"Who wants to challenge ?" Max shouted, his voice echoing through the vast hall as he scanned the crowd of gathered geniuses from all three major races—humans, elves, and demons. His sharp gaze swept across their faces, waiting for soone—anyone—to step forward.
But no one moved. Not a single person dared to et his eyes, let alone raise a challenge. Max clicked his tongue in mild irritation, 'Tsk, they really are listening to that demon,' he thought, sighing as he hopped down from the arena. With a light landing, he approached Princess Lenavira, who stood silently at the side, observing everything.
"Who was that demon, anyway?" Max asked, glancing back at the retreating crowd.
Princess Lenavira's expression turned solemn. "There are seven geniuses in the Lost Continent," she began quietly, "those who stand above even the peak of the peak. They are regarded as the true monsters of this generation, said to be the future of the entire continent. That demon… was one of them. His na is Korbin."
"I see," Max nodded, processing the information. A thought crossed his mind, and he turned toward her curiously. "Are you one of the seven geniuses too?" he asked bluntly.
Lenavira looked at him and smiled faintly. "What do you think?"
Max t her eyes for a mont, searching for an answer, before shaking his head with a chuckle. "Ah, who cares if you are or not. Anyway, what did you decide about what I said earlier?" he asked, his tone turning serious.
Her smile faded as she turned her head straight, her voice growing steady and sincere. "Since you asked to be honest… I'll be honest. We need your help. My Elf Kingdom needs your help, Max."
"What kind of help? Be specific," Max said, his eyes narrowing.
Lenavira sighed softly, as if the weight of her words were heavy even before she spoke them. "We need you to bring life to our kingdom. The last ti this happened, Freya brought it—but it was only temporary. It lasted three years, and now… the rot has begun again."
Max frowned. "What do you an by 'life'?"
"The elves are a very unique race," she explained. "It is said that we carry a Divine Bloodline, one that once ca from the gods themselves. But sothing changed a few decades ago. Sothing happened to our bloodline. We still don't know what caused it, but ever since then, our kingdom has been dying. The forests are withering, rivers are drying, the land is losing its energy. We're slowly turning into a barren land."
She paused before continuing, her voice softer now. "Then Freya ca. She brought life back to our kingdom. Our lands flourished, the decay stopped… but it only lasted three years. Before she left, Freya told that her bloodline wasn't strong enough to sustain our kingdom for long. But she also told sothing else."
"She told there is soone whose bloodline might be strong enough to restore the elves for good," Lenavira said, her eyes locking with Max's. "She said that person is you—her brother. She said your bloodline might be the only one powerful enough to bring the elves back to their glory days."
Max let out a long sigh after hearing her explanation, his expression caught sowhere between exasperation and resignation. "Another problem my sister dropped on ," he muttered, shaking his head slowly.
Freya had a way of turning up unexpectedly in his life—even when she wasn't around—and every ti, she left behind sothing complicated. He looked at Lenavira and said plainly, "I don't have your bloodline. I'm a human, through and through."
"So was Freya," Princess Lenavira replied without missing a beat, her tone calm but firm. "But she still did it. So you can too."
Her words gave Max pause. He fell silent, deep in thought. 'Should I trust the elves?' he wondered. Their race was mysterious, proud, and deeply tied to nature and the divine, but still… they were not human.
'And should I trust Freya's words?' That question lingered longer. She had already dragged him into so many things—conflicts, burdens, secrets—without much warning or explanation. Max didn't know what she was up to or why she always left trails of chaos behind for him to clean up.
But even through all the trouble, a part of him couldn't shake the feeling that she had a reason. Maybe not one he liked… but a reason nonetheless.
Shaking his head, Max turned back to Lenavira. "Alright," he said at last. "I'll visit your kingdom. But I have so conditions of my own."
"As expected," Lenavira said smoothly. "State them."
Max raised a finger and began, "First, I want a powerful Lightning Elent Technique. The stronger, the better. Second, I want you to personally accompany everywhere in your kingdom. I don't trust anyone else as my guide. Third, if there's a soul specialist—or so elder who deals with soul-related problems—I want to et him. And he must fulfill one of my personal requests. And lastly…" Max's eyes narrowed slightly, "I need a place where I won't be overwheld by evil energy. Sowhere I can stay and train peacefully."
Princess Lenavira raised a brow, her lips curling into a slight sneer. "If anyone else had asked this, I would have refused on the spot. A human, coming to our kingdom and making demands? It would have been laughable." She paused, her expression softening a little. "But since it's you, and since every condition you ntioned is within our capabilities… we'll accept your demands."
Max smiled at last, a calm yet curious glint in his eyes. "Alright, let's go to your kingdom then," he said, his voice steady. Deep down, he also wanted to uncover the strange connection between himself, Freya, and the elves.
Despite being born as humans, both he and Freya had sohow developed ties to the elven race—deep enough that Freya once restored their land, and now they were turning to him. It was strange… too strange to ignore.
There had to be sothing more beneath the surface—sothing that linked them in ways he hadn't yet understood. And Max was never one to leave questions unanswered.
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