Lire

Arc#4 Chapter 50: In the Dead of Night

Wake up!”

Immediately, Reivan slapped Aldimir hard, unable to spare the time to rouse him gently. He then turned to Alini. “Bulwark! Now!”

She didn’t react as fast as he’d liked, but she finished her spell only slightly behind him. Because of proximity, their spells resonated with each other and formed an incredibly sturdy dome of light around them, capable of protecting against physical and magical attacks.

It was what used to be called a “Fortress Ritual” before someone invented an improved version called “Resonance Bulwark”.

And it was just in time for the first something to crash against it.

“Ee!” Alini squealed in surprise but quickly recovered. A nervous but resolute expression on her face as she focused on maintaining the bulwark.

But even that didn’t last long when she realized what was attacking them. And quite frankly, Reivan was a bit shaken as well.

‘Zombies…? Are you fucking shitting me…’

The lack of lighting made it hard to be sure, but that was what he thought their adversaries were.

What was formerly a human banged against the wall of magic with its decaying fists, all while continuing to run forward in a futile attempt to reach the living within the dome of light. Its rotten skin was still in the process of falling off, and its hollow eyes held a strange mix of hunger and spite, driven by insatiable instincts a living person could never understand.

And there were more of them coming, rising from the sea of tall grass around them.

Reivan gulped, watching as more zombies arrived in a loud and brutal fashion, throwing themselves against the wall in a charge that didn’t take the attacker’s safety into account. Sometimes, the impact would break them, throwing them to the ground where they clawed at the base of the dome, hoping to contribute to the horde’s assault in any way they could.

Most of the time though, they stood strong, continuing the assault with their fists, uncaring for how their already mutilated limbs broke under their own rabid attacks.

‘By Sormon’s fluffy pillow… What the hell is happening…’

Confused why he was suddenly facing the undead, Reivan examined these abominations with [Supreme Insight].

════ ⋆★★★⋆ ════

Name: N/A

Species: Cursed Vessel

Realm: N/A

Age: N/A

Sex: N/A

Might: 15

Elemental Affinities

[Darkness]

Favor

N/A 

Threat Level

C

════ ⋆★★★⋆ ════

Reivan took a look at the other ones and found that the information very rarely changed. It was slightly relieving that they weren’t too strong, especially since there were probably a crap ton of them.

If they had strength and numbers, Reivan and the others were well and truly fucked.

‘Each one’s still physically stronger than any of us though… We can’t keep taking hits like this.’

Unfortunately, despite the defensive spell being powerful and mana-efficient, it also needed to be channeled. Which meant the two sorcerers acting as the dome’s pillars basically neutered their offensive capabilities in exchange for a sturdy defense.

‘Fuck. Inaria and Kantor are still out there too…’

“Aldim! ALDIM!” Reivan shouted as more of the zombies charged against the barrier, taking a small chunk of his mana with every hit. “Wake the fuck up! And Inaria! If you can hear me, say something!”

“We’re okay!” she called out from beyond the dark, her voice even despite the strangeness of the situation. “We’re under attack by… by whatever these are. Dead people! Rotting corpses! I don’t know what they’re called!”

“Ah! More of them are coming!” Kantor shouted from the same general direction. “W-We need to link up the bulwarks! Let’s go to Clover and the others!”

“We’ll meet halfway! We can’t fight back if we’re split up!” Reivan yelled back, inwardly celebrating one of the defensive spell’s most recent improvements — it now moved with the caster.

‘There are probably all sorts of ways to exploit that, like squishing stuff against walls, but there aren’t any around here…’

“If your spirit beasts can fight from range, have them help you! Don’t let them out of the dome or they’ll get swarmed!” Reivan took out his own orb and hastily called Sen out, who appeared next to him with an alert gaze. “Help me out, girl. Okay? Please?”

Sen looked around and its tail glowed, before it pointed the tip at one of the zombies. A moment later, a needle of light shot out and blasted the undead’s head into countless bits and pieces.

‘Nice. [Light] and [Dark] counter each other so she’ll be highly effective while on the offense…’

On the other hand, Alini had a similar idea, calling out to her own spirit beast.

The thing that appeared next to her surprised Reivan though, because it was a huge bear with around thirty Might. It took one look at the surroundings and charged out of the dome, demolishing everything in its path

Reivan watched it go on a rampage outside, too fast to be surrounded and capable of shattering a zombie with a single swipe of its claws. He then sent a glance at the normally quiet girl that caught the thing.

‘This girl’s full of surprises.’

Unfortunately, the sheer amount of the zombies couldn’t be dealt with by one overpowered bear alone. Additionally, the zombies didn’t seem to want anything to do with the bear, only attacking when it got close to them but otherwise ignoring its existence.

‘Do they not like it since it isn’t made of flesh and bone…?’

That seemed like the most likely explanation, so Reivan went with that. With panicked annoyance, he turned his attention to the man who was still sleeping at his feet, kicking him even harder this time around.

“Hey! ALDIM! I told you to wake up!”

“Agh! What the hell…!” Aldimir recoiled, cradling his stomach. “Is that you, Win? Why the hell did you kick me…?”

“Get the hell up, moron! And make some light so we can see! We are not in a safe place right now and we need help!!”

To his credit, Aldimir didn’t ask any more questions, seemingly understanding the gravity of the situation he found himself in. With great haste, he waved his wand as he stood up, producing dozens of glowing orbs that flew outward, illuminating their surroundings.

‘That’s fuck ton of zombies…’

The tall grass didn’t do a good job of hiding their figures, so Reivan got a good view of their overwhelming numbers. They were all over the clearing and more of them were coming from beyond the treeline. What’s worse was more of them kept popping up from below, spawning out the literal earth.

No matter where they came from, all of the zombies seemed to have one thing in common though — they all really wanted to tear Reivan and the others apart.

Reivan tried to think of a way to deal with the situation but the answer, surprisingly, wasn’t for him to discover. Right beside him, countless sparks erupted from Aldimir’s wand, drifting toward the tall grass and setting a small portion of it alight.

With another flourish, he fired off a different spell at the budding inferno. Reivan didn’t know what the spell was, but a few moments was all it took for the fire to spread to a larger area, proliferating far faster than what was normal.

‘Oh, he used the grease spell… That’s actually a really good idea.’

The tall grass helped spread the flames too, creating a raging inferno that affected a large chunk of the zombies blocking their path. Unfortunately, despite how much the zombies seemed to hate the fire, it didn’t really deal that much damage.

Grass burned quickly, and the grease was soaked up by the soil rather quickly. In the end, Aldimir’s actions only served as a short distraction that gave them a little bit more time to regroup.

“Good thinking.” Reivan nodded toward Aldimir. “That also cleared up the foliage, so we can see them more clearly.”

“I told you. I’m pretty great!”

Alini suddenly called out, her voice tinged with panic. “P-Please be careful not to burn Mr. Kip!”

As if in agreement, the bear bulldozing its way through the horde outside roared. it had gone quite far now, hoping to lure the zombies away but failing because they didn’t care about a spirit beast.

“Why the hell does that thing have such a cute name?” Aldimir chuckled as his penetration spell drilled a hole through a zombie’s head, passing right through and hitting another one behind it — only to pass through a second time, hitting a third target. “Ugh, these guys are disgusting! Why the hell are we here with them!?”

Despite complaining, Aldimir destroyed multiple zombies with every cast, somewhat alleviating the strain on the barrier.

‘I suppose it’s not a military-grade spell for nothing.’

“Alini, we’re moving.” Reivan warned the other pillar of their mobile bastion. “Are you ready? We have to link up with the other two!”

“Got it! I’m r-ready!” She nodded, flinching when another hyena rammed against the part of the dome close to her. “Wh-which direction was it again…?”

“Just follow my lead.”

Reivan and Alini inched toward Inaria and Kantor’s position, carefully maintaining the spell. Even though it now moved with the caster, that didn’t mean they could just run around as fast as they could and expect the spell to hold.

Aldimir moved with them, acting as the resident arsonist. Sometimes, the wind’s direction wouldn’t quite favor the spreading of the flames, but he still managed good work. Not only that, but he was also steadily getting better at lining them up so every penetration spell could kill up to five monsters at once.

“Look, Win! I’m penetrating a bunch of them at once! I’m a penetration master!”

“This is not the time, man!” Reivan roared at the man beside him, despite appreciating the fact the situation was still at the point where they could crack jokes. “Kantor! Are you guys still okay? I can’t see shit with all the zombies between us!”

“Over here!” Kantor called out, his voice tinged with anxiety as Inaria stonily walked next to him. The two of them were close enough that their faces could be seen. “A-are you guys okay!?”

“We’re doing fine! Worry about yourselves!” Aldimir shouted back, taking out another swathe of zombies. “How’re you doing on magic power!?”

“Not too good! There’s too many!”

Reivan licked his lips and squinted at the two through the gaps, noting that there were significantly more monsters targeting their bulwark. The number of monsters attacking his and Alini’s bulwark was thinning though, making him realize that the zombies weren’t completely brainless.

They understood that Inaria and Kantor couldn't fight back.

‘This isn’t good…’

Reivan was pretty sure this whole ordeal was being observed by people from the Tower, but on the off-chance they weren’t, Inaria’s death would be a blow to him considering she was a completely loyal pawn in Arkhan.

Losing her wasn’t a blow he was willing to tolerate when he could do something to avoid it.

“Hey, Aldim! You take over for me.”

“What? Bu—”

“No buts! I’m going! Sen! Cover my back and follow!”

Reivan stopped channeling the spell and summoned a kite shield on each arm, charging out of the dome and heading over to support the other one. He passed through without resistance, ramming his shield into the zombies standing in his way.

With a war cry, he activated one of the enchantments embedded in the shield, blowing back the zombies in front of him with a powerful pulse of energy. He kept his momentum and smashed the sharpened edge of his other shield at an unsuspecting zombie that failed to react to him fast enough, slicing off a large portion of its face.

Rotten bits of flesh splattered everywhere, and Reivan cursed on the inside, berating himself for not wearing some cloth over his mouth.

Despite wanting to vomit, he had achieved his purpose — standing out.

“You crazy bastard, that was awesome!” Aldimir yelled after him but hastily flourished his wand to reinforce the bulwark. “You’re gonna get yourself killed though! You’re gonna get us all killed!”

“I know what I’m doing! We’ll lead them away!”

After taking a deep breath, Reivan’s grip on his shields tightened as the horde’s attention focused on him. No doubt, he seemed like a juicy piece of meat that dropped down from heaven. Consequently, a lot of the zombies encircling Inaria and Kantor went for him instead.

‘Yeah, come to me, little bitches…’

Reivan wasn’t crazy, rather, he was only doing this because he knew that the zombies weren’t much stronger than ordinary people. Fortunately, that also meant they weren’t strong enough to completely ignore the defense that his battle robes offered.

As long as he didn’t get pinned down, he would be fine.

Reivan bashed another zombie in the head with his shield. Closing his mouth just in time to avoid another vomit-inducing accident, he then broke into a run to the treeline, leading the horde away from the others.

Sen fell into step behind him, shooting a few zombies while being completely untouchable because of her agility and size.

‘Yep. This is a great plan.’

All he had to do was to give them time to regroup and then rejoin them afterward. Sure, there were a lot of zombies and they were stronger.

But Reivan didn’t have rotten legs, so he liked to think he could lead them by the nose for a few minutes. The boots they were issued also had a few single-use active effects to pull him out of a pinch. And then there was Sen, who was being incredibly helpful.

Reivan put away both shields to lessen his weight, swerving his way through the scattered zombies in his wake. They had clumped up near the barriers, but they were spread thin this far out, meaning he didn’t need to fight at all — he just needed to keep on leading as many zombies away.

“Made it…” Reivan muttered to himself as he stopped, leaning against a tree. He threw a glance behind him and saw that the two barriers were actually gone, making him momentarily panic at the thought that everybody got taken out while he wasn’t looking.

But upon closer inspection, the others had chosen to cancel the bulwark when all the zombies left them alone in favor of chasing after Reivan. This allowed them to move much faster, regrouping together.

‘That was smart of them.’

Alini’s bear just did its own thing in the background, completely unstoppable. There was what looked like an adult lion with them too, which must have belonged to Inaria or Kantor.

With their support, fighting off the unending horde of undead seemed a little more feasible.

‘Fucking hell, they really are spawning out of the ground…!’

Reivan frowned. With a clearer view of the entire clearing, he was able to see the process of how each of the undead literally burst out of the soil itself.

More of them were coming out and Reivan saw no signs of it stopping.

“HEY!” he called out to the others while pointing at a different part of the treeline. “Let’s meet up over there! I’ll try to keep them off you guys! Get far away from the clearing then CLIMB TREES!”

Aldimir made a circle above his head with his hands and the four of them bolted. Now that they weren’t hiding behind a barrier, a portion of the zombies began chasing after them instead of Reivan.

Most of them still had their eye holes set on him though.

Reivan deftly climbed the nearest tree, with Sen following behind, managing to climb the tree twice as fast as him. Safely perched on a particularly thick and sturdy tree branch, Reivan tried to catch his breath and observed how the zombies acted.

‘Oh, they’re just kind of… looking at me. Menacingly, if I may add.’

Happy with this result, Reivan settled on his plan of action, deciding to take a few moments to recover his magic power. He didn’t even bother to fire penetration spells into the mob of undead since taking out a few of them wouldn’t make a dent on a force this large.

It was better for him to save every drop of magic power he had on utility spells that would help him avoid combat. Especially since he had already proven that he could outrun them.

That wasn’t the case with Sen, though. She kept blasting the zombies’ heads off with needles of light fired from the end of her tail. Apparently, the needles was something she could fire without much worry because it cost her nothing — the only limitation being that she couldn’t fire them rapidly.

“Make sure to aim for the ones far away from this tree, okay?” Reivan held her in his lap and rubbed her head. “If you keep killing the ones nearby, they’ll form a hill. And that won’t be good for both of us.”

Sen gave a short cry that may have been a yawn, agreeing to follow his instructions.

Minutes passed and there was a doomstack of zombies waiting for him below, and something told him that they wanted more from him than his brains. It was an overwhelming number that no zombie movie could match.

Every few seconds, they managed to pile on top of each other enough to reach him. Unfortunately for them, it was easy for him to topple every tower of bodies they painstakingly built up.

“Again, fellas? You never learn…” Reivan took out his shield again and held its edge with both hands instead of wearing it on his arm. He then used it to shove the zombie at the top of the pile, pushing it off.

Zombies weren’t the best climbers, it seemed, so it would take a while before another zombie got high enough to reach him.

‘I think I’ve given them enough time…’

Reivan scratched his head and looked around as the night breeze caressed his face, trying to find the easiest way out of the mess he intentionally made. Unfortunately, there was an equal amount of zombies in every direction, even the direction he wanted to head to.

The only good news was that the clearing they initially woke up on had stopped spawning undead. Which meant the ones here with him was all the zombies they would have to deal with.

‘If only I had any spell balls… I could take out a whole bunch of them at once.’

They had been given a few to use in special occasions, but the ones Reivan had in his buckle were mysteriously missing. He assumed the others were in the same situation.

It was a shame because he’d actually climbed the tree under the assumption that he could use spellballs to clear out a large swathe of the zombies. Their absence was quite an unwanted surprise.

‘Hm… Guess I’ll try a few things.’

Reivan looked down and cast a Resonance Bulwark spell, creating a spherical barrier that extended outward with him as the origin. It only looked like a dome at most times because it phased through the ground.

Now though, since he was on a tree branch, the bulwark protected from literally every direction, making him look like a hamster in a ball.

‘Damn, I guess one person casting it isn’t big enough.’

Reivan looked down and found that the barrier didn’t quite reach the zombies below. It did affect the zombies slowly piling on top of each other at the base of the tree, forcefully pushing them down.

‘I hope this works like I think…’

With a short internal prayer to the Sun God, Reivan jumped off the tree.

What followed was, to say the least, surprising.

He had expected to squish the zombies underneath him, crushed between the bulwark and the ground. Instead of the great squish he oh so wanted, the bubble simply pushed them to the side.

There was a fair bit of force behind it since the zombies that were “pushed” were sent flying, crashing into nearby trees, so it wasn’t all bad. But Reivan was quite disappointed with the result.

‘What a crappy barrier.’

The zombies around him immediately started banging on his barrier, draining a fair bit of his magic power, so he quickly climbed back up the tree and decided to try something else.

‘Alrighty then. Forest fire it is.’

Reivan repeatedly cast grease spells on the zombies, coating as many of them with the disgusting liquid that was also extremely flammable. The spell was cheap on magic power too, so he could cast it quite a few times.

Once he was satisfied with how absolutely putrid it was around him, he used a spark spell and watched as the horde was set aflame.

‘Look at it, Sen. Isn’t it beautiful?’

Sen, of course, did not see the beauty that he saw and was terribly confused. Actually, he didn’t think the fire was beautiful either — he just wanted to say it, even if it was only mentally.

“I guess they can’t feel pain,” Reivan commented dryly as he waited for the flames to do their work.

The undead’s actions didn’t change despite their ignited state, continuing to mindlessly reach out for him, uncaring of what was in their way. Because of that, they ended up spreading the flaming grease to others.

‘Spells being military-grade doesn’t necessarily mean they’re better, huh. Sometimes, you just need the right basic spells to do the job that military-grade can’t do.’

Conjured elements weren’t real, and hence, didn’t act like the elements they mimicked.

This was one of the first things aspiring sorcerers learned.

