Lucien looked at the beautiful girl that had just arrived in this class.
Her ever-bright eyes had lost so much light.
His heart ached seeing her like this.
Especially when he saw her crying.
He understood her better than anyone in this class.
She was crying not for herself but for the empty seats, for the voices that were lost in those ancient ruins.
He clenched his fist.
I will be strong...
So, I won’t have to ever see a single tear in those beautiful eyes.
He declared it in his heart.
Till then, I won’t show you my face, Seles.
He had already started to walk towards that path.
In the last two weeks, he had done nothing but training.
He trained.
And trained till his hands bled.
And finally, so of it paid off.
His system recognising his determination gave him a quest.
[Defeat and Humiliate Chosen of Ancient Spirit – Aziel Ignaris in a duel.
Description: For centuries, the Spirit of Fla and Sacrifice—Ignis Virel—and the Spirit of Thunder—Kael’Zin—have clashed in an endless rivalry. Defeat and humiliate Ignis’s Chosen, and Kael’Zin may deem you worthy of his favour.
Reward – Breakthrough to Beginner Apprentice Rank x1, Bond with Ancient Spirit of Thunder – Kael’Zin]
Lucien had gotten this quest all of a sudden.
But he wasn’t the one to decline an easy reward.
So, he accepted it.
He was going to duel with Aziel Ignaris today.
He didn’t know why the system gave this specific quest.
He didn’t care. As long as it made him stronger, defeating soone was not a big deal.
He was going to complete this quest today.
__
anwhile, Alden walked through the forest, going towards the Valloria.
After that he could simply take the portal back to the academy.
He had left the cave an hour ago after sorting through all his items and skill books.
He categorised them in two groups.
Usable and saleable.
He was going to sell all the useless ones.
Why would he even keep that?
As for the cores. He had plans for them.
He looked at the small white crow perching on his shoulder.
Kyun.
She was going to be in charge of core disposal.
Kyun didn’t really eat normal food. He tried feeding her that.
But she didn’t even touch it.
Honestly, that made sense.
Spirits were beings of mana.
And their al consisted of mana.
They could survive without eating anything and just feed off ambient mana passively.
But there was sothing else which they could eat.
Especially the high-ranking spirits.
They needed a al... a special one.
Consisting of mana cores.
It was extrely enriching for them.
He had even commissioned Cipher for high-rank cores.
But now with the storage ring, the problem was solved.
He didn’t need to spend money now.
He pulled out his ManaSync.
Still no signal, huh?
He had been checking his ManaSync ever since he exited the dungeon.
But there was no signal.
He had been in the dungeon for a whole week.
Apparently the ti in the dungeon was distorted for him as well.
The two days he spent were seven days in the outside world.
Just then—
Alden’s enhanced senses felt sothing.
Presence.
Two people.
Apprentice Rank.
One was hiding behind the tree fifty tres ahead.
The other one hid beneath the ground ten tres ahead.
Alden hadn’t noticed them before because they were outside the range of his senses.
His senses were sharp enough to notice them even without his [Spirit Domain].
He was sure they didn’t have any good intentions.
But he didn’t react.
He didn’t need to.
They were weak.
Let’s see who wants dead.
Alden smiled inwardly.
The ga has just started.
__
Alden walked like a clueless fool.
His steps were calm, asured and deliberately slow.
He let his aura remain passive and his presence unthreatening.
His outward rank seed to be just at the Initiate Rank.
He looked like a fool on a casual walk.
But every fibre of his being was on full alert.
The man hiding behind the tree shifted slightly, barely audible—but Alden caught it.
The second one underground was likely waiting for the signal.
How simple.
He took another step, eyes still scanning the forest as if admiring the scenery.
That was all the confirmation the two needed.
The one underground lunged out like a viper, aiming straight for Alden’s legs with a dagger coated in a green, viscous liquid.
It was poison.
Naturally.
But Alden was already gone.
The attacker blinked.
....?
Where—?
The wind exploded behind him.
Alden had used flicker steps to appear behind him.
His foot slamd into the man’s ribs with bone-crushing force, sending him flying into a tree.
Bark of the thick tree shattered, and the man’s body hit the ground with a loud thud.
The man twitched once before going completely limp.
He wasn’t dead.
At least not yet.
But he would wish he was soon.
The second attacker, now fully visible, didn’t hesitate.
He raised his left hand and cast a flashbang-type spell.
A mage.
Alden didn’t blink.
His body lted in the ground below within his own shadow, vanishing like a ghost.
"Behind you," Alden’s voice whispered like a reaper.
The man spun.
But he was too slow.
A shadowy spike whistled through the air, slashing through his throat with surgical precision.
Blood sprayed out like a fountain as the man clutched at his neck, gasping for breath.
Then–
He collapsed lifelessly.
Alden turned back toward the twitching one under the tree.
He walked toward him casually, like a predator who had already won.
The man was barely moving but still conscious.
"W-Wait! I was just following orders." The man coughed out blood, fear overtaking his pain.
"I know," Alden said softly. "And that’s why you get to live... for now."
He bent down, pressing a boot on the man’s broken ribs.
"I have questions. You’re going to answer them."
The man tried to nod but could barely even lift his finger.
Alden’s lips curled up to form a small smile.
The white crow on his shoulder hadn’t even moved during the whole fight.
"Let’s play a little ga, shall we?"
__
Author’s Note:
If you enjoyed the Chapter, don’t forget to drop a Power Stone, leave a Golden Ticket, or even send a small gift to show your support.
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