System Notification: Lil w has accepted your friend request.
Ethan's heart skipped a beat.
Finally, Celeste was online. She had told Slashblade that she had news about Lyla for him. For the past two days, Ethan had been waiting for her.
As the teleportation array activated, the two seconds it took to cross the map felt like an eternity.
"Hurry up… hurry up… hurry up…" Ethan muttered impatiently. Those two seconds felt longer than two hours.
Lyla had left without a word. Though they had spoken once since then, Ethan's sharp instincts told him she was hiding sothing.
She had reassured him that everything was fine, but he knew it was just to keep him from worrying. Still, his mind had been in turmoil, and he hoped Celeste would bring him good news.
Finally, a flash of white light signaled the end of the teleportation. Ethan imdiately opened his friend list. Lil w's icon was lit up. Without hesitation, he clicked on her avatar and initiated a video call.
[Ding… The other party is offline. Unable to connect!]
He froze, staring at the now-grayed-out icon.
What the hell? He had finally caught Celeste online, only for her to log off during the few seconds it took him to teleport.
Frustration boiled inside him, but then he noticed a private ssage from her.
His eyes lit up as he read the brief ssage, but the words hit him like a thunderbolt, leaving his body trembling.
Lil w: "On November 26th, the Noble Eight Lineages will hold their decade-long ranking tournant at the Ironvale Mountains, in the Silverwood family's territory. After the tournant, Lyla will be forced to marry the champion! The Ninth Division has been invited as guests, but I've learned that Lyla is being coerced. Don't go—you're not strong enough. You'll die!"
Ethan read the short ssage over and over, his hands shaking uncontrollably.
November 26th… Today was November 5th. He had twenty-one days left.
'Lyla is being forced into an engagent…'
Rage surged through him, threatening to consu him. How dare her family do this to her? At that mont, he wanted to wipe out the entire Silverwood family.
'What kind of backwards nonsense is this? Forcing soone into marriage over a tournant? Who the hell still follows such archaic traditions in this day and age?'
He forced himself to calm down and think.
'What can I do?'
The Ninth Division had been invited, but would they even send him? Where exactly is the Silverwood family's territory? The Ironvale Mountains?
The Ironvale Mountains were vast. Where would he even begin to look? The information Celeste had given him was too vague.
Celeste, why couldn't she stay online a little longer to give him more details?
Ethan had no desire to stay in Ethereal any longer. He selected the option to log out and was about to leave when a voice interrupted him.
"Kid, don't rush!" Morzan's voice echoed suddenly.
Ethan paused, canceling the logout countdown.
"Old man, I need to get stronger. How?"
Ethan's voice was cold, urgent. He knew that even if he stord the Silverwood family's territory now, his chances of saving Lyla were slim.
Celeste's warning echoed in his mind: "Don't go—you're not strong enough. You'll die!"
But how could he not go?
Now that Morzan was speaking to him, Ethan seized the opportunity to ask the most critical question: How can I get stronger?
"Twenty days is far too short," Morzan said. "It's nearly impossible for the sapling within you to break through the Gate of Ascension in that ti.
However, your explosive power is quite impressive. The only issue is that without external energy sources, your Energy Pool can't sustain multiple high-intensity bursts. Over the next few days, focus on leveling up. Increasing your level will expand your Energy Pool capacity.
During the day, you can spar with those three to improve your combat skills. I assu this so-called ranking tournant will be a competition among the younger generation. My advice is to make your move during the tournant itself. Don't try to storm in and rescue the girl. There are still many hidden powerhouses in this world of yours.
As for how to infiltrate the event, that's sothing you'll have to figure out on your own."
After Morzan finished speaking, Ethan felt a bit calr.
Twenty days—how much could he improve in that ti? He didn't know.
Logging into Ethereal every day was a must. For now, he would focus on leveling up as much as possible. He just hoped no one would be foolish enough to disturb him while he was grinding.
As for improving his combat skills, that wasn't sothing he could drastically enhance overnight. He would just have to do his best.
The most pressing issue now was how to secure a spot in the tournant. The best way would be to get the guest participant slot from the Ninth Division.
But ever since their return, Celeste, the leader of M Squad, hadn't been present. The entire squad was now out of contact with the Ninth Division.
Ethan would have to find a way to reconnect with the Ninth Division, preferably with Director Vaughn, whom Celeste often ntioned. His full na was Vaughn Morgan, and he was the current head of the Ninth Division.
It was the middle of the night outside, so he would have to wait until tomorrow to discuss this with Victor and the others.
For now, it was ti to grind.
With that thought, Ethan dashed out of the teleportation array in Springhaven.
Coming here had been the right decision. Earlier, he had only considered that he couldn't stay in Blackridge after offending so many guilds. While Nocturne Order was an ally there, they likely wouldn't openly support him in a crisis. After all, siding with Ethan against so many local powers would make it impossible for Nocturne Order to operate in Blackridge in the future.
The reason Ethan felt Springhaven was the right place was because of its excellent grinding spots. The monsters here were mostly plant-based—low health but high attack power. They were densely packed, and there was one area in particular that was a paradise for leveling.
For Ethan, even though these monsters had high attack power, creatures at his level couldn't break through his defense unless they were bosses. And who would waste ti fighting bosses at their own level? If he was going to fight a boss, it would be one above his level for the juicy experience.
Of course, if you were a fire-based player, this place was even better. Fire spells had a damage bonus against plant-type creatures, significantly speeding up the grinding process. That's why so many fire mages made the effort to travel here from Blackridge and Harmony City.
In Springhaven, the most common players you'd see were mages, especially those specializing in fire magic.
The area Ethan had in mind, known as the Life Greenhouse, was a level 40 to 60 zone. It was famous for its high monster density. Although Ethan was currently under-leveled for this area, the experience bonus for killing higher-level monsters, combined with his Divine Ability: Growth, would give him an insane amount of experience.
Ethan sighed inwardly. 'If only I were a fire mage…'
He glanced at his level—still 34, but his experience bar was at 94%. Just 6% more, and he'd hit level 35.
Originally, Ethan had planned to head to the Carnage Faction territory once he reached level 35 to lay low for a while. But now, that plan would have to wait.
"Level 35… huh…"
As Ethan muttered to himself, his eyes suddenly lit up, and a smile spread across his face.
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