It was why a sorcerer couldn’t drink the water they conjured with a spell. And they also couldn’t start building a house with the stone they magicked up.

Because they weren’t real, and would disappear after a while.

The spark spell was a bit weird, in that sense. Because it was a spell to create a natural flame using a magical spark.

Conjured flames didn’t spread and burned hotter than normal fire. But it didn’t grow no matter how much fuel you fed it. So in Reivan’s case, natural fire was much more useful than magical ones.

Even if he used a spell to conjure a lance of flames, he could probably disintegrate a dozen zombies from the explosion. But a few dozen grease spells, time, and a single spark spell kills so much more.

‘Well, humans wouldn’t just stand there and let me grease them up, so maybe this isn’t all that useful.’

Human bodies took a surprisingly long time to fully burn, and so did zombies, apparently. Reivan had to wait a while before the undead finally started to collapse one by one.

Uncaring of their fallen comrades, the zombies waiting on the outskirts stepped over the charred remains of their brethren, gathering at the base of the tree he was on again.

“You guys are so dumb…” Reivan chuckled as he planned to repeat the process. He would wait until the zombies really piled up beneath him. It would give him time to restore more of his magic power too.

‘Too eas—’

His thoughts were suddenly jolted to a stop when he felt a rumble through the area. Reivan looked back at the silent clearing in horror to see that it wasn’t as silent as he wanted.

He watched in horror as massive hulking arms burst out of the dirt, followed shortly by the equally hulking torso of what Reivan could only describe as some kind of undead ogre — not that he’d ever seen an ogre in this life.

‘What the hell is that… No seriously, what the hell is the Tower up to!?’

Hoping that they weren’t as strong as they looked, Reivan checked them out with [Supreme Insight].

════ ⋆★★★⋆ ════

Name: N/A

Species: Cursed Vessel (Giant Variant)

Realm: N/A

Age: N/A

Sex: N/A

Might: 100

Elemental Affinities

[Darkness]

Favor

N/A

Threat Level

S

════ ⋆★★★⋆ ════ 

‘Well, that’s not too bad…’

Of the five giants, none of them had managed to fully climb out of the dirt but they were already twice as tall as him. He could only imagine how big they really were.

‘What the fuck do they expect us to do against those…? Or are we not meant to fight them at all?’

Taking the chance to do some damage while they weren’t free of their earthen restraints yet, Reivan aimed a penetration spell at one of the giants’ heads, successfully piercing a hole through its head.

Its movements immediately stopped, but Reivan didn’t let his guard down. They were far away, but because of their size, he could see the dark smoke coming from the wound he inflicted.

A few moments later, the giant resumed its attempts to free itself.

‘Yep. We’re definitely not supposed to fight those.’

Reivan made a split second decision to flee, jumping down from the tree and urging Sen to follow. He was instantly beset with zombies, but fortunately, they hadn’t finished clumping up yet, so he ran past them, utilizing the gaps between them.

Of course, he couldn’t do that all the time, so an occasional penetration spell to cut a path open was needed. Happiness overtook him when he finally made it out of the encirclement, a forest free of zombies in front of him.

But a distant roar reminded him that the slow and stupid zombies were the least of his problems.

Arc#4 Chapter 49: The First Assessment

The days went by relatively slowly for Reivan, mostly because he had to spend a lot of time pretending to study. It was a surprisingly hard thing to do, if he was being completely honest.

If he was actually trying to learn something, then he could just focus on the studying aspect and let time pass normally. But because he was pretending to study, he had to stare at information he already knew and think about whether he was going too fast. Then he had to act like he was testing out the spell, failing from time to time before finally "understanding" it.

He was still convinced that the Tower was watching him like a hawk, waiting to catch him red-handed. Because of that, Reivan was constantly on edge, trying to make sure that he didn't let anything slip. That was, obviously, quite draining. And being so conscious of time had a tendency to slow it down.

Despite that, time still passed, no matter how slow it was for him.

Soon, it would be time for their monthly assessment. It was the first one, so he had no idea what it would be like. The people who came from established Magus families, like Kantor and a few other people he grew acquainted with by sticking with Aldimir, didn't seem to know what was about to happen either. They just knew something important coming up and were told repeatedly to be vigilant—which was a piece of advice that had permeated their entire batch, sending everyone on edge.

While others were panicking, Reivan just went about his own business as usual.

After judging that the real Clover Salwyn was good enough to learn all the assigned spells in a month, Reivan slowly showed himself casting each one. That said, he'd been attracting too much attention for his excellence so he chose to slow himself down, opting not to "learn" the scrying spell yet, focusing on the Penetration spell and the Resonance Bulwark. That would, he hoped, reduce people's opinion of him slightly.

Of course, it wouldn't make sense if Clover Salwyyn just sat around and accomplished nothing, so he tried hard to "improve his casting" of the Penetration spell. Apparently, there was a fairly new trick to the spell that allowed it to take on an element of its own. In other words, it was the only thing Reivan didn't already know how to do. He actually had fun with it, seeing as he wasn't so focused on pretending.

In the firing range, Reivan aimed his wand at one of the moving targets and cast the spell.

Unlike every other spell he'd learned, he couldn't quite instant-cast this one yet because it was a level more difficult than what he was used to.

'Yep, that sounds like a good excuse. Let's go with that angle.'

After about a second of casting, a bolt of magic power shot across the air and drilled a hole right through one of the targets. The penetration power was so high that the target barely moved from the magic's impact, a hole simply appeared in the middle of the metal plate.

Recognizing the strike, the metal plate then fell to the ground in a clatter, where it melted and reformed into a new plate before it rejoined the targets flying around at erratic speeds and patterns.

Reivan shot a few more of the targets. He had no problems with accuracy, but with every shot, he subtly made the cast time a little shorter. Unfortunately, he didn’t have an unlimited pool of magic power to pull out of his bumhole, so he did eventually have to stop. He wasn't even pretending this time. In terms of magic power, Reivan actually had less than Clover because of being a hybrid—but that was counterbalanced by how much more efficiently Reivan could use magic power for elementalism and body augmentation.

Not sorcery though. Sadly.

“It should be about time to get lunch…” He muttered to himself as he looked around, trying to gauge what time it was judging from how many people there were in the training hall. His pocket watch had been left in his room, so this was the best he could do right now.

Unfortunately, his method wasn’t very effective since the place was still full. In particular, the dueling pits on the other side of the hall were still in use, with quite a few groups of students watching from above.

‘What a bunch of diligent kiddos. When Kyouka was their age, she just fooled around with girls at every opportunity.’

Reivan didn’t know if it was because of him, but after his duel with Kantor, and the following duel between Kantor and Aldimir to supposedly compete for the position of Reivan’s head minion, the entire batch went into a dueling frenzy.

Everybody was just dueling each other constantly.

Nobody challenged Reivan though, since some kind of rumor spread that they had to beat both Aldimir and Kantor before having the right to challenge him. Which was completely baseless, but was very convenient for him since that meant he could focus on working out, pretending to learn spells, practicing those spells, and from time to time, bonding with Sen through a very risky game of tag that could see him ending his stint as a battlemage prematurely.

Speaking of the young spirit beast, Sen had grown a little bit smarter from all the times he’d tricked her. She no longer ran into the walls head first, for one thing. And Reivan was gradually coming to terms with the fact that the white panther would earn the win soon. Unfortunately for the adorably innocent spirit beast, Reivan would stop their wagers soon since it was quite obvious that Sen had already adjusted to the material world. It was very noticeable because she stopped whining about how weird it felt to be outside.

There were even times when he caught her lounging in some hidden corner with sleepy eyes, obviously quite relaxed. He was an adamant lover of dogs so he was a bit biased against cats, but now, he was slowly starting to see why some people liked the felines so much. Well, Sen wasn't a cat, but she looked like one, so his thoughts were still sound.

Sen might complain after he stopped playing tag with her, but Reivan had never said he would give her the same opportunity every day for the rest of their lives. In fact, he had planned to stop after the first one. The only reason he kept going was because he had found her reaction to failure pitiful.

Suddenly, someone tapped him on the shoulder from behind. “You’re still practicing when you’re that good?”

Recognizing the voice, Reivan turned around with a shrug and pushed up his glasses. “I’m this good because I practice.”

“Fair enough." Aldimir grinned and waved a lazy hand toward the purple stone platform in the middle of the hall. "Lunch?”

“Hmmm…”

Reivan unconsciously rubbed his stomach, feeling like it was getting a little empty. But he still hadn’t washed off the dried sweat from his early morning workout, so he also didn’t appreciate how he could smell himself — especially since he had a human nose right now.

A wise man once said that if you can smell yourself, other people can smell you more. Reivan couldn’t quite remember who said it, but he was sure it wasn’t Sun Tzu since the quote wasn’t related to warfare.

“I think I’m gonna take a bath first.”

Aldimir nodded vehemently. “At least you’re self-aware. I was gonna tell you how nasty you smelled if you wanted to hang around in the Mess Hall like that. Wouldn’t want you to embarrass yourself.”

Reivan snorted and headed off for the men’s bathhouse attached to the training hall.

════════════════════════════════

Right after cleansing themselves, Reivan and Aldimir teleported up — or down? They could never be sure in the Spirit Tower — and picked an empty table to have lunch on.

“So the first monthly assessment’s just one week away, huh?” Aldimir sighed, staring wistfully at his food. “Time sure has a habit of moving forward when you want it to stop.”

Reivan’s fork stopped on its way to his mouth. He stared at Aldimir to see if the idiot was being serious but eventually gave up because he couldn’t quite tell. “Aldim. The assessment is tomorrow. Not in a week. Are you gonna be okay?”

“...Time sure has a habit of moving forward when you want it to stop, huh, Win.”

“Sure, man. Just finish your lunch and do your best.”

Aldimir suddenly broke out into a pitiful cry. “You gotta help me!”

Reivan’s face screwed up in confusion. “What the hell am I supposed to do? Also, I thought you already learned all the spells. You're doing better than me on that front. I haven't even started on scrying.”

“I did, though I’m not that good at casting. I fumble sometimes.”

“Okay… Well, that’s a problem, but it’s not something I can help with, is it? Work it out for yourself."

“I will.” Aldimir deflated onto the table. “I don’t need help with the spellcasting itself. This is me, we’re talking about, so I can handle it myself.”

“You’ve got the confidence, at least…”

“The problem is the assessment itself! You gotta help me out.”

Reivan scratched his head. “But I don’t even know how we’re going to be tested.”

“It’s probably a group thing. If it is, you gotta group up with me. That’s what friends are for, right?”

“Eh… I don’t know if I’d be okay with that… You kinda lost really badly to Kantor. You said you were good, so I thought you’d put up more of a fight, but you kept eating stun bolts to the face. Won’t you just be a liability to me?”

Aldimir threw both hands into the air in exasperation. “I already told you. It was a fluke. A fluke. I wasn’t in prime condition from all the studying.”

“Sure.” Reivan rolled his eyes, making no effort to hide it. When he noticed Aldimir hadn't seen it though, he snapped his fingers to get the guy's attention, pointed at his face, and rolled his eyes again. Slowly, this time.

“Fuck you." Aldimir, obviously, flipped him off. As he should be doing. "C’mon, let’s group up, yeah? I swear I was still hungover when I agreed. I just wanted him to get off me!”

Reivan chewed a mouthful of steamed vegetables carefully before replying. “Like I said, we can’t be sure. Let's say that you're right about the assessment being done in groups. How are you so sure that we’ll get to pick our own teams? Isn’t it more likely that the elders will group us themselves?”

Aldimir bit his lower lip in frustration. It seemed he’d missed that possibility. “B-But if we can choose, let’s team up, yeah? C’mon, I’m at least a little better than most of the guys in our year.”

Humming to himself in thought, Reivan decided he’d tormented Aldimir enough. “Sure.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, yeah… I’ve seen you practicing, so I know you're good.”

“Of course.” Aldimir snickered, skipping past relief and going straight into smugness over being praised. “Let’s team up with Kantor too. You made him look like a kid during your duel, but he’s really good.”

“Oh, I know. He kicked your ass, so I at least know he’s better than you.”

“Okay. Listen here, you little shit…”

Reivan ate his lunch while listening to a very long and detailed excuse on why Aldimir lost to Kantor on three separate duels. Strangely enough, [Lie Detection] didn’t activate even once, telling him that the excuses were either real or that Aldimir honestly believed they were.

After finishing off his meal, Reivan retreated to his room and lounged on his bed. He had worked out earlier and went straight into spell practice right afterward, so both his stamina and mana reserves were drained.

Proper rest was also a vital part of working out, and he didn’t forget that.

Sen accompanied him, rolling around on his lap and chasing around a toy he was teasing her with. It was a cheap toy that he found while taking a break in the Lower City, peddled by a store that seemed to anticipate battlemages with feline partners. There had been plenty of toys in there and Sen had made it very obvious that she wanted him to buy more.

‘Man, I must be really tired…’

At some point, a sudden bout of drowsiness overcame him and he let it carry him into the dreamworld.

════════════════════════════════

“...Huh?”

When Reivan opened his eyes, he was met with the sight of an unfamiliar ceiling — one made of clouds and countless glittering stars.

His bed and the pillow that was supposed to have been cradling his head were gone too, replaced with grass and dirt. And to top it all off, the regulated temperature of civilization was noticeably absent. In fact, he had probably woken up because he was sleeping out in the cold.

Basically, Reivan woke up outside.

“What the fuck…” he cursed as he struggled into a sitting position, fixing his glasses as he did. The soreness in his body was enough to tell him he’d been lying on the ground for a while now, which was strange since he was supposed to be in the safety of the Tower.

It didn’t take long for him to realize what may have happened though.

‘This the Tower’s doing, huh?’

Reivan fell asleep on the afternoon of the day before the scheduled monthly assessment. It wasn’t all that hard to imagine why he was suddenly in an unfamiliar place. The Tower had already proven on numerous occasions that teleporting mortals around without their consent was something they could do.

‘Okay. That sounds like the most likely possibility. Let’s go with that for now.’

The first thing he now had to do was take stock of his situation. A quick scan of his surroundings revealed he was in a clearing, bordered by trees of relatively normal height. Or maybe they were a bit bigger? He couldn't be sure because they were far away. There was grass too. Lots of it. A little too tall though, but it thankfully concealed his own body so perhaps it was a good thing.

Next, he had to check himself. In particular, he had to make sure he was actually equipped properly.

To support his theory about the Tower having a hand in his current situation, Reivan looked down at his clothes and found himself wearing his battle robes. He then grabbed his crotch, recognizing the feeling of his underwear rubbing against his skin — it was, he was forty percent sure, the same pair he’d been wearing when he fell asleep.

His belt buckle was also where it should be, so he immediately equipped the Wizard’s Claw from inside. After making sure it functioned normally by testily running a bit of mana through it, Reivan sighed at the security provided by its magical glow. Maybe he wasn't as safe as he'd hoped, but at least he could fight back. If only a little.

“I-Is anybody th-there?”

Reivan reflexively ducked down, ready to cast a spell at the source of the noise. But through the grass and the sky as a background, he could see someone he recognized inching closer toward him.

‘Alini…?’

The one who’d suddenly spoken out earlier was the shy girl he shared a table with every once in a while. He normally saw her with Panini, her younger sister, so it was a bit strange to see her alone. But then again, he woke up in an unfamiliar forest. Really, what wasn't strange about this situation?

Despite his familiarity with the person, Reivan didn’t reveal himself just yet. Knowing each other didn’t mean they were on the same side. He still didn’t know what the test was, and for all he knew, it was a battle royale where he had to knock out other first years.

First, he observed her from afar while steadily moving away from his previous position under the cover of the tall grass. Noticeably, she wasn’t wearing the wizard’s claw but had her wand in hand. She didn’t have it aloft though, her hand resting uselessly beside her.

Just like him, she was also wearing her battle robes. Unlike him though, it clung a bit tighter to her figure.

‘Damn.’

Reivan unknowingly stared.

The girl was hiding a surprisingly amazing figure underneath the baggy robes she’d always worn. Perhaps it made perfect sense, seeing as she was the older relative of someone who also had a good figure. It must have been in their genes or something.

‘Wait a minute. Focus, Reivan. Focus.’

Reivan snapped out of it and slowly stood up, raising both arms in the air. Judging by the woman’s demeanor, he didn’t think she had hostile intentions. “Wait. It’s me. Clover.”

“Oh, thank goodness it’s someone I know…” Alini trailed off, the relief in her voice palpable through the darkness.

With a flick of her wand, she produced a few wisps of light to better reveal their surroundings. And with another flick, something fell from the sky, crashing into the grass between them. “I was afraid it’d be a monster…”

“Uh…” Reivan glanced at the object to see a rock as big as his head. Something he’d failed to notice earlier. “I’m glad you didn’t think I was.”

Unbeknownst to him, the girl’s guard wasn’t as low as he initially estimated.

‘She’s good… When did she even cast a spell? I didn’t see the light or feel anything in the surroundings… Come to think of it, I’ve never seen her duel anyone.’

Regardless, it didn’t seem like they needed to fight each other. So he lowered his hands and dispersed the magic power he'd been gathering in his feet. “Do you have any idea what’s happening? Or are you as clueless as me?”

Alini shook her head, looking around with clear apprehension. “I only just woke up…”

Reivan sighed. “Same as me, then. Anyway, since we found each other and everything, what do you say about sticking together? Power in numbers, and all that.”

“That would be great!” Alini nodded with great vigor, a relieved smile on her face.

