearing a feathered barret enter the bleacher section.
Walking up to the group, he politely bowed his head.
"Mdy, you are being summoned."
The first girl nodded her head before turning to the two dukes.
"It seems our meeting will have to be cut short for now. I hope to see you allter."
She politely courtesied before following the man with the barret as he left the bleachers.
The other girl and their fully armoured bodyguards followed suit shortly after.
"To think we would find her here¡" Wilfried muttered.
"From what I hear, she frequents Noble''s arena quite often. Taking on herself to learn how to improve her fighting style by watching others," Duke Verlice added.
"Oh? That''s quite diligent of her. Striving to further improve themselves is a trait all youngsters should have."
*CLANG*
Wilfried turned his head in the direction of the noise.
"It seems we need to congratte the two on a splendid fight."
Arvell slowly walked into the bleacher room and then looked around.
However, the turquoise-haired girl he saw before was nowhere to be seen.
''Where is she? She was just here!''
Unfortunately, no matter how much Arvell searched, he couldn''t find a trace of her.
It was as if she had disappeared into thin air.
Looking for answers, Arvell walked over to Zen.
He was there when she was, so if anyone had answers, he did.
As he approached the group, they all stood and gave him apuse.
"That was an excellent fight! The way you turned it around was nothing short of awe-inspiring! I''m sure I would''ve lost pretty badly if it was me instead of you!"
Zen showered Arvell in praises, prompting thetter''s eyebrows to twitch in annoyance.
However, he kept up appearances, so he returned Zen''spliments with a polite smile.
While he was happy with Zen''spliments, he had bigger fish to fry right now.
He needed to find where the girl disappeared too!
Arvell looked atZen dead in the eyes.
"Zen, do you know where the girl that just came here went? The one with turquoise hair?
Zen tilted his head to the side.
"Ah, you mean her royal highness, Princess Lillianna?"
Arvell nodded his head.
He hadn''t seen her in over 5 years, but he could still identify her with just one look.
Turquoise hair wasn''t an ordinary colour, so seeing someone in Noble''s area with turquoise hair was a dead sign that they were royalty.
Moreover, she didn''t change much in those 5 years.
At least appearance-wise.
Ang smiled ruefully when she heard Arvell''s question.
"You just missed her. She was just here a second ago," Ang motioned with her head towards the bleacher doors, "She was summoned by the king, so she had to go."
''Shoot¡ I was just a few momentste!''
Lykos sighed audibly.
''Don''t worry; you''ll have countless opportunities to see her in the academy. I feel like you left quite the first impact. After all, you did technically best a third-year student.''
''I guess you''re right about that. Plus, it wasn''t like I could walk up to Lily upright and tell her I''m still alive.
First, there are far too many people around, and secondly¡ I don''t know if she still considers me a friend.
After all¡ Our countries did go to war.''
Chapter 106 Fighting Is A Universal Language
Lykos nodded his head in agreement.
"That is a valid concern¡."
Given the hostile rtions between the two nations, Arvell didn''t know how his former fiance would treat him.
Would she wee him with open arms?
Or would she shun him just like his so-called family?
Arvell''s eyes narrowed as he remembered his father and eldest sister''s looks when he had his 13th birthday.
Being betrayed like that was something Arvell never wanted to experience again.
Especially from someone, he treasured even while their nations were at war.
Lykos knew this, so he didn''t pressure Arvell to tell her. If anything, slowly probing how she felt was the best thing Arvell could do.
Worst case scenario, they could just be friends again from the start.
The reason why their engagement fell through was because of political issues, not because they were ipatible.
If anything, the two got along quite well.
''Well, that''s a problem to deal with in the future.''
Arvell decided to worry about Lilyter and instead focused on the present.
"That Was a wonderful fight Arvell."
Arvell heard a voiceing from his right and saw Duke Verlice smiling at him.
"Thank you for yourpliments," Arvell politely bowed.
"I agree with my husband. Your ability to think on your feet is amazing for someone your age! Where did you learn this? If you don''t mind me asking, of course," Duchess Verlice added.
Arvell had a conflicted expression on his face but nodded his head.
"I became like this because I had to survive in the wilderness on my own."
Duchess Verlice raised an eyebrow.
"On your own? Without help from any adults?"
Arvell nodded his head.
"You see¡"
Arvell fed them his made-up backstory, which made the Verlice house look at him in a new light.
"To think you were captured as a ve¡ You have my condolences."
While very wasn''t umon among nobles, knowing that one of their countrymen was captured as a ve for an enemy nation left a sour taste in the mouths of the Verlice family.
Moreover, Arvell was a young child.
Having to go through those experiences as a kid is too much.
Duke Verlice looked at Arvell with an appraising look.
"Even if you did train in the wilderness, the speed you showed was something else!"
James nodded his head.
"I felt like I was fighting a younger version of Ang. It was quite thrilling, to say the least."
This was precisely why Arvell wanted to avoid showing off his powers.
Because the instant he did, people would try to uncover the secrets behind his abilities.
The only thing he could do was just lie and bs his way out of it.
As long as whatever he said was believable enough, it would work.
It was a proven strategy!
"I''m just quite adept in using body strengthening magic. So while I''m pretty much useless at long range, I can fight quite well at close range."
The two still looked somewhat unconvinced but nodded their heads.
Geniuses often weren''t good at exining themselves, constantly considering their aplishments ordinary.
They likened Arvell to one of these people.
His skills did qualify him as a genius, after all.
Arvell turned to James, who was standing behind him.
"I almost forgot the main reason for this duel. Were you able to see what kind of person I was?"
James was caught off-guard by Arvell''s question, but his expression quickly turned into a smile.
"I did, and I''m impressed. You have a strong, unshakable will and the resolve to never give up, no matter how bad the situation. Having a good grasp of your strengths and weaknesses, you aren''t arrogant nor conceited."
''Wow, I''d say that''s a pretty good representation of your character,'' Lykosmented.
''Goes to show that using your fists is an actual coherentnguage. Especially for battle junkies.''
''I guess you''re right about that. You can learn so much from someone simply by having a nice fight.''
"First of all, let me apologize for testing you like this. I wanted to know just what kind of person you were."
Arvell shook his head.
"It''s alright, I understand. Wanting to ensure that the people you care about are safe is only normal."
James let out a sigh of relief.
"Now that the two of us finished our fight, I think we should let Zen and Ang use the arena. We came all this way, so we should use it at least once more before returning."
He turned to Ang and Zen.
"Don''t you two agree?"
Ang nodded her head.
"I should give Zen a fewst-minute tips. The school term does start in only a few days. The two of us will be busy with student council stuff, so it''s not like I''ll have much time to coach himter."
Ang stood up and offered her hand to her little brother.
"How about it? Let''s go a round."
"Yeah, thanks, sis."
Taking her hand, he followed his sister to the arena where he trained until Zen practically copsed from exhaustion.
Following that, they all headed back to the Silvercolt estate for supper.
Famished from their respective fights, Arvell and Zen practically inhaled their food.
August, who fell asleep shortly before they left, also joined the group for dinner.
After stuffing himself to the brink with food, Arvell crashed onto his bed.
''The test to see how strong my newly upgraded Nether Body worked out fine in the end. It did raise some questions, though,'' Arvell noted.
With the speed increase from the refining grade of his Nether Body, Arvell was considerably faster than before.
Something that managed to surprise everyone who watched their fight.
''That''s to be expected. Normal children your age, aren''t that fast after all.''
''It seems they have some assumptions of me being some rare prodigy. I guess that can work for now. Sigh¡ If only I could haveid low a little longer. It would save me from so many unnecessary headaches.''
''That is true, but without that, you wouldn''t have gotten that many training resources from Duke Silvercolt. You lose some; you win some. For your purpose, this is a definite win. You may have revealed a portion of your strength, but as long as you get stronger fast enough, it won''t matter in the end.''
''I guess you''re right about that. I still want to stay lowkey at school, though. Getting pestered by a bunch of snot-nosed brats is something I would avoid at all costs.''
''Sigh¡ these snot-nosed brats are the same age as you, you know.''
Chapter 107 Examination Results
*BANG BANG BANG*
"Arvell, wake up!"
Jolted awake by the sudden noise, Arvell lurched forward.
Knocking off poor August, who was happily snuggling on his stomach.
"KYUU!"
Arvell woozily rubbed his eyes.
"Huh? What''s going on?"
"Arvell, wake up!"
Recognizing the familiar voice, Arvell audibly exhaled.
''Ah¡ It''s Ang again¡ What is it this time?"
Arvell scooped August into his hands and petted his soft fur.
''Sorry, Aug didn''t mean to scare you.''
"Kyuu¡"
August climbed onto his shoulder and curled himself into a ball, attempting to go back to sleep.
Running his fingers over his small furry body one more time, Arvell decided to see why Ang was so keen on interrupting his sleep.
Stretching his arms, he walked over to the door.
*Creak*
"Hey Ang, do you need something?"
"Yeah! They''re announcing the results of the examination today. I came to tell you, so you could get ready."
Arvell raised an eyebrow at her statement.
"So soon? I thought it would be dyed due to the events during the entrance examination."
"The staff had to work countless overtime hours, but they managed to deal with the aftermath swiftly."
''Hmm¡ Maybe they aren''tpletely ipetent.''
Arvell wasn''t too keen on entering the academy after seeing just how bad they blundered the entrance exam, but he still needed to attend for several reasons.
Mainly just to continue receiving support from the Silvercolt house, but also since he wanted to see his friend again.
Plus, the academy did handle the aftereffects of the massacre quite swiftly, so they didn''t seempletely ipetent.
For one, Professor Orfina was skilled, at least from what he saw.
Since she was a 5th circle mage, just like Duke Wilfried, she was one of ntrya''s powerhouses.
Building up a good connection with her was quintessential.
Luckily Arvell felt he left a good first impression on her.
"When are we departing?" Arvell asked.
Ang put her fingers to her chin while in thought.
"Hmm¡ Maybe straight after breakfast."
"Works for me; let me get ready. See you in 15 minutes."
"Okay!"
Arvell closed the door behind him and quickly got ready.
Taking August with him, Arvell joined the Silvercolts for breakfast.
"So Arvell, are you nervous? After all, the results of the examination are out today." Seeing Arvell munch on a hard-boiled egg, Wilfried asked.
Arvell swallowed the bit of food in his mouth before turning to Wilfried.
"Since Professor Orfina nullified my forfeit, I have a high chance of passing."
Since the academy knew he and Titus had almost brought down a 2nd rank beast on their own, Arvell was sure that the two of them would pass.
Furthermore, they stopped this beast from killing any more students, thus limiting the casualty count.
They''d get some kind of distinction for their efforts, right?
Otherwise, why would Professor Orfina go out of her way to cancel Arvell''s forfeit?
That would be pretty redundant and pointless to do.
Wilfried smiled lightly at Arvell''s words.
"I, too, have a strong feeling that you''ll pass. After seeing your disy yesterday, I can confidently say that you''d be amongst the strongest students in your grade."
"Thank you for your praise, but I''m not the only one who had an amazing disy yesterday."
Arvell turned to Zen, who was sitting across from him.
"Zen has grown so much in the short time I was here. If before he was a newbie who didn''t know how to use magic, now he''s a force to be reckoned with."
Hearing his name being mentioned, Zen almost choked on the piece of toast he was chewing on.
"Me?"
Arvell nodded his head.
"I don''t know what Lord duke had done to train you, but you''vee so far in just 2 weeks."
Zenughed awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his neck.
"Father''s training has always been intense. He even taught me a bit about our family''s special swordsmanship. Now that I can finally use magic, I can learn it."
Arvell knew this was only because Zen didn''t know any proper magic spells before, but even so.
Under the direct guidance of his father and elder sister, he managed to get far stronger in only a week.
Even for Arvell''s standards, that felt extremely rushed.
The speeds he showed everyone yesterday while training was Ang was exponentially faster than how he was back when he was still travelling with Arvell.
It was almost like he was apletely different person.
''Maybe they used some kind of Silvercolt family treasure to drastically increase his strength? As a Ducal family, they probably have hidden techniques and treasures, right? Let me check his status quickly.''
[Status Information]
Name: Zen Silvercolt
Species: Human
Age: 13 years old
HP: 18
STA: 15
DEF: 8
SPD: 19
PHYS ATK: 12
MAGIC CIRCLE: 1ST CIRCLE 3RD STAGE
MP: 40
Titles: Young Master
Magic Attributes: Wind
Skills: Iplete Noble Swordsmanship (C), Hand-To-Hand Combat (B), Iplete Silvercolt''s swordsmanship (C+)
Arvell''s eyes widened when he saw Zen''s stats.
''His speed stat shot through the roof! also¡ ''
Moving his attention to Zen''s Magic Circle rank, Arvell''s suspicions regarding Zen''s exponential increase in power were all but quelled.
There was no way someone who just formed his mana core could jump to the 3rd stage of the 1st circle without any outside help.
He waspletely blown away by Zen''s disy of strength yesterday when he was training with Ang in the arena.
While it was nothingpared to his own, it was still quite a drastic change.
Zen''s dedication to getting stronger also somewhat mirrored Arvell''s.
Something that wouldn''t have happened if it wasn''t for the experiences that Zen went through.
After experiencing being turned into a ve and almost dying countless times, he''d found a resolve to get stronger.
Zen didn''t want to worry Reyna or his family ever again, so he needed to get far stronger than he was right now.
He needed to be like Arvell.
Thus, he took Arvell as his personal role model and tried to emte his single-minded desire to get stronger.
A decision which proved to be an arduous one.
No matter how harsh his father''s training was, Zen grit through it and took it head-on.
He refused to back off, not even giving an inch.
Only then did his hard work and dedication pay off.
Lienna nodded her head in agreement with Arvell.
"Everyone here is proud of how far you came, Zen."
"Mom is right! You''ve grown a lot in such a short time."
Zen nodded his head with a slight blush.
Everyone suddenly praising him like that caused him to feel somewhat embarrassed, but even so, he was happy his hard work was acknowledged.
Zen hurriedly scarfed down the rest of his meal to hide his slight embarrassment.
Lienna chuckled lightly when she saw her son''s behaviour but decided not to call him out.
After a few more minutes, they finished their meal and headed to the carriage.
"By the way, Arvell, I heard they rank applicants based on their examination scores. Isn''t that right, sis?"
Zen turned to his sister, sitting next to him, for validation.
"Yeah. The academy decides on day one which ss each student enters and ces them into sses that suit the level of the prowess of each student." Ang replied.
Arvell, who was sitting across from them, nodded his head.
"I read about that in one of the books you gave me. Also¡ it seems that nobles get preferential treatment when assigned in these sses."
Ang made an awkward face but nodded her head.
"Since the academy also needs to build connections with young nobles, they give them preferential treatment. However, regardless of birth, anyone who shows promise will be treated highly. It''s just if there is a talented noble and a talentedmoner, the noble would be given better treatment."
"It makes sense¡ After all, in the end, the academy is still a business. So making sure they have adequate connections important for making money."
Nobles wanted to be treated better thanmoners, and since nobles were the ones with money and power, things almost always went their way.
Arvell inwardly sighed, knowing this was just how the world worked.
While it was still possible for a student to enter the highest ranking ss if they were amoner, it was still quite hard.
''Luckily, I''m aiming to just barely pass. Even if I managed to assist in killing a rank 2 beast, my 2 previous grades were quite average. That should be enough to counterbnce my marks.''
At Arvell''s behest, they didn''t publicly announce that Arvell was one of the 2 that took down the rank 2 beasts.
He asked Wilfried to pull a few strings for that to happen, telling him that he would rather not be at the center of attention.
Knowing that Arvell had his reasons, Wilfried didn''t pry too far.
Titus also didn''t seem too keen on the spotlight, so Professor Orfina got all the credit for killing it.
Only Lydia, Arvell, Titus, Professor Orfina, the Silvercolts, and a few select academy staff knew of Arvell and Titus''s participation in defeating the rank 2 beasts.
Arvell looked out the window to see the academy grounds slowly getting closer.
From where they were right now, they could see 2rge boards erected on the academy gates, as well as countless people huddling around them as if desperately searching for their or their family/friend''s names.
While a few cried joyfully, many were left distraught after thoroughly checking the boards.
Pulling up to the curb, Arvell exited the carriage alongside the entire Silvercolt house, much to the surprise of the countless onlookers.
"It''s duke Silvercolt!"
Someone in the crowd eximed, causing the whole group to turn in the direction of their party of five.
Seeing this, all five of them let out a collective sigh.
"Here we go again¡."
Chapter 108 Examination Results [2]
Trudging their way through the sea of people, they somehow made it to the board disying the list of examinees that passed the exam.
Arvell had eagerly waited for Wilfried to use his authority as a duke to make the people blocking their path give way, but he didn''t seem to have any intent on doing so.
It was one thing to abuse your authority, but in situations like this, it was better if he did order them to make way.
It was a perfectly understandable circumstance, but Wilfried declined to do anything about it.
Luckily the people in the crowd had no intention ofpletely blocking their group from reaching their destination.
While they managed to reach their destination, it took quite a long time to do so.
Arvell leaned in and began to read through the names listed on the board.
[Brant Styles: 60 points - Pass]
[Reginald Pilgrim: 59 points - Pass]
[Hester Daniels: 59 points - Pass]
''These are categorized ording to the number of points each student got in the examination process.'' Arvell noted.
He followed along the board to the veryst name.
[Aarron Kidd: 50 points - Pass]
''Every name above 50 is a pass....''
Arvell assumed that the points they gained were a numerical representation of their individual scores for each examination stage.
The results didn''t show a detailed breakdown of their marks, so this was all Arvell had to go off of.
Not that he really cared about his individual marks.
For him, as long he made it in, it was enough... As long as it wasn''t too high or low.
He knew not standing out was a pipe dream at this point, but he still wanted to try.
Even though he already made it known to Silvercolts that he was pretty strong for his age, he''d rather not deal with the headaches that apanied being someone who stands out among his peers.
The people who stood out typically had to deal with the problems brought about by poprity, such as dealing with people constantly pestering them.
It was a pain, to say the least.
''Please don''t make me stand out more than I already am.''
Arvell earnestly hoped as he slowly scanned over the names in the middle section of the board, the area which disyed the participants who reached the average passing mark of the examinees.
Which was around 65 points.
Since his marks for the first 2 examinations should be around the average, even with his possibly high final examination mark, he was most likely in the middle to the high-middle section of the board.
''Where is it?'' Arvell continued to scan for his name but to no avail.
''Did I skip over it?'' But, Arvell wondered, ''there''s no way someone with senses as good as myself just glossed right over it, right?''
However, his thoughts were interrupted by an energetic yelling of a certain 13-year-old boy.
"Arvell! Come check this out!"
Turning his head in response to hearing his name, Arvell saw Zen beckoning him over.
''What is it?''
Letting his curiosity get the best of him, Arvell walked to Zen, who was standing at one end of the results board.
"You called?" Arvell asked after walking up to Zen.
Zen pointed his finger at the board
"Take a look at this; you wouldn''t believe it!"
Arvell turned his attention to the ce which Zen pointed out.
"Hmm? Isn''t this the section of the board used to showcase the students with the highest grades?"
"Exactly! Look at the name right there, in the ''Number 1'' spot."
Sweat began forming on Arvell''s neck as he made his best impression of a deting balloon while letting out an exasperated sight.
"Fuuuuuuuuhhh..."
Before even looking, Arvell could already figure out more or less what happened, but just to confirm his theory, he took a peek.
[Arvell Silvanus: 94 points - Pass]
Arvell felt an urge to bash his head into a wall.
Why did he get first ce?
Weren''t they supposed to cover up his involvement with taking down the rank 2 beast?
If so, then why did they do this? It makes no sense!
"Wait right here; I''m going to bring everyone here to show them!" Zen announced before taking off to go find and bring his family back.
Arvell saw many nearby studentsmenting about not getting in or letting out cheers of excitement after knowing they had passed.
Unfortunately, he didn''t fit into either group, being the only person to be angry, even after knowing he had passed.
''Welp, there goes my peaceful academic life....''
"Congrattions, Mr. Rank 1."
Hearing the voice of a mature womane from behind him, Arvell turned around to see Professor Orfina standing behind him with a smile.
Arvell looked at the board before looking back to professor Orfina.
Walking up to her, he whispered, ensuring no one nearby could hear him.
"Weren''t you going to make it look like I never contributed to defeating the rank 2 beast? If so, then what is this?"
Professor Orfina lightly chucked when she heard Arvell''s words.
"I''m not going to lie, your mana core examination results were a little behind your peers, especiallypared with the geniuses in your grade, but your written examination results were one of the best I''ve ever seen. Getting first ce shouldn''t be a surprise with a test as well written as that."
Arvell looked at Professor Orfina with a dumbfounded look.
"What do you mean? My results were average, at least they should be."
Professor Orfina smiled slightly at Arvell''s words.
"If your written score was average, I''d like to see what exactly you consider a ''good result'' if something like that can be even topped in the first ce."
"How is that so? After doing the test, I felt like I got only around 80-85% of it correct. Isn''t that the mean mark range?"
Professor Orfina shook her head with an amused expression.
"Where did you get that information from? Whatever it was, it was obviously a relic of the past."
''Ouch,'' Lykos cringed.
He''d personally reinforced Arvell''s Idea that around 80-85% should be a good mark range since those who wore Lykos''s pendant before Arvell all had a simr grade range, even during the academy days of the current Queen of ntrya herself.
Neither Arvell nor Lykos had expected them to change the grading scheme like that."
Professor Orfina continued, "the exam questions now are far harder than they were in the past. The mean mark range on the written examination was, in fact, around 45%, while you, on the other hand, managed to score an 85%, almost doubling that."
She pointed to Arvell with her index finger, more precisely at his head "you have a good brain on your shoulders."
"So... I''ve heard."
"Also, the number of coins you collected during the final examination was also the highest in your grade."
''F*ck, I wanted to farm for coins the first day and a half and then take it easy. Then, if the other examinees had gotten the final day to gather coins, my final examination results would have been more on average.
Arvell felt like there was some higher being screwing with him.
How did this many coincidences work out like this?
He couldn''t predict or n for any of them.
Now he had to deal with the aftereffects.
There was no one entering Skysword academy that wouldn''t hear of his name, being ranked first during the entrance examination.
Arvell gave Professor Orfina a once-over.
"So, why did youe here to exin why I got first? I''d assume you normally don''t do this to everyone."
Professor Orfina''s mouth curved up into a smile.
"You''re right about that. I came for another purpose: to meet with a member of the Silvercolt ducal house. Finding you was just a way I could find them faster." Professor Orfina stated.
"A member of the Silvercolt Ducal house?"
''She must be talking about Zen; after all, he''s entering the academy this year.''
"The Professor is talking about me," a feminine voice responded from behind Arvell.
Arvell turned his head to face the person behind him, and as he suspected, the one behind him was none other than Ang.
"Ang?" Arvell asked, confused, "I assumed Professor Orfina was talking about Zen."
Ang raised an eyebrow.
"Zen?"
"Yeah, he''s joining the academy this year, after all. So I assumed the professor wanted to give him a few words of advice."
"While that is a good idea," Professor Orina responded, "I need to discuss some student council-rted information with Ang."
''Wait... I remember hearing from Ang that she and James were on the academy''s student council team.''
"As the professor in charge of the student council, it''s my responsibility that it''s properly run."
Professor Orfina turned to Ang.
"Now, Ang, would you mind apanying me for a little bit to my office?"
Ang nodded her head before turning to Arvell.
"Tell everyone I''ll be back in a bit, but first...."
She walked up and gave Arvell a hug.
"Congrattions on passing!"
She gave Arvell a tight squeeze before following Professor Orfina onto the academy grounds, quickly disappearing into one of the nearby buildings.
Chapter 109 Examination Results [3]
"Arvell, I brought them!"
Zen cheerfully ran up to Arvell with his parents in tow behind him.
"See, Arvell got in! Not just that, but he scored the highest among all the other examinees!"
Wilfried gave a bright smile when he heard Zen''s words.
"After seeing that disy yesterday, I expected no less."
Lienna rushed up and gave Arvell a tight bearhug, reminiscent of Ang.
''I guess they are mother and daughter.'' So Arvell thought to himself while being smothered between her twin mounds.
"Good job Arvell! We''ll throw a celebration tonight!"
"Mhffff"
"Mom, you''re doing it again."
Zen walked over to Arvell and pried him free of his mother''s clutches.
"By the way, Arvell, I couldn''t find Ang. I think we lost her somewhere in the crowd."
Zen pointed to therge crowd behind him.
"Actually, I just met her."
James looked around Arvell with a confused look.
"You did? Where is she then?"
"An academy professor came to talk to her about some student council-rted matters."
"It must have been Professor Orfina, Wilfried added."
Arvell nodded his head.
"She, it was actually her," Arvell pointed to the building he saw the two enter, "she should be in her office about now."
***
"You wanted to talk to me, professor?"
Ang sat down on the red velvety couch and asked the woman sitting in front of her.
Nodding to validate Ang''s question, Professor Orfina picked up a document lying face down on the table.
"But¡ Before we start, I''d like to ask you. What do you think of that boy?"
Professor Orfina''s sudden question threw Ang off.
"Wait, do you mean Arvell?"
"What other boy could I be talking about?"
"What do you want to know about Arvell?"
"You see¡ I took a fancy to the boy and was curious about your thoughts on him."
"Hmm¡" Ang paused as she thought long and hard about Professor Orfina''s question.
She tried to think of exactly how she felt about Arvell, recalling every encounter they had over the past little while.
"... I''d say he''s one of the most earnest and hardworking people I can name."
Hearing Ang''s praise for Arvell, Professor Orfina raised an eyebrow.
"Ho? Would you mind borating for me?"
Ang nodded her head, "His desire to get stronger and better himself is among the greatest I''ve ever seen. Arvell uses any chance to train himself, even challenging people far stronger than him, just to get stronger."
Ang smiled softly as she remembered Arvell dragging her to go train with him at least once a day.
"He also beat James in a fight yesterday, given James didn''t use projectile-based attacks."
Professor Orfina''s eyes widened in surprise.
"He''s that strong? Even if James isn''t using his projectile magic, he''s still quite strong. To beat him¡ I thought this kid was an anomaly, just like that other boy Titus."
"Titus? You mean the boy who was with Arvell during the exam?"
"Yes, him. That boy is quite strong as well."
"I''ll keep an eye open for him then, but from what I heard from Arvell, he seems to be a good-natured kid."
"That he is."
Looking at the document in Professor Orfina''s hands, Ang decided to finally cut to the chase and address the main topic.
"So, Professor Orfina, what did you want to discuss? Because if you of all people came out personally to fetch me, it must be something quite urgent."
Professor Orfina grimly nodded before handing Ang the document in her hand.
"It''s faster if you check it out for yourself."
Ang skimmed over the contents by taking the paper from Professor Orfina''s outstretched hand.
The more she read, the more her face scrunched up until it resembled a pickled prune.
Finally, she mmed the paper onto the Yirnwood table.
"What the hell is this?" She shouted with visible anger.
Professor Orfina nodded, seemingly sharing Ang''s sentiments regarding the nature of the newly received information.
"This was decided by my superiors¡ Those thick-headed geezers won''t do anything about it, no matter how much we argue orin."
"What''s the headmaster''s opinion on this?"
"He''s the only one who is looking at this rationally."
Ang picked the paper back up and handed it back to the professor.
"Sorry about that outburst; it was unsightly of me."
Professor Orfina smiled lightly.
"There''s no need to apologize. I had a simr reaction when I saw that."
Professor Orfina pointed behind her to a cab with a noticeable hole right through one of the drawers.
A hole shaped that was eerily shaped like a fist.
"I see¡"
Ang made a mental note to never Professor Orfina, lest she be on the end of one of those punches.
"Professor, how many people know about this so far?"
"Other than you, I only told the 4th-year members. They all reacted simrly, each showing anger and confusion when they read through this. Wait¡ Scratch that. Cyprian was the only one who didn''t have an outburst but only calmly nodded."
"He''s as cool and collected as ever I see."
"If I didn''t know of his calm demeanour from spending years working with him, I would have thought he had already known about this."
"Well, that nature of his serves as a powerful ma for countless girls in the academy. Even though he has a fiance, the amount of love letters he gets on a daily base is mind-boggling."
Professor Orfina nodded.
A significant portion of the school''s female body was even in his fan club, to the point where almost everyone in the academy heard about them.
The teaching staff was no exception.
"I wonder how things will get once his fiance begins to attend the academy. This year will be a hectic one, to say the least."
Ang audibly sighed.
"After finding out about ''that'' just now, thest thing I need is more work¡."
The life of a student council member wasn''t an easy one.
"If you would like, I can ry this information to James."
Professor Orfina smiled.
"Thank you, that''ll save me some time. Anyways, you came here with your family, correct? I shouldn''t keep you here for too long then. It''s not fair for them."
"Thank you, I''ll excuse myself then" Ang got up and headed to the door, and after giving Professor Orfina onest nce, closed the door behind her.
Being the only one left in the room, Professor Orfina fell back in her seat and let out a long and exasperated sigh.
"It''s just one thing after another... I need a vacation."
Chapter 110 Getting Ready For School
One whole week had passed since the day Arvell finished the final examination test to enter Skysword Academy.
A week he primarily spent training himself to his breaking point.
Once he reached his absolute limit, he would take a short break and recover his stamina before going at it again.
Having to go through mind-numbing pain while enduring it.
Fighting with your body to keep moving, despite its many fervent protests to give up right then and there.
It was said that humans could only use anywhere from 60-80% of their entire body capabilities due to mental limiters.
This was done to prevent themselves from inflicting self-harm by overexerting their muscles.
Arvell, however, had long since passed their barrier, utilizing almost 100% of his body''s full capabilities to push himself to the point of self-harm.
Whenever he managed to rip some of his flesh from over-exertion, he used his Nether abilities to heal himself back to normal, improving the speed and control of his Nether Maniption skills.
Only through using a skill repeatedly could it be improved, so constantly harming himself, he also let him manipte Nether better to heal himself faster.
While many would have treated such actions as pure torture, to Arvell, it was pure bliss.
With the pain resistance he gained from having to endure the hell known as Nether Body Refining, this was nothing but a simple prick to the silver-haired youth.
Plus, why would he care about some pain if he could train to his absolute limits while not having to be afraid of being killed when he has weakened afterwards?
He was in the perfect environment to train.
Not using it was a waste.
But even so, Arvell kept some measures to protect himself, just in case.
The incident with the Rank 2 beast had asting impact on him.
''Always be prepared to fight no matter how safe you feel.''
Meanwhile, Zen, on the hand, kept his training regime with Wilfried.
Arvell wasn''t sure exactly what they were doing, but Zen always came home with countless bruises and other scratches all over his body.
However, it was nothing a few healing potions couldn''t fix.
On the other hand, Ang took a trip to the Verlice mansion to ry to James the information that Professor Orfina gave her.
Arvell wasn''t sure what it was, but from Wilfried and Lienna''s reactions, it wasn''t anything good.
When he asked what was going on, Ang shook her head, saying that she''d rather not burden them with this information.
Especially when they were nearing their first day of school.
Moreover, she believed Arvell had enough on his te, with the events of the entrance exam happening only a week before.
However, the tone of their voice screamed that it was something important.
Arvell tried to eavesdrop on their conversations with his sensitive hearing, but that was not enough.
Since Zen got kidnapped, Duke Silvercolt had be slightly distrustful of most of the people around him and gotten into the habit of using his wind magic to block out any and all sound whenever their family had private conversations.
Arvell didn''t like being left out of the loop, especially if it was something serious, but given the current circumstances, there wasn''t really much he could do until they decided to tell him.
After Ang returned from the Verlice estate, she trained with Arvell for almost two hours daily.
Even James made a few guest appearances, helping Arvell hone his skills.
While they didn''t use any truly destructive spells, since they weren''t at the Noble''s Arena, Arvell could get a glimpse of just how much James had held back in their sparring match.
Arvell was confident that James still had a 99% chance to beat him even if Arvell was going all out.
He wasn''t the next head of the Verlice family just for show; James had the strength to match.
Arvell felt his pride being prodded after finding that James had held back so much during their fight, but he knew it was not done with malicious intent.
''I wonder how long it will take before I can fight him on even grounds?'' Arvell wondered while training in his room.
"996"
"997"
"998"
His face was damp with sweat as he continuously performed one-fingered pushups from a handstand position, effectively pushing up the whole weight of his body with a single finger.
"999"
"1000"
Arvell pushed especially hard off the ground on his 1000th pushup, swapping from his ring finger to his pinkie.
"1"
"2"
"3"
Since his whole body was caked with sweat, Arvell decided to take off his shirt, allowing him to get at least a little breathing room.
As for his wings?
He managed to get his hands on some sports bandages, which he used to wrap around his chest like a sash, covering just the bit he wanted to hide.
Kind of like a sarashi.
"4"
"5"
Arvell continued to count his pushups as his face scrunched up in concentration.
Today was the day that the academy was scheduled to start, so he needed to finish his early morning training as soon as possible.
After spending another 10 minutespleting 1000 pushups using just his pinkie finger, Arvell pushed up off the floor with enough force to shoot up into the air.
Performing a quick backflip, Arvellnded on his feet like a trapeze artist.
Just in time to hear someone rapping his door.
*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*
"Arvell? We''ll leave in about another hour, so try to be ready by then."
Ang''s voice ringed from across the door.
"Will do!" Arvell responded.
"Alright, thanks!"
Hearing Ang''s footsteps grow faint as she walked away from his door, Arvell sighed to himself.
''Even till thest day I''m here, she still personallyes to fetch or ry information to me. So I must acknowledge her efforts to be my big sister.''
While Arvell still felt awkward calling Ang his big sister, especially considering how his real big sister, First Princess Cornelia, had thrown him to the curb the instant he revealed his nature as a manaless failure, Arvell wasn''t willing to ept anyone new to take up that role.
However, despite how he felt, Ang had loved and cared for him as if he were he was her real little brother.
If a stranger were to hear that they only met a little over 2 weeks ago, they would have called bullsh*t.
That''s just how close Ang had be with her brother''s saviour.
Arvell wiped the sweat off his forehead with a towel before looking at himself in the mirror.
''I guess I should at least give her a chance... After all, I can''t judge her based on something that someone else had done to me. She deserves at least this much.''
Lykos watched Arvell delegate in front of the mirror with a soft smile.
''Finally... He''s starting to ovee some of his inner demons.''
Chapter 111 Orientation Day [1]
Stepping out of the carriage, Arvell was greeted by the somewhat familiar sight of the academy.
The same buildings, the same trees, the same pathways.
Even the smell permeating the nearby campus cafeteria was like he had remembered it.
The only thing different in this scene was Arvell''s current attire.
If before he came robed in casual attire, now he waspletely decked out in the academy''s signature uniform.
He was now an official student of the academy.
Zen hopped out of the carriage behind Arvell and took a deep breath of air, sprawling his hands into the air as if trying to embrace the sights in the most literal sense of the word.
