Extra's Ascension To Power Chapter 96: Just gathered

Ardent led him through the forest in silence.

Ace watched his back warily.

The man’s mood seed to change so fast it was hard to keep up with; sotis he would be moody, and the next mont he could be smiling and pointing out different trees and their benefits for him.

They did not speak much, but Ace was guessing that the man was not quite right in the head. In the book, he did not have much of a role, but he was called "wasted potential" by so people.

Ace did not want him to fight for him or anything; he only wanted him to train his team.

Soon, they got to the instructor’s place.

It was a wooden shack, and when Ace was invited in, he was surprised to find it clean. The first room was covered with wooden chairs and a table, and to one side was a shelf filled with different books.

The man entered a room and ca back so monts later in a clean black robe.

Although his hair was still overgrown, his appearance had improved.

It left Ace wondering if the man was also a pretender.

Ardent noticed the look he was getting and shrugged. "I had a eting with the Head Instructor."

And that was why you dressed that way?

Ace did not say that out loud.

Ardent sat on one of the chairs and gestured for him to take a chair as well. He rubbed his hands together. "You have a drink for ?"

Ace nodded, and then he produced a card.

It was an equipnt card and a rather expensive one; it could store a small space for small things. The space was not much bigger than an average backpack.

Ace activated it with his Etherion, and then a drink appeared.

It was an alcohol that he had specifically bought for the occasion.

Ardent grinned when he saw it. "I said it! You students are far richer than all the instructors!"

With a gesture, two cups flew from the top of the shelf and landed in front of them.

He poured himself a drink and nodded in appreciation. "This! It has been a while since I have had sothing like this. If all the students brought this over, I would not have settled for robbing them."

Ace did not know if he had ever t anyone so shaless, but he nodded along, avoiding the urge to point out that if he took his instructing job seriously, then he would not be so broke.

Ardent drank two more cups before he relaxed and poured Ace a cup as well.

Ace took a sip and nothing more; for him, getting drunk might be the worst decision he could make. "You wanted to tell sothing."

Ardent blinked, and then his face cleared. "Right! You are right. Well, I will tell you how I keep my presence and how I was detecting you."

"When you entered the forest, I was already in it, and then you entered my space."

Ace sat up. "Your space?"

Ardent nodded. "I can create a space around , sothing like a domain, I guess, and I pretty much have control of anything in it."

Ace stiffened. His power was sothing like that? Was that not too powerful and dangerous? Especially for soone who appeared to be a madman?

Ardent sipped his drink. "When you entered my space, I still could not detect you, but do you know exactly what that ans? You were the only thing that I could not detect. You were like a moving void in my space, and that was what gave you away."

Ace sat there in silence, and he contemplated what he had just heard.

Ardent could feel anything except sothing that he could not.

He nodded his head; he would have to take that into account and improve his technique.

They did not say anything for a while, and Ardent drank while Ace rely held his cup.

Finally, Ardent said, "So, what do you want from ? Let guess, you need to tutor you because I am expected to be cheap! Or so hidden master or bullshit like that."

Ace watched him. "You are powerful."

"And experienced. Let introduce myself; I am Ace Eros, Leader of the House Chains."

Ardent raised his bushy brows. "A weak bastard like you is a House leader? I guess the Academy is in its regressing era."

"Leader and Founder of the House Chains."

Ardent froze, and he drank more. "Well, shit."

Ace nodded in agreent. "I have created a new House to join the twelve Houses."

"You know, I attended this Academy as well and wanted to create a House where you could drink without the instructors standing above your head. It would have been the perfect House and would have been the most popular if I had created it."

Suddenly, he leaned forward. "But even I, who was the strongest in the Academy at that ti, could not create a House. So tell , how did a puny thing like you manage to do it?"

Ace smiled. "I just gathered the credits for it."

"Ah!" Ardent slamd the table with the cup. "What an interesting guy, but no! As much as your situation amuses , I am not going to do it."

He did not even wait for Ace to state what he wanted. But Ace did not mind; he continued as if he had not heard him. "I want you to be a patron of the House. You do not have to do much; I will supply you with all the drink you want, and just one day a week, you can instruct the mbers of my House."

Ardent went silent, and his eyes glead. "That is an interesting offer, a very tempting one, to drink all week without having to worry about where and when I would be getting the drink. I almost want to sign the contract right here and now!"

Ace did not say anything to that.

"But I have made a decision to not fight or train anyone to fight until I die. And as a man, it is only normal and natural that I provide the drink I drink!"

"Do you get it now? Normally, I should have robbed you by now, but you gave a very interesting drink and your very interesting technique. You can go now before I change my mind."

Ace raised the card. "We still have not had the snack."