“Great.” Reivan reached forward and offered a hand, which she shook after a bit of fumbling with where to put her wand. “I think we should move away from this place. We’re out in the open here. Also, you should kill the lights. It doesn’t let us see all that far but now, everybody can see us.”

“Th-that’s true… I’m so sorry…”

Alini seemed horrified with the realization that she’d just done something so risky, but Reivan just waved off her concern. He understood the instinct that most humans had a tendency to seek the light. Back when he couldn’t see in the dark, he held similar sentiments.

As they were about to kill the lights and leave the clearing behind them, someone else spoke out from somewhere nearby. From the sound of it, this newcomer was also a woman.

“Wait.” With her arms raised, Inaria Netral slowly stood up and walked toward them. “I want to come with you.”

“Fucking… just how many people are gonna keep popping up so suddenly...” Reivan muttered under his breath, earning a sheepish giggle from Alini. “You’re Inaria Netral, yes?”

“...That’s right.” The redhead answered after a short pause, her bright red eyes staring into his own. “Does that matter?”

“It would have mattered if I didn’t know who you were. But since I do, then we can be a bit friendlier.”

Inaria didn’t seem to see anything wrong with the answer and nodded. “I know you too. Clover Salwyn.”

“Yes, well, I wasn’t exactly living my life quietly…” Reivan sighed and gestured for her to come along. “Come on. Before something that isn’t a human pops out of the grass.”

“There aren’t.” Inaria shook her head. “I scryed the place.”

“Oh, you did, huh…?”

“I did. Your friends are here too. And they haven’t woken up yet.”

“My friends…” Reivan thought of the two people he interacted with most. “You mean Aldimir and Kantor…?”

“I don’t know their names,” Inaria said in a deadpan voice, as if she wondered why he thought she would know. “I mean the sleazebag and the short guy.”

‘Wow, I knew she was blunt, but I got the impression she grew out of it… I guess she just didn’t show it to me when her Favor shot up.’

Reivan cleared his throat as he offered his hand. “Yeah, that’s them. Aldimir’s the manslut and Kantor’s the guy who’s still waiting for his growth spurt. Please remember.”

Inaria nodded as she shook it. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“I-I’m Alini Lizeth, by the way…” Alini introduced herself hesitantly, as if she was afraid that she’d get insulted too. “You can call me Alini. My sister’s in the same batch, so it’d be confusing if people called us by our surname…”

“I see. It’s nice to meet you, Sister Alini.” Inaria also shared a handshake with her, sounding considerably more amiable than when he was talking to Reivan. “You can call me Aria. My name’s long and my surname’s… well, you should be aware.”

“Ah, yes… Sister Aria.”

Reivan waited for their interaction to finish before gesturing at the clearing they were in. “Where’d you see the two? I don’t want to waste mana scrying since you already did it... is what I would say if I knew how to scry. Which I don't.”

Inaria wordlessly led the way and Reivan followed after her, but not before asking Alini to cast some alarm spells in the area. They were cheap but useful spells that rang at a special frequency that only sorcerers could hear. The sorcerer could even set the conditions depending on how skilled they were, but by default, they rang out when something other than a human entered its range.

Reivan likened them to the door chimes that alerted store employees whenever a customer entered the store — except these spells were normally used for less peaceful matters.

Sadly, they only lasted for three to four hours, so one had to recast it repeatedly when guarding over a place for prolonged periods. Even after they left, the spells would be useful since they could provide two pieces of information: the absence or presence of creatures in the area right behind them.

Just as Reivan reached the sleeping Aldimir and left Inaria to wake up Kantor, Alini regrouped with him.

“I’m done,” she said, somewhat out of breath.

“That was quick,” Reivan commented with a raised brow. “How many did you cast?”

“Only one… I made the detection range wider in exchange for not lasting as long. Is that okay?”

Reivan nodded and knelt beside Aldimir, trying to shake him awake. “That’s perfect. Thank you.”

Alini stood on guard, holding her wand with both hands as she skittishly looked around in the dark. “Oh, and to avoid having it triggered by squirrels or birds, I modified the spell so only something bigger than a dog should trigger it.”

“Good idea. Let’s hope it doesn't ring before we get out of h—”

Before he finished his words, the alarm spell rang, ringing in each and every sorcerer’s ears.

Again.

And again.

And again and again and again.

The ringing grew constant. Like the sound of raindrops drumming against a glass window.

'Fuck me and my stupid mouth...'

Arc#4 Interlude: The Tallest Tower

When one heard about Vel Ayala, most people from the Arkhan Republic would first think something along the lines of how they'd never been there.

Then they would think of how they wanted to go at least once before they died. And then, they would think of a particular building that towered over most mountains, even managing to pierce the clouds.

That building was the Spirit Tower.

In the distant past, it was the place where a number of small nations, who had just awakened to democracy, united to become one of the three continental powerhouses of today.

It was, for many, where everything began.

Sadly, it was also a place that most would never step foot in. Acceptance of this fact was perhaps the leading factor as to the innate interest just about every Arkhanian held for the tower. It was a wondrous and mysterious place, standing tall and unyielding for centuries. Every inch of the towering structure was etched with history itself, and while all things were temporary, the Tower, for many, was eternal.

Of course, some things were already well-known about it, despite the mystique surrounding its existence, such as how it held the greatest collection of grimoires in the world — which made sense since it was the place where the tomes were written. In addition, there were numerous researchers inside, racing against each other to birth the next great invention, thereby propelling the republic into the next age.

Last but not least, the Tower was also the gathering point of countless sorcerers, serving as the only educational facility for the most powerful force the republic had at its disposal — battlemages.

There were only benefits to be found when thinking of the Tower, and it was all thanks to one person: The Sage King, Antonnel.

“Hah…”

At the top floor of Vel Ayala’s tallest structure, in a simple undecorated bedroom, an old man of incredibly advanced age gently laid himself down atop a chair made of soft velvet, and rightfully so, seeing as his limbs resembled gnarled twigs so much that they might snap from just a little force. But few who knew him would make the mistake of thinking he was as fragile as he seemed.

For his name was Antonnel, and he was the Transcendent living at the top of the Spirit Tower.

Or rather, he didn't really live on the top floor. He merely existed there.

Antonnel's bright purple eyes stared blankly into the air, looking at nothing but seeing everything. His willowy hands, riddled with age spots, caressed the velvet fondly, savoring the pleasantness that assaulted his fingers. It was, he deemed, the comfiest one he’d ever sat on and he’d been using it for years.

Just like the body he was currently residing in.

“Master. Are you busy? I hope not. I'm coming in either way.”

Antonnel looked up in a daze, discovering someone familiar. “You’re…”

“You forgot my name again?”

“Hm.” Antonnel didn’t much like the insolent man’s tone, but he truly couldn’t remember. Humans all had such useless names, with not a speck of power behind them. Why even have names if they were that useless?

He never truly understood, and his previous contractor never managed to explain it well enough before death separated them.

The disrespectful man sighed, gesturing at his robes, which were purple with golden threads forming extravagant decorations along the hems. “Just call me Gold, like you usually do. It’s about time I changed my name anyway. I’ve used it a few too many times lately. Same with my body.”

“Very well, Gold.” Antonnel nodded, gesturing for one of the nearby chairs. “Why have you come here?”

“Incidents have occurred. And a few general updates to matters you’re interested in, in case you forgot a few of those as well.”

“Speak.”

Gold clasped his hands behind his back and paced the room. “First, the matters you left for me. I’ve spoken with the elves, and they’re fine with raising the number of orbs they supply us yearly. This year marks the first. We got a hundred, and will continue to get the same amount consistently. This means we can use our own yearly supply for other endeavors.”

Antonnel nodded, he’d expected as much. The elves weren't fools, after all. “Good.”

“Unfortunately, we still haven’t figured out how they make them.”

“As long as they keep trading it to us, then it doesn’t matter.”

Gold grunted, finally growing tired of pacing and procuring a chair from out of nowhere to sit on. “We still can’t quite pinpoint the rogue sorcerer you wanted us to find.”

‘Incompetent…’

Antonnel wanted to grimace but his control of this vessel was slowly deteriorating over time. Humans, he found, were needlessly complex. Their faces even more so. “I’ve already told you where to look.”

“You told me the general location. And it’s an ocean. We’ve scoured it and still can’t find her. The only place we haven’t checked is underwater.”

“Then check.”

“Your great sageliness…” Gold massaged the bridge of his nose. “I am quite sure that, at some point, I told you how the sea is actually quite a dangerous place for people other than yourself. Monsters were a big problem during your time, right? Well, there are monsters at sea too, except they actually had the time to do whatever they wanted all these centuries since humans aren’t very good swimmers. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if there are a few Transcendents swimming around down there.”

Antonnel silently thought for a bit before shaking his head. “The sorcerer is there. I can sense them. A spirit king has Ascended there.”

“Yes, yes, I know. You’re very good at knowing where all the spirit king seeds are. But see, the spirit king may have Ascended where you felt it, but they didn’t need to stay there, right? You should consider the possibility they’re not there anymore.”

“They’re there. Right now.”

“Yes, well, about that. We’ve already looked around there. I just said so, no?”

“Look harder. Look under.”

Gold, his face a mask of steel, paused to look the old man in the eye. “We’ve lost many men on this search. And we didn't even come close to the great depths.”

“With no results to show, perhaps you haven’t lost enough.”

“But—”

Antonnel didn’t move, but an overwhelming pressure bore down on Gold, and even space itself started to tremble under his gaze. “Do not forget the purpose of this place. Bring me whoever that spirit beast is contracted with. Negotiate or do it by force, I care not for the method.”

Gold nodded reluctantly and the pressure on him promptly vanished. He’d grown used to it by now though, so he was barely affected — except for a slight ache everywhere all at once.

The old man stared at Gold, waiting for an answer. Instead, he simply heard the man mutter something in a language he couldn't understand. "Fucking old man.", "One of these days...", and "Piece of shit" were just a few of the words Antonnel caught. But humans were troublesome creatures that didn't just speak a single language. Annoying. Antonnel didn't want to learn another one. It already took so much effort to learn how to speak one.

"Speak clearly. Stop muttering."

“I said that we shall do our utmost, master.”

“Make sure that the killing blow is dealt by… whoever the Ascendant Spirit King is now.”

“It’s Dalamar Harkon. My son.”

Antonnel paused to scan Gold’s face before asking. “He knows what must be done?”

Gold nodded blankly, rolling his eyes. It was a gesture Antonnel couldn't replicate or understand the meaning of. "He has known from the start. His spirit beast knows it as well and is eager for the opportunity to challenge you."

“Good. How many seeds does he need to Transcend?”

“Three. We had this conversation a few years ago, can you please stop forgetting things?” Gold chuckled wryly. “If we manage to catch the one you sensed somewhere in the southern sea, then we only need two more.”

Antonnel went quiet, his face unmoving as his mind spun rapidly. Three was a lot, and two was not much different considering they needed Ascendant spirit kings. Those didn’t appear often and raising one from the ground up was equally difficult, because he needed mortal spirit king seeds.

“Are there any candidates?” he asked Gold.

“We can probably have a few if we war with the elves. Surely, they’ll have a few spirit kings.”

“No.” Antonnel shot the idea down without even a second thought. “The Elven Court is too strong and is united as a race. Attacking them in their home ground is the height of foolishness. And there is nothing in the world that can lure them out."

"I expected that answer."

"Are there any others?”

Gold combed back his slightly graying hair and nodded. “There's a recruit from last year that came back from the sanctuary with a spirit king seed. But before coming here, she already had a spirit bond. Remember her?”

“I remember..." Antonnel graveled, his voice fading. "Protect her for now. She can’t die from any of those nonsense missions you fools give out.”

“Of course. We have someone guarding her at all times. And please don't call them nonsense when you languish here and do nothing. We're actually trying pretty hard to keep everything together, you know?"

Antonnel ignored the man's continued insolence. It would be hard to find a replacement, after all. Talking more had reminded Antonnel of who Gold actually was and what he'd done.

'He's always been this way. I remember now.'

Fingers drummed against his armchair, Antonnel's thoughts returned to the girl. “The girl. What is her temperament like?”

Gold pressed his tongue against the insides of his cheek as he thought about the question. “Well, she’s quite frankly a genius at all things related to sorcery. I can't even understand half of what she spouts, but oddly enough, it works for her. Charismatic as well as a good leader when she has to be."

“What else?”

“If I had to say anything bad, then it would be that she lacks ambition. And she's a slacker. Irredeemably lazy to boot. I don't think there's a way to fix her at this point, unless something drastic happens to her.”

Antonnel nodded. “Then she’s perfect. We’ll make her bond the next Ascendant Spirit King.”

“We don’t have seeds to feed her spirit beast, so that’ll have to wait.”

“Did we get nothing from this year’s recruits as well?”

“None from the seventy-four that survived…” Gold sighed. “On that note, there are a few isolated incidents that I believe you should know. The first of which being that twenty-six people died in the sanctuary.”

Antonnel frowned, the first expression he had managed to make throughout the entire conversation. “What a waste. But we can use their orbs for next year’s batch.”

“Yes, well, about that… we can’t retrieve the orbs. We’ve tried everything.”

Unconsciously, Antonnel felt his fingers clench the armrest, almost shattering it. But he caught himself on time and stopped. It would be a waste to destroy such a good chair. “What do you mean you can’t retrieve the orbs? The function to do so was created by me. It's perfect.”

Gold shrugged. “Exactly what I said. We can’t retrieve them. I suppose the retrieval function isn't as perfect as you think, hm?”

“Did you try—”

“I believe I just said that we’ve tried everything." Gold cut him off, waving a hand in dismissal. "The only thing we haven’t tried doing is forcing our way into the sanctuary to take a look inside. Do you want us to proceed with that?”

“Don’t.” Antonnel didn’t even hesitate.

Losing twenty-six orbs to some mysterious phenomenon was certainly undesirable, but it was an insignificant blow. A mere inconvenience at worst.

The sanctuary's destruction, on the other hand, would be a setback he couldn’t recover from.

It took decades of painstaking labor to rip out a portion of the spirit world and turn it into something so stable, especially when he was banished from it. The rules and laws that bound the sanctuary, though inconvenient in many ways, were what stabilized it in the first place — while also creating the perfect conditions to foster spirit king seeds.

Modifying those rules was no longer possible and even he, its creator, couldn’t flout it.

Strictly speaking, he could scry the sanctuary’s insides, but that would carry an enormous risk. A risk he wasn’t willing to take.

“Enough with this matter,” Antonnel commanded in a tone that brook no argument. “Cease anything that risks the sanctuary’s stability. The lost orbs don’t matter now.”

“I was more concerned with all the dead kids and what explanation I'll be giving their parents, but sure. I will follow your orders. That wasn’t all I had to report though.”

“What else is there? So far, I have heard one good thing and only bad things.”

Gold chuckled wryly, crossing his arms across his chest. "This next one isn’t anyone’s fault. We actually aren’t sure how to react.”

“Speak quickly.”

“We have reports of Mordred lurking around Vel Ayala. We know because she’s the only one capable of completely crippling perception over such a large area.”

“...Mordred? Who is that?”

“Ah, of course, you'd forget. She’s that crazy bitch who charged deep into Argonian territory and practically lived there for a few years, assassinating generation after generation of Grandmasters.”

Antonnel rubbed the tips of his fingers against the velvet as he tried to search his memories of this Mordred that Gold seemed to think was important. But even after a few heartbeats that may have been years for a Transcendent, Antonnel gave up. “Why is that relevant?”

Gold scratched his head and sighed. “She’s also the one who killed two Ascendant Spirit Kings. And one of them already had a kill too. Remember? It was the biggest setback to your plans. Ever. She did it quite near where you were at the time, guarding the border against the War God. Remember now?”

Antonnel clenched his fists. Now he remembered who she was.

‘That little girl…’

Or rather, she just looked like a little lady. It was a terribly disarming appearance for someone with such a penchant for lopping off heads. And he had never known greater anger than when she escaped as easily as she'd appeared.

“What has she done this time?”

“She forcefully detained one of our silver cloaks for a few minutes on suspicion of spying on one of the train stations. She even cut off all perception in the entire city. Even our sensory magic items were disabled somehow.”

Antonnel’s eyes narrowed. “Well? Was the silver cloak spying?”

Gold was about to answer but he paused. “I can’t actually be sure. Some curious things are happening with the trains and the Star of Fortune, so the Capitol has asked us to investigate. I highly doubt there was anything worth sending her to guard in that station though. That wasn't our agent’s purpose there in the first place.”

“What was it?”

“Shadowing one of the recruits.”

Antonnel frowned as the wrinkles on his forehead deepened. “A recruit? Has it already been more than a month since their oath-taking?”

“That’s the case, yes.”

“Then why are you still wasting resources having them followed? Instead of following around some brat, then just send the agent to search the southern sea.”

Gold truly looked like he wanted to curse in a language the Sage King could understand, but he’d been at this job for centuries, and so, he was able to barely hold it in by cursing in English instead. With a sigh that hopefully contained all his pent-up frustration, he began to explain.

“Clover Salwyn was under suspicion for a while. By order of Dalamar, who — in case you've forgotten — is my son and the current Ascendant Spirit King. He was the one who facilitated the recruit's oath-taking. The oath ended up not killing him despite more than a month passing, which should have proved his innocence a little, but we’re just trying to make sure. Others have found ways to flout the oath, so he's under observation until we can be sure.”

“So you are wasting resources.”