"FUUUUUUHHHH"
Ang joined them shortly afterwards, followed by Wilfried and Lienna.
Lienna pulled all three kids into a tight hug.
"Stay safe, okay? If you need anything, send us a message as soon as possible."
"Okay, will do, mother."
Lienna released them with a somewhat tear-filled expression.
"Sending Ang off on her own was sad enough; now I have to send off both of you as well¡ The house is going to be so quiet¡."
Wilfried ced a hand on his wife''s shoulder.
"Come on, Lienna, don''t send the kids off with that mopey expression. You don''t want theirst memory of you to be your tear-filled appearance, right?"
She jabbed Wilfried in the stomach with her elbow, causing him to wince in pain.
"I''m not mopey!" Then, giving her husband a quick re, she turned back to the children doing their best to stifle augh at theedic scene.
Wiping the tears from her eyes, Lienna tried to force the brightest smile she could muster.
"Make sure to write to me, okay? Even if it''s not once a day, at least 2-3 times a week."
"Don''t worry, mother, we will," Ang responded so that it was evident she had done this before.
After all, she had to go through the same thing 2 times already.
Wilfried gave the kids a hug, too, before joining Lienna in waving the kids off.
"They grow up so fast," Wilfried said with a nostalgic look.
Seeing the three kids walk through the academy gates, he reminisces over the countless years he watched his children grow.
Lienna rested her head on his shoulder.
"Life really passes you in the blink of an eye. The day we first sent Ang to school feels like it was just yesterday."
After seeing the visages of their children fade from view, Wilfried turned to his wife.
"It''s about time we head back to Talion, and¡."
Wilfried''s pleasant smile disappeared as if it was a lie, leaving only a cold narrow-eyed gaze.
"Deal with the pests whoid their hands on our son."
Lienna''s expression also turned icy as she nodded at Wilfried''s words.
"Those insects need to pay for what they did."
The two climbed back into the horse-drawn carriage, which quickly sped away into the distance.
***
Walking through the academy gates, Arvell noticed countless other simrly d students fumbling their way through the surroundings, clearly not knowing where exactly to go.
Today was the new student orientation, so the older students didn''t have to attend.
On the other hand, Ang was helping out as a student council member, so she needed to attend, along with her fiance.
The fiance who just conveniently happened to bump into them as soon they walked through the gates.
"James!"
Seeing her blond-haired fiance guiding a couple of new students towards the building they could pick up their student IDs, Ang gleefully called out.
"Hmm?"
James turned around to see Ang fervently waving at him.
Giving her a small smile and nod, he motioned to her that he would be right with her.
Quickly finishing giving the students the directions, James waved them off with a bright smile.
"Hey, guys!" James walked up and greeted.
"I see you''re busy," Zen pointed out.
"Haha¡ yeah, the campus is quiterge, so getting lost here is easy. Getting some help here and now would do those wonders."
"They were looking at you with eyes brimming with admiration," Arvell noted, "getting directions from a future must have been quite the moment for them."
"While academy admission and ss cement depend on the student''s noble lineage, after getting assigned to a ss, there is still a policy to ignore nobility while inside the academy grounds."
Arvell nodded his head in acknowledgement.
He''d heard about that in one of the books he read.
Skysword Academy had a rule that ''all students are equal,'' but everyone knows how loosely it''s followed.
If there was a scuffle between a noble and amoner, 9 times out of 10, themoner would be considered at fault.
The only part of the fundamental rule that people actually follow is the part of not calling noble children'' sir'' and dy,'' as most people just call each other by their first name.
While some nobles felt insulted when they heardmoners call them by name, it wasn''t like they could do much.
It was the rules, after all.
There were some exceptions to this rule, but that right was only reserved for the royal family.
Since the academy was situated in the country''s capital, this was non-negotiable.
Following James and Ang, Arvell and Zen approached a building with a dome-like roof.
The roof wasn''t even, with there being several grooves and indents.
James pointed to the building before them.
"This is the observatory building; the big dome on the top reveals arge telescope. It''s kind of cool, so you see it sometime. Personally, I like toe here during my free time. However, if you book a time, even students can use the telescope."
He turned to the group with visible excitement.
Arvell raised an eyebrow as he saw James''s excitement.
''Isn''t he the one who gets stronger the closer he is to the earth? Isn''t going high into the air bad for him?''
''Observing the sky from the ground using the telescope ispletely different than being in the air himself,'' Lykos answered.
After hearing James''s exnation, Zen turned to the building with evident tion.
"So like¡ I can see past the sky with that telescope?"
James nodded with a satisfied smile.
"It''s quite massive. You''ll be amazed!"
Zen''s eyes sparkled.
"That''s so cool; I wanna try that!"
James rested his hand on Zen''s shoulder.
"It seems that you and I are going to have a lot of brother-inw bonding time!"
Ang watched this y with a slight pout on her face.
''That was supposed to be our thing¡.''
Sadly James was too engrossed with Zen to notice her.
"So we get our student IDs here?" Arvell asked, changing the topic.
"Hmm? Yeah, it''s right there."
James pointed to the counter swarmed with countless new students trying to get their student IDs.
Arvell and Zen stood in line while James and Ange turned to leave.
"Right after getting your ID, just go to the auditoriumplex. I trust Arvell knows where it is?" James asked.
Arvell nodded his head.
"It''s where I wrote my written examination, correct?"
"Yup, that''s the one. But, unfortunately, Ang and I need to help direct new students, so we will have to work for now."
"Try to not get lost, okay?" Ang looked at the two with a somewhat worried look.
"Sis, we are 13. We''re not kids." Zen countered.
"I know¡ but it''s my job to be worried about you. I''m your big sister for a reason."
Ang waved the two of them goodbye before leaving the observatory with James.
"I wonder why they used an observatory as a ce to get the IDs?" But, Zen asked while they stood in line, "it doesn''t really seem intuitive."
"They probably didn''t choose this location for it to be intuitive to get IDs here. It was probably done this way since the helping staff would have an easier way of pointing people here. Also, there aren''t many other buildings with dome-shaped roofs."
"Ah, that does make sense."
Zen and Arvell continued to idly chatter as the number of people in front of them slowly decreased, but Arvell began to feel countless gazes fall on the two of them.
"Hey, that''s the son of the war hero!"
"You mean Zen Silvercolt?"
"That''s the one!"
"But¡ who''s the guy he''s talking to?"
"I don''t know¡ but he''s cute."
With Arvell''s sensitive hearing, he could somewhat pick out the conversations he focused his attention on.
While the nearby students kept their distance since they didn''t want to disrespect the son of a duke, a few more ambitious students stepped forward to try their luck.
"Excuse me, you''re the Zen Silvercolt, right?"
A youngdy with auburn hair asked as she approached Zen and Arvell from behind.
"Yes, that''s me," Zen curtly responded.
He already knew what wasing¡
"My name is Mntha Judd, and I was wondering¡ Are you free afterwards? A few friends and I were going to try out the cafeteria foodter, and we wanted to know if you wanted to join us. Of course, your friend is more than wee toe too."
Mntha threw Arvell an enamoured gaze before pulling her attention back to Zen.
"So, would you be able to?"
"I-"
"He already has some priormitments."
Before Zen could finish his sentence, a female''s voice rang from behind them.
Recognizing the familiar voice, Zen nervously turned around with sweat beginning to perspire on the back of his neck.
"R-Reyna! Fancy seeing you here!"
"You too, Zen! What a coincidence!" Reyna responded with a smile that didn''t quite reach her eyes.
Reyna was so focused on Zen and the woman beside him that she didn''t even notice Arvell standing only a few feet from her fiance''s side.
''I guess this is what Zen meant when he said Reyna was ''scary.'' Even I''m getting goosebumps from that smile.'' Arvell shivered.
''Look''s like Zen''s going to quite the henpecked husband in the future.'' Lykos smiled with a teasing glint in his eyes.
''I pity him.''
Sometimes a man''s greatest fear was his wife¡ or, in this case, his fiance.
Chapter 112 Orientation Day [2]
''Well, this just got really awkward,'' Arvell thought.
Zen was finicking as he tried to avoid Reyna''s gaze.
If Arvell felt fear from this woman, it was almost guaranteed that Zen would feel the same.
Even if he didn''t technically do anything wrong.
Mntha looked at Reyna and then back at Zen with sudden realization.
"Umm... I think my friends are calling me, so I''m going to head out first."
Not wanting to get caught in their lovers'' quarrel, she ran!
Sadly, that didn''t seem to diffuse the situation.
While Reyna looked less scary after Mntha left, her eerie smile was still stered on her face.
Reyna stepped forward and began to close the distance between her fiance.
Seeing his fiance walking over with a menacing smile, Zen instinctively took a step back in fear.
"Oya? Where are you going? Zen~"
Zen felt chills run down his neck.
''What happened to the sweet Reyna from earlier???'' He internally questioned.
Reyna walked up to him and leaned in to whisper into his ear.
"Who was that girl earlier?"
"She''s just someone we met a minute ago! She wanted to ask if Arvell and I wanted to join her and her friends for a meal!"
"So... Why didn''t you refuse? You have me, so why are you flirting with other girls?''
Reyna used a hushed voice to not let the others nearby hear their conversation, but for Arvell, she couldn''t be talking more clearly.
"I-I was about to!"
"Hmm? But you paused and didn''t answer her? Wasn''t that because you were debating whether or not to go?"
"That''s not true at all!" Zen loudly eximed before hurriedly covering his mouth.
"That''s not true at all; I was just a little caught off guard since she surprised me with that question. I never nned on leaving you behind and attending. You''ve got to believe me!"
"Hmm? Are you sure? You''d better not be lying to me...."
"I swear! You can even ask Arvell if you want."
Reyna turned to Arvell, who was watching them with a curious expression.
"Hey, Arvell, was he?"
Arvell nodded his head.
"Zen''s clean. I can personally vouch for him."
"Is that so..." Reyna turned to her fiance and affectionately grabbed his arm, "I apologize, Zen, I jumped to conclusions again."
While that action may have looked like it was purely done out of affection, it was also Reyna''s way of marking her man.
Basically announcing to everyone nearby that Zen was hers and hers alone.
Seeing the usual Reyna resurface, Zen breathed a sigh of relief, making sure to mentally thank Arvell for the save.
That''s what brothers were for!
"So... Reyna, when did you get here?" Zen asked.
"Hmm? I got here a few minutes ago and saw Ang standing near the gates. She pointed me to this building, where I found the two of you."
Reyna bent her head to see past the countless students in front of her.
"By the way, there are soo many people in line... It''ll take forever to get through it."
''You cut through over half of the line already, though....''
While the students behind them had gripes about Reyna cutting through the line, they were too intimidated to call her out on it.
After all...
Her first impression had left an instinctive terror in the nearby students.
No one wanted to order someone who managed to scare the son of the war hero!
Moreover, they appeared to be a couple, so separating them felt wrong.
In the end, it was just 1 more person, so they silently gave up their qualms.
The bystanders went back to talking amongst themselves while throwing their group a nce every once in a while.
However, the females in the crowd kept staring at Arvell like vultures eyeing their prey.
A look Arvell didn''t enjoy in the slightest.
That''s why he was more than happy when they finally got their student IDs and managed to leave the ce.
Lifting the card with his name and student number, Arvell stared at it as if trying to bore a hole through it.
Even a tiny portrait of Arvell was drawn on it to help with recognition.
"This is quite well made! It looks just like me."
Zen noted as he brought the tiny drawing of himself close to his eye.
No matter how much he tried, he couldn''t find any faults in it.
It was expertly drawn, with there being little to no faults.
It almost perfectly captured his likeness.
"That was a feature the academy implemented a few decades ago to prevent identity theft," Arvell pointed out.
"Yeah, not having any way to prove that the ID belongs to you must have been a pain. Anyone could just take someone else''s ID and pose as them," Reyna added.
The three of them followed the crowd of students to the auditorium.
Arvell told Ang and James that he would direct Zen, but with a crowd this big pretty much chaperoning them, there didn''t appear to be any need to do so.
It wasn''t long before they saw the vast theatre enter their view.
"I''ve never been here before, but wow, is it massive!" Zen eximed.
Reyna nodded her head in agreement.
"It''s so... majestic? No, wait... what''s a better word to describe it? Great... No Grand... What was that word again?" Reyna furrowed her eyebrows.
"Grandiose?" Arvell pitched in.
"Yeah, Grandiose! That''s the word, thanks, Arvell!"
"No problem." Arvell nodded with a somewhat distant look.
While he answered Reyna''s question, he focused on a group of students huddling in a tight circle.
The weird thing was that the circle seemed to have only female students crowding around something in the middle.
Following Arvell''s gaze, Zen and Reyna also redirected their attention to the group.
"What are they doing?" Zen asked with an inquisitive tone.
Reyna shook her head.
"Beats me, but I wonder what could be that interesting for all of them to gather like a herd of penguins."
"Or ''who.''" Arvell corrected.
"You think they are surrounding someone?" Zen turned to his sworn brother, looking for answers.
Arvell gestured to the group with his head.
"Take a nice long look at their eyes and blushed cheeks craze. Some of them even resemble ripe tomatoes. That''s the look of a girl in love, something Reyna would know all about."
Arvell turned to Reyna with a mischievous grin, causing her face to turn a deep shade of crimson.
"A-ARVELL!"
In an attempt to hide her embarrassed face, she plunged her face into Zen''s back.
Zen threw Arvell a thumbs up.
Seeing her embarrassed face was quite satisfying after the earlier incident.
Arvell nodded his head with a slightly teasing smile.
He was bing more like Lykos every day...
"Oh? Is that Zen Silvercolt I see?"
A melodious voice rang out, causing the three of them to turn in the direction of the group of female students.
Even Reyna pried herself off Zen''s back and curiously looked at the group.
Totally ignoring the residual blush still lingering on her cheeks.
While the voice appeared to havee from the clump of girls, it didn''t seem to be any of them speaking.
After all, it wasn''t a woman''s voice that called them out, but instead that of a man.
"So there was someone there!" Reyna eximed in a hushed voice.
Arvell''s prediction was spot on.
Hearing his name being personally called out, Zen decided to greet whoever wanted to speak to him.
"Yes, I''m Zen Silvercolt, but isn''t it proper manners to at least show yourself when talking to someone?"
"Haha, you''re absolutely right. Pardon my manners! Excuse me,dies, would you all be dears and give me a little space?"
"Ehhh?"
The girls threw Zen angry res, but Reyna standing behind him managed to intimidate them and get them to back off.
''How can she even do that?'' Arvell wondered to himself.
Scaring her fiance was one thing, but she managed to scare countless other people with nothing but a re.
Even he felt some chills.
This was not normal.
He turned around to look at Reyna before activating his status skill.
[Status]
[Status Information]
Name: Reyna Winstrel
Species: Human
Age: 13 years old
HP: 14
STA: 13
DEF: 11
SPD: 10
PHYS ATK: 9
MAGIC CIRCLE: 1ST CIRCLE 2ND STAGE
MP: 32
Titles: Young Lady
Magic Attributes: Enhancement
Skills: Iplete Noble Pole Arts (C), Intimidation (A), Animal affinity (A+)
''No wonder she''s a beast tamer! Having to train that intimidation skill.''
Looking at her stats, Arvell was almost sure that Reyna was a beast tamer.
She not only had the animal affinity skill but also the intimidation skill and specialized in enhancement magic.
But where was her tamed beast?
Arvell never saw her ever pull it out.
Even Arvell brought August with him, given that he was currently napping in his backpack.
Perhaps Reyna was the same?
Sadly Arvell wasn''t given much time to think before a blue-haired boy stepped out of the crowd of females.
He was around 172 cm tall, with luscious blue hair that reached up to his waist.
Based off of appearance alone, he had the capability of standing on par with Arvell.
''So that''s why the girls were huddling around him.''
Furthermore, the boy appeared to be a member of the student council.
After all, not only did he appear to be older than all of them, only the student council students were permitted to wear the signature red brooch on their school uniform.
A red brooch was pinned right over his heart.
''Who is he?''
Arvell wondered to himself.
He felt like he''d seen this boy somewhere before but couldn''t quite put his finger on it.
Walking up to their group, the boy elegantly bowed.
"Greetings, my name is Cyprian Mayfield."
Chapter 113 Cyprian Mayfield
"Cyprian...Mayfield?" Zen asked with a shocked look.
Reyna and Arvell weren''t any better themselves.
"He''s THE Cyprian Mayfield?" Reyna eximed.
Almost everyone in the country knew of Cyprian Mayfield.
? After all... He was the heir to one of the 4 great ducal houses, The House of Mayfield!
Realizing who he was, Arvell''s eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
''So he''s that Cyprian....''
This wasn''t the first time the two of them had met.
Arvell had only met Cyprian before, but that was back when Arvell was only 5 years old, during his first visit to the ntrya kingdom to see his newly betrothed fiance.
Each ducal house guarded the 4 cardinal directions to defend ntrya from threats from all sides.
The Silvercolts guarded the east, the Verlices guarded the west, the Brandels guarded the north, and the Mayfields guarded the south.
While the other 3 had to watchnd borders while wary of an iing invasion, only Mayfield house didn''t need to bother with that.
After all, the only border they maintained was the sea border.
They only needed to worry about sealife attacking supply ships since most of the time, no one dared to raid the Mayfield house from the sea.
Why would anyone want to fight a group of highly skilled water mages at sea?
Due to their strong deterrence, the Mayfield house typically had more spare time on their hands and would frequent banquets held by the royal family.
That''s why when the ntryan king organized a banquet to wee the Vispian Royal family, one of the attendees was the Mayfield family.
While Arvell only shared a few words with Cyprian, his noble conduct and overwhelming charisma had left a strong impression on Arvell, to the point where even 8 yearster, he would still feel somewhat familiar.
Zen politely bowed to Cyprian in return.
"Hello Cyprian, I''m Zen Silvercolt... but you already know that. Anyways is there something you need?"
Cyprian shook his head while still having the same smile on his face.
"I just wanted to greet you since I have worked alongside your sister for quite a few years. I remember meeting you once in the past, but you were probably too young to remember."
"Please forgive me for that."
"Oh no, there is no need to apologize. You were still so young back then, so forgetting one or two faces isn''t a big deal. I also met your lovely fiance too before."
"O-Oh?" Reyna stuttered.
Suddenly getting called out like that put her on the spot.
"The two of you are just as close as I remember!"
Reyna and Zen turned red as tomatoes but tried to y it off.
Hiding their faces in the middle of a conversation was bad manners, after all!
Cyprian cuckold lightly to himself under his breath before directing his attention to the silver-haired youth that watched everything y out with a somewhat amused expression.
"But... I don''t believe I had the pleasure of meeting you before. May I have the honour of knowing your name?"
Cyprian shed Arvell a smile.
Arvell returned the gesture before politely bowing to Cyprian, mimicking Zen''s earlier actions.
"Nice to meet you, Cyprian. My name is Arvell Silvanus."
Cyprian''s eyes narrowed slightly when he heard Arvell''s name but quickly returned to normal.
"So you''re the one who got rank 1 on the entrance exam! You have my congrattions!"
Arvell nodded his head.
"Thank you for your praise."
The surrounding girls watched the scene with rapt attention.
Two ridiculously handsome men talking to each other in such close proximity?
Some felt an inner fire burning at the scene, with a couple opening their bags to fetch sketchbooks.
They needed to capture this moment!
While they looked like they drawing a beautiful portrait of the two... the reality couldn''t be further off.
Luckily Arvell was oblivious to this fact. Else he might have puked blood after seeing some of their more... ''graphic'' illustrations.
Even so, he didn''t like the gaze that the girls were giving him and felt it was about time to go.
Just as he opened his mouth to tell Cyprian they needed to get going, Cyprian cut him off.
"Anyways, I need to go back to instructing first years on how to get their student IDs and attend the new student orientation event at the amphitheatre. I trust you three can find you the way there?"
"I mean, it''s not too hard," Zen gestured at the theatre situated not too far from their current location, "we''re basically already there."
"Hahaha, how right you are," Cyprian lightly chuckled, "don''t let me hold you up anymore, don''t bete."
"Thank you, Cyprian, have a good day!"
Zen waved as the three slipped back into the sea of students, headed for the amphitheatre.
Cyprian watched the three walk away with a neutral expression before turning back to the gaggle of girls eagerly waiting for his return.
"Now,dies, where were we?"
***
Arvell, Zen and Reyna slowly walked through the entrance to the amphitheatre, showing their student IDs to guards near the doors.
While everyone who was here was only people who had already gained admission, the use of the guards was primarily to ensure all the students who entered picked up their student cards.
As for those who didn''t?
They were patiently given the instructions to the observatory to pick it up.
After getting their student Ids back from the guard, the three of them walked through the elegantly designed red-velvet coloured doubled doors and took their first step into the theatre.
It wasn''t long before they all found a couple of empty seats, which they quickly upied.
Unlucky for Arvell, Zen and Ang both sat on his right-hand side... leaving the left-hand side seat free for anyone else toe and sit down.
After looking at Arvell, the nearby female students immediately rose to their feet as if they were possessed.
It didn''t matter to them that they had already acquired a seat... these girls knew what they wanted, and they would do anything to get it, no matter the cost!
They immediately took the nuclear approach without even taking a second to negotiate with each other.
Any semnce of humanity was cast aside as they devolved from civilized humans back to mindless animals.
"It''s mine!"
"Back off, you skank, that seat belongs to me!!"
"Give me that spot!"
Suddenly a gust of air rushed past them as a confident girl ran past her countlesspetitors and seized that highly prized seat as her own.
Knowing that the spot was already imed, the surrounding girls fiercely red at the girl but couldn''t do anything more than that.
They''d lost.
Arvell turned to look at the girl who managed to secure the seat beside him.
"I see, you''re doing well... Lydia."
Chapter 114 Orientation Speech [1]
Lydia grinned as she looked at Arvell.
It had been over a week since theyst met, but it felt like ages.
"I''m doing fine, but I see you''ve gotten quite popr. Especially¡ with thedies."
Lydia nced at the countless girls eyeing her with hateful res.
They looked like they wanted nothing more than to tear her to shreds right then and there.
Arvell let out a sigh.
"I don''t even know those people. They looked at me before deciding they wanted nothing more than to devour me whole."
Lydia let out a slight chuckle.
"Looking at that crazed look in their eyes, I wouldn''t say you''re too far off the mark."
Zen bent forward in his chair and turned to Lydia.
"Hello, are you a friend of Arvell?"
Lydia didn''t know how to respond.
Were they friends?
Arvell basically just saved her life, and they both got through the death trap that was the entrance exam, but does that mean they were friends?
While Lydia was mulling over their rtionship, Arvell cut in and answered on her behalf.
"We aren''t really friends¡ We''re more like casual acquaintances at best. We met during the examination."
Lydia''s expression fell.
While technically Arvell was telling the truth, it stung for some reason.
But¡ Just because the two of them weren''t friends now didn''t mean that couldn''t change in the future!
''Arvell taught me to work to breaking point if I wanted something! So I can''t give up so soon!"
Lydia mentally pumped herself and looked at Arvell with her eyes zing with hope.
While Arvell only meant that in terms of getting stronger, Lydia decided to put her own spin on it.
Zen nodded his head with understanding.
"So you guys are just acquaintances, huh? Well, it''s nice to meet you! My name is Zen."
"Hello Zen, my name is Lydia."
"Oh, me too!" Reyna nced over Zen''s shoulder to look at Lydia, "Hello Lydia, my name''s Reyna."
Lydia threw Reyna a smile.
"Hello Reyna, it''s nice to meet you."
"Likewise!"
Arvell turned to Lydia, "did you happen to see Titus? I haven''t seen him at all since the entrance exam."
Lydia shook her head.
"I didn''t see him anywhere."
"I wasn''t able to find him either."
Arvell wanted to get closer to Titus to understand his status skill wasn''t working for him.
But since he couldn''t find him now, he''ll just need to see himter.
The four of them idly gossipped until the final students trickled into the amphitheatre, prompting the orientation to finally begin.
Professor Orfina stepped out from behind the curtains and walked onto the central stage, throwing a cursory look in Arvell''s direction.
When their eyes met, she smiled lightly, but Arvell felt a chill go down his back for some reason.
''Why do I have a bad feeling about this¡.''
Professor Orfina took a deep breath before opening her mouth to speak.
"Greetings to all of you here today. Allow me to formally wee you all into our prestigious halls. But first, I would like all of us to have a moment of silence for the countless young lives lost during the entrance examination, which I''m sure you''ve all heard about."
Professor Orfina lowered her head and closed her eyes, prompting the students and the other faculty members to do the same.
For nearly a full minute, nobody made so much as a peep.
It was so quiet that Arvell could hear the breaths of everyone in the room with perfect rity.
Professor Orfina''s eyes fluttered open as she redirected her attention at the countless students sitting before her.
"What happenedst week was nothing short of a tragedy. It was something that should not have ever happened.
Even if those responsible were punished, it wouldn''t ever be able to bring back those we lost on that fateful day.
That''s why I will give my personal promise; nothing like that will ever happen again. I swear on the honour of Skysword Academy," professor Orfina put her hand over her heart, "and on my life."
While there were countless students in the seats watching her with looks of admiration, those who were there and those who lost friends and family didn''t seem too convinced.
Seeing their varying, Professor Orfina sighed.
"I understand that some of you will not forgive the academy for a fault this big; we know that. But that''s why we will do everything to regain your trust and let you all feel safe knowing that we are protecting you.
However, that is enough from me. So, without further ado, I would like to introduce to you all the headmaster of Skysword Academy!
Please give a warm wee to our headmaster¡ Professor Newton baster Westfield!"
A bearded old man with snow-white hair slowly walked onto the stage.
Professor Orfina bowed politely to him before walking off the stage and disappearing behind the curtains.
Professor Westfield nodded to professor Orfina before turning back to the audience.
"Firstly, I''d like to thank you all for attending our humble school. Without a constant influx of new faces, our halls would quickly be barren and devoid of life."
Professor Westfield looked at the countless students sitting before him from behind his half-moon sses.
"While I understand getting into Skysword academy is quite difficult, all of you managed to get in is a testament to your strength and character."
''Or connections,'' Arvell scoffed inwardly.
"However, it is you''ve managed to gain admission into our prestigious academy; what matters now is what you do with this opportunity you''ve been given.
Will you polish yourself into a diamond? Or will you be left behind in the dust? Everything depends on your ability to put in hard work. The academy will be there to support your back all the way, so follow your dreams and be the best version of yourself!"
The students all looked at professor Westfield with visible admiration.
They were getting a live motivational speech from THE professor Westfield!
Just that alone was enough to motivate the students to do their best.
Seeing the motivation and the burning passion in the eyes of the students, Professor Westfield''s smile grew ever so slightly.
"That''s about it for my piece, so I''d like to hand over the stage to the representative of the first-year students. So without further ado, please wee¡."
A turquoise-haired girl stepped out from behind the curtains and gave everyone a bright smile.
"Princess Lilianna Arietta ntrya!"
Chapter 115 Orientation Speech [2]
"Praise the lord! We get to see the princess in the flesh?"
"She looks even better in person; those painters didn''t do a good job capturing her beauty!"
"I wonder if I can have her autograph?"
A series of enraptured murmurs broke out in the crowd as the turquoise-haired princess walked out from behind the curtains.
Princess Lilianna confidently strode onto the stage and bowed lightly to the headmaster before turning to face the crowd of students.
"Hello everyone, I hope you''re having a wonderful day today."
Hearing his childhood friend''s voice after 5 long years gave Arvell a pang of nostalgia.
''Her voice sounds so much more¡ mature now. She sounds nothing alike, but at the same time somewhat the same.'' Arvell reminisced.
''Her voice was the only thing that changed¡ But you look nothing like your past self.'' Lykos pointed out.
''I''m no longer the weak kid I was before I met you. I''ve grown up.''
''And so has she.''
Lily had grown to around 161 cm tall, with long turquoise hair reaching her ribs and matching turquoise eyes.
She was pretty slim but also quite fit. Mainly from all the training, she received as a member of the royal family.
However, her face¡ Now that Arvell had managed to get a better look at her, he was sure that Lily was arguably the most beautiful girl he''d ever seen, and that''s saying a lot.
Especially considering he was sitting right next to Lydia and Reyna, both beauties capable of charming the hearts of almost any man they choose.
Her features were aligned so perfectly as if lovingly sculpted by a god.
Furthermore, her soft smile¡ That alone was enough to pull the crowd into her spell.
"Today, we begin a new chapter of our lives¡ A brand new page in which we will grow and learn together, striving to be the best version of ourselves.
I''m sure many of you are not acquainted, but we will spend the next four years together, so I hope we can all be friends!"
''That over-optimistic part of her hasn''t changed, I see¡'' Arvell smiled softly.
While the two had drastic changes in their respective appearances, at the very least, his childhood friend didn''t seem to have changed much on the inside.
And that''s what counts.
Everyone knew that everyone bing friends was almost impossible, but seeing the princess''s glowing smile made them think¡
Was it actually possible?
Seeing the hope in the eyes of those watching her, Princess Lillianna felt a bubble of happiness form in her chest.
"I know we had a rough start this year, but even so¡ I want all of us to make the best out of our years together. So let''s live our lives to the fullest!
All of us are the next generation of ntrya, and we will need to work together to ensure the prosperity of our country. While our country still feels the aftereffects of that dreadful war, we learned a valuable lesson.
When we all work together, no one can beat us!
So I implore all of you here today¡ please cast aside your differences and work together.
It does not matter how you look or how talented you are. What matters is your heart and your willingness to put in the effort. If you are not strong enough on your own, let your friends help you.
Nobody is perfect, and we are all wed.
However, working together can ovee those ws and elevate our country to new heights!"
Hearing her passionate speech, the audience erupted into raucous apuse.
The message of ''As we work together, we''re unbeatable'' is stuck in their hearts.
Everyone knew just how brutal the recent war was. So many people here lost siblings, friends, parents, and other loved ones in the fires of war.
Knowing that they have to carry on the legacy of their deceased loved ones filled them with a sombre feeling of power.
Moreover, she wasn''t wrong.
ntrya wasn''t beaten by Vispia during the war, but while the opposite was also true, everyone was more hooked on the fact that they didn''t lose.
Many in the audience still watched her introduction with snickers stered on their lips or neutral expressions.
Even Arvell''s expression changed from a smile into a more neutral bearing.
''It doesn''t matter how talented you are? That''s the worst lie I''ve ever heard. I would never be stepping foot in this academy if that was true. Instead, I would attend the Divine Spear Academy in Vispia as a prince¡ Hell, I''d even be the one giving the orientation speech. But¡ the hard work part is quite urate.''
Arvell knew his former fiance was only trying to stoke patriotism in the students'' hearts, but he couldn''t agree with her words.
They went against Arvell''s entire worldview.
The surrounding nobles seemed to have simr thoughts as they watched the princess with silent ridicule.
"Talent didn''t matter? Howe the academy separates us based on our talent and caste? That''s a whole load of bull. Hard work is meaningless if you don''t have talent. It''s nothing more than a waste of time."
"I understand she''s the princess, but there should be limits to ignorance."
"Being considered the same as a meremoner disgusts me. As the princess, she should think more about her words before she says them."
"Shh¡ not too loud. We could get in big trouble for disrespecting royalty even if you are right."
Princess Lillianna seemed utterly oblivious to their actions; if she knew, she acted like she couldn''t see them.
She bowed once before walking off the stage, giving the podium back to the headmaster.
Professor Westfield adjusted his sses before nodding in the princess''s direction.
"Thank you very much for that motivational speech, your highness. From here on, I''m going to just go over some general information you''ll need to know before starting your year. I''ll do my best to try to not bore you all to sleep, but I can''t give any guarantees."
Chapter 116 Can I Pet Him?
"YAWNNNN"
Zen teared up as he let out an audible yawn.
"Man, that was so long. The headmaster wasn''t kidding about boring us to sleep."
Arvell nodded his head in agreement.
He exined information that was already readily avable in the student handbook.
However, most students didn''t read it, so it would have benefited the whole first-year student body to hear.
Of course, if only the majority of said students didn''t doze off during the speech.
Zen did end up dozing off, but a tight pinch from Reyna, sitting on his side, gave him a rude awakening.
While he was pissed for wakening up in such a manner, one re from Reyna silenced any residual qualms he had.
It wasn''t like he could really say anything in his defence either.
The headmaster was one of the most respectable people in the country, someone on the same level as Wilfried.
Disrespecting him by falling asleep during his speech was simply inexcusable.
He wasn''t allowed to scream from the pain either since they were still technically listening to the headmaster''s speech.
All Zen could do was rub his stinging forearm with a wronged expression.
"ording to the headmaster, all of us will be heading to our respective ssrooms," Reyna pointed out.
"Yeah, we are supposed to meet our ssmates and familiarize ourselves with the campus for tomorrow''s lessons," Arvell exined.
"Wait, so like... Where do we find out our ss arrangements again?"
Reyna threw Zen a re.
"Did you not pay attention during the speech?"
Zen flinched before putting his hands in the air in a surrendering pose.
"I did my best, but I couldn''t quite catch that."
"Sigh... If you don''t know, just follow us. We''ll take you there."
"Thanks, Reyna. As usual, I can count on you."
Reyna let out a soft sigh before turning her head to the side.
''You rely on me that much?''
Hearing Zen''s words, a bright but nearly imperceptible smile formed on her lips.
A smile that was too small for anyone nearby to really notice.
"Kyuu!"
A small cry rang out as all four of them turned in the direction of Arvell''s backpack.
Arvell reached over to his bag and undid the sp, letting a small ck fox pop his head out of the opening.
"Did you have a nice rest, buddy?"
"Kyuu!"
While Reyna and Zen looked unperturbed by the sight of August suddenly appearing out of Arvell''s backpack, Lydia''s eyes went wide with shock.
"W-what? Is that a beast?"
Arvell nodded, but deep down, he wasn''t sure if dragons were actually beasts.
Lykos seemed to be rtively tight-lipped regarding the subject, so he couldn''t gain any urate information.
Whenever he did ask his mentor, Lykos only told him that he wasn''t quite strong do even do anything with the information.
Worrying about problems he couldn''t handle was just a waste of time.
Arvell removed the backpack from his back, presenting it in front of him, letting August climb out of the bag and up his arm.
From there, August walked up and perched on his favourite spot: Arvell''s shoulder.
"I suppose the two of you haven''t met yet, so I''ll do a quick introduction. Lydia, this is August, August. This is Lydia."
Lydia waved to August energetically.
"Hello there, August!"
"Kyuu!"
August looked at his paw and tried to emte Lydia''s actions.
"Oh my god, he''s waving to me!"
Arvell didn''t know whether tough or cringe at the sight before him.
A mighty dragon was being treated like a pet dog.
If Kujak had lived long enough to see this, he would have spit blood.
''Maybe it''s notpletely bad? At least this shows he''s capable of learning properly... Meaning that there was brain damage during that period, and he didn''t have the warmth of his mother.''
"Um, Arvell?" Lydia started.
"Hmm?" Arvell raised an eyebrow when he heard his name being called.
"Do you mind if I pet him?"
Arvell looked between August and Lydia with a conflicted expression.
''I swear, every girl whoys their eyes on August wants to pet him. Every single one.''
A teasing glint passed through Lykos''s eyes.
''Jealous that they don''t want to do the same to you?''
Arvell''s face scrunched up in disgust after hearing his mentor''s words.
''I''m already getting sick and tired of being treated like some kind of eye candy for these delusional females. Thest thing I want is for them to get physical with me.''
''Right... That''s what they all say... Mr. Forever Alone.''
''Your jokes are as outdated as yourself, so change your vocabry every once in a while.''
After throwing Lykos onest quip, he redirected his attention to the girl nervously walking up to him.
Lydia slowly approached August as she brought her fingers close to his skin.
Sensing her hesitation, August bent his head so that Lydia''s fingers could reach his fur.
"Ahh!"
Lydia yelled in surprise as she felt her fingers touch August''s warm ck fur.
"It... feels so nice and soft...."
"Kyuu~"
After slowly gaining the confidence to touch him, Lydia ran her hand down his back and even rubbed August''s stomach, actions which thetter seemed to not dislike in the slightest.
Getting her to fill of rubbing the ck fox''s soft fur, Lydia backed off with a content expression.
"Arvell, do you mind if I carry him for a bit?" Reyna asked with an expectant expression.
''I saw thising....''
Arvell turned to August, who nodded with a resounding "Kyuu!"
"Alright, he''s fine with it, here."
"Thanks!"
Cradling August in her arms, Reyna grinned from ear to ear.
Arvell turned his head to see an influx of students heading toward the billboards which showed their sses.
Sitting near the back, they were among some of the first students to be able to leave the auditorium.
"Okay, let''s check our sses before it gets too crowded."
Whatever advantage they gained from sitting next to the entrance doors would be lost if they waited too long.
The others nodded their head in agreement.
"Yeah, I don''t want to wait for too long."
Chapter 117 Class Selection
"Hey, I see it!"
Zen pointed to a series of wooden billboards erected on a nearby wall.
A crowd of students formed around the billboards as they huddled to see which ss they were in.
Like when they saw their entrance examination results, countless studentsmented their results while a select portion cheered in glee.
While their ss cements weren''tpletely permanent, rising or falling from their respective sses was a real possibility.
If they didn''t get ced in a high-tiered ss from day one, rising in the future would be far harder.
Everyone knew that what they got here would be almost guaranteed to be their permanent ss.
Walking up closer, Zen eximed in surprise.
"I''m in the S ss!"
Hearing his promation, the nearby students turned to him with shock evident in their eyes.
"Did he just say he''s in the S ss? Who is that boy?"
"Wait, I recognize him! He''s the son of the war hero!"
"He''s THE Zen Silvercolt?"
"I heard his elder sister is a student council member as well!"
"It makes sense for someone like him to be in a special ss."
Realizing that he spoke too loudly in surprise, Zen hurriedly sped his mouth.
Reyna shook her head and sighed to herself.
"Come guys, let''s see what sses we got ced in."
She started after Zen with August cradled in her arms.
Lydia, however, froze and stared at Zen, her mouth gaping open.
Arvell turned to her with a raised eyebrow.
"Is everything alright, Lydia? You look like you''ve seen a ghost."
Lydia slowly rotated her head to look at Arvell in an almost robotic motion.
"H-h-he was THE Zen Silvercolt???? So he''s the son of the war hero???"
"Yes? Did you not know?"
"NO?!?"
"Oh, I guess he never mentioned hisst name when he introduced himself. He did the same thing with me back when I first met him."
Lydia ran up to Arvell and desperately grabbed his shoulder.
Not sensing any malicious intentions, Arvell didn''t bother dodging and let her grab him without retaliation.
She lightly shook Arvell''s cors with a slightly crazed-yet-fearful look.
"D-do you think I said anything rude to him? I''m just the daughter of a farmer''s family! I can''t afford to disrespect any noble, especially the son of a duke! What if I made him feel ufortable or insulted him without thinking?"
Arvell''s mouth curved into a small smile seeing Lydia''s outburst.
"Zen''s not like that. There''s no need to worry. If anything, I think he has a rtively positive impression of you."
''Plus, if you really insulted Zen, there would be no way Reyna would keep silent and watch.''
However, Arvell kept thest bit to himself.
"D-do you really think so?"
"Of course, plus Zen isn''t the kind of person to abuse his authority to punish weaker families. None of the Silvercolts are like that."
Looking into Arvell''s eyes which seemed to only reflect the truth, Lydia let out a sigh of relief.
"Thank the lord...."
Arvell gestured to Reyna and Zen, who were busy inspecting the wooden boards, "Let''s not make them wait any longer."
Lydia nodded her head.
"...Yeah."
Arvell and Lydia wormed through the crowd as they reached the signboards and joined their twopanions.
As they neared them, Zen turned his attention from the board to face them.
"What took you two so long?"
Arvell let out a sigh from Zen''s oblivious tone.
"Lydia had a mini-panic attack."
Lydia''s face flushed to the point where her head became as red as a tomato.
"It wasn''t a panic attack! But, I was a little worried."
Zen raised an eyebrow.
"Why did she have a panic attack? Did something happen?"
"She realized that you were the son of a duke."
"Oh right, I never told her."
"Let me guess, you didn''t want her first impression of you to be ''the son of the war hero,'' but as Zen, right?"
"You know me quite well, as expected of my sworn brother," Zen nodded his head, "I have nothing against dad or my family, but... You can see it in their eyes."
Zen gestured with his head towards the countless students watching their group.
They were intently watching them but were too nervous to walk up and talk to them.
"These people don''t see me as Zen. Instead, they instantly think of my father or even my sister whenever my namees up. Nobody sees me for who I am."
"So you''re trying to make a name for yourself?"
Arvell asked with a curious tone.
"I wouldn''t go that far just yet. Let''s just say... I want to make friends who like me for who I am. Kind like you."
''To be fair... I never took you along because I liked you,'' Arvell thought.
While Arvell''s views on Zen had changed substantially from when the two first met, he initially saw Zen as nothing more than a burden that he didn''t have the heart to abandon.
Furthermore, he wanted some kind of mary gain from saving Zen.
But like Ang, his friendship with Zen was slowly bing less forced daily.
Arvell even began to somewhat enjoy Zen''s presence every time.
"That is valid. People that aren''t befriending you with ulterior motives would indeed make much better friends."
Zen lightly chuckled before his gaze fell slightly.
"By the way, Arvell, we checked the sses... and found your and Lydia''s sses."
Arvell narrowed his eyes.
From Zen''s tone of voice, whatever urred seemed to be somewhat problematic.
"For you, Arvell, there isn''t any real concern. You''re in the same ss as Reyna and me. It''s just that Lydia got ced in the B-ss."
Zen turned to her with an apologetic expression.
"I''m so sorry about that. It looks like we aren''t able to be in the same -"
"WAIT, I GOT INTO THE B-CLASS?" Lydia eximed in surprise.
Right after her outburst, the realization that she identally cut off Zen dawned on her as she hurriedly apologized to him.
Zen, however, waved it off with a detailed look.
''Didn''t this girl want to be with Arvell and them?''
Seeing Zen''s confused look, Lydia shook her head.
"While I''m a little bit upset that I wasn''t ced in the same ss as you, I expected to be far, far lower. Truth be told, I came to the academy with the sole goal of passing the entrance examination. Now that I found out, I got into the B-ss? I couldn''t have asked for a better result! But..."
"But?"
"I''m not going to stay in the B-ss forever. I''ll get stronger and join the S-ss with the rest of you, so keep a spot ready for me, alright?"
Hearing her confidence ims, the nearby students threw her pitying looks.
"Does she not know how hard that is?"
"Anyone can im they can climb into a higher ss, but it''s known to be incredibly challenging for a reason."
"She wants to climb not just one, but two sses? How deluded can you be?"
Reyna shook her head when she heard the countless students gossiping behind Lydia''s back.
cing her hand on her new friend''s shoulder, Reyna gave Lydia her encouragement.
"Don''t let other people tell you what you can and can''t do. Instead, believe in yourself, and that''s all you need."
''I know, right? Don''t those people have anything better to do? But, seriously, just shut up. You''d be doing the world a favour,'' Lykos mentally agreed.
Lydia nodded her head with a motivated expression.
"I will do it!"
Zen gave Lydia a thumbs up.
"That''s the spirit!"
Arvell smiled softly at the sight before walking over to inspect the board.
''Hmm... Looks like Titus and Lily are in my ss. It seems I''ll have a lot of time to have my questions about both of them answered in the uing years.''
Arvell knew that there was no way Lily would have been ced into any ss other than the highly acimed S-ss, being the only princess of the country.
As for Titus, the soft-spoken bald youth had helped stop a massacre.
Arguably the worst cmity to befall the academy since the war.
Even if they couldn''t publicize Titus''s contribution during the fight, the academy knew just how strong he was.
He identally ripped the door off a carriage, crying out loud!
Although he managed to somewhat fix it, that scene left asting impression on all those who were present to witness his raw show of strength.
Arvell turned to Zen, who was busy chatting with Lydia and Reyna.
"Do you guys want to head to our ssrooms? This ce is starting to get quite crowded."
Looking around, the three nodded their heads.
It was true, the number of people around them had almost doubled in the short time they were looking at the board, and from the looks of it, it would still keep increasing.
"I''ll see you fourter then!"
Lydia walked up and nuzzled August''s cheek with her fingers before breaking off from the group.
She waved to Arvell, Reyna and Zen and headed off toward her ss.
"Bye, Lydia!"
"See youter!''
"Let''s meet up again sometime."
"Kyuu!"
Seeing Lydia disappear into the crowd of students, Arvell gestured to Zen and Ang.
"Let''s get going."
Chapter 118 S-Class
"I think this is the one."
Zen pointed to the door right in front of him before turning to his twopanions.
"ording to the directions we were given, it checks out." Arvell agreed.
"Let''s go in then!"
Zen pulled the door open as hard as he could.
*CREAK*
The yirnwood door creaked lightly as it swung open.
Zen took a peek into the room and gasped.
Calling it beautiful would be an underestimate.
From the looks of it, the academy spared little to no effort in providing them with the highest quality amenities money had to buy.
Even as the son of a duke, Zen was blown away by the sight before him.
The ssroom was designed as a lecture-style room, so the seats in the back were considerably elevatedpared to the front seats.
At the front of the ss sat a table, a chair, presumably for the teacher''s use, and a ckboard for writing.
The room''syout wasn''t what amazed Zen; it was the room design.
Their ssroom seemed to follow the academy colours of white and gold, giving life to a pearl-white ssroom with golden entuations.
An example of this was the several chandeliers which were littered across the ceiling of the ssroom.
Having chandeliers in rooms wasn''t totally umon, but the thing that caused Zen''s eyes to widen was the fact that each and every one of them was made of solid gold.
Furthermore, each of them was encrusted with several diamonds, which only seemed to entuate their beauty.
Arvell sighed when he saw the room.
''This just looks like a massive waste of money.''
While Arvell felt it was unnecessarily excessive, most of the students in their ss were nobles who liked to satiate their excessive vanity.
Seeing the door open, the students sitting down all turned to the door.
"Hmm? Aren''t you Zen Silvercolt?"
A boy withvender hair lifted his head off the table and looked at Zen with a pair of dead-fish eyes.
From the bags under the boy''s violet eyes, he looked pretty sleep-deprived.
"Ah yes, that''s me?"
"I heard that you were going to be joining our ss, but I''m still surprised the son of the war hero here."
Hearing himself being once again referred to as the ''son of the war hero,'' Zen''s mouth twitched slightly.
"Is there something you need?"
The boy shook his head.
"I was just curious."
He rested his forehead on the table before covering the rest of his face with his arms.
"That was weird...." Reyna quietly muttered.
Zen nodded his head in agreement.
"Yea, what was his deal?"
The rest of the room watched Arvell''s group quite closely.
Mostly Arvell.
"Ohhh! Who''s the hotty?"
"I know, right? But, hey... wanna go up and talk to him?"
"What kind of person do you think he is?"
While the girls in the room threw Arvell''s winks and tantly stared at him, The boys in the ss red at Arvell with visible malice.
"I don''t know who he is, but I feel a strong andpelling urge to rearrange his face."
"Count me in... Pretty men deserve to die a painful death."
The boys exchanged nces and shook hands.
It was said that it takes amon enemy to bring people together.
Uniting under the g of jealousy, the S-ss boys'' hearts had be one!
Today would mark the start of the "Anti-Arvell faction," but that''s a story for another time.
*SNORE*
Arvell''s ears twitched as someone''s snores entered his ears.
Turning his attention to the back, he saw a boy with pitch-ck hair leaning back on his chair with eyes tightly closed.
Since he was snoring, the boy''s extended canines were fully visible to all those that looked.
It was as if his jaw was taken straight from a wolf.
Furthermore, the ck-haired boy appeared to be decorated with several circr ck lines, one on his neck and two on each hand.
The boy seemed to be unfazed no matter how loud the surroundings were.
Arvell''s eyes continued to scan the room beforending on a familiar bald scalp.
''He''s here.''
Seeing his partner from the entrance examination, Arvell began walking up the stairs to Titus''s seat.
"Hmm? Does Arvell seem to know him?" Watching Arvell near the bald youth, Reyna turned to Zen for answers.
"Didn''t Arvell say he worked together with a boy named Titus to defe- MURPHHH"
Reyna hurriedly covered her finance''s mouth with her hand, preventing him from speaking further.
Using her remaining hand, she brought her finger to her mouth and red at Zen.
"Shh! Remember it''s supposed to be a secret, remember?"
Zen''s eyes widened with realization before he nodded his head with understanding.
Taking Reyna''s hand off of his mouth, he awkwardly smiled.
"Thanks for the save there, Reyna."
"Sigh..."
Reyna shook her head before grabbing her fiance''s hand.
"Come on, let''s catch up to Arvell."
Arvell, on the other hand, was slowly walking towards Titus, but from the boy''s reactions, it seemed that he didn''t seem to notice Arvell approaching at all.
He was too preupied with the chocte chip cookie in his hand.
After contemting for a moment, Titus popped the cookie into his mouth and devoured it with a single bite.
Titus closed his eyes with a content smile as if savouring thesting taste of the cookie.
"Hey, Titus."
Arvell''s voice entered Titus''s ears, causing him to turn his head toward the voice.
"Oh, hi."
"It''s been a while. How have you been?"
"Good, how are you?"
"I''m doing well."
"That''s good to hear."
"Yeah."
''I forgot just how hard it was to hold a conversation with this guy,'' Arvell thought inwardly.
"By the way, I met Lydia earlier, and she''s doing well. She even got ced in the B-ss."
"That''s nice."
Realizing that he was getting nowhere fast with him, Arvell decided to make a tactical retreat.
"Anyways, I''m going to find a spot to sit, but it was nice seeing you again."
"Yeah."
Without sparing Arvell another nce, Titus reached into his robes and produced another cookie, which he plopped into his mouth.
Walking back to Zen and Reyna Arvell shook his head.
''Well, that was weird.''
"Hey, Arvell, was that Titus?"
Zen asked with an expectant gaze.
He''d heard of Titus''s feats straight from Arvell, so he was curious to meet him in person.
Arvell nodded his head with a conflicted smile.
"Yes, that''s him."
"Hmm... He''s bald, just like you said. How is he already bald our age, though? Did he do 100 pushups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and 10km running every day?"
Reyna stifled a smallugh.
"What kind of training regime is that?"
"I read somewhere that it would make you strong, but you''d turn bald. You should give it a try."
"Eh?" Reyna desperately clutched her hair with a slightly scared look, "I''d rather not go bald, thank you very much."
Arvell sighed when he watched the two''s antics.
"Come on, guys, let''s find a spot to sit first."
Without even needing to search, they found an empty row near the front of the ss, a ce which they almost wholly upied with all three of them.
After Reyna plopped herself down in the spot on Zen''s left, she released August and set him on the table.
Stretching his legs, August released a resounding "Kyuuu" before scampering over to Arvell.
"Hey, Aug."
Arvell rested his hand on August''s head as he brushed his soft fur with his index finger.
''Sometimes, I forget that his real body is a scaly golden dragon. This fur feels so real.''
Unfortunately, the appearance of August seemed to break the mental barriers that the girls had about approaching Arvell, causing them to immediately shoot to their feet and flood over to him.
''Oh f*ck.''
Arvell instantly regretted his mistake, but sadly it was already toote.
They had already descended onto him.
"Hey, that''s a cool pet fox you have there. Does it have a name?"
Arvell frowned lightly in response.
"He''s not my pet."
The girl hurriedly brought her hands to her mouth.
"I-I''m so sorry! I thought you were his owner, from how close you two looked. I swear I didn''t mean any offence."
''Look, you scared the poor girl,'' Lykos tutted, ''But I agree, referring to a noble dragon as your pet is too much. For a race that would rather die than be dishonoured like theirs, calling them pets would be an insult to the highest order.''
Arvell had gotten a glimpse at the resolute dedication and honour of the dragons from Kujak, so he had a vague idea of what Lykos was addressing.
Turning his attention back to the girl standing in front of him, Arvell let out a small exhale.
"It''s fine... Just don''t do it again."
The girl''s eyes lit up with joy after hearing that she was being forgiven.
"By the way... I didn''t quite catch your name. Would you mind telling m-"
*CREAK*
Ignoring the girl in front of him, Arvell turned his attention to the door.
As soon as it opened, two girls stepped into the room, one with fiery red hair while the other''s was a cool turquoise.
"Oh my goodness, it''s the princess!"
"To think we can see her this close! S-ss rules!"
"She looked pretty from far away, but she looks even more beautiful up close!"
Arvell clenched his fist tightly, digging his nails into his flesh.
Even his legs shook in nervousness.
''Finally... I''ve waited so long... After 5 long years, I can finally talk to you again, Lily.''
Chapter 119 Nostalgic Pain
"Ugh... That speech was a pain."
Lilianna cringed as she remembered the looks the nobles gave her.
She''d spoken from the heart, but her views were too radical for the children from the more prominent houses.
They''d grown up being spoonfed the ideals thatmoners are beneath them and that no amount of hard work can beat someone with more talent.
A red-haired girl standing next to her ced her hand on her shoulder, causing her to halt her stride.
"Don''t worry about that. If I see any of those b*stards, I''ll sock them right in the face."
Clenching her fist, the girl made a punching motion.
However, all that earned was a deadpan look from Lillianna.
"And... Now my worries just increased."
The red-haired girl''s expression froze.
"C-calm down, Lily, it''s just a joke! Mostly..."
"Sigh... It''s always ''punch first, ask questions while punching'' with you, isn''t it."
"In my defence, punching has a proven track record of working 95% of the time."
"The remaining 5% is the concerning part."
"Heh heh heh...." Backed into a corner, the red-haired girl decided to change the topic of their conversation, "I heard that silver-haired kid we saw at Noble''s arena was ranked number one among those who took the entrance examination."
Lilianna nodded her head.
"Yes, that''s correct. He''s actually going to be in the same ss as us."
The red-haired girl let out a sigh.
"He''s strong and handsome... If only he didn''t share the same name as that b*stard, I would have tried to court him."
Lilianna''s expression froze slightly but quickly hid her expressions behind a false smile.
"You know... If you acted a little more like a girl and didn''t chase away your fiance, you wouldn''t have to worry about this."
"Eh? He was a wuss! There''s no way in h*ll I''m going to marry that pansy. But, seriously, he''s a year older than me and refuses to fight me."
The red-haired girl beat her hand against her chest
"If someone wants to marry me, they''ll need to beat me in a fight! It''s gotta be 1 on 1 too. Ganging up is for cowards."
Lillianna watched her friend pose with a small smile.
"You never change, do you."
"Do you want me to?"
The turquoise-haired girl shook her head.
"Of course not. I love you just the way you are."
The red-haired girl shed her a toothy smile.
"Of course you do. After all, you''re the only one who can keep up with me!"
"Speaking of keeping up... We need to get to our ss soon."
Lillianna reached into her pocket and produced a golden pocket watch with an engraved royal crest.
Opening it up, she gasped.
"We''re almost out of time! We need to execute the emergency n."
"Oh no... Anything but that. The world won''t end if we don''t get there on time, right?"
Beads of sweat began to form on the red-haired girl''s forehead.
"Kaera, I am a princess, and you are the daughter of a duke. Therefore, showing tardiness on the first day of school is inexcusable. Think of our parents who will chew our ears off."
"B-But..."
"No buts, we need to do it."
Lilianna hurriedly grabbed her friend''s hand, and the two blurred and vanished from their location, shortly appearing right before the door to their new ssroom.
After escaping her friend''s clutches, Kaera hurriedly covered her mouth with her hands.
"Urghhh, I feel like I''m going to hurl...."
Lillianna walked up and gently rubbed her friend''s back.
"There there. Are you feeling better now?"
"I think I''m good now."
Kaera slowly pulled herself to her feet and stumbled forward.
"A bit dizzy, though... I can see you and your 2 twin sisters."
Lillianna rolled her eyes.
Opening her backpack, she produced a small vial.
"Here''s a motion sickness elixir. You''ll feel better after taking this."
Kaera turned to the elixir with a look of desperation.
"As...urgh... Always, I love the fact that you make sure to think ahead."
Greedily taking the vial from her friend''s hands, Kaera downed the whole bottle in a single gulp.
Sticking her tongue out, Kaera grimaced.
"Still tastes like sh*t, though."
"It was made to be effective, not taste good."
"That much was made painfully clear."
Lillianna leaned in to get a better look at her friend''s face.
"So... How are you feeling?"
"Better. URGHH... Let''s not do this again, please. At least for the sake of my poor stomach."
Lillianna swiftly turned her head away, avoiding eye contact with her friend.
"Hmm? Did you say something?"
Kaera looked and gave Lillianna a deadpan gaze.
"You''re evil...."
After finding their bearings, the two girls walked over to the doors and pulled them open.
*Creak*
Entering the ssroom, they were greeted with countless agape stares in their direction.
Stares that were immediately apanied by a sea of murmurs.
Kaera let out a sigh.
"I hate when people talk about others right in front of their faces as if they don''t exist. It''s annoying, right, Lily?"
"..."
Hearing no response from her friend, Kaera turned in her direction, only to see her nkly staring at something in the ssroom.
Following her line of sight, Kaera saw a familiar silver-haired boy sitting right next to the son of Wilfried Silvercolt.
Lilianna wasn''t staring at something but someone.
''It''s him, the boy named Arvell Silvanus! Moreover, he''s also staring in our direction... No wait, he''s not looking at me, but Lily?''
Arvell''s actions weren''t weird since countless guys in their ss were staring at Lilianna.
However, for some reason, Kaera felt a knot in her heart from looking at that gaze.
Before she could adequately question that feeling, The silver-haired boy stood up and began walking in their direction.
''What''s his aim?'' Kaera thought to herself as she saw the silver-haired boy slowly grow near.
On the other hand, Lilianna snapped out of her reverie and politely smiled at the approaching Arvell.
"Do you need something?"
The silver-haired boy bowed politely to show his respect for her royal status.
"I wished to greet the princess since I couldn''t do so properlyst time."
Lilianna waved him off.
"There''s no need to be this courteous. The top priority for a warrior in the arena is always the fight."
"Even so, I didn''t want to leave an unfavourable impression on your highness."
Arvell raised his head and looked at Lillianna face to face.
Hearing her voice, seeing her face... Everything felt so nostalgic yet unfamiliar.
She was undoubtedly the girl he''d known for so long, but much had changed with time.
His former fiance had grown from a child into a youngdy.
Lilianna''s eyebrows raised slightly.
"Unfavourable impression? After a fight like that, I couldn''t have a better impression of you. While it doesn''t speak much for your character, your resolve and strength are the real deal."
"Thank you for your praise, your highness."
Lillianna shook her head.
"We''re going to be ssmates for the next four years, so being called princess seems a little too distant. So just call me Lillianna."
Arvell''s eyes widened in surprise.
"O-okay pri- I mean Lillianna."
Kaera''s eyes narrowed slightly as she turned to her friend.
"Wait, Lily, you''re letting people just call you by name?"
"Yeah? Being called a princess by the people I will study and learn with will feel dull and boring."
"I understand, but still...."
Kaera looked at Arvell once more, but now that he was closer to the two, the feeling of a knot in her heart increased dramatically.
It had grown from a simple knot to an annoying itch.
It was like every time she looked at the boy before her, she felt a pain in her heart.
A pain that she hadn''t experienced in years...
Especially when she saw her friend sometimes pause to stare nkly at the silver-haired boy in front of them.
''I don''t like him.''
While Kaera was having a mental dilemma, Arvell was in the midst of one of his own.
''Lykos, I don''t want to do this anymore... I know there is a high possibility she hates me now, but I trust the Lily I remember. I don''t want to believe that the girl I knew ispletely gone.''
''Arvell... Usually, I would be happy you''re getting over your trauma from being betrayed and cast aside, but you should think this through. While you are keeping secrets from possibly one of the few who still care for you, it''s too dangerous to tell her.
Even if she doesn''t leak your secret, there''s still a high chance she might slip and identally oust your real identity.''
Arvell sighed inwardly.
''I know... I know that it''s a risk for both of us... But it hurts Lykos... We were so close, and now there''s a wall between the two of us.''
Lykos took his astral hand and rubbed Arvell''s head gently.
While he couldn''t feel anything, Arvell feltfort from the gesture.
''I know... It must really hurt. What you experienced during these past few months is something no child should have to endure. Sometimes the world isn''t fair, but we have to work with the hand we were dealt. You only need to bottle up those feelings a little longer until you''re strong enough to fight. Strong enough to reim everything you lost and get revenge on those who wronged you.''
Arvell stifled a smallugh.
''A little while for you would be a lifetime for me. But,'' Arvell took a deep to calm his breathing, ''you''re right. Even if it hurts and I feel like my soul is about to tear, I must endure. Endure till the day where I am finally strong enough.''
Chapter 120 The Princess’s Guard Dog
"I''m telling you it''s okay. There''s no need to worry about people calling me by name."
Lillianna turned to Kaera and waved off her friend''s concerns.
Knowing that there was no use in trying to get through to Lillianna at this point, Kaera had no choice but to relent.
"Okay¡ Fine."
Kaera narrowed her eyes and red at Arvell for a moment before quickly turning her head.
''What''s her deal? Also¡ that girl besides Lillianna looks familiar. Just who is she? I might remember her if I know her name¡ Wait, I can just use my status to check that!''
Arvell threw Kaera a scrutinizing look, something which she found immensely displeasing.
[Status]
[Status Information]
Name: Kaera Brandel
Species: Human
Age: 13 years old
HP: 16
STA: 18
DEF: 13
SPD: 13
PHYS ATK: 15
MAGIC CIRCLE: 1ST CIRCLE 3RD STAGE
MP: 44
Titles: Young Lady
Magic Attributes: Fire
Skills: Iplete Noble Swordsmanship (C), Hand-To-Hand Combat (B+), Iplete Brandel''s Axe Arts (C+)
Reading the status page, a small red-haired girl popped into Arvell''s mind, a little girl asionally picking fights with him when he visited the royal castle in Karsia.
''Wait¡ This girl¡ I remember her now! She was that little girl who used to re at me whenever I visited Lily! So she was a member of one of the 4 ducal houses?''
Kaera felt a chill go through her body before turning back to Arvell.
"Don''t you know it''s rude to stare? Who taught you manners anyways!"
''Yup¡ She hasn''t changed, flying into a fury at the smallest provocation. But¡ I do need to give her an adequate exnation¡.''
An imperceivable smirk formed on Lykos''s lips as he ced his manifested mouth near his sessors'' ear.
''I have the perfect suggestion¡ would you care to hear me out?''
''Hmm? Sure, if you got a good solution, I''m all ears.''
''Perfect! Then just do this¡.''
''Urghh¡. That sounds like a pain.''
''Well, who told you to activate status mid-conversation? You are dealing with humans, not beasts. Randomly staring at humans would get awkward fast.''
''Fine, fine. I''ll do as you say.''
Arvell formed a professional smile as he gave a polite bow.
"Pardon my manners, but are you, Kaera Brandel?"
Kaera''s eyes narrowed into slits.
"What if I am?"
"Your fame precedes you. I had heard that the youngdy of the Brandel house was a stunning beauty, but I had not believed the rumours¡ That is until I met you in person."
Kaera''s eyes blinked a few times in confusion.
"Ha?"
Even Lillianna, standing next to her, was visibly surprised that her jaw had hit the ground.
"W-w-what? Are you hitting on me?"
Arvell tilted his head in confusion.
"No? I was merelyplimenting your beauty? You are quite pretty, you know."
Arvell wasn''t lying here. Kaera was as pretty as Ang and would definitely have countless suitors aiming for her hand¡ At least if it wasn''t for her personality.
Even so, a particr group idolized her as the ''perfect tomboy,'' but that is a story for another time.
Kaera''s face flushed to the point where it became the same colour as her hair.
Clenching her fist to hide her embarrassment and anger, she red at Arvell with a malevolent expression.
"Don''t give me that bullsh*t. You''re obviously messing with me!"
"Messing with you? Far from it."
''Seriously, does this girl not know how to take apliment? Things like this aremon in noble social etiquette. Lykos, your n failed.''
The silver-haired manifestation let out a short sigh.
''So she''s a tsun-tsun tomboy¡ This justplicated things.''
''What did you just say?'' Arvell asked with a confused expression.
''Nevermind, I''ll exin it to youter.''
"If you''re not messing with me, does this mean you''re hitting on me?"
Arvell shook his head with a hint of irritation visible on his face.
"It was just a humblepliment. I''m sorry if it offended you."
A slight smirk formed on Kaera''s lips.
"Backing off on your word so soon? Are you even a man?"
"I don''t have any prejudice towards either gender."
''So I''d be more than happy to wipe that smug smirk off your face myself.''
Kaera clicked her tongue as she turned her attention away from Arvell.
"Wuss."
Arvell''s eye twitched in irritation, but he decided to hold back on his anger.
If he wanted to get back at her, there was plenty of time in the future.
He couldn''t risk spoiling any chance of forming a friendship with Lillianna by antagonizing Kaera, who evidently was a close friend to her.
Lillianna threw Arvell an apologetic smile before turning to her friend.
"Kaera, don''t be unreasonable. I''m sure A-" Lillianna paused but quickly shook her head before continuing, "A-Arvell was just trying to be polite."
"Heh, it''s clear as day what his intentions were."
Arvell let a small sigh at how thick-skulled the girl before him was.
''I think it''s about time to leave. Dealing with stupid people will only serve to lower my IQ.''
Turning to Lillianna, Arvell politely bowed.
"Well, it was nice meeting you, Lillianna. I hope we get along over the next few years."
Arvell shed his former fiance a smile before walking back to Zen and Reyna.
"Uh, wait..." Lillianna Quitely mumbled, but Arvell was already out of earshot.
Seeing Arvell depart, Kaera threw an irritated re at his back, not even trying to hide her impression of the Silver-haired youth.
"Hey Kaera, don''t you think that was a little unreasonable? He was just trying to be polite."
Kaera huffed and turned to her friend.
"That''s what he wants you to think. Did you take a look at his appearance?"
"Yes? He was just here a second ago. Until you chased him away."
Ignoring thest bit, Kaera continued, "what did you think of it?"
"Kaera? What''s with all of the questions?"
"Just answer me, Lily."
"Fine, fine. He was kind of cute."
"Yeah! That''s exactly it! He was a handsome man making eyes at the two of us. He even stared at me with those perverted eyes."
"I''m almost 100% sure that''s not the case here, but even so, what''s your point here."
"He was thinking of how he couldy his filthy hands on us! I''m certain of it! That boy is bad news."
Lily grimaced after she heard her friend''s ''urate representation'' of Arvell''s character.
"Duke Silvercolt can personally vouch for him, and he''s even the sworn brother of his son. With the war hero backing him, how can you just make baseless assumptions."
"M-maybe he just doesn''t know about that side of Arvell? Bad people always know how to cover up their tracks."
"Now you''re just pulling at hairs here."
"Look, I''m doing this for your own good, okay?"
Knowing that she couldn''t get through her friend''s stubbornness, Lillianna gave up.
"Fine, but at least give him a proper chance before you make any concrete assumptions about him."
"Do I have to?"
"You are the daughter of a duke. Therefore, knowing how to properly judge people is a key skill you must pick up."
"Sigh¡ Alright. I''ll give him just one chance."
Lillianna grabbed her friend''s hand with a smile.
"Thanks, now let''s quickly grab a seat before our teacheres."
***
Arvell plopped down on the seat next to Zen with visible irritation.
"Hey, Arvell, what were you talking about? It looked pretty heated from here. Kaera also looks pissed," Zenmented.
"Please¡ I''d rather not think about it."
"Wow¡ that bad?"
"Yeah."
While Zen would be lying if he said his curiosity wasn''t piqued after hearing his friend''s words, he didn''t want to put his sworn brother on the spot.
"Alright¡ If you need to talk to anyone, I''m here."
"Thanks. I''ll make sure to keep that in mind."
They watched as Lillianna and Kaera found a seat close to the teacher''s lecture podium, but it was 4 columns to their right.
Not close, but also not far from them.
Several students wanted to walk up and introduce themselves, but after seeing the angry re from Kaera, they felt a feeling of powerlessness in their knees preventing them from standing up.
''So I want to talk to Lily. I''ll need to get past her guard dog,'' Arvell grimaced.
If talking to her in private was hard before, it was nigh impossible now.
Zen turned to the door eagerly, watching it as if waiting for it to open once more.
"By the way, you two, do you know when our professor will finally show up?"
Arvell and Reyna directed their attention to therge analogue clock stered above the ckboard.
"ording to the itinerary, it should be about any minute now," Reyna answered.
"The teacher is probably just runningte. She still has 2 minutes until the ss start-"
*Creak*
A familiar woman strode into the ssroom, clutching a folder in front of her considerablyrge chest.
Recognizing the woman before them, Arvell''s eyes went wide.
''No way¡ She''s our homeroom teacher?''
The woman walked to the table and plopped her folder on it.
Lifting her head, she turned to the group of students before her.
"As you all know, my name is Professor Orfina, and I would like you wee you all to my ss. Getfortable since odds are that we will spend a lot of time together."
Chapter 121 A Taste Of School Life
*GROWL*
"Oops¡ Pardon me," Zen awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, "I guess the smell from the cafeteria already has my stomach rumbling."
"It does smell good, though¡." Reyna nodded.
The tantalizing smell emanating from the lunch hall had all of them salivating.
Even Arvell and August weren''t fairing any better.
"Just hold out for a few more minutes. The cafeteria is just around the corner."
Reaching a pair ofrge double doors, Arvell pushed them open to reveal a long line of students.
They appeared to be standing in wait to reach the service counter, which was being manned by a team of what appeared to be cafeteria staff.
"So we just ask them for what we want, right?"