“No, I just ex—”

“Quiet. I am aware that the oaths aren’t absolute, but all the methods to get out of them safely aren’t things some ordinary people have access to. And wasn’t he observed for every second during the initial month?”

Gold was about to nod, but then also frowned. “Actually, no. There were blanks due to an incident with a particularly tricky monster infestation. But Salwyn’s actions were mostly accounted for.”

“Oh, so there are witnesses?”

“He was with another recruit who he only met on the way to Vel Ayala and a letter from one of the Star of Fortune’s custodians — both of whom are dead now though. But a squad of battlemages followed his trail and scryed his entire ordeal.”

“I see. Then he’s innocent. Let him be. If you have excess men to spare, send them to the south sea to look for the damned rogue.”

Gold shook his head. “No, we’re no longer observing him due to just suspicion, but rather, because we think he’ll serve an important role once nurtured. He performed splendidly under pressure during the incident. While we're still open to the possibility of him being a spy, if he's not a spy, then we must nurture him. In both cases, a watcher is necessary.”

Antonnel paused to think about it before shaking his head. “Then attach a guard if you want. Just not a silver cloak. Send all those to the sea to help the search. Don’t waste so much time on some boy, Gold. He’s not going to win us the world — but producing another Transcendent Spirit King will. And we need three Ascendants for that.”

After a bit of hesitation, Gold nodded. “Understood, master. We’ll get right to it. I’ll even go there myself.”

“Very good.” Antonnel cracked a smile, his fist clenched as he leaned forward with great difficulty. “I just need one more, Gold. One more — and everything will become trivial.”

The Sword Star, The War God, The Pope of Sormon, The Gladiator King, even the Elven Court… none of them would matter.

Just one more.

Just one more Transcendent Spirit King, and the world would belong to him by default.

Just one more and he would become the strongest being in existence, something that this world had never even seen before.

Something beyond a Transcendent.

‘I'm so close.’

Antonnel had waited patiently for centuries, waiting and waiting and waiting for the humans in his tower to continuously build up a supply of seeds. During that long wait, he taught them sorcery, protected them, and helped them in many other ways.

It was what Antonnel’s original contractor wanted, but that man was gone now — taken from him by the cursed power that brought sorcery to the world.

Now all that was left was a dream.

Their dream.

A foolish dream that Antonnel never believed would come true, but worked hard to fulfill since it was what his human always wanted.

A foolish dream where everyone lived in peace and prosperity.

Antonnel was very old. And that was why he knew quite a bit about humans. He knew that there was no way they would ever stop fighting each other. It was simply in their nature. No matter how tall and magnificent the structures they built were, no matter how well they hid their savagery behind culture and etiquette — Antonnel knew.

Humans were animals.

They weren’t all that different from spirit beasts. Conflict was part of their nature and satisfaction was a temporary concept.

Despite knowing this, Antonnel still wanted his original contractor’s dream to come true. It may have been a foolish dream, something a child would have come up with. But it was a beautiful dream, and Antonnel thought it was worth existing for.

Worth suffering for.

‘Peace.’

Antonnel had always known what was required to achieve it.

It was power.

Power and the threat of its use were the simplest solutions to most problems. Not the democracy that his original contractor fell in love with. Not civilized conversation. And most certainly not conceding to one’s enemies in the hopes they would feel grateful for your benevolence.

No.

He knew that true peace could only be achieved when an immortal entity with absolute authority enforced that peace. And he decided that he would become that entity. He would make the fool’s dream come true.

Antonnel the Silver Owl would bring peace to the world.

With a power like nothing anyone had ever seen before.

Arc#4 Chapter 48: Olive Branch

Reivan ended up being right about Aldimir setting up a drinking party to celebrate his win.

But the plans ended up going awry when all the girls decided to turn in early, too concerned with learning the spells they were supposed to learn. It was, perhaps, to be expected, seeing as they worked far too hard for their place as battlemages just to jeopardize it by fooling around too much.

Aldimir was quite obviously not happy about it but he didn’t particularly oppose their decisions, opting to go to bed too. As for Reivan, while he couldn’t deny that a small part of him was disappointed that nothing happened, he felt mostly relieved by the development. Reivan respected them all the more for it.

He still remembered Aldimir's rare bout of wise words about not sowing seeds of trouble among potential squad members. Though Reivan didn’t plan to stick around long enough for it to matter too much, he still needed to ensure that his time in the Tower went smoothly — that way, he could divert his efforts to what really mattered. And as far as problems were concerned, romantic ones were some of the worst kinds to have. He already knew that he wasn’t immune to forming unwanted attachments, even when the relationship was mostly physical. As such, he was a bit wary of bedding anyone he may form deeper connections with.

No strings attached was the right way to go. Oddly enough, that was the Arkhanian way of doing things and he was starting to see the beauty of it.

Empty beds aside, Reivan was gradually coming to understand why some people became alcoholics. The booze in his system simply numbed his brain to just about everything, leaving no room for anything extra. At the very least, he didn't suddenly wake up in the middle of the night, cold sweat dripping from every pore in his body as dead people haunted his dreams.

Sadly, sleeping smoothly didn't mean he was suddenly immune to hangovers though.

"Agh, fuck my head…” Reivan glared at the ceiling and massaged his throbbing temples. He forced his body out of bed, pushed his glasses into his face, and poured himself some water from a pitcher. “I should hold off on alcohol for a while…"

‘I don’t think the pros outweigh the cons. At the very least, I think I despise being hungover. It definitely wasn't this bad when I'm my real self...’

Getting some H2O into his system was refreshing, but it didn’t do much to prevent him from struggling to dress himself. He nearly fell face first into the floor while trying to put on a loose shirt and some pants — clothes fit for exercising in.

“That was way harder than it had to be…” Reivan pinched the bridge of his nose and hung his orb around his neck. After making sure he didn't have anything drawn on his face, he headed out the door — only to rush back inside because he forgot to take a fresh towel with him. Once he stepped into the hallway, his gaze unconsciously lingered on the door to Room #100, but he snapped out of it at some point and proceeded to the Mess Hall. He didn’t dawdle there though, using the large platform in the middle to teleport to the training hall.

‘Oh? It’s still so early but there sure are a lot of people…’

Same as most halls in the Tower, the teleportation pad reigned supreme, resting smack dab in the middle of the room. On the northern half were numerous dueling pits, which, judging by the noise, were already filled with people trying to knock each other out with a stun bolt to the face.

Meanwhile, the southern half served as a firing range of sorts, looking very similar to the ones he frequently saw in Western films. Instead of cardboard targets cut into the shape of a person, there were numerous little plates flying from one side of the range to the other, tracing unpredictable flight patterns of equally erratic speeds. They were the kinds of targets that a sober person would have trouble hitting, and a hungover one, such as him, would have absolutely no chance. Staring at a wall and hoping it crumbled had a greater chance of success, probably.

Unlike the fighting pits where he had to go off sound, Reivan could actually see that the range was full of people, with not a single vacant cubicle. if he had to guess, they must have been trying to successfully cast the penetration spell — one of the spells that all first years were supposed to learn within the next six months.

Not many of them actually achieved more than a slight glow from the tip of their wands, but one couldn’t fault them for trying. Reivan supposed that result was much more favorable than an exploding stick, sending shards of wood flying into your eye and all the other soft parts of your face. He would take the useless glowing over a mutilated face any day.

‘Aldimir’s a bad example, but I suppose everyone who made it here’s a hard worker in their own right.’

That said, the information that they were practicing the spell was somewhat relevant to Reivan — since that meant that all of these people already cracked their orbs even though it had only been a few days since they were given the spellbooks. He wasn’t quite sure if that was fast though, since the only basis he could go off of was that Clover would have learned it in a couple of hours. Since the real Clover was a bit of a genius, he wasn’t a very good unit of measurement though.

Still, that meant that not even a week after obtaining their orbs, every single first-year battlemage already had a spirit beast under their command.

‘If the Tower had an unlimited number of those orbs… Gods help the imperial infantrymen.’

A bunch of weak spirit beasts wouldn’t faze Aizen in war, but it would be a tremendous boon against Argonia’s tendency to field massive armies of the mundane.

The real worst-case scenario was if the Spirit Tower figured out a way to bypass the entry restrictions in the Sanctuary and produce a near-unlimited number of orbs. That would mean they could just drop a single Ascendent inside and have them catch all the strong spirit beasts easily, forcing them into temporary contracts like nigh immortal mercenaries.

‘Oh, wait. There’s an even worse scenario, now that I think about it.’

A horrifying thought bloomed in Reivan’s head — what if the Tower was hiding a sanctuary filled with Ascendant spirit beasts instead of mortal ones? And what if the Sage King could enter it and catch everything with a whole bunch of orbs?

The Tower would have an army of deathless Ascendants that revived again and again.

‘Yikes.’

Just in case he raised any flags by thinking something stupid, Reivan decided to cut off his thoughts right there. Hopefully, the doom scenarios he thought up in his head didn’t end up making it to reality.

Instead, he tried to fill his mind with inconsequential thoughts, like how long it would take Kantor to annoy Aldimir to death with repeated duel requests. Honestly, Aldimir was starting to look like he didn't actually mind. Maybe he just needed a bit more of a push — and by push, Reivan meant insults and name-calling. He'd spent quite a lot of time learning Arkhanian inside a fragment of authority, and now was the time to put his vocabulary to good use by finding creative insults. Calling Aldimir's gender into question or asking how many testicles he still had left would probably receive more of a result though. That was simply the way men were.

'He'll probably give in easily if I goad him into it some more.'

In any case, if Reivan wanted to get to where he wanted to go, he had to pass near the firing range. So he tried to do it without disturbing anyone, heading straight for the door at the end of the training hall.

Unfortunately, yesterday’s little event made him something of a celebrity, so a few people stopped to say hi to him. Of course, he didn’t want to be viewed as the local asshole that ignored greetings, so Reivan tried to politely return each one, no matter how casually it was thrown out. Like dominoes, each greeting alerted someone else to his presence and they stopped to say hi too, prompting even more people to offer their own good mornings and polite queries about his well-being.

Reivan didn’t know what to make of it, really. Did he seem like the type of person who normally greeted everyone he was vaguely acquainted with? He remembered a time when he entered the tower with the intention of being a somewhat reclusive mage who was unwillingly trying to be more social after being told off by a scary elder.

‘I wonder where exactly it all went wrong…?’

A few of the people practicing, he noticed, were the girls he drank with last night. It seemed their words about getting some practice in early weren’t just a hastily cobbled-together excuse to get away from him and Aldimir — they had truly intended to start practicing in the early hours of the morning. How very respectable indeed. Now they just needed to keep their legs closed more often, though he supposed it was a bit useless to tell an Arkhanian from the big cities to do that. Everybody just wanted to exercise their God-given right to procreate here, entirely skipping the part where they birthed a new life.

After somehow managing to exchange greetings with just about half the range, Reivan, finally, ducked into a smaller side hall that was adorned with all sorts of exercise equipment.

The influence of a literal otherworlder in the form of Aizen’s founding father and all sorts of supernatural mumbo jumbo blurred the lines a little, but the world was, culturally, somewhere in the medieval or renaissance era — and in some places, maybe even the early dark ages. That meant “exercise equipment” consisted of basic things, such as sandbag weights to be worn on the body, large angular rocks that were meant to be rolled forward with pure pushing power, and golems that could apparently be used as sparring partners.

The most noticeable piece of equipment was an elevated obstacle course that hung from the ceiling. According to what they were told during orientation the other day, the course would change its patterns and obstacles, giving one a different challenge with every run. Should one fail, everyone in the side hall would see them plummet straight to the floor — which didn’t even have cushions to soften someone’s landing. Though brutal and hazardous, it apparently served as a reminder: always be ready to use a whisperfall spell.

Honestly, he couldn't even tell them they were wrong. That spell was amazing, to be honest. Completely underrated.

‘That actually looks pretty cool. We should make one for the squires too. Though we probably shouldn’t place it that high… or we could make the course over a lake of freezing water. Stinky goo would be better though. That way, they’ll really be motivated not to fall in… Yeah, that sounds good. I’ll pitch it to Roland when I get back.’

Aizen had its own ways of improving the physiques of its recruits, and while it was most definitely better than the methods of every other country in the continent, it wouldn’t hurt to integrate other ways just to see if it would make a positive difference. It was important to maintain a progressive mindset, and not be too set on the current ways.

In any case, Reivan didn’t come here for the obstacle course. So he reached for the orb hanging from his neck and lightly flicked it. “Hey, girl. Come out, already. We talked about this.”

'Well, I talked about this. But I'd like to think we conversed, you and I.'

A white smoky blur seeped out of the crack in the orb and transformed into a young white panther. Sen landed on the ground before him and stretched, seemingly not in as bad of a mood as before since she wasn’t glaring daggers at him. That was always a good sign. Not looking like they wanted to murder something, that is.

She yawned and looked around the place with a curious glint in her eyes. However, this lasted only for a moment before its face twisted into what probably counted as a grimace for feline predators.

“I know you don’t like being outside.” Reivan crossed his arms in response to its mental whining. “But we have to get you accustomed to the material world and this is the way the book suggested. So we’re going to do this for a few hours every morning. You don’t get a say in this, sorry.”

The tiny white panther yawned once again before lying down on the floor and rolling around in protest, unaware of how adorable it was.

“Stop being lazy, c’mon.” Reivan knelt down next to Sen and rubbed its belly, which it thankfully allowed despite its previous hostility. Maybe Reivan's experience in rubbing animal bellies had something to do with that.

With his other hand, he gestured at the expansive room. “We’ll do a few laps. Then you can go back in your ball.”

The obstacle course loomed above and the various equipment were set along the walls. In the middle, right below the hanging obstacle course, was a vacant lot meant for jogging or even sparring with golems. There were safety hazards everywhere with this arrangement, Reivan noted with mild exasperation. But this arrangement was also to encourage constant vigilance.

Or rather, that was the excuse they were given at orientation.

"Mrawr!" Reluctantly, Sen followed his lead around the hall, trotting along behind him. When he sped up though, the young beast gradually grew more excited, looking like she really wanted to pounce at his back.

‘Oh? Is that fun for you? Alright…’

“Sen. Chase after me. If you touch me anywhere but my limbs, I’ll set you free.” Reivan snickered at the shock in the beast’s surprisingly expressive countenance. He then turned around and bolted. “No attacks! No spells! And the offer lasts for three minutes!”

The white panther remained stunned in silence but eventually snapped out of her stupor, bounding after him with incredible vigor.

Unfortunately, he was already quite a fair distance away because he was a human, and humans were filthy cheaters. Though spirit beasts generally had higher physical capabilities than ordinary people, that was not the case with the two of them yet. Reivan — disguised as Clover Salwyn — was decently fit while Sen wasn’t even a year old.

They actually had very similar physical capabilities at the moment. Which was kind of sad, when their size and ages were taken into account.

In any case, the headstart Reivan took was an enormous advantage that would have meant his inevitable victory if they weren’t in an enclosed space. His stamina was no doubt lower than a spirit beast’s too, so Sen was destined to catch up.

With a full minute killed by his unsportsmanlike behavior, Reivan glanced back just in time to see the little white panther pounce at him. An instant estimation of her trajectory told him she wouldn’t connect as long as he kept running forward.

However, having reached the other end of the hall, there was a vast wall blocking his way and he held no intentions of trying to ram his way past it. Sen had picked an opportune moment to strike, forcing him to lunge to the side just to dodge. He smoothly transitioned into a roll and jumped back to his feet before kicking off the ground to continue running.

Completely missing her target, Sen unceremoniously crashed into the wall and bounced off like a deflated basketball. She stood up with shaky legs, still reeling from the impact. But she quickly pushed through and continued her pursuit.

Reivan repeated the same pattern two more times, killing the last two minutes, much to the beast’s frustration. He then collapsed onto the ground, his lungs begging for air. Despite his legs feeling like they were submerged in hot lava and the sharp pain in his sides, Reivan still managed to chuckle.

"You’re not very smart, aren’t you?"

Sen snarled at this, visibly indignant at losing and being mocked for it. The white-furred beast sat on the floor and turned its face away, eyes closed as if every second wasted looking at him drained her sanity.

This reaction was the last thing that would make Reivan want to stop though. Too out of breath to speak, he teased Sen through the fragile connection between them, enraging it even more. There was no escaping him when their souls were connected like this.

‘If you’re mad, then do better next time. I’ll give you another chance tomorrow. And another one after that. As long as you do what I say and try to get used to the material world as soon as possible.’

Sen cracked one eye open, looking at him as if checking to see if he was lying. Seeing no apparent signs of falsehood, its anger dissipated, replaced by excitement at the opportunity for freedom.

Reivan looked at the spirit beast with mild amusement.

‘Cute little thing. Doesn’t even consider the possibility that I’d renege on my promise. Bless her.'

Of course, Reivan fully intended to follow through if he lost. Maybe he was a piece of shit that killed people, but he wasn't a piece of shit that deceived sentient animals. In the first place, he’d only suggested it since he was confident in victory, fully aware of Sen’s capabilities — or rather, her lack of capability. But he could stop giving her the opportunity when he felt like he was about to lose.

That wasn't cheating or unfair in his opinion. Rather, wasn't he already being kind by honestly giving her any chances at all? Obviously, he would quit while he was ahead.

“Ugh, fuck, I can't breathe…” Reivan rubbed his sides, just below the rib cage. To no one's surprise, playing tag with a quadrupedal predator that was biologically designed to chase prey down, even an infantile one, wasn’t easy. But then again, he meant to improve Clover’s physique so he would have a good excuse to set his Might a little higher.