Watching the students at the front of the line get their food, Reyna asked.
"It looks like that," Arvell agreed.
He couldn''t quite hear what they were saying even with his heightened senses because of all the surrounding noises drowning them out, but from reading their lips, he could get a general estimate of their conversation.
After waiting in line, the three grabbed their food and headed to the courtyard.
Finding a nice quiet spot under the shade of a tree, they plopped down on the soft grass and enjoyed the view.
"Hey guys, I finally found you!"
Lydia popped her head out of a nearby window and waved to her new friends.
"Hey, Lydia, you shoulde and join us!" Reyna responded with a smile, "the sun''s nice."
Lydia looked up at the sky and smiled to herself.
"I''ll be right there!"
Rushing down the hallway, she opened the doors and joined Arvell''s group in their meal.
After finishing his pasta dish, Zen fell back on the grass with a satisfied look.
Basking in the sun, he looked at peace.
"Man, I expected the homeroom introduction to be boring, but it was quite interesting. Nothing like the orientation speech¡ That was a bore."
"You''re too carefree, Zen! You need to keep up your image more." Reyna knelt over him, blocking the sun from falling on his face.
With the sun out of his eyes, Zen opened his eyes fully and looked at the slight pout on his fiance''s face.
"I know¡ But I can''t help myself. Father pushed me to the brink since I got home, so I''mpletely exhausted."
"Even so, just try to bear with it. If you get a bad reputation from not showing proper conduct, It''ll get much harder for you in the future."
A slight smile formed on Zen''s face as he ced his hand on top of Reyna''s
"Thanks for worrying about me."
Feeling his touch on her hand, a slight blush formed on Reyna''s cheeks, but she didn''t try to shrug Zen''s hand off.
"I-I''m your fiance, so this much is normal!"
"Um¡ You two remember that Lydia and I exist, right?" Arvell pointed out while gnawing on a slice of pizza.
On the other hand, Lydia watched the two of them with a blush as red as Reyna''s.
It seemed that their actions were too stimting for the young thirteen-year-old girl.
Zen and Reyna''s eyes went wide as they immediately separated their hands and looked in opposite directions with embarrassment etched on their faces.
While Arvell found the current situation somewhat amusing, he also felt a pang of guilt for ruining the moment.
"Hey, I''m not saying you two can''t flirt¡ But that''s the kind of thing you save for when it''s just you two."
However, Arvell''s words only caused Reyna to bury her head between her hands.
She looked like she was about to die from embarrassment.
"A-ahem!" Zen cleared his throat, "anyways, were we again?"
Reyna pulled her head out of her arms with renewed vigour, as if changing the topic of their conversation would save her any more embarrassment.
"We were talking about the professor''s homeroom."
"Oh right," Zen nodded, "hearing about all the sses was quite interesting. I can''t wait to choose my elective courses!"
"Zen¡ that''s next year," Arvell pointed out.
"I know, but still. Some of those sounded right up my alley, like the wind magic specialization course and the agility training course."
Even if Zen was from the house that was considered the head of expertise on wind magic throughout the country, learning how other people apply the same magic would do wonders for his understanding of the specific magic archetype.
Zen wanted to learn wind magic from the academy andbine it with the Silvercolt arts to form a more personalizedbat style for himself.
Abstenantly sticking to just learning his family''s techniques would never allow him to grow and adapt as a warrior.
"Oh, the agility training course? I was thinking of taking it too." Arvell nodded in agreement.
"The two of us rely mainly on our speed, so training our agility is essential for us."
Professor Orfina had given the students a generalyout of their academic progression while at the academy.
Essentially, the first years only had 2 main courses: one for arcane warriors and the other for arcane mages.
This was done primarily to give the students a general feeling of which fighting style they wished to choose.
While it was also technically possible to train oneself as a hybrid of both, sticking to one style was generally advised.
Being a jack of all trades was considerably worse than mastering one of them properly.
After the students got a general idea of how they wanted to use their magic, they were given the option in their second year to follow the electives they wanted.
There was far more choice for second-year students.
Most first years shared their sses except for a few lessons oriented towards arcane mages and warriors.
Thus, even if their group had to split up so that Arvell and Zen trained to be arcane warriors, they could still meet up with Reyna during homeroom and their other sses.
Being a specialized beast tamer, Reyna excelled in strengthening and buffing the beasts under hermand, so instead of increasing her own body''s strength as an arcane warrior, the better option was to be an Arcane mage.
"So¡ now that the new student orientation portion is done do you guys want to go exploring?" Lydia proposed, "I kind of want to see more of the campus."
Realizing her suggestion made sense, the others nodded their heads and pulled themselves to their feet.
Since they got through their homeroom and the new student orientation, they had the rest of the day to unpack their belongings in the dormitory and familiarize themselves with the campus.
Something that their merry band of four was more than happy to do.
Leisurely strolling through the streets of the massive campus, they passed by countless other first-year students also taking in the sights.
"The academy is quite beautiful," Arvell muttered as he ced his palm on the bark of a nearby tree.
From how the surrounding Nether acted around the tree, it was in as day to Arvell that the tree was brimming with life.
Whoever cared for it had put their heart and soul into maintaining it.
''This is a Virol tree if I remember correctly. The fruits from this tree serve as aponent in 2nd-grade healing potions¡.''
Arvell turned his head to find a building with a logo disying an odd-looking flower.
''The flower of salubriousness¡ So this is where the onsite hospital was.''
Arvell remembered seeing countless injured examinees carted off to the academy''s hospital, but he didn''t know exactly where it was.
While losing himself in thought, Arvell continued nkly staring at the door.
At least until the doors opened with a m.
"Oh no! I''m going to bete!"
A young-looking man wearing ab coat dashed out of the building hurriedly.
"Please, please have some food left for me! Preferably noodles¡ I want noodles soo bad."
Running down the stairs to the doorway, he noticed the three kids watching him with perplexed expressions.
His eyes widened slightly as he froze mid-run.
It was as if Arvell had the full-time-stop capabilities of his Aether powers.
"I-I didn''t see you all there!"
Before anyone could blink, the man quickly re-arranged his appearance.
If before he looked like a mess, with unkempt hair covering the majority of his face, now he looked like a proper civilized human.
A good-looking one at that.
"Sorry about that, kids, even us adults mess up sometimes! Hahaha¡ha¡"
The teacher politely nodded to the four of them before walking past them and heading toward the school cafeteria.
Even after the man left, there was a hint of awkwardness.
"Um¡ Who was that?" Zen asked.
Reyna shrugged her shoulders.
"No clue, but from how he was dressed, I assume he was one of the staff working at the hospital."
"Well, that''s kind of obvious."
"I was here with you the whole time. How could I know something you didn''t?"
"That is true¡."
While Zen and Reyna were talking, Arvell tried to process the recent encounter for himself.
''That rich herbal smell¡ There''s no doubt about it, that man''s an alchemist. A highly skilled one at that.''Arvell turned to look behind him, hoping to find the man, but he was already long gone.
''Hmm¡ I can work with this.''
A small smile formed on Arvell''s lips as he turned to the medical facility.
Chapter 122 Friendly Competition
"So this where we stay?"
Zen stood before arge, expansive building with an intrigued expression.
"They already brought our suitcases here earlier. So they should already be sitting in our rooms if what the academy said was correct."
"Let''s take a look then. I kind of want to see how it looks on the interior."
Nodding, Arvell followed Zen and entered the building before them.
Reyna and Lydia had already left, heading towards the female dormitory.
After countless hours exploring the campus, they decided to check out their rooms and unpack.
Since sses started the next day, the four of them needed to deal with unpacking their belongings.
Walking through the wooden double doors, Arvell was greeted with the sights of an expansive lobby.
The chandeliers glittered the jewels under the moonlight while the floor wasden with a beautifully embroidered carpet.
Even the walls were decorated with an arrangement of various tapestry pieces.
Sparing a moment to take in the sights, the two made a beeline straight to the service desk.
Waiting a few minutes for the line in front of them to clear, the two showed the man working the desk their student IDs and imed their respective room keys.
"By the way, I heard that S-ss students have some of the best amenities the academy offers, something about it serving as a form of motivation for the students," Zen asked as the two made their way up a circr staircase.
"Yeah, that''s true. However, for the existing S-ss students, it motivates them to work hard to keep their current arrangement while also encouraging the other students to vie for a spot in the S-ss." Arvell exined.
"Heh, that''s quite the system they got there. Even if you got into S-ss, you can''t becent. If someone manga to usurp your spot, you''d lose every luxury you got to enjoy."
"''The strong should never becent, and the weak should do their best to get stronger.'' Even outside the ssroom, they are trying to teach us something."
While it was usually hard for an S-rank to get usurped by a lower-ranking student, it wasn''t impossible.
As long as they lost in a 1 on 1 fight, they would lose their position in the ss.
However, the S-ss students were always the strongest of the strongest in each grade.
For most, beating any of them and iming their position on the team was nothing more than a pipe dream.
Pulling out the dormitory map he managed to procure from the service desk, Arvell began methodically scanning it.
"It seems our dorm rooms are on the tenth floor, and we are currently on the first."
"So we need to go up another 9 floors¡."
Zen looked up at the series of circr and seemingly endless steps that went on forever¡ At least from his current point of view.
Cringing slightly at their current predicament, he turned to Arvell.
"Hey Arvell, how about you and I¡ make this more interesting."
Raising an eyebrow, Arvell responded, "what do you mean by ''interesting''?"
A small smile formed on Zen''s lips.
"The two of us race to our floor. The loser has to¡ hmm¡ What should the loser do?"
"Why are you asking me? This is your proposition."
"It''s not fair if I choose all the terms of the race myself."
"Eh, does it really matter? I''ll win either way."
Remembering the gap between them, Zen''s face fell slightly.
"Right, it won''t be an even race."
"I mean, we aren''t really allowed to use magic inside the facility either way."
Zen''s eyes widened in slight shock.
"Oh right, that''s a thing¡ Wait, I got it! Let''s just run normally! Without your magic, it should be far more even between the two of us!"
"Still¡ Racing up a flight of stairs is quite childish."
"We are kids, remember?"
"Oh, are you just making excuses since you are just afraid of losing? Does this mean I finally beat you?" Zen mocked.
While Arvell''s outward expression remained unchanging, he felt a slight urge to beat Zen.
Even if Zen''s ''taunt''s didn''t really faze Arvell, it wasn''t as if had anything better to do.
Arvell let out a short sigh before turning to Zen.
? "Alright, you''re on."
Zen grinned slightly, hearing Arvell''s response.
"So what about the stakes then?"
Arvell put his fingers under his chin, for a moment to think.
"How about the loser needs 300 pushups? No magic, by the way."
Zen cringed when he heard the penalty, but he didn''t back down.
Even if his shoulders were still aching from his training sessions with Wilfried, he would be reduced to nothing more than a hypocrite if he backed down, especially after taunting Arvell.
Having dug his own grave, Zen had no choice but to grin and bear with it.
"Alright¡"
''Okay, as long as I can beat Arvell, I can avoid having my shoulders fall off.''
Arvell turned to the dragon that was cradled in his arms.
"Hey August, would you mind going back into my backpack?"
"Kyuu!"
Springing to his feet, August dropped onto the floor and let Arvell ce him in his backpack.
After August entered the backpack, Arvell zipped it up and ced it on his back.
Reaching the foot of the stairs, the two turned around to ensure the staff members nearing the door weren''t watching them.
Even if it wasn''t technically allowed, the two would rather avoid getting reprimanded for their conduct if possible.
Seeing they were in the clear, Arvell put three fingers in the air.
"Okay, the instant I say go, we start."
Nodding in agreement, Zen prepared himself by taking a running stance.
"3"
"2"
"1"
"GO!"
Without missing a beat, the two took off like rockets and began sprinting up the 9 flights of stairs between them and their rooms.
Several boys looked over their shoulder to see 2 high-speed people dash right past them as Arvell and Zen climbed the stairs as fast as they could physically manage without the help of magic.
"Huh, what was that?"
"Who were those two guys? They were quite fast."
Arvell and Zen did not heed these people, treating them as nothing more than obstacles in their race.
The two eloquently slipped through these students, doing their best not to collide with them.
Since the two of them weren''t using their speed-rted powers as a crutch, it was far more challenging for them than it usually would have been.
Neither boy seemed to care too much about it, though.
If anything, their mouths'' bright,petitive smiles spoke loudly enough.
Despite not using Aether/magic, it still wasn''t long before Arvell took the lead.
"It''s my win," Arvell came to a halt on the 9th floor as he turned behind him with a teasing smile, "It''s time for you to pay up."
Approximately fifteen secondster, a sweat-covered Zen appeared before Arvell with a pitiful expression on his face.
"300 pushups¡" Copsing to his knees, Zenmented.
"Aren''t you going to do it?" Arvell teasingly asked.
Zen vehemently shook his head.
"Going against my word would dishonour my family name, so there''s no way I would do that."
Hearing Zen talk about his family honour, a small smile formed on Arvell''s lips
''When was thest time I saw him act like this? Back when we first met?''
Since Zen returned to his family, the cold exterior he built up for himself began to be chipped away at.
After going through an event as traumatic as being kidnapped and abused, he had thoroughly locked away his heart to protect himself and his sanity.
Fortunately, the day that Rupert and the army managed to find Zen, everything took a turn for the better.
Day by day, he began to open up and show his repressed feelings more.
Being with his family, fiance, and a new friend allowed him to somewhat move on from what had happened.
Arvell gave Zen a small smile and moved his hand to ce it on the shoulder as if he were trying to show his sportsmanship.
Instead of a light pat, Arvell clenched his hand and gripped his shoulder
"YOUCH!!!" Zen painfully cried as he shrugged off Arvell''s hand.
"As expected, your shoulders are killing you, aren''t they? I could see from the way you were acting today."
Zen narrowed his eyes at Arvell with a wronged expression.
"You.. you did this on purpose?"
"I wanted to see if you would ept or not, to bepletely honest. You were that confident in beating me?"
"Hey, I assumed we would be on an even ying field. But somehow, you''re still faster than me even when you aren''t using magic."
''Well yeah, my base speed is still much higher because of my Nether Body,'' Arvell thought.
He wasn''t even running at full speed during their little ''race.''
Since magic wasn''t allowed, he had no feasible way of justifying his superhuman speed.
Arvell let out a sigh.
"You know I didn''t ever specify when you needed to do the 300 pushups. Just do them when shoulders aren''t killing you."
Zen''s eyes lit up as he looked at Arvell with a gratified gaze.
"Thanks, Arvell. I knew you were a good guy!"
Arvell faintly smiled before offering Zen a hand to help him back up.
"Come on, we have a lot of unpacking ahead of us. Best to get started as soon as possible."
"Great, that''s thest thing I wanted to hear right now¡."
Despiteining, Zen took Arvell''s outstretched hand, and the two headed to find their rooms.
Chapter 123 First Day Of School
*DING DING DING*
"Urghhhhh¡"
Reaching out his hand, Arvell hit a ball-like object that seemed to cause noise pollution.
Thankfully doing this seemed to silence it.
Knowing it was time to wake up, Arvell fought the urge to go back to sleep and forced himself to sit upright.
''I understand why no one likes having these things in their houses¡ They''re so annoying.''
Arvell turned to the ck ball which sat on his desk.
This object was a magical artifact designed to cause noise at whatever time the student wanted, serving as an rm.
While it sounded like a great idea in theory since it would help all students wake up on time, most of the student body hated it, and Arvell also began to understand why.
Even August was jolted awake at the noise.
"Kyuu!"
Arvell picked up the fox and rubbed him lightly on the stomach.
''Come on, let''s get ready.''
Taking August in his arms, Arvell got off the bed.
Since Arvell was ced in the S-ss, he was given a full bedroom and his own private bathroom, while most students would have shared a bedroom with anywhere from 1 to 3 other people.
Indeed, this was an arrangement Arvell found quite favourable due to his many¡ differencespared to the other students.
After getting ready and wearing a fresh uniform, Arvell stepped out of his room, only to be greeted by the scene of Zen standing outside his door.
Seeing the door open, Zen walked up and greeted Arvell.
"I''m surprised you got ready so soon."
"I have days."
"Do you want to get going?"
"Sure."
The two set off for their homeroom ss, making a quick pitstop near the girl''s dormitory to pick up Reyna and Lydia on their way.
"So, today''s going to be our actual first day of school. Are you guys excited?"
Lydia looked at her friends with an eager gaze, not even trying to hide her excitement.
"Hmm, I guess you could say I am? I''m curious to see how they run the sses." Reyna answered after delegating for a few moments.
"That would be interesting to see," Arvell nodded in agreement.
"I''m actually quite excited, to be honest," Zen stated, "ording to my sister, It''ll be something that pushes us to our limits. She never quite borated as to why, though."
"She probably wanted to keep it a surprise," Reyna added.
"You''re probably right."
"By the way," Lydia started, "I heard that our seniors would be arriving today."
Zen nodded to her.
"Yeah, the student council students arrived a day earlier, but everyone else should arrive at the gate as we speak."
"Let''s avoid the path that goes near the gates then. I don''t want us to get caught in the foot traffic." Arvell added.
The others agreed with this proposal, finding it an easy way to save them some time.
"By the way, Zen, where did James and Ang go?" Reyna asked, "I didn''t see them all day yesterday."
"Oh, I met with James this morning while waiting for Arvell to hurry up and get ready. He said something about an emergency meeting but didn''t borate before leaving in a rush." Zen answered.
''Emergency meeting? Does this have anything to do with Professor Orfina meeting Ang when we camest time?'' Arvell thought to himself.
Reyna brought her hand to her chin as if deep in thought.
"I just hope whatever it is, it''s not something we need to worry about."
"Let''s hope so," Lydia agreed.
As the group neared the school buildings, Lydia broke off from the group and headed towards the B-ss ssroom, promising to meet up again during lunchtime.
After saying their goodbyes, it didn''t take too long for them to reach their own ssroom.
Walking through the yirnwood doors, they were greeted by the somewhat familiar sight of the ssroom.
However, unlike yesterday it appeared that majority of the students hadn''t arrived yet.
iming the same seat they had yesterday, the three of them watched as the students slowly filed into the ssroom.
Shortly after they sat down, Lillianna and Kaera walked through the door, sitting in the same spot where they sat yesterday.
Lillianna smiled at their group while Kaera gave Arvell a piercing re.
"Seriously, Arvell, what did you do to piss her off?" Zen asked with a somewhat confused look.
"Zen, you remember she''s a part of the Brandel house, right? Those guys fire up at even the smallest insults."
"So¡ You''re saying Arvell insulted her to her face? Damn¡ Even I don''t have the balls to do that."
Zen''s confused look changed into one of admiration.
Arvell felt that some misunderstanding was starting to form, but he pretended he couldn''t quite hear them.
After all, he didn''t know precisely why Kaera was treating him this way.
For all he knew, he could have identally insulted her somehow.
Either by staring at her while checking her status or trying to y it off as him admiring her beauty.
Whatever it was that set her off, he couldn''t find the answer to that question no matter how hard he tried.
Redirecting their attention back to the door, they even spotted Titus, the purple-haired kid, and the ck-haired kid with the ck rings enter the ssroom.
Arvell looked at the ck-haired kid with a slightly interested look.
The ck-haired boy had been asleep for most of the homeroom the day before, and Professor Orfina didn''t seem inclined to wake him up, letting him do as he pleased.
''His eyes¡ they look the sun,'' Arvell to himself.
He''d never gotten the chance to see the boy''s eyes yesterday, considering that he was fully asleep, but now he could see exactly how they looked.
Their bright yellow seemed out of ce at first nce due to his ck hair and rings. However, after taking a much closer look, theyplemented each other quite well.
As if feeling Arvell''s gaze, the boy turned to Arvell with a somewhat irritated look.
''Great, another easily irritable person. As if one wasn''t enough.''
But before the boy could say anything, he heard a voice ring behind him.
"Everyone who still standing up, go take a seat. Let''s hurry up and get the ss started."
Losing his chance to talk, the ck-ringed boy threw Arvell one more nce before heading up to his spot.
Waiting for everyone to settle down, Professor Orfina turned to the students in the ssroom.
"Alright, everyone, I want you all to break off into two groups depending on whether you''re an Arcane Mage or an Arcane Warrior. After that, we''ll introduce you to the 2 assistant professors handling each of your groups."
Chapter 124 Arcane Warrior And Arcane Mage
Following her instructions, the ss broke into 2 groups, with the left side being the Arcane warriors, consisting of Zen, Arvell, Titus, The ck-ringed boy, Lillianna, and five other students.
On the right-hand side, the Arcane magesprised Reyna, Kaera, the purple-haired boy, and 7 others.
Overall the groups were evenly separated, with the ss of twenty breaking off into two groups of ten.
After everyone finished breaking off into their respective group, Professor Orfina motioned to the doorway.
"Alright, you two,e in."
The doors swang open, revealing a young man and woman with near-identical appearances.
Both of them had pale white hair with murky green coloured eyes, but while the woman''s hair was up to her waist, the man''s didn''t even reach his neck.
They were also somewhat simr in their build since both were quite slim and athletic.
Looking to be no older than someone in their mid-twenties, the two were also quite visibly appealing and could be considered quite pretty and handsome.
''Are those two twins? They resemble Tristan and Alecia in a way.'' Arvell assumed.
Walking up to professor Orfina, they bowed politely.
"Hello, professor."
"Hello, professor."
The two of them even spoke at the same time, with perfect harmony.
Professor Orfina gave them a nod, before turning back to the students.
"These two are Professors Lemin and Lorine Sadler, and they will be in charge of teaching you the ropes for bing an Arcane Warrior or Arcane mage. So without further ado, I''ll hand the ss to these two and see you another hour and a halfter."
Without giving the ss a moment to process her words, she pushed the doors opened and disappeared into the hallways.
After seeing their homeroom teacher leave the room, the ss turned their attention to the twins standing before them.
"Hello everyone, as Professor Orfina mentioned earlier, my name is Professor Lorine Sadler, and¡." The female twin began.
"My name is Professor Lemin Sadler." The male twin continued, "the two of us will be in charge of your training to hone your fighting style as an arcane warrior or mage."
"You guys can call the two of us Professor Lorine and Professor Lemin. Since we share the samest name, it''ll be quite confusing when you call either of us Professor Sadler." Professor Lorine smiled, "Anyways, without further ado, can those aiming to be arcane warriors follow me?"
"As for those training to be Arcane mages, you all can follow me." Professor Lemin pointed to himself with his index finger.
"Oh, by the way, you can all leave your papers and writing utensils behind. You won''t need them for now.''
The two turned and left the ssroom before going in opposite directions.
Professor Lemin went to the right, while Professor Lorine broke off to the left.
They seemed to be going to their own nned location to conduct their ss.
Arvell motioned to Professor Lorine with his neck to Zen, standing next to him.
"Let''s follow them."
Zen nodded his head.
The two started after their professor, which snapped the others nearby out of their momentary reverie.
Following Professor Lorine, the arcane warrior group walked through the hallways and exited their building.
Passing by a few groups of older students who seemed to be scrambling to get to ss as fast as they could, the students reached what appeared to be an open field.
Pausing her gait, Professor Lorine turned to her new students.
"Ok, everyone, we''re finally here."
Everyone in the ss looked around with puzzled looks.
They were in the middle of a field. There was nothing nearby to teach them!
Seeing the visible bewilderment among the students, Professor Lorine decided to throw them a bone.
"The best way to learn how to fight is to experience fighting on your own first. Learning the theory on fighting and how to actually fight are two wholly different things."
The ss nodded in understanding.
After all, no matter how many books you read about how to swing a sword, if you don''t have any actual practice using one, what good will it do?
"But¡ Before I start showing you how to fight like an Arcane Warrior, I want to first see just how you would normally approach fights. So all of you break up into groups of two."
The students looked amongst themselves, trying to find who seemed to be suitable partners for them.
''Hmm, should I partner up with Zen or Lilly? I mean, Kaera isn''t here¡ So I can actually talk to her one on one.''
Making his decision, Arvell walked towards Lillianna, hoping to partner up with her.
However, before he could reach her, someone walked up and blocked his pathway, refusing to budge even an inch.
Seeing who it was, Arvell narrowed his eyes.
It was the boy with the tattoo-like ck rings that decorated his arms and neck!
"Can I help you?" Arvell asked with a trace of annoyance on his face.
"You were ring at me in ss." The ck-ringed youth stated while giving Arvell a piercing gaze
"When did I ever re at you? I just looked at you when you entered the ssroom," Arvell protested.
"Huh? You wanna fight?!?" The ck-haired youth cracked his knuckles menacingly.
Arvell looked past the youth to try and find Lillianna, but much to his surprise, she was nowhere to be seen.
Only after turning around did he finally spot her, but she wasn''t alone.
She was with Zen.
While this person blocked his path, it seemed that Lillianna walked up and partnered with Zen.
Since the two knew each other before, it wasn''t too hard for them to team up for the sparring practice.
In fact, the remaining 6 people in their ss had already found their partners and formed 3 pairs.
Arvell and the youth standing before him were the only ones left.
Knowing that he didn''t have any other choice but to spar with the boy standing before him, Arvell sighed.
"Alright, let''s do this."
Arvell turned to Professor Lorine and waved, signalling they were also a pair.
After getting Arvell''s confirmation, professor Lorine pped her hands, getting everyone''s attention.
"All of you find a spacious area and go all out. Don''t worry. I''m here to stop any fight that gets out of hand. Just fight to your heart''s content."
The ck-ringed boy''s irritated look slowly warped into a maniacal smile.
One that was eerily reminiscent of Arvell''s own.
Chapter 125 He’s Just Like Me! [1]
Arvell twirled the sword in his hand as he walked to watch the ck-ringed boy standing only 10 metres in front of him.
At this point, they had to wait for the professor''s start signal, and then they were free to start their fight.
The professor had brought them to the field and led them to a small pile of training swords she had left there prior in the morning, giving them weapons to use to aid in their training,
The ck-ringed youth put his fingers to his chin and looked at Arvell, somewhat confused, before opening his mouth to speak.
"What''s your name?"
"It''smon etiquette to give your name before asking that of others."
The youth pondered for a moment before nodding his head.
"Marcus Athburg, that''s my name. Now, what''s yours."
"My name''s Arvell. Arvell Silvanus."
''Arvell, huh?'' Marcus thought to himself while licking his slightly protruding canines with an eager expression, ''Let''s see just how good you really are.''
Mere moments after he finished that thought, Professor Lorine blew her whistle, prompting all of the students to begin their spars.
Arvell and Marcus were no different.
They dashed as fast as they could, swinging their swords with all their might.
*CLANG*
A Loud banging noise rang out as both swords quaked from the impact.
But neither of the boy''s hands seemed to budge an inch or shake.
It was as if an impact of that magnitude was something they could effortlessly hold back.
''He''s strong!'' Both boys thought simultaneously.
Continuing to test what the other was capable of, they both unleashed a flurry of attacks on each other.
*CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG*
Every strike of Arvell''s was expertly blocked by Marcus, while all of Marcus''s attacks couldn''t evennd as much as a scratch on the silver-haired youth.
Even without using their abilities, both boys could hold their own against one another.
Arvell waspletely and utterly shocked by this revtion.
''I''m not using the full power of my Nether body, but this guy¡ He''s able to beat me back without even using magic? Just what kind of person is he?''
On the other hand, Marcus didn''t seem like he cared too much about how Arvell could match his strength and speed.
All that mattered was that he could!
Marcus''s bright yellow eyes glowed like the sun as a warped smile formed on his face.
Seeing that smile on Marcus''s face, Arvell''s eyes went wide.
''He''s the same as me! A fellow battle junkie!''
Arvell decided to finally throw away any remaining reservations about fighting Marcus, giving into his primal urge.
His overpowering desire to fight!
Arvell''s mouth twisted until it mirrored that of Marcus''s.
"Hahahaha!"
"Ahahahah!"
The two of them broke out into a burst of cacophonousughter, which, if anyone could hear over the sound of their swords colliding, would have found highly creepy and disturbing.
The surrounding students had also kicked their battles into full throttle, filling the air with the sounds of weapons colliding, explosions, and grunts of pain.
Knowing that they had onsite medical help in case they needed help, everyone pushed themselves to their utmost limit to use this advantage.
Arvell and Marcus were no different, as all of their attacks were performed with the intent to kill.
Furthermore, with the blunted edges on their swords, there was no way they would manage to inflictsting harm before the professor could stop them.
Arvell shed at Marcus''s heart, which Marcus parried, before stabbing at Arvell''s throat.
Arvell swiftly dodged an attack by tilting his head to the side before following up with a kick aimed at Marcus''s core.
Marcus hurriedly brought his sword to deflect Arvell''s kick, which caused them both to shoot back at each other.
Landing on their feet, both kicked off the ground as hard as they rocketed towards each other to continue their bout.
"Hey, Arvell, how about we end the warm-up and get to the main course?" Marcus proposed while shing at Arvell''s throat.
"I agree. The warm-up was fun, but the real fight should be much more entertaining!" Ducking down to dodge the sh, Arvell thrust his sword directly at Marcus''s heart.
Marcus kicked off the ground and created distance between himself and Arvell.
"Yes, YES! THAT''S THE SPIRIT! Arvell Silvanus, I like you!"
Arvell nodded his head in agreement.
"If I knew you''d have been this fun, I would have tried to fight you yesterday! So why wait until today to fight?"
The two boys looked at each other, and their smiles widened into toothy grins.
Arvell moved his mouth to fake ''casting'' his ability while Marcus began to chant out his spell."
[Temporal Maniption]
"By the might of the stars, fall into the pits of the abyss! Gravity Doman!"
They charged back at each other, each thinking they had the advantage, but from an outsider''s perspective, it looked like nothing had changed.
None of them were any faster or slower than they were before.
It was as if neither of them had cast a spell in the first ce.
The two boys looked at each other with shocked looks.
Arvell felt a strong tugging force pull him to the ground, causing him to slow down substantially.
It was as if someone had strapped a second Arvell onto his back and got him to carry both of their weights simultaneously.
He was experiencing a crushing force that seemed intent on pulling him into the very ground itself.
Even if he was using a doubleyered temporal maniption technique to speed himself up and slow down his enemy, it seemed that Marcus''s ability was able to counter it!
*Crack*
The faint cracking sound caused Arvell to look at the ground around them.
The nts¡ they were copsing, seemingly as if someone was stepping on them!
''No, wait, if the same pulling strength is affecting them too¡ That means¡ Marcus''s controlling gravity itself! He''s able to negate the effects of the ability of my ''Temporal Maniption'' by controlling the surrounding gravity!''
Chapter 126 He’s Just Like Me! [2]
Meanwhile, Marcus watched Arvell, who didn''t seem to slow down despite his active gravity field.
''This guy is the real deal!''
The more Marcus learned about his silver-haired opponent, the more he liked him.
Marcus was hesitant when his family sent him to the academy, which was supposedly full of brats who only knew how to eat diamond spoons and act arrogant using their parent''s power.
He felt like going to such a ce would only stunt his growth and end up being nothing more than a massive waste of his time.
Even going as far as to sleep in ss so he could spend his waking hours training himself properly.
But he could tell immediately when he saw the silver-haired youth look at him from across the room.
Arvell was strong enough to get Marcus''s blood boiling from just a nce.
From that moment, Marcus had wanted nothing more than to duke it out with Arvell.
If it wasn''t for certain¡ issues, he would have challenged Arvell on the spot.
Marcus shuddered as his mind drifted.
''No¡ There''s no need to think about that right now. What matters most is the fight!''
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Marcus dashed until he was finally within striking range of Arvell.
He swung an overhead diagonal sh at Arvell''s chest while Arvell blocked by bringing his sword above his head.
However, he didn''t just block it usually.
Arvell crossed his hands and tilted the sword''s tip towards the ground, causing Marcus''s sword to follow the trajectory of the de, effectively redirecting Marcus''s attack on the grass-covered ground.
With his sword still going through the motions of the sh, Marcus''s entire body was wide open for a counterattack!
An advantage that Arvell wouldn''t pass up that easily!
Without pausing, Arvell moved his sword and shed down onto Marcus.
Before Arvell''s sword could reach Marcus, Arvell''s de started to slow down in speed.
It was as if his sword was being pulled in the opposite direction.
While Arvell''s sword slowed down substantially, Marcus''s sword, on the other hand, suddenly elerated forward, pulling Marcus along with it, allowing for the ck-ringed youth to dodge Arvell''s sh.
''He changed the direction of gravity to propel himself!''
*WOOSH*
Hearing a loud gust of wind, Arvell quickly turned around to face Marcus, but instead of Marcus, he was greeted by the sight of a dulled de quickly closing the distance and nearing his face.
Arvell kicked off of the ground, jumping backwards, dodging the sh.
Landing on the ground in a crouching position, Arvell stealthily grabbed a handful of dirt as he turned to face Marcus.
In the short time frame which Arvell had used to jump, Marcus had closed the gap between the two of them.
He aimed his sword at Arvell and stabbed it with all his might.
As the sword again neared Arvell''s face, he threw the handful of dirt at Marcus''s eyes before rolling to the side and dodging the stab.
Marcus had tilted his head to avoid the iing dirt, but that opening was all Arvell needed to once more even the ying field.
Pulling himself back to his feet, he took a fighting stance as he aimed the tip of his sword directly at Marcus''s heart.
Marcus found his bearings and mirrored Arvell''s stance.
They began to circle around each other, looking for any weakness they could exploit.
Marcus''s eyes narrowed as, all of a sudden, the surrounding gravity went from roughly 2x normal gravity to half of the normal gravity.
Effectively decreasing the gravity to 25% of what it was before.
Caught off guard by the change in gravity, Arvell''s foot stumbled, causing him to lose his bnce.
Without giving Arvell a chance to find his bearings, Marcus dashed towards Arvell, hoping tond his sword on the silver-haired youth.
The surrounding groups had already finished their respective fights and even consumed the emergency potions the Professor brought with her.
At this point, everyone eagerly watched Arvell and Marcus''s fight.
Professor Lorine had a look of amazement as she watched the fight.
Pulling a pocketwatch from her shirt, Professor Lorine frowned lightly.
As Marcus once more neared Arvell, Arvell fell on his back and quickly kicked Marcus''s sword so that it would miss his face before spinning back up his feet and shing at Marcus''s face.
Using gravity magic to quickly readjust himself, Marcus swung to meet Arvell''s sword again.
As the two swords neared to meet, a female''s voice called rang out.
"Sorry guys, but for the sake of time, you''ll need to continue this at another time."
Before the two swords met, they were both caught by the pale white hands.
Professor Lorine smiled at the two students, appearing before them like a ghost.
"That was an excellent fight. You two should be proud of yourselves."
Arvell and Marcus instinctively scowled at the Professor.
Why did this woman need toe and interrupt their fun?
"Calm down there, you two. If you really want, you can always fightter. I''m on a strict time schedule to run this ss, so I can''t let you two duke it out right now."
Knowing that the Professor had said there was no way they could keep fighting, the two of them let out disappointed sighs.
"Arvell, let''s fight again. Now that I found someone as skilled as you, there''s no way I''m going to leave you alone!"
Arvell nodded his head with a smile.
"The feelings are mutual, Marcus."
Marcus turned from Arvell to look at Professor Lorine, who was only half a foot away from his face.
Seeing the Professor, Marcus''s expression went from a confident-yet-eager look to a momentary look of pure terror.
A look which no one seemed to notice, not even Arvell¡
Swiftly letting go of his sword, Marcus jumped as far back as he could.
He let out a sigh of relief after Marcus was more than 5 metres away from the Professor.
''Safe.''
Being the only one left in the ss still holding onto a sword, Arvell hastily let go and walked over to where Zen was standing.
"Give me a second to move the weapons off to the side, and then I can introduce you all to the fundamentals of being an Arcane Warrior."
Chapter 127 Becoming Arcane Warriors
"Youpletely blew me away with that fight!" Zen eximed, "I don''t think I''m anywhere near the level of you two."
Arvell smiled lightly in response, feeling somewhat down due to his bout being stopped before they could reach a proper conclusion.
"So, how did your fight with the princess go?"
Zen turned his head and looked to the side with an awkward look.
"Shepletely and thoroughly beat me up."
"Lilliana''s that strong?"
"Yup."
''Well, I guess she is from the royal family, so ''that power'' of theirs isn''t something to take lightly.'' Arvell nodded in understanding
"Could you at least keep up with her movements?"
Zen let out a sigh.
"While I could track her movements with my eyes, she was far too fast for me¡ It was aplete and utter defeat on my part."
Arvell turned an eye towards the princess, who was busy socializing with some of the female students in the group.
''She hasn''t been cking off in the slightest, I see.''
"Alright, everyone, I''m back!"
The voice of professor Lorine brought Arvell out of his daze.
Walking over to the group of 10, professor Lorine smiled lightly.
"First of all, I would like to apud each and every one of you. I had heard that this year''s batch of students was full of anomaly-level students, but even I had not foreseen the true extent of just how strong you all are.
Usually, kids your age would have just finished forming their mana cores, but¡ This ss''s average level of mana cores is the 3rd stage of the first circle. Some of you even reached the 5th stage!"
The professor threw a side-long nce at Marcus and Lillianna.
Marcus huffed and averted his gaze while Lillianna smiled politely at the professor.
"I said I would show you all the fundamentals, but if I were, to be honest, most of you already have somewhat grasped the basics or have a rough understanding of them.
If I went over things you already know, it would be a waste of my time and yours. However, I''m bound by the course sybus to at least go over them once with the ss. In any case, some might not fully understand specific aspects of Arcane Warriorbat."
Professor Lorine looked amongst her students.
"You know what? I''ll let you all try your best to exin the principles of Arcane Warriorbat to the best of your abilities first. Then, I can point out any inconsistencies or incorrect information for you to fix afterwards. So, alright, whoever wants to try and exin it, just raise your hand."
The students all formed disinterested looks when they heard the professor''s proposition.
To them, this sounded like a pain.
Seeing no hands go up, Professor Lorine let out an exasperated sigh.
"Tough crowd? Is there really no one who wants to go up?"
Just as the professor was about to choose a student, a hand rose.
"I can do it, professor!"
"Ah, Mr. Silvercolt. Thank you for taking the initiative here. I''ll hand the stage to you."
Arvell turned to Zen with a slightly perplexed expression.
"I felt a little bad for her. It must be tough getting the silent treatment by the whole ss," Zen whispered in Arvell''s ear.
Realizing his friend''s actions were fueled by a mixture of pity and empathy, Arvell smiled lightly.
''Zen is too nice of a person. It''s like he''s some kind of morally upstanding golden child.''
"A-ahem!" Clearing his throat, Zen started, "I guess I''ll start off with the difference between Arcane Mages and Arcane Warriors. Arcane Mages are magic users who use ranged abilities to fight from a far-enough distance. In contrast, Arcane Warriors fight in closebat using magic to augment their bodies in various ways."
Everyone in the ss watched him with somewhat bored expressions.
After all, this wasmon sense for all of them.
''Learning'' something like this after fighting with all their strength felt¡ Anti-climactic.
"Arcane Mages focus on hitting their enemies from a distance, so in fights, they prefer to stay as far from their enemies as possible. The opposite is true for Arcane Warriors, who tend to charge up and fight their target head-on." Zen continued.
"That''s indeed correct, Mr.Silvercolt." Professor Lorine nodded, "can you tell me why some types of magic elements are considered Arcane Warrior or Arcane Mage exclusive? Why can most Arcane Mages never learn how to fight like Arcane Warriors? Or vice-versa?"
Zen looked at the professor with a nk expression.
"Umm¡ Isn''t it because different magic elements don''t work the other way?"
The majority of the ss nodded their head in agreement.
They had no idea why the professor asked Zen such aplicated question, but Zen''s answer seemed to make perfect sense for her question.
After all, It''s not like one can just take a magic element like body enhancement magic and suddenly make it into a ranged attack.
Everyone watched the professor''s expression to see her reaction to Zen''s answer.
But instead of hearing her agree with Zen''s answer, somethingpletely unexpected happened: The professor shook her head.
An action which caught their group of 10 wholly off-guard.
Zen tilted his head to the side in confusion.
"What? It was wrong?"
"Yes, while what you said does make sense from a normal point of view, you need to consider that magic users aren''t inherently limited to how they choose to wield their power. Instead, what limits them is their strength, speed, and imagination."
The students gave professor Lorine a look of tant disbelief.
What they''d heard made no sense from what they were taught.
Only Arvell and Lillianna seemed to be rtively unperturbed by her words.
Since Arvell didn''t have any mana in the first ce, none of this remotely perturbed him.
While he had to admit he was curious about what the professor meant, unlike most of his ss, he wasn''t left speechless by her promation.
"How does that make any sense?" A student with bright orange hair eximed, "If you use the wrong type of magic for the wrong purpose, it won''t work out! For example, say you try to use healing magic and fight in close range!"
Professor Lorine smiled lightly when she heard the orange-haired girl''s inquiry.
"You know, it''s notpletely impossible. Even if someone has only healing magic, they can still fight like an Arcane Warrior if they properly utilize it. Think of it like this, if said healer managed to train to heal themself mid-fight, taking them down would be a hassle, to say the least. It''ll be like fighting an undead."
The orange haired-girl was left ckjawed by her response.
"How¡? Is that even possible?"
Professor Lorine nodded her head.
"It certainly is not easy, but at the same time, it''s not impossible. You''ve all been given the tool of magic, but how you use it decides just how far you''ll go in life. That and how much mana you have in total.
Suppose you don''t have the appropriate mana capacity, no matter how ingenuitive you are with your magic utilization. In that case, it''ll be fruitless in the end."
Arvell inwardly flinched when he heard the professor''s words but didn''t let any of his emotions break his calm exterior.
"In fact, your released states should take considerable inspiration from just how you use your magic, not that it matters for you all just yet.
As I was saying, you all need to be as versatile and unique as possible with how you use your magic. All of you should aim to form a fighting style that is perfectly designed for you.
I suggest that you take the time to visit the academy''s library and read through some of the books that pertain to your magic element. You might just end up finding the perfect inspiration."
After that, Professor Lorine continued exining the fundamentals of fighting at close range and going over the various situations that would be bad to fight in as an Arcane Warrior.
The rest of ss time passed by in a sh, and they were led back to their ssroom, where the Arcane Mage group was already waiting.
Arvell considered talking to Lillianna but was more preupied with the matter with Marcus.
Now that he had been given the time to rationally think about Marcus''s fighting prowess, nothing seemed to add up.
How was a regr human and a gravity magic user no less able to match him in strength? His strength was far beyond what anybody his age could hold off without using magic.
But when Arvell tried to use his status skill on Marcus, he soon realized that the ck-ringed boy was in the same boat as Titus and August.
Arvell couldn''t see his status!
''Just what could be the reason I can''t see it?''
Even Lykos, Arvell''s source of information, decided to keep it hidden from him.
''Trust me, Arvell. It''s not like it matters too much to the current you either way. You can actively try to figure it out, but the answer you find out won''t be worth the effort.''
Arvell shook his head.
''I''m not going to actively search it out, but I am still quite curious. So if I find an opportunity, I''ll crack this mystery.''
Tossing the thought to the back of his head, Arvell walked back into the ssroom and plopped onto the seat that had unofficially be his personal spot over thest day and a half.
''Let''s get today''s ss down with as soon as possible. I have a certain rematch with my name on it.''
Chapter 128 Clubfest
The rest of the day was pretty uneventfulpared to their first ss in the morning.
After the students returned to their ssrooms, Professor Orfina returned to handle the rest of the sses for the day.
Going over magical theory, mathematics,nguage and literature, geography, and his other introductory sses, Arvell spent the rest of the day glued to his chair and with a textbook in front of him.
The only exception was during lunchtime, when they met up with Lydia and enjoyed a meal and a breath of fresh air.
After their ss finished for the day, Arvell walked towards Marcus, bringing along Zen and Reyna behind him.
"Hey Marcus, do you want to do our rematch now? We have some time to kill."
Marcus eagerly turned to face Arvell but suddenly froze.
"...Actually, We''ll fightter. I''m busy now."
Without another word, Marcus rushed out of the ssroom door, leaving a bewildered Arvell in his wake.
''What just happened?''
Lykos smiled with a teasing glint.
''You got turned down¡ By a guy.''
''...''
Arvell turned to his spectral mentor with a dead expression before exhaling.
''His behaviour was kind of odd¡.''
"Hey Arvell, let''s get going," Zen called out beside him.
"Alright, alright. Let''s get going."
Tossing Marcus to the back of his mind, he joined his two friends and walked out of the ssroom.
Leaving the ssroom, one of the first things Arvell noticed was that the foot traffic had significantly increasedpared to the day before.
In fact, the people, all of whom looked older than him, kept giving him weird stares as he passed them.
The girls threw him flirtatious winks, while the guys only offered scornful stares.
Since they weren''t openly doing anything to him, he couldn''t really say nor do anything. But, still, it was really annoying for him nheless.
Even more so since he could hear their whispers, which were quite audible for someone with sensitive hearing like him.
"This kid''s on Cyprian''s level! Say, who do you think looks better?"
"Hmm¡ Cyprian does have this cool and elegant vibe¡ But this boy has an air of mystery and a refreshing smile. I''m not going to lie. This is a toughpetition."
"Oh yeah, did you hear about the rumours that Cyprian got engaged recently?"
"Engaged? Who''s the lucky girl?"
"No one knows! The engagement only happened a little while ago, so the Mayfield family hasn''t said anything. So all of this is mere spection at this point."
"I wonder how his Fanclub is taking this?"
Arvell''s ears perked up when he heard this.
''The heir to Mayfield dukedom got a fiance? This is big news! But¡ what is this about a fan club? Seriously, people have way too much time on their hands to do pointless things.''
Arvell walked past the groups with an inaudible sigh, pretending he couldn''t hear them.
Reyna and Zen, on the other hand, didn''t seem to notice, or if they did see, they didn''t seem to care much.
They were engaged in light banter while giggling every once in a while.
Of course, they weren''t trying to disclude Arvell from whatever they were talking about. Still, subconsciously they started primarily amongst each other and not with Arvell.
Seeing the bright smiles on their faces, Arvell smiled ruefully.
''I''m totally being a third wheel here.''
Deciding to let the young couple have their privacy, Arvell excused himself.
"Hey guys, I need to use the bathroom, but you two can start without me. I''ll meet up with you allter."
Zen turned to Arvell with a perplexed look.
"We can just wait, you know? It''s not too hard."
Shaking his head, Arvell responded, "It''s fine. It''s going to get crowded soon, so we should get a lead while we can."
Clubs and other extracurricr activities were going to start soon, so the various school club captains had started setting up stalls for students to see what their clubs did.
With the help of magic, the whole process didn''t require much manpower or time, so most of them were already up.
Since Lydia wanted to use this opportunity to be friends with people from her ss, Arvell, Zen, and Reyna had nned to tour these club booths as a group of 3.
Well, with August, it would technically be a group of four.
Now that group of 4 had split into two groups of two.
After leaving the couple''s sight, Arvell started his way over to the stalls.
All the stalls were congregated in the open space near the school gates to make the event more straightforward for the first years and for general convenience.
"To assemble this so soon¡ Wow."
"Kyuu!"
August eyed one of the nearby stalls with an interested look.
One of the boys manning the stall was bncing tes using nothing but chopsticks.
Seeing that he had umted a sizeable crowd, the youth threw all of the tes into the air, keeping only the chopsticks on hand.
"WOAHH!"
The onlookers eximed as the tes soared into the air.
Only the boy with the chopsticks seemed unperturbed.
Reaching their maximum height, the tes switched directions and fell back to the ground.
Holding one chopstick per hand, he calmly closed his eyes.
Even with his eyes closed, the youth stuck out his hands with a confident look.
*CLINK CLINK*
Seeing the tesnd directly onto the chopsticks without falling, the crowd burst into apuse.
While bncing his body to keep the tes on the chopsticks, the boy
"Come and join the circus club! Anyone is wee to join and ''clown'' around with us!"
Arvell, cringing at the bad pun, decided to go check out some other nearby stalls.
''Sigh, none of these seem particrly interesting¡.''
Even after having spent over 10 minutes looking through the stalls, he still couldn''t find any stalls that quite caught his attention.
''I might just use my afterschool time to train then. I don''t think there are any real penalties for not being in a club. I''ll guess I''ll go absorb some of the surrounding Aether. I shouldn''t be too far from reaching the 3rd stage of the 1st Power Circle.''
Turning away from the stalls, Arvell began to leave the club fair vicinities but suddenly halted mid-step.
*Sniff Sniff*
"This smell¡ It''s medicinal herbs!" Then, smelling the air, Arvell eximed.
Following the smell, the silver-haired boy soon found himself before a booth with an alchemical pot currently in use.
Noticing the stand right before the stall, Arvell glossed over it.
[Alchemy Club: Come and ignite your passion for Alchemy with us!]
''Oh? Do they have an alchemy club here? Well, that does make sense. They have one, now that I think about it.''
Arvell had nned on applying to be an alchemist trainee at the school''s hospital building.
If he could earn some spending money by making healing potions, he wouldn''t need to constantly ask Wilfried for pocket money to buy himself.
Also, he could purchase some of the alchemical herbs he needed without rousing too much suspicion since only alchemists tended to buy most of those ingredients.
Technically Arvell wasn''t supposed to know how to use Alchemy since his background was ''an escaped ve.''
He couldn''t just randomly say that he could brew potions at an unprecedented level purely by being self-taught.
That was far too suspicious.
If he could get the proper ''experience,'' people would be far less suspicious if he were to ever start selling elixirs for money.
However, if there was an alchemist club, it would out perfectly!
He had to pretend to be a new alchemist and slowly ''learn'' the trade!
Arvell walked up to one of the nearby students manning the stall.
While one of them was serving as a live demonstration for onlookers and another person handed out fliers to passersby, some students sat down behind their stall, answering inquiries and handing out club joining forms.
The person Arvell went to was thetter in this group.
"Excuse me, I''d like to know how this club is run."
Seeing Arvell ask her a question, the receptionist gave Arvell a big smile.
"Run? Are you talking about how our club works?"
"Yes. Is there anymission for sessfully crafting elixirs? Or anything like that?"
The receptionist nodded her head.
"While there is a reward, there is also a high chance of failure. Because of this fact, unless you manage to procure your own herbs and other ingredients, purchasing the herbs from the school market is your best bet."
''The academy doesn''t want to lose money from wasted herbs, but at the same time, selling the elixirs will give you all 100% of the proceedings. Even if you used their alchemical pots to create the elixirs, you wouldn''t get charged.''
Arvell found the system a little too harsh on the new students with next to no experience in using Alchemy.
After all, to join the club, they need to be able to secure the proper funds to support their endeavours.
Learning Alchemy would be nothing more than a money sink in the early stages.
Furthermore, mastering the arts isn''t easy, so many people give up the path quickly.
Only those who persisted and trained in their alchemical studies for years could start making a stable ie.
The higher the grade of an elixir is, the higher the cost would be, too as well.
Arvell was honestly conflicted at this moment.
There didn''t really look like there was anything he would really gain by joining the Alchemy club, but for a little ''experience'' in brewing elixirs.
"Are there any other benefits of joining the club that I should be aware of?" Then, looking at the person before him, Arvell asked.
"Hmm, there is a discount just for alchemy club members. All alchemical materials in the school market will be 20% off."
''20% off? Just for being a free member? That''s quite the bargain,'' Arvell inwardly eximed.
"How do I sign up?"
Hearing the enthusiasm in Arvell''s voice, the girl smiled brightly.
Someone finally decided to join their club!
The girl enthusiastically pulled a paper off a stack of simrly designed sheets, and handed it to Arvell.
"Fill out this form, and then return it to me. It shouldn''t take too long after that."
Chapter 129 Alchemy Club [1]
Filling out the form, Arvell handed it back to the girl before him.
Taking the paper, she scanned through the contents and nodded to herself.
"Thank you for joining our club! Would you be interested in touring the alchemy building?"
Arvell paused for a minute.
''I have the time to spare. Plus, I''m sure those lovebirds are keeping themselves busy.''
Making up his decision, Arvell nodded his head.
"I think I''ll take a look then."
The girl standing at the front of the booth smiled at Arvell.
"Would you like directions as to where it''s located?"
"It''s the building next to the onsite school hospital, right?"
"Yup, that''s the one!"
"Thank you for your help."
"No problem!"
Turning away from the girl, Arvell started off to the school''s alchemy building, arriving only minutester.
Arvell looked between the hospital and the alchemy building, even noticing a walkway built between the facilities to make travel between them less hassle.
Since most of the health potions and other medicinal elixirs were brewed in the alchemy building, the two buildings were built close to each other.
Many doctors in the hospital also worked as alchemists, so this worked out well for them.
Walking to the entrance, Arvell noted that quite a few people, primarily students bustling around the building entrance.
A sizeable portion of them even brought their alchemy pots with them.
Since most students had to share their room with others, it was far easier for them to refine their elixirs in the secluded cubicles of the alchemy building.
After all, concentration is one of the primary factors determining how well the refining process goes.
Since booking a room was a cheap and essible option, most of the student alchemists went with this option.
Even if each of the cubicles didn''t offer much space to work with, they were still quiet, offering the students inside a decent level of privacy.
Arvell, having his own bedroom, didn''t care much about this offer.
Sure, it was easier to refine elixirs in the same ce where he could buy the ingredients and sell the freshly concocted elixirs, but he would maintain his privacy in his room.
He couldn''t risk anyone seeing his elixir refining process because Arvell couldn''t produce traditional fire from fire magic...
All he could do was produce a purple hue, which was Arvell''s equivalent of Alchemy mes.
Whenpared to fire magic, Arvell''s deep purple hue looked far too different. Not only was it too unnatural to be passed off as regr Alchemy, the time it takes Arvell to craft an elixir was significantly less than what it would take others, even if they were using the same recipe.
Not only did Arvell possess a higher level of understanding of alchemical ingredients, evenpared to the professors at the academy, his Aether/Netherbination far out surpassed fire magic in refining capabilities.
Not only were his elixirs much faster to make, but they were also more effective.
Most alchemists were fire mages since a heat source was one of the essentialponents in alchemy.
While it is still possible to be an alchemist without being a fire mage, the alchemist needed ess to an alchemical pot enchanted with fire magic.
By infusing mana into it, they would be able to create the heat to refine their chosen elixirs.
Unfortunately, this method often yieldedcklustre resultspared to traditionally using fire magic for refining.
The level of control that fire mages had over their fires far eclipsed that of those that relied on enchanted tools to create the refining fires for them.
Since the enchanted alchemy pots also cost quite the sum, many weren''t too keen on bing alchemists.
Due to this discrepancy, fire-mages were widely regarded as the best alchemists.
Arvell procured a decent amount of stolen goods during his escapades with various bandit groups.
Everything from money to pieces of jewelry and expensive paintings could be found in the stash he kept in his inventory.
Items that had all probably been robbed from travelling merchants.
Arvell had even procured one of the enchanted alchemist pots among his collection of goods.
Having this was one of the main reasons why Arvell decided to be upfront on his ability to perform Alchemy.
Arvell walked through the wooden double doors, entering what appeared to be an expansive hall.
In one corner of the building, there appeared to be countless people waiting in line in front of a counter, buying elixir ingredients from the people behind the counter.
''That must be the school''s alchemy market. There''s even a sign saying [Alchemy Club Members get 20% off!] written on a board near the front.''
Arvell walked up to the line and joined near the end, using the time he was in line to look around the rest of the building.
There was another desk where students could purchase or rent Alchemical pots and book their cubicles to work.
Right next to it was a counter where the alchemists could sell any elixirs they may have concocted.
While the students were not obligated to give the school any money from any elixirs they sold, this only applied when selling them outside the academy.
However, most students opted to sell them through the school to save time.
Since the elixirs were sold using the academy''s shops, the academy would charge 5% of the sales from each potion.
''This was something they conveniently ''forgot'' to mention when handing out the flyers at the clubfest. Not like I didn''t already know of this, though,'' Arvell sighed.
Truth be told, the 5% didn''t matter all that much to Arvell either way.
Sure, he would lose money, but most of the elixirs he would craft were for personal use.
He wasn''t desperately strapped for money, so as long as he could make enough from selling elixirs to pay off the ingredients he used to craft his personal elixirs, Arvell didn''t care too much.
Plus, with his skill level, he wouldn''t need to worry about identally failing the alchemical process and wasting the ingredients without having anything to show.
He''d long passed that phase while training under Lykos.
Patiently waiting for the line to move, Arvell noticed the building doors open again, revealing a familiar red-haired girl.
''Is that Kaera?''
Feeling someone''s gaze, Kaera turned towards Arvell and scowled.
''Yup, no mistaking it... It''s her.''
***
[IMPORTANT]
Author''s Note:
I will be going on break for about a week, since I''m going on a trip with my family.
To be honest I nned on bringing myptop with me to keep writing, even during the trip, but my family refused to hear it (sorry, I tried).
Since my flight is only in a few hours, I nned on writing myst chapter yesterday, and using today to pack, but we just so happened to hit 200 golden tickets.
As a man of my word, I delivered the extra chapter.
I hope you enjoyed it (Even if it was a boring info dump chapter).
Thank you all for your continued support, and I''ll see you all in one week!
-Sleepy Slime
Chapter 130 Alchemy Club [2]
A FEW MINUTES AGO
"So Lily, which clubs do you n on joining?"
After slipping through the crowd before them, a certain red haired girl turned to her friend.
"Hmm¡ I''m still thinking. I n on joining the student council, but I want to see if I can fit in any other clubs along with it."
Kaera raised an eyebrow at her friend''s response.
"You do know that the student council members are almostpletely swamped with their workload right? Bncing school with that kind of work isn''t easy."
"While that is true, most of the student council members still find the time to join other clubs too. For example, the Verlice family''s heir is in the astrology club. Look, the stall for their club is right there."
Reaching out her hand, Lily pointed at a nearby stall.
"Pfft! I forgot about that! I still don''t get why someone like that would be interested in looking beyond the clouds. He would bepletely powerless up there."
Lily frowned and flicked her friend on the forehead.
"OWWWW! What was that for Lily?"
"It''s not nice to make fun of people''s dreams Kaera. Plus, you''re not any different. You wanted to learn how to surf on the sea when you were younger. For a fire mage, there''s nowhere worse to fight."
"Hey! Bringing up childhood aspirations doesn''t count! We haven''t gone to the Mayfield dutchy in years. I only thought that since the people there looked cool while riding on them."
"Right¡ The Mayfield family."
Lily exhaled softly as her eyes slowly glossed over.
Seeing her friend in that state, Kaera frowned slightly.
''Idiot. Why bring that up in the first ce if you''re going to get all mopey about it.''
Racking her brain for a way to change the topic of the conversation, Kaera pointed to a nearby stall.
"By the way Lily, I''m probably going to join the alchemy club."
Snapping out of her daze Lily turned to Kaera.
"That''s kind of obvious though? Your whole family is full of alchemists, and have close ties with the alchemist association. You bing one yourself is kind of to be expected."
"Yeah¡ If I don''t be one, my mother is going to eat me alive."
"Ha ha, you''re right about that. Your mom isn''t one to be crossed."
"Trust me¡ What you''ve seen is only the tip of the iceberg."
Walking over the stall, Lily picked up a flyer for the alchemy club and handed it to red-haired friend.
"Here, you should go sign up."
"I can''t just go and leave you on your own! I''ll jointer."
"Sigh¡ Kaera I know you are protective about me, which makes me really happy, but I''m not a child who can''t take care of herself." Lily shed a smile at her friend, "Leaving me on my own for a little bit won''t kill me you know."
"But, there are lots of flies that will swarm around you! Just take a look, and you can see them eyeing you as we speak!"
? Kaera shed a re at some of the parties watching them, causing them to lower their heads.
"See, I''m the only reason they are backing off! If I leave you on your own they will do anything and everything to get close to you! All those selfish bastards care about is your status as a princess."
Lily shed her friend a soft smile.
"Kaera, I''m a princess. Things like this are just part of everyday life. I can''t rely on you like this my whole life. I need to be capable of doing things on my own."
"But, but-"
Lily ced a hand on her friend''s shoulder.
"Please trust in me. We''re friends right? Can''t you have a little bit more faith in me?"
Kaera paused for a moment before reluctantly nodding her head.
"... I''ll go."
"Thank you."
Lily gave Kaera a quick hug before breaking off.
"I''ll see you in an hour alright? Let''s meet up in front of the female dorms."
Lily waved goodbye to her friend before turning her back to Kaera.
Seeing her friend walk away, Kaera pulled out the flyer for the alchemy club.
"Hmm¡ Next to the academy''s onsite hospital? If I recall, it should be in that direction."
***
PRESENT TIME
Sensing Arvell''s gaze, Kaera scowled.
''Hey Lykos, is it just me or does it look like she''s on her period.''
''Arvell you do realize that menstruation aren''t the only reason why a woman would make those kinds of expressions right? Factors like constipation y a crucial role as well.''
''Well whatever it is, she looks pissed. And¡ she''s on her way here.''
Walking through the hall, Kaera appeared before Arvell.
"Hey, why are you here? I''m talking to you, you grey-haired geezer."
Arvell threw her a disinterested look.
"Are you the boss of this ce? What''s it to you?"
"Shouldn''t you not be able to use fire magic? Why are you in the alchemy building?"
"Again, why do I need to bother answering you?"
After pausing for a moment to think, Kaera''s scowl warped into a mocking smile.
"Don''t tell me¡ You n on using a magical artifact to perform alchemy! Hahaha, please, that''s just too funny!"
Kaera''s words seemed to have been caught by the nearby students, causing them to turn to Arvell with mocking looks.
A few of the nearby students looked down with apparent shame as well from her promations.
Not everyone here was a fire mage after all.
''Great! Just great! This hot headed bitch just has toe pick a fight with me for no reason.''
Arvell''s forehead bulged, threatening to pop a vein.
Not hearing Arvell retort her ims, Kaera pressed on with her taunts.
"Am I right? I am, aren''t I! If you''re going to try that, I suggest just giving up right now. Compared to true fire mages like me, someone like you isn''t worth anyone''s time of day. After all, your products would be inferior anyways."
''Ok, this is getting out of hand. Lykos, I''m going to use ''that''. I can''t tolerate this any longer.''
Lykos''s eyes glimmered while a mischievous smile formed on his mouth.
''Things are about to get interesting!''
***
Author''s Note:
Sorry for not updating in a while!
After my vacation, I contracted COVID-19 and became bedridden for a couple of days.
I have started recovering now, so I should be good to write again.
However, my first day back at university is tomorrow, so my updates may be a bit slower as I try to bnce writing and school.
I also n on writing a few chapters for my other book, too (it''s called Vampire Plunderer System, and I suggest you all check it out!).
Thank you very much for putting up with the 2-week hiatus, and once again, I''m sorry for denying you new chapters for this long.
Chapter 131 Who Are You Again?
Arvell turned to Kaera and tilted his head slightly.
"I''m sorry, but¡ Who are you again?"
Kaera flinched at Arvell''s words.
Thinking that he was simply messing with her, she angrily red at him.
However, she soon realized¡
His confused expression was almost indistinguishable from the real thing.
Now she was thrown for a loop.
Was he faking it, or did he actually not remember her?
"I''m Kaera Brandel, and I''m in your ss, you dumb*ss! We literally met not too long ago!"
"Are you sure? If you were really in my ss, shouldn''t I remember you? How can I tell that you aren''t lying?"
"Lying? How dare you use someone like me of lying! I''m the daughter of a duchess!"
"If you were the daughter of a duchess like you proim, shouldn''t you uphold your family''s honour and wait in line? Instead, you unfairly cut in front of over 20 people before you. That doesn''t seem like the actions of a member of a noble ducal house. That proves it. You''re a liar."
At this point, Kaera''s hair looked like it was set aze with anger, causing some nearby students to take a few steps back in fear.
The people standing behind Kaera that had reservations about her cutting in front of them initially felt unsigned by the actions of the red-haired girl, but they were soon silenced by her intimidating pressure.
"Hmm¡ To release such threatening pressure when you get reprimanded for your actions¡ No one from a high-ranking family would stoop to do something like that. There''s no doubt about it. You''re an impostor."
"...First you call me a liar, and now you call me an impostor¡ For besmirching my name, you will pay!"
"Didn''t you alsoe and insult me for no reason? Sheesh, this is why I can''t tolerate hypocrites."
''Like you''re one to speak.'' Lykosmented.
''Please just be quiet, at least just this once.''
Arvell was not in the mood to deal with his mentor''s cheeky remarks while also dealing with the troublesome girl standing before him.
Putting his hands up in the air, Lykos smirked.
''Fine, fine.''
"You''re calling me a hypocrite too¡ H-How dare you!"
"Why do you keep repeating whatever I say back at me? It''s almost like you''re some kind of parrot."
Shaking with anger, Kaera reached into her pocket.
"I can''t use force on you since we are still on academy grounds, but I still have my student card. So take a look at my name and regret ever crossing me! Even if you''re under the protection of a war hero, that doesn''t mean I can''t make you regret angering me!"
"Oh, I see! So you''re going to show me your student card to validate your identity! So you must really want to prove that you are the daughter of a noble."
While Arvell maintained an outward expression of amazement and awe, inwardly, he shook his head with disappointment.
''To fall for such a cheap provocation¡ This is a failure for anyone iming toe from nobility. Kaera Brandel¡ Coming to pick a fight with me is a mistake I will make sure you will regret.''
Arvell''s mouth curved upward as he casually slipped his hand into his pocket, seemingly tightly clutching something.
After fishing threw her pockets, Kaera''s eyes widened in confusion.
"Huh? Where''s my student card? I left it in my pocket! I-I could have sworn it was here!"
Kaera began to panic as she began to take everything she could out of her pockets, producing a variety of things from loose change to a few beauty products that her friend Lilianna had forcefully given her.
Unfortunately, no matter how hard she looked, she couldn''t find it.
It was as if her card had simply vanished into thin air.
"If you can''t even produce your student card after making such a fuss, it''s quite evident that you''re an impostor."
Arvell''s words ruthlessly cut into her, driving her out of her confused state.
Looking around, Kaera noticed the countless students staring at them while murmuring amongst themselves.
"Look, you can ask any of them! They can tell you! I''m the youngdy of the Brandel family!"
Hearing her words, the nearby students looked amongst themselves.
Most people here hadn''t ever met with someone like the daughter of a duchess before, so it was pretty hard for them to definitely agree.
Sure, she matched the description, and her hair colour matched the iconic zing red hair of the Brandel family, but what if this person was using illusion magic? That possibility was quite real if they couldn''t produce the school''s iconic student card.
Replicating the school''s student cards was a nigh-impossible task for most illusion mages since each card had a trace of the headmaster''s unique mana signature, making them a one-of-a-kind object.
However, none of the students could see any indication that an illusion spell was being used, nor could they find any reason for someone to impersonate the daughter of a duchess so brazenly.
Thus they were at an impasse, being able to neither validate nor deny Kaera''s identity.
Seeing ack of people backing up her ims, Kaera became crestfallen.
"N-No one''s going to back me up? I¡ I am the daughter of a duchess¡ I am Kaera Brandel¡ I-I am, I swear!"
''I was just trying to piss her off in the beginning, but¡ Things went in a strange direction.'' Arvell thought to himself, ''I feel like any more, and she''s going to start doubting her own identity.''
Arvell had gone as far as to use warp to swipe her student card off of her since she didn''t have her guard up, and since she was standing in the same ce without moving, it wasn''t that hard for him to make a portal into her pocket and steal it.
Even Lykos felt a trace of pity for the me-haired girl.
"I would have normally found this quite funny, but now I just feel bad for her. Even though you could say that it was a product of her actions that led to her current situation."
Arvell, on the other hand, didn''t feel even a twinge of remorse.
While he did feel that his actions were a little petty, seeing the person who ridiculed him reduced to such a state felt¡ satisfying.
He was tired of people looking down on him and treating him like trash.
While he didn''t want to reveal his true abilities, it wasn''t like he wanted to be ridiculed for being weak.
Arvell turned his attention back to the distraught girl standing before him.
"At least now, can you please go and stand in line like everyone else?"
Unable to refute his words, Kaera angrily huffed and angrily turned around.
At this point, all she could do was bottle up her anger and hope to get back at the silver-haired boy next time.
[Warp]
Before she could walk away, Arvell quickly slipped her student card back into her pocket.
Though she would regain her student card, the damage had already been done.
Many people had seen her outburst, so it was almost a given that rumours about her being a ''fake'' would spread.
While the rumours weren''t harmful, being constantly reminded of Arvell''s infuriating words certainly wouldn''t be good for her mental state.
Chapter 132 Enemies Are Just Another Training Resource
Lykos sighed as Arvell walked out of the alchemy building
''Sometimes I feel like I''m creating a monster.''
Arvell scoffed inwardly at his master''s words.
''If I''m a monster, what does that make you? After all, you''re the one who''s well-versed in these kinds of things.''
After sessfully joining the club, Arvell purchased a few supplies that he was currentlycking.
Recently Arvell felt that the bottleneck preventing his Aether core from increasing to the next level was loosening.
Getting infinitely close to ranking up, all he needed was one more push to reach the next level.
''Hey Lykos, I should be able to use ''that power'' after upgrading my Aether core, right?''
Pondering for a moment, Lykos nodded his head.
''Theoretically, yes, but you won''t be able to use it for long, same as right now. However, you should have enough Aether in your reserves to use it properly in a fight.''
A look of excitement shed across Arvell''s eyes.
He''d tried to use ''that power'' during his training, but while he managed to make it work, the consumption of using ''that power'' was far too great.
It would have been utterly useless in almost all situations he had found himself in, considering that using this power along with temporal maniption would have resulted in him running out of Aether within mere moments.