After recovering enough, he pushed his body even more by wearing weights and jogging with Sen. Significantly slowed, the white panther enjoyed running circles around him with a bewildered look in her eyes, seemingly wondering why he was intentionally making things difficult for himself. Explaining how humans, unlike spirit beasts, didn’t just grow stronger by eating and sleeping would be far too complicated, so he just said that he was doing it because he liked it, solidifying his image as a “weird human” in Sen’s mind.

"Hoo!" Reivan exhaled sharply after working up a lot of sweat, making good use of the towel he brought. He collapsed on the floor and rested all his weight against the wall, trying to even out his breathing while wishing he'd remembered to bring some fucking water.

That was when he noticed someone else enter the hall.

“Oh? Fancy meeting you here, Brother Salwyn.” Prince Alphon smiled, standing by the entrance. He was dressed in a loose white tunic and comfortable pants, obviously meant for working out. “Good morning.”

“Good…” Reivan struggled to stand, almost tumbling from how shaky his knees were. “Good morning, Your Highness.”

“You must have been here awhile. And you were being quite brutal to your body, from the look of you.”

“Someone told me that the pain means it's working.”

“Whoever they are, we’d probably get along.”

"I highly doubt that. They're old and bald and just generally unpleasant."

Prince Alphon chuckled before walking toward some weights. “I didn’t think I’d see anyone else passionately working out so early in the morning when I came to a place that trained sorcerers, but I suppose I underestimated the Tower's talents.”

Reivan sat back down and slicked back his sweaty hair. “I’m sure I won’t be the only one.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt that. There was another person here these past two days. A woman.”

“Really?”

“Indeed. Pretty little thing, that one,” Prince Alphon spoke carefully while loosening his limbs. “Red hair. Red eyes. Always reading a book. Oh, and I’m pretty sure she’s the president’s daughter. I’ve met her father and all her brothers, but for some reason, I’ve only seen her in paintings and newspapers.”

“Oh…”

“You know who I mean?”

Reivan nodded. “I may have noticed her here and there. She’s hard to miss.”

Prince Alphon chuckled and checked the entrance before grinning boyishly. “No man would ignore her with a face and a body like that. I see that you and your friend have been taking the opportunity to sample all the ladies in our year, one at a time.”

“Uh…” Reivan froze, unconsciously licking his lip as he thought of what to say. “I’m not…”

“No need to pretend, Brother Clover. There’s nothing wrong with a man wanting women. That’s just how we are. No need to be ashamed of how the Sun God created us.”

‘Gods fucking damnit… I’m getting a reputation from following Aldimir around!’

He couldn’t blame anyone other than himself though, since in the end, he chose to go along with it.

Reivan sighed at the undesirable state of affairs he’d fallen into. And now that he was thinking about it, why was he having such a friendly conversation with a prince from Argonia?

‘I was trying to avoid getting too close, so how’d this even happen…’

But when he really thought about it, though he knew a bit about the empire, one of its princes would obviously know things he didn’t know. Now was the perfect time to remedy that, and Reivan didn’t want to waste the opportunity.

Sure, avoiding the prince was ideal, but since that was no longer possible, he chose to move on to wheedle some information out of the foreigner. Make the most out of a bad situation and all that.

“What about you, Your Highness?” Reivan hesitantly asked, wiping off the rest of his sweat with a towel while sending a glance at the nearby Sen.

She understood what he wanted and turned into a white blur, returning to his orb.

“Me?” Prince Alphon finished stretching and started fastening heavy sacks to his body. “Hm… Well, I certainly find Arkhanian women attractive too, but I honestly prefer women from back home.”

“Is that so…?”

“Yes. I can’t say I’m a fan of how… Uh, what's the word? I don’t know what it’s called in Arkhanian when they tend to sleep with many people. In Argonia, we just call them not clean. Not dirty. But not clean.”

Reivan's brows furrowed for a moment before he cleared his throat. “Do you mean promiscuous…?”

“That must be it. I’m not sure though, sorry. I’m still getting used to the language. Obviously, the lessons weren’t enough.”

“No, you’re doing fine, to be honest. Uh, so…” Reivan raised a brow. “So you don’t like them to be... experienced? What about it bothers you?”

“What doesn’t bother me? I don’t understand how menfolk from the republic can marry with the knowledge that their wives slept with at least ten or so different men before swearing their vows in front of Sormon. It’s an insult to the Sun God to be so unclean. I'd understand if they were forced into prostitution, but they do so willingly, no? It shows a lack of discipline, in my opinion.”

“I see… And what about you, Your Highness? Do you partake in women before marriage?”

“Of course, I do.” Prince Alphon shrugged and flexed his limbs to get used to the additional mass he gained. “And I can see where you’re going with this line of questioning. But men and women are different. So they're evaluated differently.”

Reivan hummed in thought, trying to argue as an Arkhanian would. “Does the woman’s past truly matter for imperial men so much? In the end, they chose you, no? They may have had other men before, but they didn’t marry those. She married you. Is that not enough.”

“Their past does matter, Brother Clover. At least, it does to me. Would you use an unwashed spoon that ten other strangers used to shovel ten different dishes into their mouths?”

“...Women aren’t spoons, Your Highness.”

“I know.” The prince sighed and shook his head. “I also understand that I grew up in a completely different culture, so I have very different values. I’m not expecting you to share my views, Brother Clover. I just want you to understand that mine are different than yours. Just as how I understand that yours are different from mine.”

“Of course.” Reivan nodded deeply, before transitioning into a bow. “Forgive me.”

‘I mean, he kind of lost me at some point, but Aizen shares a somewhat similar view on chastity… Interesting.’

In any case, he had wanted to rile the prince up a little to make him reveal his temperament, but Alphon remained calm throughout. Because of that, Reivan wasn't sure if that was his real personality or not. It was a massive flop.

“Bah.” Alphon shook his head. “There’s nothing to forgive. Just two young men from very different places talking about women.”

“Thank you for your benevolence…” Reivan looked up, eyeing the prince curiously. “I must say, you’re not what I expected a prince of Argonia would be like. The stories about the empire don’t exactly paint its nobility in a good light.”

“That was rather blunt, Brother Clover. But I can’t really deny it either.” Prince Alphon chuckled sheepishly and sighed. “Just know that the imperial clans and the so-called nobility we send off to govern the provinces are very different.”

“I see… How so?”

“How, huh…? Hm. Let me think…”

The Argonian parroted the question, seemingly surprised Reivan was willing to dive so deeply into the topic. Nonetheless, the prince didn’t seem to see anything wrong, delaying his workout to continue the conversation.

After a bit of thought, Alphon spoke slowly and deliberately. “I suppose the biggest difference would be how we see the world and the empire.”

“I’m not sure I follow…”

“I suppose not. You see, in Argonia, a provincial governor’s position is as fragile as the surface of a frozen lake during winter’s twilight. That’s why, to them, they see their positions as an opportunity. A chance to profit as much as possible before they get ousted by their competitors — the same way they got those positions in the first place.”

Alphon then placed a hand on his chest. “We of the imperial clans, on the other hand, know that our authority is much more stable. It is our right. As long as the First Emperor lives, we, his progeny, can never be ousted. The next emperor will always come from one of the imperial clans. Always. And anybody from the imperial clans can be the next emperor as long as the War God chooses them.”

“So that's how it is…”

“It’s all just one big fucking competition, Brother Clover. A contest, if you will. We were all just competing for the Progenitor’s favor.”

Alphon looked down at his fist, slowly clenching it as he smirked, almost as if he was mocking it.

“And I lost, Clover. That’s why I'm here. But by Sormon's Light, I am not done yet.”

Reivan silently digested the surprisingly enlightening insight into the inner workings of the empire. After all, even though they had many spies in Argonia, none could penetrate into the imperial palace. Leonel, Argonia’s founding emperor and its Transcendent, resided in the capital.

And any spies trying to get close would be placed at enormous risk.

The kingdom of Aizen sent its knights to very dangerous places, and inevitably, some of those knights never made it back. But the kingdom would never send off their people somewhere they were guaranteed to perish, and as such, all spies were forbidden from going anywhere near Argonia’s capital region at the northwestern edge of the Sentorale Continent.

‘I’d love to dive deeper into this, but…’

The imperial prince had generously entertained Reivan’s curiosity up until now, but Reivan didn’t want to test anyone’s patience — especially not a diplomatically important figure for the republic. Right now, Reivan’s identity as a first-year recruit could not possibly afford to truly offend Alphon. Having a cultural disagreement about women wasn't in the same league as being too nosy about imperial matters.

In any case, digging any deeper was far too dangerous so he chose to stop while he was ahead.

For now.

“Thank you for telling me so much about the empire, Your Highness.” Reivan dipped his head.

“Oh, it’s nothing. And please, just call me Alphon.” The prince chuckled, waving a hand as if it truly wasn’t a big deal. He then grinned conspiratorially, leaning a little closer to Reivan. “You seem very curious about the empire. And it pleases me to know my country interests a talented young man such as yourself. Have you ever been there, Brother Clover?”

“Not yet... But I wouldn’t mind doing so someday.”

“Really? I’m happy to hear that. Perhaps I can show you around when I next go back. What say you?”

“I’d be honored…” Reivan backed away with a sheepish smile. “As long as this is truly just an invitation to sightsee.”

“Hah. You’re a smart man, so you must have known that it wasn’t.”

“Then I would have to decline.”

“Is that so? Eh, well, it was worth a shot.” Prince Alphon snickered as he nodded. “Maybe you’ll come around eventually? Say, a few years from now.”

“I mean no offense, but I don’t believe I will. I quite like my current position.”

'I'm a fucking prince after all.'

“Your loyalty is admirable." Alphon shrugged. "But, just know that the offer stands. The empire is a large vessel, and it is ready to accept anyone brave enough to hop aboard. Keep that in mind.”

Leaving those words behind, Prince Alphon waved a hand and started a lap around the hall, leaving Reivan sighing to himself for somehow managing to gain a foreign prince’s attention despite trying very hard not to.

Arc#4 Chapter 47: Friendly Duel...?

Leaving those words behind, Kantor left.

"Them's fighting words, Win." Aldimir voiced from the side, lazily poking at his food. "You just gonna let him talk to you like that? Just gonna let him call you a wuss? Huh? You can't just let him go after he called your balls saggy."

"He didn't call me anything. Stop making shit up. Also, we still haven't talked about how you literally admitted to selling me out."

"Hey, that's a bit... Okay, actually, that's exactly what I did, now that I think about it. Shit. Sorry, I’m a different person after a night like that…"

Reivan sneered and shook his head in exasperation. "Next time we go out of town, you're downing the first ten shots."

Aldimir grinned and nodded. "Sure. I can even do twenty."

"You’ll be out like a light by the time I start drinking, moron."

"Oh, right. I’ll stick with ten, then. Just to be safe, eh?"

Reivan sighed and gestured at Kantor with his chin before looking down at his plate. "Anyway, is that guy any good?"

"Eh? You're asking me? How should I know...?" Aldimir reluctantly put food into his mouth only to gag, covering his lips with his hand. He hastily poured water down his throat and wiped his lips with his sleeve before responding. "Ugh… I'm only interested in women. Ask me about those, and I might have answers."

"Fucking useless piece of..."

"Oh! I know one thing about him though."

Reivan looked up from his food, swallowing a mouthful before he raised a brow. "What is it?"

Aldimir gestured for Reivan to come closer, but from experience, Reivan knew nothing good would come out of someone's mouth when they did that so he stayed put. Eventually, Aldimir gave up and just said what was on his mind.

"He's handsome."

"...What?"

"He's handsome. That Kantor guy or whatever."

Reivan didn't know what to say, unconsciously recalling Kantor's facial features.

Loathe as he was to admit, he actually had an Aldimir-like mindset where he didn't care much for a man's looks unless they were incredibly ugly or handsome. If they were in the middle, then it wasn't notable enough for him.

'Well, I guess he is handsome…? I still don’t understand why that matters, though.'

Somewhat pale, somewhat short, and a somewhat feminine countenance with minimal facial hair — Kantor was what Reivan would have referred to as a pretty boy. Just a bit of makeup would have deceived a few people into thinking he was a particularly pretty woman.

And he supposed that a certain subset of women were crazy about men like that.

"Okay. And his looks are important because...?" Reivan raised a brow and asked testily.

"Because he'll steal all the girls, Win. Y'know, the girls that we could be getting instead? That sounds pretty important to me. More than some stupid duel, at least."

"Did you come to the tower for women…? Never mind, don't answer. I don't think I wanna know."

Aldimir scoffed, pointing a fork at Reivan. "Wow. Look at Clover-fucking-Salwyn over here. Acting like that. I seem to recall you having lots of fun with those girls last night. And the night before, if I may add. You didn't even share! You just took all four of 'em to your room and left me at our table! All alone!"

'I can't even remember how that happened...!'

Reivan clicked his tongue ignored Aldimir’s whinging and returned to his food, not particularly concerned with the duel. Despite the light bit of provocation Kantor left behind, the friendly duel had no stakes. Winning would certainly be impressive but at the same time, Reivan didn't come here to impress people.

He came here to steal information and take out particularly talented recruits when he could.

'Hmm... if Kantor performs well, I should add him to the hit list.'

Reivan didn't look forward to the attention he would get from victory though. He wasn't familiar with Kantor's clan, but judging from how sensible the youth was and how proud he was of his clan, Reivan could assume the Targov clan wasn't some run-of-the-mill family of hedge mages.

That meant that Kantor was likely raised for sorcery. And beating him would undoubtedly draw scrutiny from the powers that be.

‘Maybe I’m overreacting. Even if Clover’s time was split between providing for himself and improving his skills as a sorcerer, he still scored quite highly in practical aspects. It would be an upset, but triumph wouldn’t be impossible.’

Reivan thought about it a bit more and decided to see how proficient Kantor was before deciding whether to win or lose. As soon as he had that thought though, he suddenly realized how arrogant he was being. Who the hell was he to think that victory was decided by his whims?

That kind of thinking should have been beaten out of him by Donovan. It was when you thought everything was under control — that was when you discovered you didn't. And then you were dead.

'Well, this isn't really a real combat situation... Ah, fuck, I'm making excuses, aren't I?'

Reivan didn't like how he seemed to be digressing as he lived away from who he truly was. It seemed he would have to spend some time fixing his mindset when he returned. Maybe it was because he was living such a different routine than what he was used to? Or was it that? Was he starting to really become Clover Salwyn?

'God... maybe that's it.'

“Oh, right.” Aldimir looked up from his half-finished meal, gesturing at the orb hanging from Reivan’s neck. “Have you done the cracking thing?”

Reivan took a moment to shake himself out of his own thoughts. Only then did he have the presence of mind to answer. “Yeah... I have.”

“Damn, you work fast. Did you not sleep after we got here?”

“I wasn’t that tired, to be honest.” Reivan shrugged nonchalantly, tossing the last bite of his meal into his mouth and throwing the subject he'd been thinking about to the back of his mind. He would think about it later. If he remembered. “Plus, I just wasted two days fooling around. I felt bad about wasting the entire day on rest.”

“How diligent~!” Aldimir chuckled. “Any tips?”

“Don’t use too much blood.”

“Did you?”

“...Maybe.”

“Hah. You did, didn’t you? Moron.”

Reivan flipped him a finger while taking a swig from his large tankard of water, that is, before Aldimir slapped his finger aside with a snicker.

“Right, lemme see what kind of spirit beast you got.” Aldimir held his hand out while rolling his own orb toward Reivan. “Here’s mine. Check it out, doesn’t it look really strong?”

Curious, Reivan exchanged orbs with Aldimir and peered inside. His eyes widened at what he saw. “A dragon…?”

“I wish it was. But look, it only has two legs plus the wings.”

“A wyvern, then. That’s still roughly classified as a dragon, right?” Reivan hummed to himself and handed over the orb, taking back his own. “You got lucky. I thought you’d show up with a horned rabbit.”

“A horned rabbit? Why would I?”

“Because of the similarities you share. Anyway, what’s the story with this one?”

Aldimir raised a brow but didn’t push the question further, launching into his story. “So, I was taking a break in this really mountainous place, yeah? Then as I was taking a piss, this flock of wyverns flew by! There were so many, Win. You should've seen it.”

“I'd rather avoid seeing another man piss. What happened next?”

“After I tightened up my pants, I just kinda noticed how there were all these small wyverns. So I thought, hey, why not catch one of those?

"...I know you lived through it because you're here. But don't you think you should be more careful?"

"Shut up, let me finish. Anyway, for the next few hours, I stalked them until I found their little nest and stuff. You know what’s strange, spirit beasts apparently don’t need to eat or drink, nor do they bleed or take shits. But I found eggs over there. Plus really small wyverns, obviously newly hatched. They were right there, Win. Undefended and ripe for the taking.”

“Let me guess, you tried to go for the bigger ones anyway.”

“Of course. I almost fell off a cliff when it smashed up the part of the mountain I was on though.

"Big surprise."

"Before I fell, I took one of the newly hatched ones with me. Then I jumped off the cliff while pressing my ball against it.

"Your orb, Aldim. You were pressing your orb against it."

"Yeah, sure. Anyway, I survived the fall by using featherfall before I smashed into the ground. I’ve never felt such a rush in my life, Win. It was awesome. We should try jumping off a cliff sometime.”

“I’ve already done it though,” Reivan muttered nonchalantly as he rubbed his chin. “Most people go for birds, right?”