However¡ If he were to finally have enough Aether to use this power?
Perhaps he could even serve as an actual challenge for people on the level of James and Ang!
Arvell was considered mature for his age, but even someone like him couldn''t suppress the urge to run back to his dorm and begin refining the elixir he nned to make.
*Bang*
The double doors behind him once again opened with a bang.
"Hey, you! Wait! I SAID WAIT, YOU SILVER-HAIRED B*STARD!"
Having disturbed his thoughts by a screaming voice behind him, Arvell visibly sighed.
He didn''t even bother turning around to know who it was.
Instead, he continued his stride, tantly ignoring the fuming girl behind him.
"Are you deaf? I said wait!"
As if he could not hear her words, Arvell kept walking away from her.
An action that served to increase Kaera''s rage.
Kaera''s burned bright red in anger, and the tips of her hair seemed as if they had caught fire.
At this point, she looked like a bomb that was about to explode, something that wasn''t far off from the truth.
Knowing that the boy before her wouldn''t stop, Kaera ran past Arvell and directly blocked his path.
Arvell narrowed his eyes at her actions and tried to walk around her, but Kaera moved to the side to prevent him from moving.
At this point, even Arvell was starting to get pissed.
Why did this girl have some sick obsession with causing issues for him?
They hadn''t even met before!
At least with Arvell''s current identity¡
Arvell returned the girl''s re with a frosty look.
"What do you want now?"
The girl nced at Arvell''s bulging backpack, no doubt stuffed with a hefty stash of Alchemical resources.
At that sight, a sneer formed on her lips.
"Why bother buying all those herbs? Any elixir you create with your magical artifact would be sub-par if you can''t even use fire magic. And that''s only if you can sessfully refine an elixir in the first ce!"
Arvell''s cold gaze remained unchanging, but he felt a strong urge to p the b*tch standing before him.
"Why is this any of your business? What I do with my money is my choice. Furthermore, would you kindly mind moving out of the way? Some of us have better things to do in our lives than causing problems for strangers."
He had given up using reason to talk to the girl before him.
During his youth, Arvell had heard stories about how the Brandel family consisted of hotheads who didn''t think before they acted, and Kaera seemed to embody her family''s inherent nature almost too perfectly.
Moreover, Kaera didn''t seem to have any semnce of a cool head, instantly getting aggravated over every insult Arvell hurled her way.
It was almost like dealing with a toddler''s temper tantrum.
Kaera scowled at Arvell''s words and gnashed her teeth furiously.
"I challenge you to a duel!"
Kaera removed the brooch on her uniform and chucked it on the ground before Arvell.
Her words caused Arvell to be momentarily stunned, but her doing this was still well within the realm of his expectations.
There was no way the red-haired tomboy would not resort to using her fists if something didn''t work out.
However¡
This was undoubtedly the best possible oue for a battle junkie like Arvell.
Arvell''s lips curved up slightly into an icy smile.
"Are you sure you want to fight me?"
He wanted to fight against Marcus, but for some reason, the ck-ringed boy had bolted before he could even say a word to him.
Moreover, this could be an excellent opportunity to finally test ''that power'' in actualbat.
Seeing that Arvell didn''t look like he was nning on rejecting her challenge, Kaera''s lips curved into a mocking smile.
"As if someone from the noble Brandel house would return on their word! You should be asking yourself that question instead."
Arvell picked up the brooch lying before him and threw it back to Kaera in one fluid motion.
"All right then, I ept. When do you want to have our duel."
"Right now!"
Arvell put his fingers to his chin, seemingly in thought.
"Right now doesn''t quite work for me since I need to put this stuff back in my room first. How about we have the duel in 2 hours? We also need the time to get a professor to supervise it. Unless you want to get punished for conducting an illegal duel."
Sky Sword Academy Students were permitted to challenge each other to duels, but they needed to have a professor supervisor present to ensure things didn''t go too far out of hand.
If a participant cannot fight or surrender, the professor would step in to stop the duel.
An unauthorized duel could result in both parties being promptly expelled from the academy!
Kaera initially frowned at her words but nodded her head in the end.
"I''ll see you in two hours then. Meet me in the fields behind the school. Oh yeah, If you dare to run away¡."
A ridiculing glint shed across Kaera''s eyes.
"I''ll make sure everyone in the academy knows just how much of a coward you are."
Arvell snickered at her words.
"Keep dreaming. After all, that''s the only thing your brain can do right."
He walked around Kaera, but she didn''t make any effort to impede his movement this time.
A maniacal smile formed on Arvell''s lips as he walked past her.
''This ce is full of punching bags to hone my skills on. They even deliver themselves to my doorstep. So it seemsing to this academy was not a mistake.''
Chapter 133 Adding Fuel To The Flame
"This looks like it should be everything I need," Arvell nodded to himself as he towered over a sea of haphazardly strewn alchemical ingredients.
Due to the sheer volume of junk he kept in his inventory, it took him almost 10 minutes to find all the necessary ingredients for the elixir he nned on crafting.
''You should take some time to sort through and organize that mess,'' Lykos chided with an exasperated look.
Unfortunately, Arvell pretended like he couldn''t hear him.
He was more interested in using the various materials strewn before him to concoct the elixir he''d been nning to consume.
After not having levelled up his Aether Core in a decent while, he was almost too eager to get started.
Especially since he''d finally have enough Aether to use ''that technique.
Moreover, he even had a target to test its power on!
Could things get any better than that?
Arvell had read countless stories while growing up in the royal castle, and all of the protagonists seemed to have something inmon: they were all trouble mas.
While the heroes he read about seemed to hate fighting against a never-ending sea of enemies, Arvell''s opinion was the exact opposite.
Only by fighting those enemies could he be stronger!
Meaning that as long as he went around provoking people to fight him, surely Arvell would be stronger too?
Since Arvell found dealing with most people to be nothing short of an unnecessary hassle, it''s not like he nned on ever antagonizing random people to fight him, but if they were the ones hell-bent on causing issues for him, who was he to refuse?
Pulling out his alchemical pot, Arvell began to prep the various ingredients before tossing them in, allowing them to simmer above the purple-coloured mes.
''I don''t know why you went out of your way to antagonize me, Kaera, but I''ll make good use of your sacrifice.''
A chilling smile formed on Arvell''s lips, one so eerie that if anyone were to walk into his room, they''d mistake him for the devil himself.
***
"What''s taking that gray-haired geezer so long?" Stopping her foot angrily onto the ground, a certain red-haired girl angrily eximed.
"Sigh¡ Calm down, Miss Brandel. You told me that Mr. Silvanus nned on meeting you at a designated time, correct? There''s still about 5 minutes left, so there''s no need to panic just yet," A young white-haired man responded with an awkward smile.
Kaera''s angry expression softened slightly at the professor''s words before exhaling and reluctantly nodding her head.
"I''m sorry, Professor Lewin, you''re right. I''ve been getting way too worked up recently."
Seeing his student admit to her faults caused the corners of the professor''s lips to tilt upwards slightly.
"As long as you realize that, it shows that you''re already improving."
Earlier, Professor Lewin had been strolling the campus alongside his twin to ensure that the club fair was running smoothly while also pointing out the directions for some of the first year.
At least that was the case until an angry redhead ran up to him and asked him to watch over the duel she supposedly had with another kid in her ss.
Professor Lewin originally proposed to take the two of them to the academy''s official duel hall, but Kaera had seemed adamant about having it be hosted privately for specific ''reasons.''
Instead, Kaera asked him if they could hold the duel in the fields behind the school.
Considering it was the evening of the club fair, there wouldn''t be many people who would hole themselves in such a remote part of the campus to mindlessly train.
Taking her suggestion, the two of them parted ways with professor Lorine and made their way to the training fields, leading them to their current situation.
Professor Lewin slightly narrowed his eyes with a self-deprecating smile etched on his face.
"By the way, Miss Brandel¡ You said having gray hair makes one look old, but doesn''t the same thing apply to me? So are you saying that someone like me is already too old?"
Kaera blinked dumbfoundedly before hurriedly iling her hands in the air.
"O-of course not, professor, you don''t look old at all! I was just taking out my anger for that a**hole for taking too long to get here!"
Seeing her flustered expression, Professor Lewin chuckled lightly to himself.
"Ufufu, thank you for the praise."
Realizing that he yed her caused Kaera''s cheeks and the tips of her ears to burn a deeper shade of red.
Professor Lewin reached into his pocket and pulled out a fancy-looking golden pocket watch.
Checking the time, he turned to Kaera, who seemed to still be recovering from his earlier teasing.
"Your friend should be here any moment now."
Kaera''s expression froze as she red angrily at the professor.
"That b*stard isn''t my friend!"
The professor lightly sighed as he tutted Kaera with his finger.
"A youngdy like you shouldn''t be using profanenguage. Instead, you should pay more attention to your image."
Kaera looked like she wanted to object but reluctantly nodded her head in the end.
While it wasmon knowledge that those from the Brandel family were as passionate and vtile as a roaring ze, she still had an image to keep as a member of the nobility.
"Sorry, professor, I just¡ I just can''t seem to control my emotions whenever I look at him. For some reason, whenever I look at him, I can see the face of someone else¡ Some I hated more than anything else."
"Oh? And whom might that be?"
A voice called out from behind her.
Recognizing the owner of that voice, Kaera smirked as she turned around to face the silver-haired youth.
"I see you didn''t chicken out. I guess you were better than what I gave you credit for."
"As if I would, I would run away from someone with the mental stability of a toddler. I would never be able to live down the humiliation."
"HAHH?? Who the hell are you calling a toddler?!?!"
Professor Lemin sighed lightly at his student''s disy.
Turning to Arvell, he shed the silver-haired youth a small smile.
"Seeing that you are here, would it be alright for me to assume that you agree to the conditions of the duel?"
Professor Lemin and Kaera looked at Arvell as if waiting for him to say yes, but contrary to their expectations, he shook his head.
"I don''t."
Professor Lemin lifted an eyebrow in confusion while Kaera gave Arvell a dumbfounded look.
"Why are you not epting? Are you really too scared to fight?"
"Yes, would you mind exining your decision, Mr. Silvanus?"
Seeing their visible puzzlement, Arvell smiled lightly.
However, that same smile seemed to send chills down both of their spines.
"A normal duel is quite boring. So I was thinking of making it a little more¡ Interesting."
Picking up on Arvell''s not-so-subtle hinting, Profesor Lemin nodded.
"So you want to add a wager to the duel?"
"You catch on quick, professor. That''s exactly what I mean."
"So what is it that you care to wager then?" Professor Lemin asked with a perplexed expression.
Hearing the professor''s words, Arvell''s smile grew wider, and he looked at the red girl before him like a loan shark would look at his unsuspecting prey.
"How does 200 gold coins sound?"
Chapter 134 Care To Make Things Intresting?
"How does 200 gold coins sound?"
"..."
Faced with Arvell''s mind-boggling words, Kaera and Professor Lemin''s eyes widened in disbelief.
"T-two hundred gold coins?"
Professor Lemin asked with a shaky voice.
That was a lot, even for someone like him.
In fact, that was about 3 months of his sry as a 4th circle mage working as a university professor!
That was by no means a small sum.
Moreover¡ How rich were these kids?
Kaera and Arvell had connections to ducal houses, but wasn''t this a bit too much?
''Seriously¡ those nobles should better educate their children about the value of money,'' the professor shook his head inwardly.
While he couldn''t tell the nobles how to raise their children, he at least hoped to turn his students into upstanding members of society.
Arvell nodded his head with the same creepy smile stered on his face.
"Yes, 200 gold coins." Answering the professor''s question, Arvell turned his head in Kaera''s direction, "Do you ept Kaera, or are you too scared?"
Kaera blinked a few times before snapping out of her reverie.
"I-it''s just 200 gold coins. As if I would back off from something like that! The real question is do you have the gold to back your word?"
To bepletely honest, even Kaera felt that the conditions for the duel were a little too much.
200 gold was her monthly allowance, so if she were to lose it all in a bet, that would be far too sad.
However, risking 200 gold was still a small price to pay if that meant that she could get a chance to take back her lost pride.
Worst case scenario, she would just resort to working her ass off to try to sell a few elixirs.
Alchemy was her family''s bread and butter, after all.
Kaera''s only genuine concern was Lillianna finding out about this duel, which Kaera considered even worse than losing the duel.
Shaking off any lingering regrets, Kaera red at the boy before her.
Looking at her attitude, Arvell nodded to himself with satisfaction.
"Good, this is how nobility should act. Hmm¡ maybe you were the real Kaera Brandel after all. My apologies for the misunderstanding."
Veins bulged on Kaera''s forehead as she desperately suppressed the urge to pounce the silver-haired youth and rip him a new one.
Pretending to not notice this, Arvell turned to Professor Lemin.
"Is that good enough for you, professor? Since both parties consented to the conditions for the duel, with a professor present no less, there should be no more problems, right?"
Professor Lemin looked at Arvell and then tilted his head towards Kaera.
Finally, he shook his head and gave an exasperated look.
"Since both of you agreed to the terms, it''s not my ce to really say anything. Furthermore, I''m sure with your backings, even if you can''t pay off the bet amount, the ducal houses behind you would probably cover it."
Hearing the response he desired, Arvell beckoned to Kaera.
"Since we got that out of the way, how about we get started?"
"You stole the words right out of my mouth. I''m gonna make you regret humiliating me like that!"
Picking up a staff she''d previously ced on the ground, Kaera pointed the tip in Arvell''s direction, holding it at eye level.
''You say all of this, but you''re the one who randomly started provoking me,'' Arvell sighed internally, ''but thanks to that, it seems my pockets will get a little heavier. So I guess, in a way, it worked out in the end.''
Unsheathing his sword, Arvell also took a fighting stance.
Since both duel participants were ready to start the duel, professor Lemin pulled a whistle from his pockets.
(FWEEE)
Kaera began furiously muttering under her breath at the sound of the whistle.
Matching her, Arvell also began to mouth random words that popped into his head.
Having to pretend to use magic was still one of his top priorities, even if it was pretty tedious.
While doing this, he kicked off the ground, trying to close the distance between him and Kaera.
"Oh mes, be a sphere and burn my enemies¡ FIREBALL."
Uponpleting her chant, a fireball the size of a human fist formed before Kaera''s staff and barreled toward Arvell''s general direction.
''As expected¡ This is nothingpared to Jessica''s. Even big brother''s was far better than this. But it does make sense, considering how strong those two were. Still, though, this is far better than Lydia''s.''
Without blinking, Arvell shed at the oing fireball, cleanly severing it in two, causing the 2 halves to break apart and disperse into thin air.
However, it did cause him to slow down, giving Kaera a chance to create more distance between the two.
Arvell gave Kaera a dull look.
''If this is all you can offer, I don''t even need to use temporal maniption against you, much less my ''new'' ability. Just myher-enhanced body would be more than enough, you know?''
Sensing the intentions behind Arvell''s gaze, Kaera scowled and began to chant her next spell with heightened fervour.
It was as if she was channelling all of her anger into this specific spell.
"Fall onto my enemy like a curtain of fire¡ Fire barrage!"
Suddenly countless pebble-sized mes appeared around Kaera and shot at Arvell at speeds that dwarfed the speeds shown by her earlier fireball.
It was likeparing a pebble thrown by a toddler and that of a full-grown man.
Even Arvell was slightly shocked at this disy.
''I guess my taunt there really hit the mark. So she''s no longer testing me buting at me with full force now?''
However, Arvell''s disbelief quickly faded and was soon reced with a cold smile.
''Too bad this kind of thing is still child''s y. Especially when I''ve got ''that."
Calmly watching the uing rain of fire, the pupils of Arvell''s lustrous amethyst eyes twisted and copsed onto themselves, leaving only stark white sclera.
Two small iridescent dots appeared from the middle of those bare sclera, seemingly out of nowhere.
As if two dots were imprinted onto white paper by an ink pen.
Slowly growing, the coloured dots grew to a sizeparable to Arvell''s original purple pupils.
The only difference was that while Arvell''s eyes were a beautiful purple, a colourparable to gems, Arvell''s new pupils seemed as if they contained all of the colours of the rainbow.
These new pupils seemed to move in real-time, with different parts cycling through all 7 colours of the rainbow.
It was something that would have captured the souls of anyone fortunate enough to catch a glimpse.
However, with their vision blocked by the torrent of fire, this change went unnoticed by both Kaera and professor Lemin, leaving only Arvell as the only one aware that this change had urred.
''Now¡ let''s take this skill out for a spin!''
[Future Sight]
***
Author''s note:
Sorry about the long wait, I know it must have been frustrating.
I''ve been too bogged up with university studies, so finding time to write was a luxury I didn''t have.
However, by no means does this mean that I dropped this nor my other book.
Even if I am forced to update at the speed of a snail, I won''t just abandon a story I started (At least I hope so).
Anyways...
Here''s another chapter!
Chapter 135 Overwhelming Victory
Watching the wave of me crash onto Arvell, Kaera''s eyes narrowed into slits.
"There''s no way something of this level should be enough to take him out, but this should do some damage or at least slow him down."
Having seen Arvell''s fight against James firsthand, Kaera knew there was more to the silver-haired youth than he let on.
Moreover, he managed to take down a rank 2 beast, albeit with the help of two other students and a professor.
This alone was circumstantial proof that Arvell Silvanus wasn''t a pushover.
That''s why Kaera continued to furiously chant as fast as she could, furiously burning through her ample mana reserves to keep the pressure on Arvell.
As long as she could hold the advantage, she could push him into a corner and deal him the final blow.
However, this worked both ways.
Being an arcane mage, if she let Arvelle too close to her, it would spell her doom.
While she was more than capable of fighting at close range due to the ample training she received from her family, the element of fire wasn''t exactly one of the best magic types to use as an arcane warrior.
Other than using the me as a protective coat and pushing enemies away with the heat, it didn''t offer the speed of wind magic nor the durability of earth magic.
She would be utterly useless if her enemy could get through the mes.
Using any of her magic at close range would also put her in danger since she wasn''t immune to fire.
"Fall onto my enemy like a curtain of fire¡ Fire barrage!"
"...Fire barrage!"
"...Fire barrage!"
Continuing her barrage for another minute and hearing nothing, Kaera lept backwards and tried to observe the situation.
Having burned through almost 80% of her total mana, it wasn''t an exaggeration to say that she had pulled out all the stops on this assault.
Arvell was known to use body-strengthening magic to heighten his physical strength and speed, but that was all.
He didn''t have any means to cope with the high heat produced by Kaera''s mes, nor did she give him any space to escape.
Meaning¡
He was dead-center in the attack radius for more than a minute.
There was no way he woulde out of that unscathed.
Since she didn''t hear him screaming in pain from being burned alive, it probably meant that he had already lost consciousness.
Kaera''s lips curved up at the thought of this.
"I don''t like to put the cart before the horse, but it looks like this is my win. Even if Arvell has the strength topete with James, it''s useless if he doesn''t have the chance to reach me. So, to be honest, the matchup was just bad for him."
Professor Lemin nodded at her statement.
He had also heard of the silver-haired boy''s exploits and knew that Arvell was one of the strongest people among the new first years.
His sister even gave him a rundown of Arvell''s fight with Marcus, so he knew that strength wasn''t overexaggerated.
But the evidence made it clear, Arvell had probably lost.
Exhaling deeply, Professor Lemin felt a twinge of pity for the boy.
He did confidently bet 200 gold on this fight, after all.
It was pretty pitiful if he didn''t even get a chance to fight and just had his small fortune taken from him.
''I guess this is what they call pride before the fall.'' But, Professor Lemin thought, ''perhaps next time, he might show more prudence.''
Before he could conclude the end of the match, the Professor still had to properly check that Arvell had lost since that was still a part of his job.
He opened his mouth to call out to Arvell, but before any words came out, Professor Lemin heard a voice ring out from the cloud of dust where Arvell was attacked.
"Are you finished? That was barely even a drizzle, and you call it a barrage? You disappoint me, Kaera Brandel. I expected more from a ducal house."
A small gust of wind blew the dust away, revealing a silver-haired boy watching Kaera with a bored expression.
The most surprising thing, however, was that the boy appeared utterly devoid of any and all injuries.
In fact, he didn''t even look like he had a drop of sweat on him.
He looked as fresh as someone who just woke up from a pleasant nap, not someone who had to brave through a sea of hellfire.
"H-how? How are you unharmed? It makes no sense!"
Kaera''s thinking stopped as she stared nkly at the boy before her.
There should be no way this was happening.
She was the daughter of a duchess, not some random pushover.
There was no way someone her age would be able to brave through an attack of that level unharmed.
Arvell smiled lightly as if amused by her words.
"Your attacks are far too slow to ever hope to hit the likes of me. We can probably predict the oue of this fight, so do you want to just surrender? You see, I only like to fight the strong and don''t take any pleasure in bullying those weaker than me."
Veins bulged on Kaera''s forehead as her face distorted in anger.
"Screw you! Oh mes, be a spher-"
Kaera began to chant another spell, but before she could finish it, Arvell disappeared from his position, appearing only just before her.
Without giving her another moment to think, Arvell aimed a punch at her gut.
(BANG)
"URGGH!"
Clutching her stomach with a pained expression, Kaera fell to her knees.
"Aghh¡ I''m not done yet..."
Arvell lifted his sword and aimed it at her neck, causing Kaera to freeze.
She could feel the cold metal prick her skin, and while she knew that Arvell wouldn''t kill her on school grounds, in front of a professor, her brain was flooded with a rush of fear.
Turning to Professor Lemin, Arvell pointed to Kaera with his free hand.
"This counts as my win, right?"
Professor Lemin closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.
"Yes. As the Professor overseeing the duel, I deem Arvell Silvanus, the winner."
Nodding his head, Arvell pulled his sword away from Kaera''s neck and turned away.
"W-wait! This isn''t over yet!"
Shakingly pulling herself to her feet, She red at Arvell with her usual look of anger, but now it seemed as if that look also carried a trace of fear.
Stopping for a moment, Arvell nodded his head.
"You''re right. How could I forget? You owe me 200 gold, time to pay up."
Turning her direction, Arvell stuck out his hand as if some greedy money lender was asking for his loan to be paid back in full with interest.
Kaera nearly choked on her spit when she saw Arvell''s shameless actions, which he definitely didn''t pick up from his equally shameless mentor.
"That''s not what I mean!"
"Oh, so you won''t honour your word and pay up? To think that the great ducal house has fallen so low."
Arvell shook his head as ifmenting the current state of the world.
"That''s not what I mean! I''ll pay up, but I demand a rematch!"
Arvell gave Kaera a disinterested look and sighed audibly.
"Look. Like I said, I don''t like fighting those who are weaker than me. I barely get stronger, nor is it any fun. Frankly, it''s a waste of my time. If you want to fight me, get stronger. Anyways, I expect you to send me the money by tomorrow."
Without sparing her another nce, Arvell walked over to the Professor and returned the training sword he had borrowed for the fight.
"See you tomorrow, Mr. Silvanus."
"You too, Professor Lemin."
Bidding the professor farewell, Arvell made his way back to his dorm room.
Almost immediately after reaching his room, he copsed onto his bed with an exasperated look.
''To think I had nearly burned through almost all of my Aether, this technique is way too scary.''
Pulling out his status, Arvell internallymented the shoring of his new technique.
''Status''
[Status Information]
Name: Arvell Rs Vispia
Species: Nephilim
Age: 13 years old
HP: 150
STA: 101
DEF: 88
SPD: 89
PHYS ATK: 92
POWER STAGE: 1ST CIRCLE 3RD STAGE
BODY REFINING: 1ST REFINEMENT 2ND STAGE
AETHER: 3/160
NETHER: 120/120
Titles: 3rd Prince of Vispia (Exiled), Inheritor of the Nephilim''s Legacy, Forever Alone?, Battle Maniac
Skills: God-ying Swordsmanship (SSS), Diplomacy (B-), Future Sight (SS), Inventory (S), Temporal Maniption (SSS), Warp (SSS), Rejuvenation (S), Undead Summon (S), Vitality Drain (SS), Alchemy (C), Hide Presence (C), Night-Vision (C).
''I''m down to only 3 units of Aether. I really need to increase my Aether reserves more. But¡ the results from this fight were far better than I hoped!'' Arvell inwardly eximed.
Lykos smiled lightly at Arvell''s words.
''This is a mere fraction of the total power you will eventually amass. Just look forward to it.''
Chapter 136 A Vision For The Future [1]
''Today''s earnings were satisfying, to say the least.''
Arvell smiled slightly at the thought of the small fortune he''d managed to get his hands on.
''I''ll be able to save some time by not crafting elixirs to sell.''
Arvell would have to pay for the ingredients to make his personalized elixirs, but he needed the necessary funds.
Taking this into ount, he nned on ving away at creating batches of elixirs purely to sell and umte the necessary funds.
Luckily his new ''friend'' was kind enough to hand him the necessary funds on a silver tter.
''Maybe I should treat her a little better? Maybe she might give me more ''gifts'' in the future,'' Arvell mused to himself.
It was only fitting to return kindness in turn.
Contrary to his kind(?) thoughts, his current expression was all but that.
In fact, if anyone were to have him, their first reaction would have been to back away in fear.
Unfortunately, the only two other people in the room didn''t seem to mind.
In fact, Lykos had a simr smile on his face.
''I concur. Having ''kind and generous friends'' is always helpful,'' Lykos nodded.
Arvell closed his eyes and thought back to his fight with Kaera.
Shortly after seeing her bombardment of fire spells, he''d quickly acted his previously unused skill and entered a world where he felt detached from the concept of time itself.
It was like he could see the future and the present ovep and intertwine, allowing him to gain insight into the nature of reality itself.
To call it a surreal experience would be an understatement.
Arvell could see and tell where each me spell would go, and their trajectory even before Kaera could fire them.
Like Arvell''s temporal maniption ability, the duration and effectiveness of the skill were directly intertwined.
The more Aether he consumed, the further into the future Arvell could see, but he would also deplete his Aether reserves at a heightened pace, reducing the time he could keep the skill activated.
Due to this, Arvell maintained his future vision to only 0.3 seconds into the future.
While that might have seemed like a short period for an average person, it was still within the average human reaction speed.
If an average human can react at that speed, it was nothing for Arvell, who had his body enhanced into a Nephilim.
Furthermore, with the effects of temporal maniption, it became a cakewalk.
Not only reacting, but Arvell could also have enough time to think in between dodging each st of fire.
He could easily find the most optimal path to dodge each of Kaera''s attacks.
The only concern was the rapid consumption of his Aether.
If Kaera had decided to continue her barrage, Arvell would have had no choice but to break through the rain of hellfire and end the fight before his Aether ran out.
Luckily though, Kaera had stopped beforehand.
Despite having just increased his Aether Core, Arvell was already craving to raise it again.
He felt that it would take years to reach the 2nd circle at his current pace.
However, he needed to solidify his base before rapidly increasing his strength.
Rushing through with a weak base would onlye back to bite him in the future.
As Arvell was lost in thought, he felt a soft and moist feeling on his cheek.
"Kyuu¡"
Turning his head, Arvell smiled at the sight of a bit of fox that greeted him.
Lazily moving his hand, he gently scratched the underside of August''s chin.
(RUMBLE)
August looked at Arvell with sad eyes as his stomach rumbled in protest.
Realizing that he''d gotten too caught up in his bought with Kaera and had forgotten to give his friend dinner, much less eat himself, Arvell felt a pang of guilt.
''Sorry buddy, I''ll get us something to eat.''
Usually, students had to get up and walk down to the dorm''s cafeteria to get a meal, but Arvell was too beat to do that.
Mustering up all the willpower he could, Arvell pulled himself, opened his inventory space, and brought out a tter of sandwiches he had prepared earlier.
Taking one in his hand, he shoved it into his mouth.
The grace and dignity of a prince could hardly be seen from his coarse actions, but it''s not like Arvell really cared.
If there was no one to judge him did it really matter?
August, on the other hand, took small nibbles out of the sandwich with a satisfied expression.
Watching this scene with a content expression, Lykos smiled lightly to himself.
''Arvell, I was thinking¡.''
Raising his head up from his sandwich Arvell shed his mentor a look of intrigue.
''Yes?''
''While you''re attending ur lectures at school, I could use this opportunity to teach August basguage skills. You know, how to read and write.''
Arvell raised an eyebrow at Lykos''s supposedly absurd statement.
''Isn''t he still basically a newborn? Shouldn''t you wait a bit first?''
''You seem to have misunderstandings of the dragon race. However, I suppose it makes sense due to your limited interactions with the race. After all, the current dragon race has essentially be a reclusive race, who refuse to interact with other races,'' shaking his head, Lykos replied.
''What do you mean? Are you saying that they can learn faster than humans?''
''Exactly.''
Arvell nodded his head in agreement.
''If that''s the case, then I''ll leave August''s teachings in your hands.''
While Arvell could fully grasp the intent behind each of August''s thoughts, in the future, it would undoubtedly be more straightforward if August could understand themonnguage.
Plus, it didn''t feel right to Arvell to treat dragons as pets after seeing Kujak''s noble demeanour.
It felt only right that August got the minimum level of teaching.
''After that, I can teach August the basics of fighting as well,'' Lykos continued, ''most dragons would have been taught basic skills, such as how to fight from their parents, but until we can somehow get August back to his family, he won''t be able to learn that. For all we know, it might even take several years. So it''s best if I can fill that void in the meantime.''
''You know how dragons fight?'' Arvell asked.
''Of course.''
Arvell had already inferred there to be some kind of connection between Lykos and the dragon race, especially considering Kujak''s works before his end.
Unfortunately for him, though, Lykos was pretty adamant about keeping whatever secrets he nned on hiding.
While Lykos promised to tell Arvell that was a right reserved for the future, Arvell, someone who would be far stronger than their current self.
At this point, Arvell gave up probing him too much for answers.
If Lykos wanted to share something, he''d naturally tell Arvell himself.
Directing his attention away from his mentor, Arvell turned to face August, who had just about wrapped up his meal.
Sensing Arvell''s gaze, August turned to look at the silver-haired youth.
''Alright, Aug, it looks like you''ll also be learning under Lykos. So in that sense, it''s the same as me. So let''s both get stronger, alright?''
"Kyuu!"
Chapter 137 A Vision For The Future [2]
(DRIIIINNNGGGGG)
(SMACK)
Reaching outzily, Arvell smacked the annoying rm clock on his dresser to make it shut up.
''Augh¡ I hate this hunk of junk so much.''
Getting up out of bed, Arvell got ready and put on a new, freshly cleaned uniform set.
As he was putting on his shoes, a familiar ck fox took that chance to jump onto his shoulder.
A ce which it marked as its special spot.
''Arv, let''s get going! HURRY, HURRY!''
''Yeah, yeah, Aug. Give me a second.''
Arvell pulled out a bup sack and began to fill it with additional uniform sets, bread, and dried meat wrapped inrge leaves and twine.
After throwing in a waterskin made from beast hides, Arvell sealed the bag and threw it onto his other shoulder.
''Today''s breakfast is omelets made from rainbow chicken eggs! If we don''t hurry, they might run out!''
Arvell let out a sigh as he stepped out of his room.
''This is a prestigious academy, so I highly doubt they would run out of food for the students.''
''Even so, I''m starving!''
''Fine, fine, I''ll pick up the pace. Just make sure to hold on tight, okay?''
Noticing that there wasn''t anyone nearby to spot them, Arvell activated temporal maniption and raced down the stairs at top speed, heading straight for the cafeteria, only stopping when he picked up the sounds of a nearby student.
Stopping in front of the lunchdy, Arvell picked up two sets of breakfasts and bnced them as he carried them to a nearby table.
''Here, eat up.''
Eyeing his long-waited prize, August jumped off Arvell''s shoulder and sat in the seat next to him, greedily devouring his breakfast.
Watching this, A small smile formed on Arvell''s lips.
It had been around one month since Arvell entered Skysword Academy, and he had more or less grown ustomed to his average day-to-day life.
While he was still unable to talk with Lily or reconcile with Kaera, he''d used this time to train both his body and mind.
While the teachings of his professors couldn''t really hold a candle to Lykos''s, they provided him with a better insight into the uses of magic.
Even if he couldn''t use it himself, Arvell could gain a glimpse into the potential of magic and the possible powers of future enemies.
While Arvell wouldn''t say he underestimated the power of magic, he naturally felt some kind of superiority when knowing that he would evidently transcend everything that magicians could do.
For Arvell, there were only two types of human mages: those he was stronger than and those he would eventually get stronger.
It wasn''t to the level where he would growcent against magicians, but it was an idea that hade from a deeply rooted sense of bitterness from not being able to wield magic.
He was abandoned for not being able to use magic, which was inherently inferior to his current self.
After all, he could take down a grown man at age 13.
Although they were bandits inherently considered weak in the current society, defeating them had skewed Arvell''s perception of mages.
However, his views shifted slightly after sitting through Professor Orfina''s lectures and Professor Lorine''s practical training.
While it wasn''t to the level where his subconscious feeling of superiority disappeared, he began to acknowledge that while he would eventually surpass magicians, that day was still a ways off.
For now, magic users were a real threat to him, especially stronger mages like the Vispian royal family, namely his father¡
Remembering his so-called father''s cold gaze, Arvell clenched his fist in anger.
''Arv, you''re getting heated up again.''
Feeling a furry paw on his hand, Arvell took a deep breath andposed himself.
''Thanks, Aug.''
Arvell turned to August with a thankful smile.
In a short month, Lykos instilled the ability to speak into the young dragon, so now August was fully capable of conversing with Arvell.
Lykos wasn''t joking about a dragon''s learning capacity. It was far, far faster than the average human.
The time when August could onlymunicate in various ''kyu'' noises felt almost like it was from another lifetime.
Frankly, Arvell kind of missed it. However, he knew it was only a matter of time.
While Arvell was growing, August was as well.
Both of them had their enemies, and the only way they could continue to survive in this world was to get stronger.
''As long as the two of us are together, there''s nobody we can''t beat!'' August proimed with a smug grin.
''You forget someone. If you forget me this quickly, I need to make a bigger contribution to the ''team.'' Hmm¡ How about increasing your training regimens?'' Lykos chimed in.
Hearing the words of their mentor, both pupils felt a cold sweat form on their backs.
''You just had to say that, didn''t you¡'' Arvell threw August a piercing look.
''It was an ident, Lykos. I naturally meant the three of us!''
August looked at Lykos with pleading eyes, desperately trying to make his mentor rescind his decision.
''I''ll think about it.'' Lykos replied with a teasing grin.
''This sadist,'' Arvell shook his head with an exasperated sigh.
Before Lykos could retort Arvell''s words, a nearby voice cut him off.
"Hey, Arvell!"
Turning his head, Arvell looked at the ck-haired youth walking over to their group with a breakfast te in his hands.
"Good morning, Zen."
Dropping his food tray on the seat facing Arvell''s, Zen sat with an energetic smile.
"Are you excited for today? I know how much you must have been looking forward to today''s outing. After all, you like to fight, right?"
Arvell smiled lightly at Zen''s words.
"Am I that transparent?"
"Of course! Everyone can see just how much you and Marcus love to fight. It''s obvious from those crazed grins you two show when you fight."
Arvell sat back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling.
"You''re not wrong. But, to be honest, I have been awaiting this day for quite a while. After all, I haven''t fought a beast in over a month."
After spending months fighting beasts and bandits while living a solitary life in the wilderness, not having battled to the death in a while felt kind of weird for Arvell.
It was almost like he could feel himself getting rusty in real-time.
He longed to experience a proper fight to the death, which he felt would help him get back into shape.
"Well, since today''s trip willst a few days, we should try to eat a full meal first. After all, who knows when we''re going to be able to eat next," Zen replied as he elegantly cut a slice of omelet and put it into his mouth.
Arvell nodded outwardly but didn''t heed Zen''s words much.
Due to his inventory skill, he could pull out some of his previously stored food whenever he wanted, so it wasn''t really a concern for Arvell.
Finishing their meals, the three of them headed off to the front gates, where a row of carriages were awaiting them.
Chapter 138 Dungeon Expedition [1]
"ZEN! ARVELL! OVER HERE!"
Hearing a voice call out to them, both boys turned their heads to see a young girl running in their direction.
"Hey, Reyna!" Zen replied, "I didn''t think you''de this early. But, unfortunately, we still have another 30 minutes before we depart."
"I could say the same for you two."
"Well, in our case, we just met in the cafeteria and found our way over here. What about you?" Zen responded, but he avoided Reyna''s eyes while speaking.
Catching this, Reyna shed her fiance a knowing look.
"Tell me the real reason."
"What other reason could you talk about?"
At this point, beads of sweat began to form on Zen''s face, but he didn''t seem to notice.
"You wanted to see if the two of us would be in the same group, didn''t you?"
Despite knowing where she was going with her prodding, Zen couldn''t help but freeze up when sheid his intentions out in the open.
"Well, did you?"
Knowing that she managed to get the upper hand, Reyna took a step forward, causing Zen to instinctively take a step back.
"Come on, Zen~ There''s no reason to be shy!"
Mustering up all the courage, Zen stood his ground and looked his fiance in the eyes.
"So, how about you? Since you keep bringing it up, are you here to check then?"
Not expecting Zen''s counter-attack, Reyna''s face flushed with a deep shade of crimson.
"Umm¡ Well¡ You see¡."
Watching the two lovebirds flirt early in the morning, Arvell and August exchanged tired looks.
***
After roughly 20 minutes had passed, A woman carrying a clipboard made her way to the front of the crowd of students.
The instant she stood and faced her students, their murmurs and conversations stopped as if on cue, and they silently turned to meet their teacher.
Without wasting another second, Professor Orfina began to do a roll call to check the attendance of her students.
"All here ten minutes early. Well, such punctuality is expected of the S-ss," she nodded, "since you''re all here, I might as well go over the details of our ''trip'' again."
Walking over, she gestured to a board containing the groups of all students in their ss.
"All of you will be divided into groups of four and raid one of the academy''s specially sanctioned dungeons. While most of the beasts are far above your fighting level, the first and maybe second floor should be manageable for your ss. Some of your might even be able to go even deeper."
While she said this, she threw a cursory nce over her students, momentarily stopping on a few of her students.
"Today''s experience is to serve as a trial run of sorts, and if you would like you can attempt to raid the dungeon again in the future. Just make sure to take a temporary leave of absence beforehand. As for the next few days, I want you all to try to get used to living in the dungeon''s environment for an extended period and practise teamwork with your ssmates."
Arvell cringed at those words.
''Frankly, I''d rather go in on my own, but I guess I can revisit it in the future. However¡ It seems I have something else I need to do this time.''
In the morning, he''d nned on simply treating it like an excursion to hone his skills, but after catching a glimpse of the groups for the dungeon raid, he threw that thought on the back burner.
One of the faculty members walked over to Professor Orfina and handed her a briefcase containing small metal insignias crafted in the shape of the academy''s crests.
"I already exined how terminal iron worked yesterday, so just remember to snap it in case you''re in danger."
After handing out the insignias to all her students, Professor Orfina shepherded the students into the nearby carriages while paying extra attention to Titus.
After a month of attending the academy, Titus had rightfully earned himself the moniker "Walking Catastrophe," after all of the school''s furniture and supplies he''d identally broken with sheer strength.
If it wasn''t for the fact that somehow he''d managed to fix everything he broke, the school might have had to let him go.
Although¡ glueing something back together didn''t really look aesthetically pleasing.
Grabbing a carriage with Zen and Reyna, Arvell tilted his head and gazed at the sight of the academy getting further away.
''This is so fun! It''s bumpy and fast!'' August energetically eximed.
While he was fully capable of speaking, he abstained from doing to attract attention to himself, an idea that both Arvell and Lykos had strictly enforced onto the young dragon.
On the outside, he still responded with various noises, such as his signature ''kyu'' sound.
Arvell rubbed August''s back with a soft smile.
It had been only a month since August hadst ridden on a carriage, but that time felt like ages ago for a dragon who had only lived for a few weeks.
Unfortunately unlike thest trip whichsted for a full day, they managed to reach their destination within only ten minutes, much to August''s dismay.
''I''ll show you other fun things like this in the future,'' Arvell promised.
''O-ok¡ Promise?''
''Promise.''
''Yay!''
Arvell''s words renewed the young dragon with vigour, making his previous pitiful appearance look like it was a lie.
Sighing, Arvell shook his head.
"Arvell, we''re going to go join our group, so we''ll be splitting here."
"Yeah, see you guyster."
Wishing Arvell goodbye, Zen and Reyna broke off to find their other two group members.
Through some luck, the two ended up being on the same team, so they were energetic throughout the carriage ride, eagerly nningbat strategies they could utilize together.
''I hope those two don''t end up forgetting the real purpose of this activity.'' Arvell thought to himself as he shook his head.
''As if you''re one to talk,'' Lykos retorted.
''Yeah.''
Arvell didn''t even try to respond to Lykos''s quip since he knew it was true.
He''d put aside his goal in this excursion for quite a long time.
Walking over to a purple-haired boy who seemed engrossed with the novel in his hand, Arvell silently stood near him.
Thevender-haired boy raised his head and looked at Arvell with a nd and disinterested gaze before returning his attention to the book.
Arvell didn''t pay his behaviour much heed since he wasn''t keen on talking with the boy either.
Momentster, an energetic-looking girl with bright yellow hair greeted Arvell with a smile.
"Hi, Arvell, my name''s Marisa! I will be in your group, so please take care of me!"
Despite her attitude seeming peppy and full of life, Arvell could feel her gaze filled with ulterior motives prate him.
After spending a few months with his new appearance, he''d gotten somewhat used to the looks he would get from girls, but Arvell wasn''t really a fan of it.
It was an annoyance, to say the least.
In fact, he''d much rather have 10 teammates like Julius, the purple-haired boy, than be with Marisa.
Unfortunately, he needed to keep up appearances, so he had to properly return her greeting.
"Hello, Marisa. I look forward to working with you as well."
Arvell''s expression was monotone as he replied in such a way that it was clear he was trying to establish a boundary between the two.
Unfortunately, the blonde before him couldn''t take a hint and continued to repeatedly make conversation attempts with him.
It wasn''t until the final group member showed up that he got a break.
Seeing theirst group member approach, all three of them lightly bowed.
Even Julius momentarily put away his book to show the minimum level of respect.
"Please raise your head. While I''m a member of royalty, when I''m in the academy, I''m just a normal student. So please treat me normally."
All three of them raised their heads and nodded in agreement.
Seeing her group members ept her words, Lillianna smiled to herself.
"Now that everyone''s here, let''s get going."
Chapter 139 Dungeon Expedition [2]
?
Following behind the princess, the group entered what appeared to be arge cave, going along with the other groups of students from their ss.
Some students opened their eyes wide in amazement as they stepped into the dungeon.
Transparent prismatic stctites hung above their heads as if threatening to fall down and skewer them at any second.
However, the dense mana concentration surrounding the stctites caught the students'' eye.
It was concentrated to the point where a faint rainbow-coloured glimmer was visible from them.
"Are these¡ Mana crystals?"
Marisa stared nkly at the crystals, mesmerized by the constantly changing colours.
Lillianna smiled and nodded her head.
"Yes, those are indeed mana crystals.
While not considered top-ss treasures, Mana crystals still held significant value in the price market.
These iridescent crystals were only known to form in areas of high mana density since the only way to create a mana crystal would be to expose an ordinary stone to a copious amount of mana over an extended time.
This made dungeons one of the only ces where they grew in abundance.
Like beast cores, mana crystals usually held significant value in creating elixirs, namely ones that affected a magician''s mana.
While they didn''t really impact a mage''s magic circle, mana crystals were far more effective in increasing their mana pool''s overall size and purity.
While those with high mana pools were highly valued, the purity of a mage''s mana pool also yed a significant role in their mana consumption.
Between a mage with a low mana purity and a mage with a high mana purity, the one with a higher mana purity wouldn''t need to expend as much mana to cast the same spell as the one with a lower mana purity.
For this reason, these crystals were valued exceptionally highly by mages across the continent.
Unlike beast cores, which were judged based on what beast they originated from and the beast''s strength, mana crystals were valued based on their size and density before they died.
Typically the longer a mana crystal takes to form, the greater its size and mana density. Therefore, these factors y a significant role in the effectiveness of the elixirs made from them.
To see a wide variety of mana crystals growing from the ceiling, some students couldn''t help but want to pluck some and stuff them into their pockets.
Unfortunately, doing so would cost them their shame since the others nearby would look down on their actions.
A few students silently cursed under their breath for having to uphold their dignity due to being surrounded by fellow nobles.
They wouldn''t have to worry about pocketing a few if no one was around.
Watching their actions, Arvell stifled a chuckle.
''Even if there wasn''t anyone here, taking these would be akin to stealing from the academy. No way the school board would just let that slide.''
Knowing the school, they probably used this space to mana crystals and harvest them once they reached the desired size.
Arvell had even seen some people wearing the school''s insignia on their chests standing guard outside the entrance, proving this further.
''Instead of fretting over how to take these mana crystals for themselves, they should focus on collecting beast cores.''
While it was indeed more profitable to collect these mana crystals and sell them, it wasn''t really an option, so it was honestly better for the students to focus oning up with strategies to fight better as a group.
After walking down the same path for almost ten minutes, the path before them broke off into five smaller tunnels, each leading in different directions.
"One for each ss," Lillianna muttered under her breath.
Marisa looked at each of the five avable paths with a conflicted look.
"Which way do we go?"
"I don''t really know either, but what path we take will probably impact what kind of beast we''ll fight," Lily frowned slightly.
In the time Arvell''s group took to delegate which path to ultimately take, the other groups simrly reached that point as well.
Everyone had unanimously agreed to limit one group per tunnel since, that way, each group wouldn''t have topete for the same limited resources.
Now all that was left was the question of which tunnel each group should take.
"Should we go down the middle path?"
"No, that''s the most obvious one, right? There''s bound to be some super strong beast there."
"But what if that''s the one with the most rewards?"
While most groups stopped in their tracks before trying to figure out which tunnel, two students continued onwards as if they were oblivious to those around them.
Those two were none other than Titus and Marcus.
Unfortunately, despite being from different teams, they set their eyes on the same path.
Marcus turned his head to face Titus, pausing a moment before finally opening his mouth to speak.
"Can I have the middle path?"
Titus nodded his head with the usual nk look on his face.
"Thanks."
Marcus strode into the middle path without waiting for the rest of his group.
"Wait, Marcus!"
"We don''t know what''s down that path!"
"Let''s take a moment to think first!"
As if deaf to the pleas of his teammates, Marcus''s back soon disappeared out of sight.
"Damn this! We have to follow him."
His remaining three teammates hurriedly ran after him, leaving the other groups only four more options.
Titus momentarily pondered before turning his head to the path right of the middle path.
Since it was the closest unupied path, Titus decided he might as well take it.
Sparing a moment to point it out to his group members, Titus walked into the tunnel without looking back, with his group following him shortly afterwards.
At this point, even Arvell was itching to get started.
Seeing two of his strongestpetitors having
Turning to Lillianna, Arvell was about to ask her if they could just enter one of the avable paths, but a certain red-haired girl marched up and blocked his view of Lilliana.
''Great¡ It''s her again.''
Chapter 140 Dungeon Expedition [3]
?
Even after beating Kaera in a duel a month ago and robbing her of her ''pocket money'' in a bet, she was still an active thorn in his side.
It''s almost like she made it her life''s mission to keep Lillianna from any and all people she considers ''dangerous'' or ''harmful.''
And¡ as it happens, Arvell was at the top of her list.
Arvell threw Kaera a smile with a tinge of mockery.
"Do you need something? Or are you here to make another donation?"
Kaera''s face flushed with anger and embarrassment while ring venomously at the Arvell.
She was about to retaliate, but she quickly stopped herself by digging her nails into her skin to control her emotions.
''If I do anything here, then Lillianna will find out about our duel.''
Thest thing Kaera wanted was for her friend to know about the duel with the silver-haired youth before her.
Knowing Lillianna, she would certainly get mad at Kaera for starting their quarrel, and then she''d no doubt try to mediate between her and Arvell.
However, that wasn''t why Kaera didn''t want her to find out.
She didn''t know why but deep in her heart, she didn''t want Arvell near the person she valued most.
It was the feeling one would have when trying to keep a loved one away from their hated enemy.
But¡ Kaera herself didn''t know why she felt this way.
The image of a smiling man with bright fiery hair passed through her mind, causing her eyes to temporarily lose focus and ze over.
A face that belonged to someone she had loved deeply while growing up, someone she would never see again.
All because of that damned war!
A war broke out over that bastard!
There was no way Kaera would ever forgive him, even if he was nothing more than a rotting corpse.
Now, someone who reminded her of that hated person and shared the same name, no less, was trying to get close to her friend.
A friend who was equally torn up as her due to the events of the war, there was no way Kaera could allow him to get even remotely close.
Remembering her objective, Kaera shook her head and turned to Lillianna.
If she could, she would have changed the team rosters to swap her spot with Arvell, but s, that was impossible since she needed a valid reason.
"Remember, Lillianna, even if they''re your own party members, you should keep a close eye on them. After all, you are the princess of this country, so all kinds of people will try totch themselves onto you."
Even if she couldn''t protect her friend in person, the least she could do was at least warn her.
Marisa looked at Kaera angrily as if offended by her words.
On the other hand, Julius didn''t seem to care much, being too engrossed with the book he was reading.
"Kaera, you''re acting too worried, and not to mention a little rude. These three didn''t do anything bad for you to call them out like that." Lillianna replied while giving her group members an apologetic look, "sorry, she''s just a little overprotective of me."
Kaera shook her head in defiance, refusing to back down.
"Even so, you should still be careful. There''s no harm in simply being cautious."
Arvell just threw Kaera a bored look before sighing and shrugging his shoulders.
"Don''t worry, we''re not going to eat her or something. At least I don''t n on doing so."
''At least not yet,'' Lykos quipped.
A vein bulged on Arvell''s forehead.
''Please just shut up.''
August, sitting on Arvell''s shoulder, chuckled lightly at their back and forth.
Kaera looked at August with a soft gaze before throwing onest re at Arvell and walking back to her group.
Over the past month, August turned into a celebrity in their ss, with most girls wanting to pet his sleek ck fur.
However, August adamantly refused all of them, even jumping out of the way whenever they tried to pick him up, so they were forced to ultimately give up.
Taking the rest of her group members, Kaera entered the left-most tunnel, leaving only two tunnels left.
Lilliana smiled ruefully before turning to her group.
"I''m sorry about her. She just cares about me a lot and often ends up going overboard. So please forgive her for her earlier words."
Marisa looked like she wanted to say something but shook her head, recing her angered look with a bright smile.
"If your high- I mean, Lillianna personally asks this, who am I to say no?"
Arvell and Julius, on the other hand, just nodded lightly in response.
''Still showing kindness to everyone around her, Lily''s still the same as ever,'' Arvell thought to himself with a smile, ''but she''s far more dignified than before. It forces me to remember that she''s grown a lot these past few years.''
Arvell turned to his group and pointed to the right-most tunnel.
"We should get going too."
Lillianna, nodding her head in agreement, began walking towards their chosen pathway, serving as a cue for the others to follow as well.
Arvell''s eyes flickered with a mysterious light as soon as they stepped into the tunnel, but he didn''t let anything show on his face.
''Something is watching us.''
He could feel the gaze of something watching their every movement, but he couldn''t precisely pinpoint where.
Arvell wouldn''t be so worried if it was just that, but the real cause for concern was something else.
It was faint, but Arvell could sense a trace of killing intent from that gaze.
However, it didn''t look like whatever it was nned on attacking them, so Arvell couldn''t really do much about it.
Despite knowing that whatever was looking at them could probably put up a decent fight, Arvell couldn''t suppress the slowly-forming smile on his face.
''It looks like our ''fun little field trip'' is about to get much a lot moreplicated.''
Chapter 141 Dungeon Expedition [4]
?
Arvell turned to his team and thought of warning them, but he didn''t have any conclusive proof that he could share to prove that something was watching them.
He also couldn''t just state that his observational skills had reached the level of detecting killing intent that clearly, since noticing a trace of killing intent that small was an impossible achievement for someone his age.
Much to the point where his group would not even believe him anyways.
The only thing he could really do was just formte countermeasures on his own to defend himself and his group.
While he didn''t particrly care much for Marisa and Julius, he didn''t want Lillianna to get hurt.
Something like that would definitely leave a sour taste in his mouth.
After progressing down the tunnel for a few minutes, Arvell''s group encountered a couple of beasts, but considering just how strong their group was, it was almost a synch to take them out.
It was to the point where Arvell was able to divide enough of his attention to urately study the abilities of the two Arcane mages in his team.
Arvell already knew a decent amount about Lillianna, considering they were both in the Arcane Warrior group and had seen each other practice almost daily.
On the other hand, he couldn''t see the abilities of arcane mages his age other than Kaera and Lydia.
It wasn''t helpful that both were fire mages.
Taking this chance, Arvell used his status skill on the two.
While he''d failed earlier when attempting to check Lillianna''s status for some reason, Arvell was happy that it worked for the other two in his group.
[Status]
[Status Information]
Name: Julius Elwyn Haynes
Species: Human
Age: 13 years old
HP: 12
STA: 10
DEF: 12
SPD: 16
PHYS ATK: 11
MAGIC CIRCLE: 1ST CIRCLE 4TH STAGE
MP: 51
Titles: Viscount''s son
Magic Attributes: Mind
Skills: Iplete Noble Swordsmanship (C), Hand-To-Hand Combat (B)
[Status Information]
Name: Marisa Eldridge
Species: Human
Age: 13 years old
HP: 10
STA: 12
DEF: 11
SPD: 15
PHYS ATK: 12
MAGIC CIRCLE: 1ST CIRCLE 3RD STAGE
MP: 39
Titles: Earl''s Daughter
Magic Attributes: nt Maniption
Skills: Iplete Noble Swordsmanship (C), Hand-To-Hand Combat (B)
Arvell noted that along with every young noble he''d met in ntyra (which he''d managed to sessfully appraise), these two also had the skills'' Iplete Noble Swordsmanship (C)'', ''and Hand-To-Hand Combat (B).''
From what Arvell had managed to piece together, it was a custom for all noble youths to have these two skills.
Even families that preferred to use other weapons would make sure the child knew the very basics of the sword.
It was the same for hand-to-handbat.
One could never know when they would end up in a situation where they could neither use magic nor weapons, so it was good that the nobles realized that fact and taught their children how to fight even in those conditions.
After the war, these things had be far more prevalent in the country.
From What Arvell had seen, Julius seemed adept at inducing the beasts they fought into fighting amongst themselves or causing them to outright kill themselves in their confusion.
Either from running straight into one of his teammates'' spells or dying from hitting their heads on rocks.
It was both fascinating and creepy, primarily due to his nk look, forcing them to act like puppets on his string.
On the other hand, Marisa was able to cause the nearby moss on the caves to grow rapidly and wrap around the beasts, binding them for the others to kill.
While it was seeminglycklustre considering the others in the group, her ability was nheless invaluable, especially since she could contain multiple enemies at the same time.
On the other hand, Arvell and Lillianna became blurs as they sped across the battlefield, butchering everything they could find at light speed.
Among the mages in the first-year S-ss, Arvell figured the only other person that could match Lillianna evenly was Marcus with his gravity Maniption Magic.
After all, the ntryan royal family''s magic was a special magic that was considered an extreme rarity for mages.
It was the power of Lightning.
While other members of the ntryan Royal family preferred to be Arcane Mages and smite their enemies with thunder from the heavens, Lillianna''s magic was far more unique and exciting than an Arcane Warrior.
Using her magic, she was able to elerate her body to a level where she could keep up in speed with Arvel after using temporal maniption to speed himself up.
Although Arvell could still slow her down using temporal maniption and give himself an advantage, the fact that she could match his current top speeds was nothing short of amazing.
Even for the royal family, Lillianna''s talent was frighteningly exceptional.
Furthermore, maintaining that state for an extended period of time attested to her monstrous mana pool.
It was at a level where Arvell had trouble believing the girl he had known all his life was even human.
''Seriously, where did the clumsy little girl from before even go? The one who identally added salt into cookies instead of sugar? The gap between the current her and the Lily from the past is way toorge. It''s almost like I''m looking at a different person!''
Lykos chuckled lightly at Arvell''s inner thoughts
''Have you looked in the mirrortely?''
Knowing that Lykos was right and that it was, in fact, himself that had changed the most since their parting years ago, Arvell frowned for a moment.
''If she''s gotten this strong, she gained apelling enough reason to get stronger.''
He looked at Lillianna calmly cutting down a wolf-like beast from the corner of his eye.
''I wonder just what that is.''
After ying and harvesting the cores of the beasts they were fighting, the group prepared to continue forward.
However, Arvell''s suddenly outstretched his hand to stop the group from going forward.
His eyes narrowed as he stared ahead with a sharp look.
"We''ve got morepany up ahead."
Chapter 142 Dungeon Expedition [5]
Chapter 142 Dungeon Expedition [5]
"We''ve got morepany up ahead."
After hearing being stopped by Arvell and hearing the words that left his mouth, hispanions threw him momentarily confused gazes.
lights¦¦Ïvel.c¦Ïm However, using the momentary silence, they realized they could hear a cacophony of faint noisesing from up ahead.
(Squelch)
(Squelch)
(Squelch)
It sounded like something squishy was hidden behind the darkness up ahead,ing closer by the second.
Furthermore, it wasn''t just one, but multiple.
It was to the point where they could overwhelm their group of four with sheer numbers.
Knowing that it was only moments before the beasts would make contact with their group, the rest of his team assumed their battle positions.
While Lillianna and Arvell pulled out their swords which they kept sheathed by their sides, Marisa pulled out a small wand from her pocket, and Julius simply raised the book in his hand.
"Arvell and I will be the vanguards. You two assist from behind."
Due to the direness of the situation, Lillianna didn''t have the time to ask nicely but instead assumed her regal,manding voice.
Only some people in their group found it particrly strange.
Arvell and the other two nodded at her suggestion, given that it was the most viable of their options.
While the others in his group were nervously ring at the darkness before them, anticipating the enemies before them, Arvell, with his night vision, could see them as clear as day.
''Slimes, and not just a few.''
There appeared to be a small army of blob-like creatures with varying colours rapidly hopping their way over here.
''These things are a pain to kill unless you can extract or destroy their beast core.''
Slimes were generally categorized aste-first-rank beasts. However, their vitality was often judged almost a full rank higher.
This was primarily due to their nature of being able to regenerate endlessly as long as their beast cores weren''t damaged or removed from their jell-like bodies.
Their bodies werepletely opaque, so it wasn''t easy to tell exactly where their beast cores were.
Furthermore, due to a slime''s inherent nature to change its body''s shape and structure at will, it could even rapidly change the location of the beast cores in its body.
Fighting a slime would be an uphill battle unless someone could vaporize them in a single hit or remove/destroy their cores in one hit.
Fighting that many slimes with just a group of four?
There were far easier ways tomit suicide.
Arvell frowned at the odds and turned to his group.
"They''re slimes, and from what I can tell, there are at least 30."
The group''s eyes went wide as they turned to Arvell with a shocked look.
Marisa''s face went as pale as a ghost, while even the ordinarily aloof Julius had an unusually serious look in his eyes.
"Are you sure? This dungeon is the jurisdiction of the academy. Surely they would make sure that there wasn''t anything that could kill the students here, right?" Marisa asked in a shaky voice as if trying to deny reality itself.
After all, even she could hear the slimesing closer by the second, which was more than enough proof to validate Arvell''s words.
At her words, Arvell just smiled wryly.
"You did hear about the new-student examinations, right? There was a rank 2 beast there that single-handedly killed off a significant amount of applicants. Even so, that''s beside the point right now. All that matters is that these things are getting closer with every passing moment, even as we speak. That''s why, Instead of wasting time talking, we should start running."
Lillianna and Julius nodded at Arvell''s words while Marisa began to shiver in fear at Arvell''s words.
Her eyes were zed over as she began muttering to herself, a stark contrast to her usually jovial disposition.
"We''re going to die¡ They''re going to kill us all¡ I''m going to get killed in a dark cave in a dungeon¡."
Arvell inwardly clicked his tongue at her actions.
''Great, now it looks like I''ll need to run while carrying her.''
Fortunately, Lillianna stepped up to the girl and put her hand on her shoulder.
"Marisa, we need to get going."
Marisa''s body shook at Lillianna''s touch, but it seemed that was exactly what it took to wake her up from her daze.
"Y-yeah¡ Let''s go."
She pped her cheeks hard to wake herself up before throwing Lillianna an appreciative look.
"Thank you."
Lillianna smiled lightly in response.
"You''re wee."
Before seeing the army of slimes emerge from the darkness, the group turned around and began frantically sprinting back the way they came.
Arvell and Lillianna ran in front, and the other two ran closely behind.
This was due to the natural physical difference between Arcane Mages and Arcane Warriors since thetter usually had much more physically fit bodies.
While running, Arvell paid avid attention to his surroundings looking for the source of killing intent he had felt earlier, but he strangely couldn''t handle it anymore.
While he didn''t getcent, he believed it was safe to assume that whatever it was wouldn''t attack them.
After running at full speed, a distance of 5 meters had formed between Arvell and Lillianna and the other two behind them due to the natural speed difference.
As they continued to run back down the path they had walked earlier, Arvell felt the floor he was standing on grown weak, as if the ground supporting it had suddenly vanished.
This was something that he had not noticed the first time they came through this path, which struck him as odd.
Since Lillianna was too panicked to pay attention to the unexpected softness of the ground below them, the only one who managed to notice that something was off was Arvell.
"Wait, something''s wro-"
He frantically turned to warn Lillianna, who was running next to him, but the area underneath his feet copsed before he could finish his sentence.
Before he knew it, the two were free-falling into a seemingly never-ending abyss.
Chapter 143 The Dungeon’s Depths [1]
Chapter 143 The Dungeon¡¯s Depths [1]
''Shit!''
Arvell inwardly cursed as he, August, and Lillianna plummeted into the darkness below.
Since even with his superior vision, he couldn''t see Julius nor Marisa, it was evident that those two didn''t fall in as well.
Feeling the familiar rush of wind blowing against his face, Arvell almost instinctively unfurled the wings he usually kept tightly bound behind his back.
Still, the sudden realization that he wasn''t alone made him stop.
''If I''m going to pull them out, I should make sure Lily''s knocked out first. I don''t want her to find out about them. She shouldn''t mind too much since it''ll save her from dying.''
Arvell could tell that there was still quite a distance from the ground, so he decided that the best move would be to knock Lily out, so she didn''t catch a glimpse of his two mismatched wings.
Turning his head to face Lily, Arvell was prepared to give her a quick chop behind her neck, but he paused before he continued.
''She''s already out cold¡.''
Arvell was momentarily stunned by the actions of his former fiance, but a stream of forgotten memories passed through his mind, giving him a realization of the current scenario.
''Ah, right, she always feared heights and falling.''
When the two used to y as kids, Arvell tried to take Lily to the top of one of the castle towers to show her the view of the capital, but Lily passed out on the spot.
Arvell, at the time, had panicked and called for a maid, who quickly carried Lily to a bed to rest.
It was onlyter he found out that she had a bad experience while attempting to climb a tree and got stuck a few months prior.
Sick of all the etiquette sses that her family made her take, Lily had used the excuse of needing to use the restroom to slip out of her tutoring session to go explore the courtyard instead.
She found a cat stuck in one of the trees and thought she''d try to help it.
But instead of helping the cat, she ended up getting stuck herself.
Since she''d snuck into the courtyard on her own, no one knew she was there, so she was stuck up in that tree for almost half an hour.
Lily didn''t exactly want to call for help since she was scared she''d get in trouble, but after she didn''t return back to her lecture, her tutor began looking for her, alerting some of the nearby guards to help out as well.
While she got scolded for trying to y hookey, the fear of falling from that tree was an even greater scar for the young girl.
''I didn''t think she''d still be afraid of something that happened almost a decade ago,'' Arvell thought with a small smile.
It seemed that the traces of the girl he knew were still in there.
''This makes everything easier.''
Arvell grabbed Lillianna and August (who were tightly clinging to his shirt) and unfurled the wings he had kept hidden for almost 2 months.
He didn''t even bother to take off his shirt and let the two wings puncture two gaping holes in the back of his shirt.
Spreading them out, Arvell was able to stop their rapid plummeting and made it into a more of a slow descent.
He was finally airborne for the first time in ages, and Arvell relished that feeling.
Being deprived of flying had begun to take a toll on Arvell, so he wanted to make the best out of his current situation.
After all, who knows when he could get another chance like this?
.c¦Ïm But¡
Arvell knew this was neither the time nor ce to be enjoying himself.
He needed to find a way to get the three of them to safety.
''I can''t go back the way we came, or that would raise too many eyebrows. So it''s best tond on the ground before we plot our next move.''
Considering Lillianna''s more fragile body, Arvell descended slower than usual.
While she was by no means weak, Lillianna needed to use magic to reinforce and strengthen her body.
Something which she couldn''t really do while knocked out cold.
Even at their current speed, it wasn''t long before Arvell could see the ground.
''We must be on a lower floor of the dungeon, Aug. Keep an eye out for anythinging our way.''
It was generally expected for the lower levels of the dungeon to be infested with higher-level beasts since the lower levels would typically have a higher mana density than the upperyers.
As Arvell was about to reach the ground, he saw something jump towards him from the corner of his eye.
''Shit!''
Before he could reach the ground, Arvell pped his wings and took off back into the air while a giant light blue blob jumped onto the spot where he was going tond.
''What is that? It''s way too big to be a slime, but its characteristics look almost identical!''
Arvell was puzzled for a moment before he decided to check what it was using status.
[Status]
[Status Information]
Species: Mother Slime
Beast Rank: Late Second Rank
Status: Tamed Beast
[A Slime which is often considered the ''mother'' of ordinary slimes. By detaching portions of its body over long periods, it can create countless smaller slimes, serving it as its mother and queen. Due to its innate physiology, its vitality would rival ate 3rd-grade beast.]
''Just great, out of the frying pan and into the fire.'' Arvellmented inwardly.
After trying to flee from an army of slimes, they ran straight into their boss.
If ordinary slimes had the vitality of ate second rank beast, this mother slime obviously would have a vitality of ate third-grade beast.
This was something that made even Arvell feel nervous.
''It seems I''ll need to pull out all the stops to beat this. But, frankly, it''s best to just try to leave.''
Just as Arvell thought that something caught his eye, it was something he''d never seen on a status page and frankly threw him for a loop once he noticed it.
''Wait¡ this thing is tamed?''
Chapter 144 The Dungeon’s Depths [2]
Chapter 144 The Dungeon¡¯s Depths [2]
Arvell opened his eyes wide in disbelief.
''If this thing is tamed, it obviously means that someone sent it here intentionally¡ Meaning that those slimes from earlier were intentionally targeting us!''
A stream of thoughts flooded Arvell''s brain as he tried to figure out what was happening.
Perhaps the pitfall from earlier was also orchestrated so that this slime here would kill them?
If so¡
It meant that someone was intentionally trying to harm/kill their group.
''What could be their motive?'' Arvell turned his head to look at the girl who was out cold in his arms.
If there was anyone to target in their group, it was evident it would be none other than the princess herself.
But who would do that?
To be able to hide the presence of such a beast in the dungeons, it was evident that the person would be high up enough on the socialdder to pull a few strings here and there.
''Either way, it''s best if I try to run away. There''s no point in trying to fight this while caring for both August and Lily.''
Hearing his thoughts, August looked at Arvell with an apologetic look.
"Sorry¡ I''m being a burden, aren''t I."
Arvell''s stiffened face eased up a little, and he smiled reassuringly at the baby dragon.
"Don''t worry about it. I would have struggled to fight it even if I was alone. Fleeing here is the correct decision regardless."
As Arvell was nning on flying up, his ears twitched suddenly.
It sounded like innumerable objects were falling from above him rapidly.
Looking up, Arvell''s eyes twitched in annoyance.
The slimes from earlier, all 30+ of them, were falling from the sky like rain!
''Great, now we can''t even go back the way we came.''
Lykos, who materialized next to him, also frowned at the sight.
''For now, it''s best if you try to fly down one of the nearby paths and try to put some distance between the slimes and yourself.''
''That looks like the only viable option right now,'' Arvell nodded in agreement.
Without sparing another moment, Arvell took off at full speed while simultaneously using temporal maniption to speed himself up even further while slowing down the advancement of the army of slimes.
lights¦¦Ïvel.c¦Ïm Using his enhanced senses, Arvell could navigate a safe path, and once he was confident that he managed to shake off the slimes, Arvell put down The two he was carrying beside a nearby wall.
''If I find the bastard who caused this mess, I will make him regret the day he was born.'' Arvell inwardly promised himself.
He was initially grateful that he could fly for this long, but it was immensely tiring because he''d not flown in months.
Suddenly flying this much while carrying a dragon and a young girl was causing his wings to ache.
However, before he could take a break himself, Arvell heard a low growling from ahead.
''Can''t I seriously just get a break?''
While Arvell wasmenting his current situation, a beast jumped out of the path ahead and roared menacingly at him.
The beast appeared to be a weird amalgamation of a crocodile and a bear.
[Status]
[Status Information]
Species: Crocobear
Beast Rank: Mid Second Rank
[A beast with the strength with phenomenal arm strength and strong crushing power in its jaws.]
''Okay, got to watch out for its arms and jaws.''
Arvell took a quick sideline nce at August and Lillianna, who weren''t far from them.
''Aug, keep Lily safe, alright?''
''Yeah, don''t worry, I''ll keep your girlfriend safe.'' Aug nodded in agreement.
Arvell''s brow twitched for a moment.
''She''s not my girlfriend.''
''But Lykos said¡.''