“So I’ve heard.” Aldimir nodded. “It’s probably for utility purposes. Like, even if they can’t catch a strong spirit beast, at least they can use it for scouting and stuff. Flying will never be useless.”

“We already have scrying spells, no?”

“Scrying costs magic power. We can’t keep it up for too long. Telling my spirit beast to fly up and keep watch from there costs nothing. Oh, but since mine’s a draconic beast, I can also use it as a meatshield. Not now though. I'll have to wait until it's big.”

Reivan nodded in agreement, though he already knew that was the case. Aizen had a long history with Arkhan and they had noticed the Tower’s preference for avian spirit beasts. After Reivan’s trip to the sanctuary, he could now be sure that it wasn’t because those types were more plentiful, it was just because battlemages generally preferred them for the utility they offered.

‘Maybe it's also because of the Sage King’s owl. Everybody just has a higher opinion of bird types because that's what a Transcendent has. Even though dragons are better in every way… with rarity being the only problem.’

The Sage King apparently had five spirit beasts, but only the silver owl was Transcendent. Meaning in a strange way, Arkhan actually had two Transcendents.

According to history though, the Sage King only fought while fused with the owl. And since spirit beasts couldn't go too far from their anchors, the Sage King and his owl effectively functioned as just a single Transcendent.

One theory that Reivan was asked to confirm in his time at the Tower was Antonnel the Sage King's real realm. The Sword Star doubted whether Antonnel was actually a Transcendent, theorizing that Antonnel was an Ascendant at most, and only the owl was in the Transcendent realm. It was similar to how Valter's life was extended because Freed maintained their fusion to keep him alive.

'It'll have to be at the end of my mission though.'

If his experience with Rolf and Saintess Frey was to be trusted, Transcendents could somehow sense when he used [Supreme Insight] on them. So the moment he used it on Antonnel and the old man was a Transcendent, that would mark the moment Reivan had to activate the Sword Star's bell and get the hell out of the Tower.

'Well, I'm not even sure how I can get an audience with the Sage King, so I'll think about this when the time comes. If it ever does, anyway.'

“Yours look good too, Win.” Aldimir stored his orb back into his spatial ring and gestured at Reivan’s orb. “Predator-types are strong in close combat. And they’re probably good at tracking too. Does it have an element?”

“Yeah. It's [Light].”

“Wow. Good for you... Mine doesn’t have an element, but that’s alright with me.”

Reivan raised a brow. “Not even [Fire] or [Wind]?”

“I don’t think so. The wyverns that chased me all the way to the borders never breathed fire or used wind. Plus, the area mostly had spirit beasts without obvious elemental alignments, so I assume the wyverns are the same? Can’t be sure though.”

“I see... My condolences.”

"Stop. You're making it sound like it died." Aldimir shrugged with a smile. “And again, I’m perfectly fine with it since it’s a draconic type. Plus, having no elements means it won’t be particularly weak to anything, right?”

“It also won’t be particularly good at anything but a fistfight. Plus, a wind spirit beast could blast it out of the sky in a fight.”

“Even so. It's still great.”

Reivan chuckled and decided to raise the white flag. No matter what he said, it seemed Aldimir was convinced that the spirit beast he caught was the cock of the town. And really, Reivan was inclined to think that it was.

‘It’s hard to top a dragon-type. Even if it isn’t a full dragon and doesn't have an elemental affinity.’

In battles with the republic, knights had the most trouble taking out the dragon types. So much so that anyone who succeeded got a medal and a raise. Of course, they had to have killed the battlemage too, or else the dragon would just show up after it recovered and they'd have to be killed all over again.

Dragons were simply stronger, faster, had better combat instincts, and even matured quicker. Dragons were superior to every other spirit beast in just about every way — as far as Aizen knew, of course.

‘Good thing I caught one each for Helen and Hector.’

Thinking about the gifts he would give to his favorite twins, Reivan couldn’t help but grin, staring into the air for a few moments. It wasn’t until someone tapped him on the shoulder that he realized he’d been staring at someone’s crotch for a while.

Reivan looked up and instantly put a name to the face of the handsome young man in front of him. “Prince Alphon…?”

“That's me.” The imperial prince smiled amiably, his bright crimson eyes locked with Reivan’s. “And you’re Mr. Salwyn — No, Brother Salwyn, yes?”

“That's right…” Reivan nodded as he stood up. “It’s a pleasure for the imperial prince to know my name.”

“No need for ceremony, Brother. As you’re probably wondering, the fact that I was sent off to study in another country means I’m not all that important.”

“Uh…”

Reivan had a bit of trouble knowing how to react appropriately to the prince’s jest — that really didn’t sound like it was a joke. He then realized that perhaps this was how other people felt around him when he was Prince Reivan, and decided to be more tolerant of speechlessness when he returned.

Eventually, Reivan just decided to cut straight to the point. “Can I help you with something, Your Highness…?”

“You’re not a very subtle man, I see. I don’t hate that.” Prince Alphon chuckled and crossed his arms. “I heard you were having a duel.”

“Yes, that’s right. Can I ask how you knew? It hasn’t been that long since I agreed.”

“Someone overheard your little conversation and it reached me by coincidence.”

“I see…” Reivan nodded, looking around. The Mess Hall was more occupied than usual and that meant it was also harder to have private conversations — especially when they weren’t even trying to be private. “I hope this isn’t where you ask if you could duel me too…”

“By Sormon’s light, no.” Prince Alphon shook his head. “I’m not that good at sorcery. I’d have more luck running up to my opponent and bashing my shield into their face.”

“Then…”

“I just wanted to watch. Do you mind? It gets pretty boring, studying all the time. I could use a distraction.”

“Oh.” Reivan looked down and licked his lips, taking a moment to think about it before nodding. “In that case, I don’t mind.”

Alphon clapped him on the shoulder. “Wonderful. Where are you having your duel, by the way?”

“We... haven’t worked that out, actually. But I’m assuming we’ll do it at the training hall we were brought to during orientation. There are a number of dueling pits we can use there.”

“I see. Time?”

Reivan scratched his head. They hadn’t worked that out either. It suddenly occurred to him that Kantor was more scatterbrained than he thought. “Before dinner. So maybe around six?”

“You haven’t ironed out much of the details, it seems.” Alphon teased before shaking his head and turning around. “I’ll see you there, then. Good luck, Brother Salwyn.”

“Yes, thank you, Your Highness.” Reivan dipped his head a little, slightly annoyed at encountering the imperial prince despite expressly making an effort to avoid contact.

‘Damned luck…’

As royalty himself, he knew that one of the keys to a peaceful existence was staying far away from royalty. Nobody had their toes dipped into more problems than people of ultimate authority. It was their responsibility to face those problems in the place of the populace, after all. Sure, fraternizing with Prince Alphon could give him insights into the empire’s machinations, but there were already people in charge of digging that information out — people who were better at it than him.

Reivan had a different job, and trying to do too many things at once was a recipe for disaster. He was already trying to multitask in this mission. Adding more to his plate might make him drop it, ruining everything.

“Is he gone?” Aldimir spoke from behind Reivan, apparently having moved to a different table before the imperial prince even reached theirs. It was an amazing bit of perceptiveness that would have evoked admiration in Reivan he didn't feel so betrayed. “What did he want?”

“You're talking to me? You abandoned me. Your disloyalty knows no end.”

“It was a tactical retreat, Win. I would’ve just held you back from being your best self.” Aldimir defended, palms facing the ceiling. “Also, it's payback for that night you took all four of the girls up to your room without sharing. I'm still bummed about that."

"Fuck you, I was drugged. I can't remember shit."

"Doesn't change the fact I slept alone. We'll call it even with this. I even paid for everything!"

"...Alright, fine. But you're kind of an asshole for bringing money into this when you know I'm poor..."

"Anyway." Aldimir decidedly ignored his grumbles. "Was he here to tell you to back off his women or something? Has he laid claim to every female in our batch?”

Reivan frowned. “What? No. He just wanted to watch the duel.”

“Oh. And he asked permission? That’s awfully nice of him. A bunch of other people are coming to watch and they’re not planning to ask permission.”

“What? Who?”

Aldimir pointed to the table he’d retreated to earlier. “Everybody in that table over there. And that one over there. And that one too.”

“...Seriously?”

“Yep.”

“Fuck. Why? Don’t they have something better to do? Like learning the damned spells they’re supposed to learn?”

Aldimir shrugged. “I guess they’re bored of studying? I haven't done any studying at all and I'm bored of it.”

Reivan massaged the bridge of his nose. “It’s been three days since orientation.”

"It's already been three days since orientation. It's all about the mindset, Win. And anyway, I don’t see your point. Studying Is boring. Everybody needs a break from time to time. Especially me. I function best in the last few moments before a deadline.”

‘Gods… Is this duel becoming a bigger thing than I thought?’

════════════════════════════════

Much to Reivan’s dismay, the duel did, in fact, become a much larger affair than he anticipated. It was a rule of thumb at this point, he realized, that when he didn't want things to happen they would happen.

Practically every single first-year showed up to watch, loitering around the training hall.

Reivan even caught sight of Inaria there, reading a grimoire as she waited. He really wanted to transform into his other identity and yell at her for bringing a book everywhere — wasn't she afraid she'd fall into a pothole? That would be funny if there were any potholes in this world, but supernatural waste management systems were a thing.

“Goodness, don't stand too close to the edge, everyone.” Elder Bernadine, who showed up and volunteered as the referee at some point, directed the first years to what she perceived was a safe enough distance to watch the duel from.

Reivan stood on the other side of a dueling pit, honestly contemplating just walking out and saying he didn’t feel like dueling anymore. He would have to be prepared for the drop in reputation though. Now that everybody in their year was observing the duel from above, it would be beyond cowardice to back out at this point.

‘Damnit, literally everyone’s here…’

He wondered if it was a result of news spreading by word of mouth or because someone literally went around and told everyone.

One look at Kantor’s nervous countenance was enough for Reivan to know that the crowd wasn’t his work. Rather, the youth seemed to regret challenging him to a duel at all, obviously unused to the scrutiny of dozens of people. The poor kid was trying very hard not to make it obvious that his arm was shaking like a leaf.

““GO, GO, CLOVER! BLOW HIS HEAD OFF, CLOVER! GO, GO, CLOVER!””

The awkward but unified cheers of a group of young women echoed from one side, causing Reivan to look up and follow the source of the cheers to find Aldimir hovering behind the excited girls with a supportive smile and two thumbs up.

‘He’s doing something unnecessary again…’

Despite his mild annoyance, Reivan found his will to back out withering into nothingness. Perhaps that was something innate in all men — they were simply hardwired to want the favor of young women. It was a curse, he mused.

“Now, then.” Elder Bernadine clapped her hands and gestured for both duelists to come together in the middle of the dueling pit. “Will the participants show some sportsmanship before we begin?”

Reivan nodded toward Kantor and they both walked to the middle of the dueling pit, clasping each other’s hand.

Kantor took this moment to speak. “H-Hey, I know what I said earlier, but this is a friendly duel, alright? I just wanted you to take it seriously, that's all.”

“Relax.” Reivan scratched his head. “Don’t mind them. I won’t be blowing any heads off any time soon. Do you think they taught me any military-grade spells in my academy?”

“A-Alright, just so we’re clear… Oh, and I haven’t learned the military-grade stuff either. They're pretty strict about that.”

“Good to know. And by the way, you weren’t the one to tell all these people to come, were you?”

“Of course, not. I have no idea how all these people found out. Even an elder showed up… Now it doesn’t even look like a friendly duel. I never meant for it to be such a big deal… Everybody's here. And now I'm getting nervous...”

Reivan let go of Kantor’s sweaty hand and shrugged. “Well, all the more reason to do our best, eh?”

Kantor smiled awkwardly, the anxiety clear on his face. “Yes. Let’s have a good duel. I still plan to win though... If I can.”

“Well, don’t expect me to make it easy for you.”

With those final words, they returned to their previous positions, Kantor readying his wand while Reivan opted to use the claw, to the surprise of quite a few observers.

“The duel starts on my mark.” Elder Bernadine cheerfully announced, only to freeze. She lightly slapped her forehead and turned to each of them. “I almost forgot. Just so we're clear, what rules are you two going with? With spirit beasts available, people here in the tower have different rulesets than the academy. I can see that you've both cracked your orbs too. What say you? Academy rules or Tower rules?”

Reivan shared a glance with Kantor and they both nodded, the latter turning to the elder with a nervous smile. “We’d like to stick with what we know.”

“Academy rules, then.” Elder Bernadine poised her wand, pointing it in the air. “Only non-lethal spells. No fire. No weapons. And no spirit beasts. Win conditions are to disarm your opponent for more than ten seconds, or land a solid physical blow to the head or body.”

Both participants nodded.

‘I’m already at an advantage for using a claw instead of a wand, then.’

Elder Bernadine checked them over before clearing her throat. “Ready?”

Reivan observed his opponent’s stance. Judging by the lack of tension in Kantor's legs, Reivan presumed that his opponent would try to fortify his position instead of moving. In response, Reivan's legs tensed as he prepared to rush to the other side of the pit as soon as he could.

“Begin!”

There was a loud bang following the elder’s words, and Reivan wasted no time in devouring the distance between them. Of course, he wasn’t a half-ascendant, so he wasn't very fast. But he was like a tiny chihuahua running toward you with its fangs bared — small and slow, but you'd want to get the hell out of the way all the same.

Just as he’d expected, Kantor stayed put and tried to set up defensive wards around himself. But magical defense wards, by nature, took some time to put in place despite their long protective durations.

Reivan, on the other hand, kept running onward while firing some weaker spells, forcing Kantor to choose between dodging or stopping mid-cast to use a faster defense spell.

Kantor, apparently, was the type of sorcerer who preferred the latter option, clicking his tongue and quickly conjuring a veil of magic power in front of him that soaked up all of Reivan’s spells. After his successful defense, he shot a stream of stun bolts to slow Reivan’s momentum. It was a close to instant cast time that most mages his age could even dream of achieving.

But Reivan didn’t slow down at all, conjuring shields just before impact — something the real Clover did in past duels as well. It was a supreme display of precision and skill that completely eclipsed Kantor's machinegun spell-slinging.

Panic and despair crept up Kantor’s face. Realizing that defending his spot was no longer an option, he made the snap decision to start running to the side, aiming a spell at the ground between them.

'Oh, no you don't!'

Anticipating that response, Reivan fired at the spell mid-air, both spells destroying each other in a shower of magical sparks.

‘It’s over...’

Like a wolf seeing its prey fleeing, Reivan broke into a sprint, not bothering to save his stamina or leave some leeway to change direction. He ran full tilt, ready to pounce on Kantor’s exposed back. To make his job easier, he sent a spell at Kantor's feet — the same spell Kantor tried to use earlier.

The only difference was that his spell connected, coating the stone tiles in a slick and greasy liquid that mildly stunk of rotting flesh. Reivan was far away and had the nose of an ordinary human and he could still taste the smell from so far away.

“Shit!” His footing unstable, Kantor tried to turn around and point his wand at Reivan.

But whether it was his slightly longer legs or Clover Salwyn's physical fitness, Reivan had already closed the distance. He lunged forward, his knee driving straight into Kantor’s stomach. Momentum brought them crashing into the oily floor, with Reivan pinning his opponent underneath him, fist poised to strike.

Just before he brought it down, Elder Bernadine's voice thundered throughout the hall.

“That's enough! Victory goes to Salwyn.”

Reivan sighed and felt his muscles loosen as the spectators clapped, accompanied by a few scattered cheers for a job well done.

‘Huh?’

Reivan, still drunk on the thrill of combat, heard an unnatural number of voices despite the loud beating of his heart. He looked up and noticed that there were, surprisingly, more people watching the duel.

A lot more people.

“Elder, those wizard paw things look really useful.” A bearded man with undecorated wizard robes nudged an elderly gentleman right next to him. “When the hell are we getting them? We're third years, shouldn't we have gotten them first?”

“It's called a wizard’s claw, you imbecile.” The old man spat, before crossing his arms, the silver decorating the hem of his robes shimmered in the light. “You’ll get them once all the kinks are worked out. It depends on how well this batch of first years do.”

“Damn, I should have delayed my application by two years, then. Take a little longer and we’ll all be dead before we get them. One of those bloodsuckers at Grindelhor Forrest almost got me the other day… I swear, if the Tower keeps sending newbies like me to places like those, you're gonna have a lot of trouble when people stop applying.”

“Stop complaining. You made it out, didn’t you? And a wand is good enough for you. Even if we gave you a claw, you’d just get your arm bitten off.”

There was a round of chuckles from the other young men and women around the pair. And yet, this wasn’t the only group of unexpected observers.

Reivan scanned the audience, taking note of the many silver cloaks he'd never seen before. A pained groan from below jolted him back into reality though, recalling how there was a literal person underneath him. He hastily got off, simultaneously dispelling the putrid grease he conjured, banishing it from the floor and their clothes. Sadly, the smell would take a while longer.

Trying very hard not to inhale through his nose, Reivna wiped his hand on the side of his pants and offered it to his defeated opponent. “Good fight.”

Kantor stayed down, staring at the ceiling for a good few seconds before sighing, his hand reaching up to grab Reivan’s. “Good fight. I didn’t last very long, though.”

With a grunt and a pull, Reivan helped Kantor to his feet. “Eh, don’t they say fights between true experts never last long?”

“The same can be said of duels between experts and idiots. In any case, my defeat hardly matters. What do you think I could have done better?”

Reivan paused for a moment to glance at the young man’s face, realizing that the question wasn’t rhetorical or asked in frustration, but rather, was a genuine inquiry.

‘Well, he’s got the right attitude, at least.’

After taking a few moments to form an answer, Reivan scratched his head. “I don’t think you did anything wrong, per se. It's just that you fought by the book so perfectly."

Kantor's brows furrowed in confusion. "Isn't that a good thing?"

"It was if I hadn't read the book too. We studied the same stuff, remember?"

"That's true..."

"Also... And I mean no offense with this," Reivan chuckled sheepishly. "But another reason is that I’m just better.”

He didn’t mean that as some unsportsmanlike trash talk — he just literally thought he was at the same level or even better than Kantor in every field.

Their spell repertoires must have been similar since there were laws to prevent teaching military-grade spells to unauthorized individuals, and the clan Kantor came from wouldn’t have disobeyed those laws if they had any prestige to their name. As for casting speed, they were just about the same on that front too, proving that Kantor actually had the right to be confident in the skills he built up.

The scale tilted to Reivan’s side when it came to physical prowess and adaptability though.

A future where Kantor outran Clover Salwyn didn’t exist, so Reivan had the overwhelming advantage in close combat and mobility. Though the young lad was clearly adaptable enough to change his battle plans on the fly, he was quite obviously rattled by Reivan’s opening charge, not expecting Reivan to just start running at him like a madman. To top it all off, the person controlling “Clover Salwyn” was Reivan Aizenwald, someone who had undergone a tremendous number of real battles and spars that were just as intense as real battles. Anticipating Kantor's next moves was rather simple since he knew most of the spells his opponent knew.

‘Even if it was the real Clover, he probably would have won anyway.’

Clover Salwyn was a miser and an unfortunate victim of fate, but he was also a genius in his own right, sporting a daunting record of 91 wins and 0 losses in duels against his peers.

Simply put, the man was born to be a battlemage.

‘And the republic let him slip right through their noses. All they had to do was take care of his mom and he would have jumped into a sea of flames for them.’

Reivan didn’t bother explaining what his words meant, but it seemed Kantor understood anyway. They shook hands once again and congratulated each other on a good fight.

“Whoo! That’s my friend right there!” Aldimir’s voice stood out from the crowd, gathering the attention of those around him. He had a big smile on his face as he cheered, urging the nearby girls to do the same — which they did, with amused reluctance.

“Let’s give a hand to our duelists. For a wonderful performance!” Elder Bernadine walked up from behind them and raised their arms, whispering to them as another round of clapping filled the training hall. “Sorry about the crowd, boys. Once they heard someone was using the claw in a duel three days after it was given out, they all came out like rats. They even took their disciples with them. Everyone's curious about new toys, you see.”

‘... So it was my fault all along. Stupid Reivan. Fuck you, Reivan. Step on a Lego block, Reivan. Why must you ruin your own plans?’

“So many people saw me get beaten up…” Kantor chuckled lethargically. “I hope my sister doesn’t hear about this.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that.” Elder Bernadine giggled. “She’s out on a mission.”

“That’s a relief…”

“But she’ll be back by next week.”

“Oh, no… Oh, no…”

Reivan let the applause wash over him as he entered their conversation. “Why challenge me at all if you were so scared of losing? Did you think victory was guaranteed?”

Kantor shook his head. “That’s not it. If only our batch knew, then I would have been fine… losing can be a learning experience too. Father said so. But my sister thinks our parents are too easy on me since I'm the youngest in our family, so...”

‘...Gee. I’m really sorry. I’m not too happy about the enlarged audience either, but damn.’

“Alright, alright. The show’s over.” Elder Bernadine shooed the extra spectators away. “You’re not supposed to be seen by the first years, remember? Don’t make me report you all to the Gold Cloak.”

Not even a heartbeat later, only Elder Bernadine and the other first years remained in the training hall reserved for first years. A second later, the motherly elder also vanished, leaving Reivan and Kantor alone at the bottom of the pit.

Just as Reivan was about to walk to the stairs leading upward, Kantor called out to him. “Hey, Clover.”

“...Yeah?”

“Uh… Do you mind if we do this again? When you’re free. I wanna be better too. Like you.”

Reivan raised a brow, noting that there wasn't any sarcasm in that either. He was so used to being around Aldimir that he half expected there to be.

'He's a good kid.'

“Sure." Reivan nodded. "But you should try dueling other people too. Like Aldimir. He got a pretty high score.”

“Oh, I heard something similar from someone. I almost forgot about him…”

“Yes, yes. Don't forget about him. You should most definitely ask him for a duel. Don’t take no for an answer."

"What? No, I don't want to be a bother to anyone. Same to you, if you ever feel like I'm overstepping, please tell me."

"Relax. He's a weird guy, that one. No means yes, and yes also means yes. Just keep asking until you catch him in a good mood. I’m sure he’ll agree.”

Kantor seemed skeptical. "...Are you sure?"

Reivan placed his arm around the pretty boy's shoulder. "I'm sure he'll come around."

"Well, okay then..." Kantor nodded with determination. “I’ll beat Aldimir first. Then I’ll come after you.”

“You say that like I’m the strongest here. Try to duel some other people, maybe you’ll find someone even better than me.”

“I have trouble believing that, but you have a point. I guess I'll challenge everyone.”

“Knock yourself out. But go after Aldimir first. Just really ask him over and over and over until he agrees. I’ll even help you talk him into it.”

Kantor’s eyes widened. “Really? You’d do that for me?”

Reivan beat his chest with a smile. “Of course. Leave it to me, Brother Kantor.”

“That’s awfully kind of you. Thank you. I’ll make sure to repay you some other time, Brother Clover.”

Reivan nodded and turned around with a smirk as his gaze climbed up toward Aldimir, who was busy talking up the cheering girls — probably trying to invite them into a drinking party to celebrate Reivan’s win or something.

‘Heads up, fucker. I just sent him right back to you.’

Arc#4 Chapter 46: Orb Cracking

[Author's Note]

Long chapter alert. I couldn't find a good enough place to stop.

Enjoy~

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After being persuaded by Aldimir, Reivan decided to accompany the youth in staying another night.

Fortunately, he didn't have to awkwardly spend the entire day with a man since a few local girls offered to show them around town. Of course, these local girls were of the paid variety, and the two young men were free to do what they pleased with their female escorts — a privilege Reivan couldn't refuse to take part in, as that would be very strange from his secret observer's perspective. It was a tragedy, it truly was. But Reivan had to do it, albeit reluctantly.

There was already an incident with Valter and Dame Mordred interrupting the observation to speak with him, so Reivan didn't want to give the Tower even more grounds for suspicion. In the meantime, he had to perfectly play the role of a sad young man who was trying to take his mind off the death of a woman he was getting close to.

Ironically, it wasn’t really a lie.

Reivan and Aldimir returned to the establishment that refused them the previous night and enjoyed a truly extravagant experience. Though he didn't see anyone he knew, Reivan marveled at how many stunning young women the establishment employed. He technically owned the place but even he was surprised at how... enthusiastic they seemed about their job.

And that was why his guilt in enjoying their services was alleviated a little. It also helped take his mind off his most recent misdeeds.

'What a night...'

Reivan sighed as he sat down on his bed at the Spirit Tower. After a night of bliss with some very gorgeous, very experienced, and very well-compensated young ladies, he and Aldimir caught the train back to Vel Ayala the next morning.

Both of them were understandably exhausted from the exertion and mutually agreed to split up and rest. Aldimir even mentioned avoiding women in general for a while, seeing as his balls were starting to get sore and he had begun shooting blanks at some point—information he volunteered, much to Reivan's dismay.

There was no rest for the wicked though, and Reivan was as wicked as they came. He ran a finger through the buckle of his belt, and a heartbeat later, silver rings appeared on all five of his right hand’s fingers, each one connected to a silver bracelet by thin little chains.

With a grunt, he stood up and flexed his fingers, trying to familiarize himself with his newest tool — the Wizard’s Claw. He ran his magic power through it and tried to cast a very basic spell, causing the entire ensemble to glow softly with blue light.

A moment later, a small white wisp appeared in the middle of his palms, swaying in the air from side to side.

‘Using it seems simple enough… The arrangement of the runes is similar to a wand’s, so they’re easy to find. That said, people who depend on muscle memory for spell casting will have quite a bit of adjusting to do.’

Reivan then summoned two purple kite shields, both of which sported sharpened edges that could rapidly vibrate when fed with the tiniest bit of magic power. He gripped the handles firmly and noted that having so many rings didn’t impede him in any significant way.

While battlemages of the past usually held a wand on their dominant hand and a shield on their other during combat situations, their batch of recruits would be doing things differently — both hands were now free, after all. Historically, battlemages used special swords in tandem with their shields in cases where they ran out of magic power, misplaced their wands, or their enemies got too close.

But after some deliberation, the powers that be in the Tower decided that it was much better to give both hands maximum protection. With the way wizard claws worked, enemies would aim to sever the wizard’s arms rather than take the wand away.

Obviously, making it hard for the enemy to do that would be to a battlemage’s advantage.

Hence, it was decided that this batch of recruits would be the pioneers of a double shield style. The sharpened edges were an addition that was all but required. Otherwise, the shields lacked too much lethality to be a viable offensive weapon in close combat.

‘I guess they understand that defense can only go so far.’

“Hm…” Reivan hummed to himself as he studied the shields carefully, paying particular attention to their enchantments.

After a few seconds of thought, he shrugged, deciding that despite the enhancements to durability stacked on them, his real self could probably break them with simple brute force. And surely, most knights could do it too.

Dippy the mysterious furry blob probably couldn’t do any damage no matter what it tried though, but that was fine since the blob's main use was being cute.

‘So these shields are only for the bog-standard battlemages that are practically foot soldiers. I don’t think there are a whole lot of materials that can make weapons for Ascendants, so they’ll have little changes. Presumably, that is.’

It was one of the reasons why knights had such a big advantage the stronger the level of the combatants were. On an Ascendant's level, most enemies may as well be naked and weaponless while Aizen’s warriors were wrapped in very durable armor partnered with powerful weapons.

Soul Armaments ascended with their hosts, after all. And each knight had one.

‘Oh right, I should make sure the battle robes fit me well.’

Other than the claw and the pair of shields, Reivan’s ornate belt buckle also contained emergency spellballs, his employment papers, some emergency medical supplies, and two sets of battlemage robes used for different occasions.

One set looked extremely similar to the robes he saw in a certain movie series that featured a boy wizard with a lightning scar on his forehead — except these were light purple and undecorated, typical of trainees. They were equipped with a hood, were thick to protect against Arkhan’s cold climate, and billowed like a wizard’s robe should. Wearers could choose to wear them opened at the front or closed, though they were told to keep them closed in official settings.

The other set of robes were battle robes, and Reivan wasted no time in comparing them to military greatcoats — just like the German military wore in just about every movie where Nazis appeared. He questioned why they were still classified as robes, but he didn’t make the rules, so he just shrugged off his questions. He didn't forget how the republic was actually a result of Aizen's meddling, so finding a clothing piece like this here wasn't as illogical.

To confuse enemies, all battlemages of every rank wore the exact same style of battle robes, sporting no decoration of any kind. So while one’s official robes were modified every time they climbed ranks, battle robes stayed the same even if they became the Gold Cloak — Arkhan’s most powerful battlemage, standing just below the Sage King in power.

Reivan thought that this would also confuse their allies as to who to protect and whatnot, but again, he didn’t make the rules. Hell, he didn’t even plan to fight on Arkhan's side if a war broke out, so it hardly mattered to him if they failed to properly safeguard their leaders on the battlefield.

‘I hate that they don’t give us any helmets or something. Seriously, people underestimate just how vulnerable the head is…’

Though the battle robes were heavily enchanted, offering much better protection than ordinary steel, there was barely anything to protect the head. Except for a hooded mantle that was enchanted as well, though a few levels below the battle robes themselves.

He was used to having a great helm securely covering every inch of his head and face so a plain old mantle that flapped in the wind left him feeling very vulnerable indeed.

‘Well, their fighting style doesn’t involve charging in, so I guess it’s kind of understandable…’

The idea was to prevent the enemy from closing the distance. Close combat, for battlemages, was a last resort rather than the most reliable way to dispatch an enemy. Perhaps it was for that reason that they avoided helmets—maintaining a wide field of vision was imperative to casting the right spells at the right time.

“These fuckers are heavier than I thought…” In full battle regalia, Reivan hefted the kite shields and swung them around, purposely keeping his form amateurish but steady. He gradually “got better” at welding them before trying to cast a few basic spells from varying places.

He started slow, first shooting a few harmless spells from the edge of his kite shield. Then he moved on to more difficult angles, like from slightly above his head or from the shield’s flat side as he defended against an invisible enemy. And once, just because he was curious, he tried shooting spells from his crotch.

Reivan quickly got the hang of it and believed that if Clover was in his place, the results would have been the same or better — the man was a genius, after all, despite his shortcomings. As such, it wouldn’t be strange for Reivan to advance quickly.

Rather, with a perfect score in Magical Application and a near-perfect rating in combat adaptability, it would have been suspicious if “Clover Salwyn'' didn’t advance quickly. Luckily, Reivan would have no problems on that end.

“That should be good enough…”

After practicing various basic spells while simultaneously moving around with the shields, Reivan deposited the shields back into the spatial storage artifact it came from and walked over to the side table next to his bed, picking up the heavy tome that lay on it.

‘Let’s take a crack at this orb-cracking thing.’

Other than the special spell to force contracts with imprisoned spirit beasts, there were four other spells in the tome, all of which were spells he already knew:

First, was the Penetration spell, which was a versatile attack spell that would have warranted a dirty joke of some kind from someone like Aldimir. The reason for its versatility was due to how the spell left a lot of its control to the wielder, meaning that depending on the sorcerer’s skill, it could do a lot more damage.

Next was the Resonance Bulwark, a defensive spell that has been a staple in most battlemages’ repertoires for a very long time. It was a relatively easy spell to learn that formed a dome around the sorcerer, protecting them from attacks of a physical or supernatural nature. What truly solidified its spot as the go-to defensive spell was how it combined with other bulwarks nearby, forming an exponentially stronger defense that protected a much larger area.

Another spell was the Binding Light spell, which was, as its name suggested, a spell that restricted a target. In particular, it wrapped them with a rope of light, impeding movement. The spell wasn’t particularly strong though, and was apparently more suited to restraining hostile civilians without harming them.

The last spell was quite famous in Aizen — The Scrying Spell.

‘The ultimate spell for voyeurs.’

That said, the scrying spell in the textbook he was given was the most basic one that even Aizen knew of, only allowing the caster to get a bird’s eye view of a far-off location. One of the spells Reivan wanted to steal from Arkhan was the type of scrying spell that let him see the past, but it seemed he would be unable to check that box on his list for a while.

‘One at a time.’

Of the five spells in the grimoire, he already knew all but the spell to crack orbs, so he just had to pretend to learn the others and succeed at appropriate times. Fortunately, just skimming through the pages told him that the orb-cracking spell wouldn’t be too hard to learn, just as Elder Bernadine said.

“Alright, I’ll give this a shot.” Reivan opened a nearby drawer and took out the orb housing a miniature white panther. He peered inside, immediately noticing that it was curled up and sleeping. “Hey. Wakey, wakey. I’m getting you outta there… if I succeed, that is.”

Perhaps because it got used to solitude after Reivan literally left it in a drawer for two days, the spirit beast woke up at the first sound of his voice and wasted no time in scratching at the inside, making its desire to mutilate his face clear.

Reivan walked over to the kitchenette in his room and took out one of the many cooking knives that were there, carefully placing the sharp edge on the pad of his left index finger, just above the whorls of his fingerprint.

He had a role to play, so even though he wasn’t scared of cutting himself up a little, he pretended to. It was only after taking a few deep breaths to steel himself did he press down on the blade gently, just enough to draw blood.

Obviously, Clover wouldn’t have been accustomed to the process of self-mutilation, so Reivan pressed down a little more than he should have, drawing an unnecessary amount of blood that dripped down to the floor.

“Shit!” he cursed, but hastily smeared as much of the blood on the amethyst orb. Finished, he looked down at his bloody finger and brought it up to his lips, sucking on it.

The taste of iron filled his mouth and he knew the bleeding wouldn’t be stemmed with just spit, so he took out the emergency medical supplies in his belt buckle. Luckily, there were some bandages inside and a salve to help disinfect wounds while fostering recovery.

‘That should do it. Damn, acting sure is hard work…’

After wrapping up his finer, Reivan drew his wand in a practiced motion. Though he was growing better at using the claw, none of the newcomers in his batch of recruits would opt to use the new tool for such an important spell — and it was highly likely that the higher-ups didn’t expect them to either.

As such, Reivan decided to use the wand for this one, taking off the wizard’s claw to prevent it from interfering with his wand.

“Hoo…” Reivan closed his eyes as he sucked in a breath, and for a while, the only noise in the room was the sound of air slowly escaping his lips. Suddenly, his eyes opened and his wand flashed with the light of magic, creating some kind of glowing string between the tip and the orb.

The thread-like light passed right through the orb’s glass-like surface, snaking its way inside and tying itself to the white kitten, who was quite understandably shaken by the event and was doing its best to run away from the string — to no avail, of course, as there wasn't anywhere to run to inside.

After securely fastening the string around the spirit beast, the tether flashed with light and vanished, leaving an intact orb and a very confused white kitten behind.

“Huh.” Reivan frowned and stared at the orb, the arm holding his wand falling to his side. “I failed… Fuck.”