Arvell turned angrily to Lykos, who was suspiciously trying to whistle a tune, but since the man didn''t know how to properly whistle, it sounded like blowing air.
''Stop teaching him wrong things!''
''I don''t know what you''re talking about~.''
Arvell inwardly sighed as he pulled out his sword to fight the beast.
''This should only take a moment¡.''
***
(ROAR)
The Crocobear yelled onest time in desperation before Arvell cleanly beheaded it, causing a column of blood toe gushing out of its neck.
''This wasn''t too hard¡ I''ve certainly gotten stronger.''
Arvell had expected the fight tost at least 10 minutes, but he managed to cleanly kill it within 5.
This alone attested to how much stronger he''d gotten.
Furthermore, he could finally use his full strength.
He even allowed the beast to hit him a few times to hit it back harder, healing his injuries immediately by using hisher powers.
It was like he was an unkible demon. No matter how many hits he took, they never seemed to affect him.
Unfortunately, he was still a little exhausted from trying to outrun the mother slime and her army, so Arvell decided to plop down next to Lilianna and August to recuperate.
''I''ll take a break for a little.'' So Arvell thought as he opened his inventory.
[Inventory]
As soon as he opened it, 2 skeletons popped out and cked their teeth in surprise.
Once they realized they were finally back in the outside world, they threw their bony arms in the air to celebrate their newfound freedom.
Arvell, who witnessed their actions, felt a tinge of guilt in his heart.
He''d pretty much locked them up in his inventory for thest 2 months, given that he couldn''t really show them to the outside world.
While he did feel like that was the correct decision, hepletely forgot to consider the feelings of these 2 skeletons he''d unceremoniously locked up.
"Umm¡ hey Sepis, hello Nord."
The two skeletons immediately ceased hugging each other and saluted Arvell as if he was theirmander.
"Sorry about not calling you two for a while, but the circumstances didn''t allow it. Anyways, I need the two of you to survey the surroundings and watch out for beasts while I wait here. If you happen to see a human, I want you to hide and alert me asap. No matter what, don''t let them see you."
Arvell had to ensure that he was prepared if whoever tried to kill them returned to finish the job.
The two skeletons nodded in understanding before splitting up to scour the surroundings.
Since Arvell could link their senses with his own, it was like having 2 sentries helping him out.
With the current threat out of the way, Arvell looked up at the rocky ceiling with a tired expression etched on his face.
''I wonder if those two got out okay. If the slimes followed us, it must mean they got out. They''re probably calling for help right now.''
Arvell''s eyes widened as he remembered the metal te the professor had given him before entering the dungeon.
He thought of breaking his but stopped himself at thest minute.
''If the person after us knows where we are, we''re as good as gone. So it''s best to y it safe until someone trustable makes it down here.''
Arvell audibly exhaled.
"Mhmm?"
A faint voice entered Arvell''s ears as he turned to face Lillianna.
She was slowly rubbing her eyes as she rose up and turned to face Arvell.
"Arv?"
Chapter 145 Meeting Her Again After So Long [1]
Chapter 145 Meeting Her Again After So Long [1]
"Arv?"
Hearing the familiar nickname leave Lillianna''s mouth, it was like all of the colours in Arvell''s eyes were reduced to grey.
''Does she know? What led her to figure it out? Was she awake all this time? What else does she know?''
A torrent of thoughts flooded Arvell''s mind as he tried to piece together just how much Lillianna knew about him.
"Arv? Is that you?" Lillianna asked once more in a groggy tone.
She proceeded to rub her eyes once more in an attempt to fully wake herself up.
Only then could she get a better look at Arvell''s face.
Lilliana''s face froze and was drained of all its colour.
It was as if someone had punched her in the gut.
"Arv-ell?"
Arvell, hearing the confusion in her voice, inwardly sighed in relief.
''It seems she doesn''t know. Could she have just been having a dream? Of me? What was she dreaming of?''
Arvell forced an awkward smile as he greeted Lillianna.
"Hello princess, did you have a good sleep?"
Lillianna''s face went red as she tried to hide her face in embarrassment.
"Don''t tell me I¡."
"Fainted? Yup."
Arvell''s words made her remember how they ended up in this mess.
The dungeon, the slimes, the fall, everything.
Lillianna raised her head from her hands and tried to survey the surroundings.
"Where are Julius and Marisa?"
Arvell could hear the undisguised worry in her voice.
"Frankly¡ I don''t know. But after we made it out of the fall, Those slimes fell and chased us. There wasn''t enough time to beat them and chase after us, so I guess those two probably made it out."
Lillianna exhaled in relief.
"That''s good."
Watching her actions, Arvell smiled wryly.
"If anything, I would worry more about our current situation."
"About that¡" Lillianna looked around at the unfamiliar area, illuminated by the countless mana crystals hanging down from the ceiling.
"Where exactly are we?"
Arvell shrugged his shoulders.
"I don''t really know, but we took quite the fall. We might be almost 2-3km underground right about now."
Lillianna''s eyes widened in shock.
"How did we survive the fall? This makes no sense!"
Arvell looked at his shoulder with a pained look.
"I grabbed you and August before stabbing my sword into the nearest wall. It seemed that was the only way I could stop us from plummeting to our deaths."
While he was ufortable lying to her, this was the only way to keep his secret safe.
Arvell even changed out of the shirt his wings tore apart and switched to another to hide the traces.
Lillianna felt like there was something wrong with Arvell''s words.
She ultimately just nodded.
"T-thank you. If it wasn''t for you, I''d-"
"There''s no need to thank me," Arvell cut her off, "I was only helping my teammate."
Lillianna shed Arvell a grateful smile but still shook her head.
"That isn''t enough. If a royal family member doesn''t properly reward someone for their contributions, it won''t look good for our image. So once we get out of here, I''ll ensure you''re properly rewarded."
As much as Arvell wanted to decline, it was confirmed that he could use the extra money.
After all, the elixirs he needed to get stronger weren''t cheapter.
Ultimately Arvell just nodded his head.
"Thank you for letting me do this," Lillianna said as she sat back and leaned against the wall.
Arvell smiled lightly in response.
"So, you were calling me Arv earlier¡ Was that a nickname?"
As this was one of the few chances he had to talk to her one-on-one, Arvell decided to try to go for broke and ask her.
While he felt dirty asking her like this, he wanted to gauge her feelings for him.
Did she still like him as she did in the past, or did that liking boil away into rage and disgust?
Not only was there a war between their countries, but it was alreadymon knowledge that he was found to have no mana a few days before his'' assassination.''
There were more than enough reasons for Lilianna to hate and despise him, but Arvell wanted to reject this idea.
If he discovered that one of the few people in this world he still cared about hated him¡ His already fractured heart might grow even more broken and distorted.
Lillianna''s face froze at Arvell''s words.
"Um, that¡."
She''d been inwardly hoping that Arvell hadn''t heard her earlier grumblings or at least forgotten about it.
Unfortunately, Lillianna had underestimated the memory and hearing of a Nephilim.
"From how you''re reacting, that nickname belonged to the former prince¡ Am I correct?"
Not really able to refute Arvell''s words, Lillianna nodded conflictedly.
Arvell looked up at the ceiling that was faintly shining iridescently.
"I heard you two were close growing up¡."
Lillianna was about to respond before stopping herself.
Regardless of her feelings, there was a war between their two countries, in which countless lives were lost.
One of the main reasons the war started was because of Arvell, after all, so frankly, it was a given that it was hard for her to openly admit to that, no matter how much that was true.
Furthermore, she''d gotten re-engaged, so if people were to think she still carried feelings for her ex-fiance, it would create an unnecessary stir.
While she held no particr interest in her current fiance, especially since she knew what kind of person he was deep down, she had to keep up appearances as a member of the royal family.
No matter how much she despised her current situation.
"We weren''t that close. In fact, it was more of a diplomatic marriage than anything else. We just got along on a surface level to keep the rtionships between our two respective countries."
Hiding her genuine emotions behind her false smile, Lillianna responded with her usual scripted answer.
Arvell wasn''t the first one to ask this question, and certainly not thest, so frankly, she''d gotten so used to answering in this way that it was believable.
Arvell felt like a knife was lodged into his chest but kept his usualposed smile.
"I see¡"
Knowing that the little girl he grew up with never even cared for him was a blow, unlike what Arvell had felt.
It was as if his whole world was crashing down.
An angry voice resonated in his mind as Arvell began wondering if everything was a lie.
''Are you an idiot?''
Chapter 146 Meeting Her Again After So Long [2]
Chapter 146 Meeting Her Again After So Long [2]
''Are you an idiot?''
Arvell was snapped out of his thoughts by a familiar voice.
Lykos, materializing next to Arvell, red at him as if he wanted to p some sense into him.
''Who are you, and what did you do with Arvell? Thest time I checked, the kid I trained was as fearless as he was intelligent. He certainly wasn''t some mopey idiot.''
Arvell felt enraged at Lykos''s words.
First, he had to hear Lillianna''s words, but now he had to deal with Lykos verbally sting him?
If Arvell wasn''t pissed before, he indeed was now.
''What the hell are you talking about, Lykos?''
Lykos pped his palm onto his forehead and red at Arvell.
''The fact that you can''t even tell this much is beyond pitiful. To think that someone I personally taught ended up this stupid.''
''Stop dodging my question and going in circles! Just tell me what you''re talking about!''
Arvell red at Lykos, but Lillianna wasn''t looking at him at the moment, so she didn''t quite catch that.
She was looking at the wall on the other side of the hallway with a forlorn expression.
Knowing that his words were going nowhere, Lykos decided that the only way to get through to Arvell was, to be frank about the whole situation.
''If you take one good look at her, you can tell just how true her words are. Arvell, your countries had a war, for crying out loud! If it was known that she still cared about a prince from an enemy country, what would happen to her image as royalty? Serious, the normal you would have already thought of something this simple ages ago.''
Arvell paused briefly as he cleared his mind of his residual thoughts.
After thinking about Lykos''s words, Arvell couldn''t help but agree with his mentor.
It was so obvious it was practically ring him in the face, but his emotions had clouded his judgement.
Arvell wanted to punch himself.
''You''re right, Lykos¡ I-I don''t know what happened to me.''
Lykos''s rigid eased a little as he shook his head.
Despite berating Arvell quite harshly, Lykos could understand where he wasing from.
For someone who had pretty much closed off his heart like Arvell, the thought that one of the few remaining people he cared about hated him was too hard to bear.
One of the few remaining reasons for him to live would have disappeared as if it was a lie.
Arvell could still remember the moment he was stabbed by the assassins and his undying desire to see her once more.
Although he knew the chance still existed that she might have changed entirely from the Lily he once knew, he wanted to reject that possibility no matter what.
But instead of using his brain, he let his emotions do the thinking.
''To think I of all people had a weakness like this¡ I who wouldn''t bat an eye when ughtering countless lives.''
Lykos smiled slightly.
''Remember, you''re still just a 13-year-old kid. While you''ve been acting like an idiot, this is normal for people your age. But, unfortunately, you can''t live out your childhood like an ordinary kid. You simply don''t have that kind of liberty¡ Every moment is precious.''
Inwardly Lykos thought to himself, ''after all, you need to be ready for when ''they''e¡.''
Shaking off his rambling thoughts, Lykos continued.
''You can''t let your heart be rattled that easily... Furthermore, believe in Lily. You two used to have an unbreakable bond. I personally witnessed it from the amulet. Is that really all the faith you have in her?''
Arvell froze at Lykos''s words and looked at Lillianna, and noticed the pained expression she was hiding beneath her smiling facade.
What seemed so confusing andplicated then suddenly felt so clear.
Forming a fist with his hand Arvell punched himself in the face.
(SMACK)
Arvell didn''t hold back either, leaving a red knuckle-shaped imprint on his cheek.
"Eh?"
Lillianna snapped her kneck at the loud bang, only to see Arvell''s slightly swollen cheek.
"A-are you ok?"
Lips curving up slightly, Arvell nodded.
"I am now."
Lillianna looked at him with evident confusion.
"Why did you punch yourself? That looks like it stung quite a bit."
"I needed to focus my thoughts. Something like this was needed to wake me up."
Before Lillianna could continue asking him questions, Arvell decided he might change the topic.
"By the way, do you know any beast tamers with slimes as pets?"
Lillianna tilted her head, perplexed by Arvell''s question.
"A slime? I don''t. Why do you ask?"
"I thought that it would be nice to have one¡ Their immense vitality would be quite helpful forbat," Arvell lied.
Lillianna nodded her head in understanding.
"Yeah, I could see their value as pets, but sadly I don''t know anyone like that. Sorry about that," Lilianna replied in a slightly apologetic tone.
"It''s fine, don''t worry about it."
''It seems she doesn''t know who the person attacking us is. Either that or the person didn''t make their beast pet public knowledge.''
Arvell had hoped to get at least a suspect from Lillianna, but his attempts were futile.
"By the way, on to more pressing matters¡ We need to find a way out of here."
Arvell pointed down the way he came.
"I saw some strong-looking beasts as I ran down this path, so frankly, it''s best to go in the opposite direction."
"Do you think we could climb back up the hole we fell from?" Lillianna asked while trying to hide her quivering hands behind her back.
Arvell could tell she was nervous about climbing due to her fear of heights.
Shaking his head, he replied, "the beasts chasing me might still be there. So it''s probably not safe."
"I-I see¡"
Lillianna wanted to breathe out a sigh of relief, but the thought of being stuck with no way out forced her to hold it in.
"We should just head down that pa-"
Just as Arvell was about to finish speaking, he felt Sepis trying tomunicate with him.
Connecting his senses with his summoned skeleton, Arvell''s eyes narrowed.
He could see a giant blob and many smaller blobs rapidly hopping their way over to Sepis.
''It''s already made its way here¡.''
Chapter 147 Tracked [1]
Chapter 147 Tracked [1]
?
Jumping to his feet Arvell looked at the direction at which Sepis was sent to scout.
''Sepis didn''t deviate into any of the nearby branch tunnels yet, so if they found him, it means that they have a clear path to our location.''
Arvell furrowed his brows in confusion.
''This means that somehow they got extremely lucky by guessing our path, or¡ They''re tracking our location.''
However this didn''t make sense to Arvell.
Slimes don''t have eyes, noses, or even ears, meaning that their ability to observe their surroundings is fairly limited.
They mainly interact with their environment is by emitting trace mana particles onto their surroundings, and visualizing their environments through a means simr to echolocation, or by simply observing the mana flow of nearby organisms.
If they were to be tracked it would be via the second method.
Slimes are beings extremely sensitive to different mana signatures, so if properly trained, they should be able to find beings or objects with that specific signature, even from a distance away.
''If that''s the case, then what could the object they''re tracking be?''
The only thing that Arvell was carrying on him with a recognizable mana signature would be the school''s terminal iron insignia, but that didn''t quite fit the bill.
After all, the mana signature was designed to only be recognizable when broken.
''If it''s not me then¡ It has to be her.''
Arvell turned to Lily with a scrutinizing look.
"I-Is there something wrong?"
"Lillianna, do you happen to have any objects that emit a mana signature on you? Even if it''s extremely trace, that''s fine too."
''If this isnt the case, the only other option would be that the queen slime memorized her unique mana signature. If that''s the case, it''ll be far more troublesome to deal with. Luckily though, for it to memorize Lily''s signature without Lily knowing¡ That would be highly improbable.''
Lily looked at Arvell with a perplexed look.
She felt a little confused and defense since a ssmate she barely knew started interrogating her on the spot.
Even if he was supported by one of the dukes, to act this way, especially to a member of royal blood was too much.
However, Lillianna didn''t know why, but she felt that she could put her trust in the silver-haired youth.
Taking a deep breath, she reached her hand into the inside of her shirt, just below her neck and pulled out what appeared to be a small pendant.
Unsping it off of her neck, she showed Arvell.
"This is the only thing I have on me which gives off a trace magical signature. Do you need something with this?"
Unfortunately for Lillianna, instead of answering her directly, Arvell had his attention glued to the object in her hand, or it would be more urate to say, the status screen infront of it.
[Status Information]
Item name: Tracking Pendant
Durability: 95/100
Skills: Trace
Trace: Allows for the user to have a firm grasp of the position of this ne at all times, as long as they are within range to sense it.
[A pendant designed to track the wearer, and send their location to the creator]
Arvell''s eyes narrowed as he read the text before him.
''There''s no doubt about it, this is the cause.''
"Who gave you this?" Turning back to Lillianna, Arvell asked.
However instead of answering Arvell immediately this time, Lillianna frowned at him.
"I''m not saying anything else until you tell me what this is all about. Seriously, you expect me to just answer your questions, when you won''t even tell me what''s going on? You keep ignoring me and treating me like I''m your subordinate or something."
Arvell sighed and nodded his head in understanding.
"You''re right, I appologize," Arvell smiled bitterly.
While Arvell wanted to just get the problem over with as soon as possible, he had overlooked the fact that he owed Lillianna an exnation.
Especially considering what he nned to do next.
"Back when we reached this floor, we were ambushed by a queen slime. Luckily I was able to outrun it, but somehow it''s managing to track us."
"Wait you ran into a queen slime?!? How did you even manage to get away? You know what¡ That''s not important right now. You said it''s tracking us right? So is iting here right now?" Lillianna asked in a panicked tone.
Arvell nodded his head with aplicated look.
"For it to track us, it''s no doubt using some form of magical signature. Which I suspect is the same one being emenated from your pendant."
Lillianna looked at Arvell with visible shock.
"There''s no way¡ This thing was given to me by that person¡ Why would a beast in a dungeon have that magical signature memorized?"
"I suspect that the queen slime might be a contracted beast. Don''t you find it weird how the army of slimes just happened to appear on a higher level like that? Even more so that we were led into a trap that we didn''t seem to trigger the first time we traversed that hallway?"
Lillianna''s eyes shed with a spark of enlightment.
"You''re right¡ That does seem awfully odd¡ But you think it''s a contracted beast and that it''s tracking us? ¡You think that it''s tracking the magical signature in this pendant?"
Arvell nodded his head, "that''s the only option I can think of."
Lillianna''s hand gripping the pendant began to shake as her breath grew unsteady.
"B-but that makes no sense¡ Why would it be tracking this pendant¡ No¡ It cant be¡"
She stared at the pendant in her hand as if doubting it''s very existence.
Arvell watched Lillianna''s expression before putting his hand on her shoulder in an attempt to calm her.
"Lillianna, I need you to tell me¡ Who gave you that pendant."
Lillianna slowly raised her head to face Arvell.
"I-I¡" The princess exhaled slowly before continuing, "It was given to me by my current fiance¡ Cyprian"
Chapter 148 Tracked [2]
148 Tracked [2]
A slight frown formed on Arvell''s lips, but internally he was furious.
He had heard of Lillianna''s current fiance from other the gossiping of other students, but he hadn''t thought Cyprian would be the one behind this incident.
''Why would he do that? Isn''t marrying a bonafide princess good for him? Why jeopardize that?''
It would have been far easier if Cyprian had made moves to kidnap Lillianna after he married her.
Why resort to sabotaging her while she''s under the academy''s protection?
''Not that their ''protection'' ever amounted to anything.''
After the whole entrance exam fiasco, Arvell had understandably decided not to put much trust in whatever protective measures the academy offered.
But his current predicament was far worse than whatever happenedst time.
The safety of the sole princess of the country was at stake now, and even if they got out, Arvell was 100% confident that heads would roll after this incident.
There was no way the academy could just pull the rug over this.
Even so, for a student to be able to orchestrate something like this single-handedly, it was too far-fetched.
''Cyprian must have had help, possibly from his family? Or perhaps was it someone from Vispia?''
If a ducal house was nning something like this, it would be seen as nothing short of a coup d''etat.
Either of those two options would be the spark that would lead to the start of another war.
While the thought of war caused him to frown, the idea that someone was targeting Lily caused him to seethe internally.
He didn''t care who was behind this or how strong or influential they were.
Arvell would arrange a one-way ticket to hell for all of them.
He would make sure they didn''t die fast but, instead, a slow, agonizing death.
After all¡ Lily''s situation was exactly the same as him.
Both of them had been betrayed by their fiance and given a gift with tracking magic.
This was just too personal for Arvell to let them off easy.
Furthermore, there was no way he would let Lily meet the same fate as him.
If it weren''t for Lykos, he would have been a dposed corpse by now.
Arvell exhaled to calm the whirlwind of emotions in his heart.
Reaching out his hand, Arvellid it outstretched before Lillianna.
Lillianna looked at the pendant and then back at Arvell. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
"I-I can''t just throw this away¡ Are you sure it''s the cause? Did Cyprian really¡ did he really try to kill me?"
Arvell looked her in the eyes with a determined expression.
"I need you to trust me on this. If you keep that on, we could possibly end up dead."
Faced with only two options, Lillianna resolved herself and handed her pendant to Arvell.
She didn''t know why but felt she could trust the silver-haired youth before her.
It wasn''t like she cared too much about that pendant either way, given that she didn''t think much of Cyprian in the first ce, with all the nasty rumours surrounding him.
Lillianna didn''t want to be med for losing an engagement gift her ''precious fiance'' bought.
But with her current predicament, she could im she lost it while running for her life. It wasn''t like people could fault her for that.
Seeing that Lillianna decided to believe in him, Arvell smiled lightly before taking the pendant from her hand.
Gripping it tightly, Arvell chucked it down the tunnel as far as he could before instructing Sepis to pick it up.
If he could make Sepis run around while holding that, he could keep Queen Slime and her army busy while the two of them made their way out.
Arvell debated keeping the pendant in his inventory as ''proof'' of foul y, but he didn''t want to risk identally running into the queen slime.
He could not beat it without revealing his full power; even then, it would be a close battle.
As much as Arvell would love to cut that giant blob down to size, he didn''t want to needlessly jeopardize Lillianna or reveal his true power in front of her.
He would much rather take the safer route and constantly lure it further and further away from them.
''Plus, I would rather have them not know we caught onto their actions.''
Breaking the pendant would notify Cyprian that they knew he was behind the plot and might force him into a corner.
Usually, Arvell would prefer such a method, but right now, he didn''t have any insurance to handle whatever Cyprian would throw at him.
It was best to just throw it away and pretend they lost it.
"Ok, we should get moving. We must get as far away as possible to put some distance."
Rising to his feet, Arvell offered Lillianna a hand.
Eyeing his outstretched hand, Lily prepared to grab it to pull herself up but paused.
"H-hey do you think¡ Do you think Cyprian really tried to hurt me?"
Even if he wasn''t the best personality-wise, finding out that someone she knew would stoop that low¡ It caused her to feel a sharp pain in her heart.
Arvell looked down at Lillianna with a sorrowful gaze.
Arvell was quite familiar with the feeling she was experiencing right now¡ The gnawing feeling of betrayal in her heart¡ Wanting to believe the offending party didn''t actually mean to hurt them¡ The loss of trust in everyone else after being burned once¡
He felt conflicted. While Arvell didn''t want to hold the truth back from Lillianna, he also didn''t want her to go down the same route as him, alienating himself from everyone else to protect himself from ever going through that again.
Even now, Arvell kept up walls between those around him, constantly second-guessing the true intentions of those around him.
While he didn''t want to admit it, living like that was taking a toll on his mind and body.
He didn''t want Lillianna to go through that.
While he was in the middle of his mental battle, Lykos decided to intervene.
''If someone is after her life, she has a right to know. If she ends up distrusting everyone, then simply work to earn her trust afterwords.''
Arvell paused for a moment before following his mentor''s words.
"It''s the most likely scenario," Arvell answered with a slight exhale.
Lillianna put her head down, letting her hair fall and cover her face.
"I¡ I see¡"
Dropping down to one knee, Arvell tightly sped Lillianna''s shaking hand.
"Don''t worry, no matter what, I won''t let you get hurt by that bastard."
Lillianna raised her head, and for a brief moment, the appearance of someone she hadn''t seen in a while ovepped with Arvell''s.
While the two were nothing alike appearance-wise, she felt they were simr in some aspects, along with their name.
Light returned to Lillianna''s clouded eyes as she slowly nodded her head.
For some reason, she felt that nothing could hurt her as long as he was there.
Sorry for theck of updates. I have been too busy these past few months.
Chapter 149 [Bonus chapter]Worse Than A Beast
149 [Bonus chapter]Worse Than A Beast
Somewhere inside the dungeon owned by the Sky Sword academy, two blurs, one silver and the other bright yellow/blue, sped through the twisted pathways at breakneck speed.
They were travelling so fast that to the untrained eye, they were merely shes of light, there one second, gone the next.
"Lillianna, keep your eyes peeled," Arvell advised.
While he was confident that his senses were far beyond an average human''s, he wanted to ensure that Lillianna kept her guard up just in case.
"Yeah, don''t worry." She lightly smiled in response.
The earlier revtions had shaken her to the core, but she had be noticeably better after Arvell offered her his support.
It wasn''t as if she could suddenlye to terms with everything, but she could at least process the probability that Cyprian hadid a trap for her without her realizing it.
Lilianna sidestepped to avoid a rock before turning to Arvell, who was running at a simr pace next to her.
Inwardly, she was surprised at this.
She knew that Arvell was fast, but no matter how fast Lillianna tried to run, Arvell could effortlessly keep up with her.
Frankly, it was a humbling experience for Lillianna.
Her lightning-fast speed was a source of great pride for a lightning-based arcane warrior like Lillianna.
After all, not even the wind magic using Zen Silvercolt was able to match her in terms of speed.
Unlike Zen, who used the power of the wind to propel himself, Lillianna used her magic to send electric currents through her body on top of using her magic in a simr style to Zen.
Not only was she using lighting for propulsion, but she was also using it to stimte her muscles to improve her reaction speed, making her run faster.
Despite all of this, Arvell was able to match her speed, that too without breaking as much as a sweat.
The more she learned about this silver-haired boy, the more she became curious.
She had spent thest month watching Arvell''s fights, but aside from watching his bouts with Marcus, she did not have much chance to see him at his strongest.
Primarily because Kaera had done her utmost to keep the two separated.
Even though she had never known Arvell to be this fast usually.
''Wait¡ Doesn''t Marcus be able to slow people by increasing gravity? No wonder I never noticed¡'' Lillianna''s eyes widened in realization.
Since the purple and silver-haired boys, without fail, always teamed up during free-sparing, she didn''t have much chance to see the two fight on their own.
It wasn''t her fault that the two acted like long-lost lovers and preferred to stay in their little world every time they fought.
Thinking about this, Lillianna''s smile grew slightly.
"Hey¡ Arvell?"
Turning his head in her direction, Arvell lifted an eyebrow in response.
"Yes?"
"I¡ I wanted to thank you."
"For what?"
"You helped open my eyes to the possibility of Cyprian''s betrayal and went out of your way to help me."
Seeing her heartfelt thanks, Arvell''s lips curved up slightly.
"I thought I already told you that you don''t need to thank me. I only did what I had to to help a teammate. Not to mention¡ I need you toe back alive for me to get my ''reward.''"
Lillianna chuckled lightly at his words.
"Don''t worry. I am a woman of my word; I will fullypensate you for your actions."
Her smile caused Arvell to feel a pang of nostalgia in his heart.
Arvell couldn''t help but ovey the image of the girl right next to him on the little girl he used to know.
''Even without thepensation, I wouldn''t let you suffer alone.''
Just as Arvell thought that, he suddenly felt his connection to Sepis be faint.
Upon checking his connection with Sepis, Arvell exhaled a sigh.
''Sepis finally fell¡.''
He had instructed Sepis to act as bait while holding onto the Tracking Pendant, but it seemed that after trying his hardest to run, Sepis was finally dealt a death blow.
But from the final moments before Sepis fell, Arvell noticed something weird.
No matter how intimidating the queen slime appeared, it never attempted to deal Sepis a lethal blow.
Instead, all of its attacks aimed to incapacitate him instead.
In fact, the queen slime wasn''t what killed Sepis; it was a nearby beast that had attacked Sepis from behind while he tried to dodge an attack from the queen slime.
Arvell furrowed his brows in thought.
''So Cyprian or whoever is behind this wanted Lily alive¡ Is it to use her as a hostage? Or something else?''
Frankly, kidnapping Lillianna made far more sense for Arvell than upright killing her.
If Lillianna''s aggressors were to get their hands on her, they could force the king into agreeing to all sorts of crazy demands.
Arvell''s brain began to analyze the previous events as something confusing for him suddenly became crystal clear.
''Wait¡ That queen slime was positioned right below the hole¡ So if the two of us really fell, we would have had our fall cushioned to a reasonable extent if we fell. If anything, we would have a couple of broken bones, but nothing too serious.''
This meant one thing¡
Since the queen slime didn''t want to kill them¡ It most likely wouldn''t fight them with the intent to kill.
If they could catch it off guard and deal a lethal blow while it was holding back, they could kill it and escape!
While Arvell wasn''t too confident with fighting the queen slime on an even ying field, an advantage this big would indeed even the odds.
Even though it felt like he was cheating by using the fact that it was holding back against it, who told it to underestimate him?
Thinking this, a small maniacal smile formed on Arvell''s lips, but fortunately, Lillianna couldn''t see this.
If she did, she would have most likely begun to fear him instead of thete second-rank beast¡ n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Sorry for theck of chapters! Thank you for continuing to support my work!
Sleepy_Slime
Chapter 150 Spelunking With A Princess [1]
150 Spelunking With A Princess [1]
After running for almost ten minutes, Arvell''s eyes flickered as he turned to Lillianna.
"Wait, Lillianna."
Pulling himself to a stop, Arvell gestured for her to do the same.
"Is there something wrong?" Lillianna asked with a curious look.
Unsheathing his sword, Arvell narrowed his eyes as he eyed the path before them.
Sensing his intentions, August jumped off his shoulder and put some distance between himself and Arvell.
"Somethingsing."
Lillianna''s eyes widened, but she nodded in understanding.
Pulling out her sword, she assumed her fighting stance.
(WOOSH)
Using his night vision, Arvell could see countless sharp objects flying in his direction faster than the untrained eye could see.
Arvell''s exhaled slightly as he lifted his sword.
(DING DING DING DING)
With one fluid movement, Arvell cut down all of the projectiles.
Lillianna, whose reaction speed was slightly slower, achieved a simr feat.
While her eyes could not see them correctly due to the dim lighting provided almost entirely by the luminescent crystals embedded in the cave walls, her reflexes were lightning-fast.
(DING DING DING DING)
"Be careful. It''s not done," Arvell warned as he eyed the darkness before them, tracking the beast with his eyes.
Lillianna nodded in understanding.
"SQEEEEE!"
Letting out a roar, the beast began barreling its way over to the three of them, eventually getting close enough for Lillianna to finally see it.
Arvell''s eyes flickered.
[Status]
[Status Information]
Species: Quillian Hedgehog
Beast Rank: Late First Rank
[A beast with removable regenerating spines that can shoot at its prey at high velocities.]
''For a first-rank beast to survive here, it must have been quite lucky. Too bad it''s luck finally ran out.''
Given that most of the beasts in this area were stronger than the Rasian Python at the academy''s entrance examination, it must have been nothing short of a miracle for a first rank to survive. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
Arvell and Lillianna exchanged nces before they jumped at the beast.
Lillianna opened her mouth slowly and began chanting.
"Let the current course through my veins and give me the might of thunder¡ Lightning Boost!
Meanwhile, Arvell manipted the nearby Aether while faking some mouth motions.
[Temporal Maniption]
Sensing a severe threat from the two humans before it, the hedgehog let loose another volley of quills, which the pair almost effortlessly deflected once more.
"SQEEEEE!"
The beast cried out once more before swinging its paws at them.
The two swung their swords out and sliced at the beast''s paws, cutting cleanly through its ws.
Without giving the beast another second to react, they rotated their swords and swiftly beheaded the beast with perfect coordination.
(FWOOSHH)
Both jumped back to avoid the spray of blood from the hedgehog''s headless neck.
Lillianna turned to Arvell with a smile.
"We make a good team."
Arvell''s lips curved up into a small smile.
"Yeah, I guess we do."
Arvell turned around behind them and eyed the countless winding pathways.
"We should have put enough distance by now."
"I agree. I feel like we ran enough, too. No way it can track us through all those tunnels, right?"
"We can''t know for sure, but at least the tracking pendant is gone."
"Yeah¡"
Lillianna''s eyes glossed over slightly.
"Since we should be good about now, let''s look for a way out of here."
While Arvell still remembered the location of the gaping hole through which they initially came, there should be an easier way to get out.
"Well, the mana concentration gets stronger the deeper you go in a dungeon, so I assume we should just go in the direction with the least concentration of mana, right?" Lillianna proposed.
Arvell nodded his head.
"Exactly, but while my other senses are quite sharp, my sense for mana is a littleckingpared to most people. Would you mind guiding us?"
Despite trying to pull the wool over her eyes, Arvell still acted utterly normal, trying his best to y off hispleteck of mana.
"Hmm¡ Okay."
While initially confused by his words, Lillianna eventually nodded her head.
While the two of them had significantly decreased their speed in lieu of conserving their energy, they were still by no means slow.
"Arvell, I feel like that tunnel has a lower mana concentration. Let''s go there."
Nodding his head, Arvell followed her through awork of tunnels.
Luckily, the duo avoided confrontations with other beasts, so their journey was smooth sailing.
However, as they neared their next tunnel, Arvell felt a disturbance in the Aether concentrations in the air.
''What is this? I feel¡ A strong surge of Aetheres from that tunnel. I''ve never felt anything like this before.''
His eyes widened with shock, and he stopped momentarily.
Sensing him stop, Lillianna slowed down as well.
"Is there something wrong, Arvell?" She asked with a serious tone, "Is it a beast?"
Arvell shook his head but began to walk toward the tunnel.
"Sorry, I need to check something out real quick."
Lillianna nodded and followed Arvell.
Despite the mana concentration being rtively high in the direction where Arvell was going, she didn''t object to his decision.
In the worst-case scenario, they could just turn around ande back from the direction they came.
August, perched on Arvell''s shoulder, looked at him with confusion.
''Is everything alright, Arvell?''
''I don''t know¡''
Just in case, Arvell unsheathed his sword, prompting Lillianna to do the same.
Entering the tunnel, Arvell was met with a small cave with glowing crystals embedded in the walls.
The crystals outside the cave would generally be enough to light up the surrounding vicinity to an extent, but the crystals in this cave were far brighter than their counterparts.
This was all because of one reason.
These crystals were none other than mana crystals!
However, while the sight of mana crystals would make a mage salivate in the mere presence of one, Arvell was utterly uninterested in those.
Instead, his eyes were glued to a tiny purple pebble the same colour as Arvell''s irises.
The rock lookedpletelycklustrepared to the beautiful mana crystals, but Arvell could tell¡
Its value was far, far greater.
Hello, this is Sleepy_Slime here!
Sorry for theplete and utterck of presence for so long...
However, I promise I''ll try to be more ountable and update more frequently from now on.
If I don''t, feel free toe onto my discord and yell at me...
(Sigh... I''m going to regret saying this...)
Sleepy_Slime
The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and
continue reading tomorrow, everyone!