He could feel his cheeks burn from the embarrassment. Doubly so, for he didn’t fail on purpose.

Reivan cleared his throat and smoothed out his clothes to calm his heart, raising his wand to try once again.

It was only after three more failed attempts did he stop to take a seat, resting his forehead on his palm.

‘Wow. Why isn’t it working? Am I actually bad at this…?’

Despite his failures, Reivan defiantly rose up once again. He wouldn’t let a few blunders stop him. But after ten more failures, Reivan gripped his wand with a trembling fist, trying very hard not to snap it in two.

‘I can’t believe it… I’m actually bad at this, aren’t I? Wait, but it seems so simple in the book though… Is it maybe because I smeared too much blood on the orb? The book said a drop of blood would do, but did it actually mean that anything beyond that wouldn’t work?’

If that was the case, Reivan would have to approach the author to counsel them on how to properly word instructions.

He used his thumb to clean off the excess blood on the orb and tried again. Reivan half-expected to fail once more and was just about to curse when he realized something.

“Whoah!”

Reivan had succeeded.

‘Yes! I knew there was nothing wrong with me!’

Instead of the thread disappearing, it grew taut, pulling on the spirit beast. The poor little kitten was pressed up against the purple sphere until eventually, the orb cracked open like an egg.

The spirit beast turned into a white blur as it was sucked out through the gap, rapidly growing in size. In the blink of an eye, there was a full-sized juvenile panther with snow-white fur right in front of him, looking very dizzy from the whole affair. So dizzy that it failed to realize Reivan was in range of its claws.

Not that it would have been able to do anything to him, given how the tether between them served as a temporary bond, meaning their fates were now intertwined — and the beast would come to instinctively know that soon enough.

‘Interesting… I expected [Supreme Insight] to react in some way, but it’s not…’

Despite that, Reivan could feel the connection between him and Sen, the white panther. It was nigh incomparable to the connection he had with Dom and Dippy, and rather than a bridge built with mutual trust, the connection felt more like a leash.

A leash that imposed the sorcerer’s will on the spirit beast.

Despite the domineering nature of the connection, it seemed about ready to break any minute. Luckily, if the book’s information was reliable, he had roughly a year from the moment the beast was captured in the orb.

‘Speaking of the orb…’

Reivan ignored the unresponsive white panther and walked over to the orb, which had fallen to the floor at some point. He picked it up and examined it, caressing the crack with his finger—which was, he realized, a bad idea if he didn't want to make another finger bleed.

According to the book, the orb didn’t become useless upon success. Rather, it became paramount to protect it and keep it on the sorcerer’s person.

This was because while the tether between them existed, the spirit beast couldn’t return to the spirit world or the sanctuary. The beast had to remain in very close proximity to the sorcerer, even while not in a materialized state.

The orb was basically a replacement for the spirit world — a mobile version of it that could be carried in one’s pocket.

If the spirit beast perished in battle or needed to recover its wounds quickly, it would not go to the world of spirits or in their anchor’s soul. They would instead reside in the cracked orb to regenerate.

‘It seems this has all been a great success. Now I can help the others use their orbs once I return home. Just have to remember not to use too much blood...’

Reivan placed a hand on his lips to stop himself from smiling at the thought of home. While he gave Valter all of the unused orbs, he kept all the ones with something in them.

Since they were gifts, he felt inclined to give them to their receivers personally. Furthermore, he wasn’t sure how dependable the textbook was, so he wanted to make sure the orb-cracking spell worked just in case the folks back home messed it up somehow.

Now that he was relatively sure there were no downsides, he would personally help his loved ones back home with their orbs.

‘Plus… Zouros stops time for the stuff inside its stomach, so if my thoughts are correct, the one-year timer for the orbs inside are paused until I take them out.’

That would give him plenty of leeway. After all, he didn’t miss the constant implication that the Tower had some way to entice spirit beasts to form permanent contracts with their operatives.

Reivan had to find out what that was and secure at least enough for Elsamina.

Helen, Hector, and Gwen came after, since they were all beasts in their own right and didn’t need a spirit beast. Elsa, on the other hand, needed it for immortalization purposes.

‘I cannot believe I live in a world where I’m planning to immortalize someone else. Just a while ago I was on my deathbed with no hope of recovery.’

Reivan grinned to himself. Fate was truly a mysterious and whimsical thing. Hopefully, it wasn’t whimsical enough to ruin his life in one fell swoop, not allowing him to do anything to stop it.

“Congratulations, Brother Salwyn.”

“...Yes, thank you.” Reivan slowly turned around and met gazes with an Elder Ozran Esteros, trying very hard not to show how surprised he was, though it upset him how much he was getting snuck up on these days.

Valter was still the best at scaring the living fuck out of him though. Reivan liked to think that years together helped him get used to his guardian knight’s playful antics, but the man was unnecessarily good at catching him when his guard was down.

Reivan supposed it was simply because Valter, as his personal guard, spent much more time watching him than the other way around.

“Is there something I can help you with, Elder…?” Reivan tried very hard not to sound annoyed at the blatant disregard for privacy. They were in his personal quarters and an old man just appeared from out of nowhere, blatantly announcing that the elders were watching and could enter at any moment.

‘I mean, a spy still got in the Tower despite all their precautions, so maybe they're on the right track with all this paranoia.’

Ozran grunted, disregarding Reivan’s implied irritation. “Just a surprise inspection of your spirit beast.”

“A surprise inspection…?”

“Yes. Do not worry, I’ll make it quick.”

Saying so, the elder knelt down right next to the white panther and took out what seemed to be a silver feather.

Reivan was just about to use [Supreme Insight] to look at what the feather was, but he was forced to turn his attention to Sen, who snapped out of her stupor and hastily made a break for it. The terror in the beast’s countenance was apparent, and even its tail was hidden deep between its hind legs as it ran as far away from the elder as it possibly could.

“That’ll do.” Ozran stood up, the feather gone. He nodded toward Reivan with a neutral expression. “Again, good work.”

“...Yes, elder.” Reivan dipped his head and resisted the urge to curse, having missed his chance at knowing whatever that silver feather was. Still, he felt like, as a supposedly curious youngster, he had the right to at least ask. “Uhm, that thing you just took out…”

“You don’t need to know, boy.”

“...Yes, elder. My apologies.”

‘Yep, that’s about right. This one’s not as loose-lipped as Elder Bernadine.’

Ozran sniffed and his gaze narrowed as he scanned Reivan up and down. Eventually, though, his face softened — as much as stone could soften, that is. “Curiosity isn’t a bad thing, boy. But not all questions need to be asked. Understood?”

“I understand, Elder.”

“Good. Now, I’m sure you’re exhausted from your… forays with your friend, so get some rest after calming your beast down.”

“Yes… Ah.” Reivan scratched the back of his head and acted guilty.

As expected, Elder Ozran knew exactly what he was about to ask. “Yes, we know what you and the other idiot did out of town for the past two days. And no, you won’t be punished for breaking laws that haven’t been conceived yet. Just make sure to stop using whatever you’re using when the laws do get put up.”

Reivan cleared his throat and nodded. “Yes, elder. I’ll be sure to remind myself and, uh… my friend.”

“Good lad.” The old man nodded with a grin. “And don’t worry, despite your actions, the Tower has great expectations for you and that dolt. Your practical results and adaptability are top-notch. And I see you are taking steps to improve your own shortcomings.”

“Yes, elder. I’m working on it, but…”

“Ah, yes. The Hardeling…” Ozran paused for a moment to give him a look before sighing. He placed a heavy hand on Reivan’s shoulder and gripped it tightly. “The nightmares don’t get any better, if you’re wondering. Sometimes I dream about the comrades I lost hundreds of years ago. Drugs and booze help… but you can’t be high and drunk all the time. Especially to get to a certain point of strength. So aim to get used to it. Not now, of course. Slowly. At your own pace.”

Reivan looked at the gnarled hand on his shoulder and then back at the elderly man, who, despite the sharp and strict appearance, was softer than he initially thought. It was enlightening to know that despite coming from two different nations, Valter and Ozran had very similar views and troubles as long-lived beings.

'Am I going to turn out that way too...?' Probably, huh?'

“Thank you, elder. I’ll… uh, try not to resort to drugs too much though.”

“Smart lad. Bottles and women are better, in my humble opinion. As long as you’re careful where you get drunk since there are crazy bastards who’ll take the chance to stab you in your sleep just for being a battlemage. All sorts of people out there."

“Yes, elder.”

“And be careful where you shove your dick into. The claps won’t kill you. But you won’t like it all the same.”

“Uh… Yes, sir. I’ll be careful…”

Ozran let go of his shoulder and waved a lazy hand to shoo away the seriousness. “Now, go get your beast. I’ll be leaving now.”

“Yes, e—” Reivan paused, his conversation partner suddenly vanishing. He shrugged to himself and scanned the room, finding the white panther staring at him from under his bed. “C’mere, little guy.”

Sen hissed, baring its tiny little fangs — a very obvious way of saying “No way, you crazy human! Did you not see what that old dude pulled out...!? I’m staying right here! And that's final.”

His newfound connection with it also gave him some understanding of what it meant, though maybe not word for word. He reserved the right of creative freedom when translating pure thoughts that only he could understand.

Reivan scratched his head and took out the orb, showing it to the terrified little panther. “Just hide here then. You’re not hiding in the dark with that fur. I'd see you even with my eyes closed.”

Now that it was outside of the purple-tinted orb, Reivan could see Sen for all its glory.

Despite being small because of its immaturity, it had beautiful white fur, though not in the same way that Dom did. The wolf’s white leaned very close to blue, while Sen radiated a golden aura. On its tail were rings of glowing gold and its eyes were a similar color.

“Pretty little thing, aren’t you…?” Reivan commented as the beast slowly crept out of the bed’s shadow.

It inched closer with deliberate steps, making sure to survey its surroundings for any old men with scary feathers. Once it reached Reivan’s feet, it squinted at him and then growled.

“Yes, yes, I know you don’t like me very much.” Reivan shrugged, sitting on the floor next to it. He then showed it his palm, letting it know he wasn’t holding any feathers. Only when it seemed used to seeing his hand did he reach forward to stroke its tiny head. “There we go… I’m not here to hurt you. We’re friends. Friends.”

Sen snorted in doubt, but didn’t seem to outright dislike his touch.

While his hand moved, Reivan’s gaze went to the string of light connecting them. Fortunately, it wouldn’t stick around forever. According to the book, the string would turn invisible to everyone’s eyes after a few hours.

It would only reappear if he recast the orb-cracking spell or as a warning when he was too far away from his spirit beast.

After a few more minutes of stroking, Sen expressed a desire to go into the orb. Apparently, it didn’t like the material world very much because it “felt weird”. The confines of the orb were actually preferable. He felt his heart stir when it asked, with all the politeness a beast could manage, to be allowed to go home.

Sadly, however, he couldn't grant its request.

Reivan watched the little white panther turn into a blur of white as it was sucked back into the orb through the crack. He then socketed the orb in a special necklace to be worn around his neck so that the beast could watch the human world from its orb.

‘I’m getting kind of hungry, now that I think about it…’

He and Aldimir boarded a train first thing in the morning despite how groggy they were from all the drugs and alcohol in their system, then proceeded to pass out on the way there.

As such, they hadn’t actually eaten any breakfast yet.

Reivan checked his pocket watch and confirmed that it was way past noon, so that meant he’d skipped two meals. How he missed the growls of his stomach was a mystery to him.

‘Guess I was too focused on studying.’

Taking a moment to get properly dressed, Reivan donned the official robes they were just given and headed out to the Mess Hall, Sen’s orb hanging from his neck.

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The moment he walked into the Mess Hall, he was met with a surprisingly large amount of people. He had never seen it so full outside of official gatherings, but it seemed most if not all the first years were there for some reason.

‘The hell are they all doing here at four in the afternoon…?’

“Oh, hey there, Winny,” someone said in a gravelly voice from behind Reivan.

Glancing behind him, Reivan was met with the sight of a very horrible-looking Aldimir, who sported bags under his eyes and unhealthily pale skin.

Reivan, of course, wasted no time in telling the young man how horrible he looked. “You look like shit, Imi.”

“Gee, thanks for trying to cheer me up…” Aldimir snorted before walking past him, gesturing for Reivan to follow. “Also, I told you I don’t like the nickname you picked out.”

“I don’t like the nickname you picked out. Change it.”

“No.”

“I’m not changing mine either then, Imi. Imi. Imi. Im—”

“Fuck you, Winny.” Aldimir chuckled with a smirk but suddenly groaned, cradling his head as he sat down at an empty table. “My head… Ugh, fine. I’ll call you Win instead. Happy? I think it’s English for victory, right?”

Reivan hummed to himself as he sat down too. “That’ll do, Aldim.”

“I don’t really like that one either…”

“Stop being such a bitch, Aldim. Aldim, Aldim, Aldim.”

While ordering and waiting for their food to be delivered, they both argued about the nicknames — something they decided to do to honor a dare with one of the escorts they drank with the night before.

Apparently, Clover’s name was weird because it was English. And Aldimir’s was too long to say while fucking, which was somehow accepted by the youth rather easily once pointed out.

That’s why they, under the influence of alcohol, decided to choose a name for each other and compete on how loud their partners could shout it while they… exercised.

Drunk as they were, they still had the sense to choose horrible names for each other. The girls just giggled and went along with it anyway though, but on the train ride home, the two young men decided to choose something better for next time.

‘Next time…’

Reivan licked his lip, anxiously thinking about how absolutely fucked he would be if Helen found out about his antics as Clover Salwyn. She'd mellowed out a little after they grew closer, so he wasn't really scared about her resorting to violence of some kind, though that was still on the table. But what he was actually concerned about was how she would feel.

No doubt she would accept it in the end, but he knew she loved him, and deep inside, she wouldn't like what he'd been doing. And in classic Helen fashion, she would bottle it up and act unconcerned.

Surely, Valter wouldn’t include any of his antics in his report.

Surely.

Hopefully.

‘If he does, I swear to the Sun God, I’ll ask for a new guardian knight… Well, maybe not, since he's grown on me too much. But I’ll still be pretty upset.’

As the golems arrived with their food, an unexpected visitor walked up to their table.

“Hello.” A young man with short black hair and dark brown eyes nodded toward Reivan. “You’re Clover Salwyn, right?”

Reivan put down the fork he was about to stab into his food. “Yes. Who might you be?”

“I am Kantor Targov, from the Targov Clan.” Kantor said so, as if Reivan was supposed to know of the clan.

“Right… Well, I’m Clover Salwyn from the Salwyn clan, I suppose? How can I help you?”

“Straight to the point. I appreciate that.” Kantor nodded with a small smile. “I was wondering if you had time for a duel with me.”

“A duel…?” Reivan frowned, scratching his head. “Forgive me, but I don’t remember doing anything to offend you. Could you remind me?”

“...Huh?”

“Huh?”

The two looked at each other in silent confusion before Kantor seemed to realize something, scratching his cheek with a sheepish smile.

“Oh, I’m sorry if I appeared confrontational. I meant a friendly duel. Just to exchange pointers and measure each other’s skills. I'm not looking for trouble, I assure you.”

Reivan nodded in understanding. “I see. That's a relief. Why me, though?”

“Well, I heard you scored full marks in Magical Application and Adaptability. I was curious how skilled someone with full marks would be and the fastest way to sate that curiosity would be to ask for a duel.”

“You heard…?” Reivan’s eyes narrowed in thought. Aside from elders, only one other person knew about his marks. “Imi. You fucking rat…”

“Don’t just switch back to the crappy nickname, the other one was just growing on me.” Aldimir massaged his temples. “In my defense, you didn’t ask me not to tell anyone.”

“It was implied,” Reivan spat, but he wasn’t all that mad about it. The information wasn’t that sensitive, and he did, in fact, not explicitly tell the youth to keep it a secret. “Whatever, man. Now I know who not to share secrets with.”

“Brother, sorry.” Aldimir placed a hand on his shoulder and whispered, the agony of a drug-infused hangover staining his raspy voice. “Earlier at lunchtime, this guy came up to me for a duel too and I kinda just blurted out your information to get rid of him. He was kind of annoying and I had a headache too.”

“I’m still here. You're not talking quietly enough.” Kantor frowned, crossing his arms across his chest. “I merely asked you — politely, if I may add — if you were open to doing it on another day. if you had simply refused, I wouldn’t have pushed the matter.”

Seeing as how [Essence of Falsehood] didn’t react, Reivan confirmed that Kantor was in the right here and Aldimir was a loose-lipped rat when hungover.

‘I’m glad I found out about this sooner rather than later.’

Loose tongues had their uses, but a safe to keep truly sensitive secrets wasn’t one of them. Leaking information was one of them though, and Reivan made a note of it in his head.

“So?” Kantor raised a brow at Reivan. “Are you available? After your meal, of course. I’ll wait. Or if you’d prefer another day, then I won’t mind. If you don't feel up for it, then that is, of course, perfectly acceptable as well.”

After a bit of thought, Reivan shrugged. “You know what? Why not? Just let me finish my food. I haven’t eaten breakfast and lunch.”

“Wonderful. Actually, let’s do this just before dinner so you have time to digest.”

“That’s very considerate of you. Thank you.”

“Considerate?”

Kantor smiled as he turned around.

“I just don’t want any excuses when I beat you.”

Arc#4 Chapter 45: Acceptance

In preparation for his infiltration of Arkhan's Spirit Tower, Reivan had, under Gwendolyn's advice, submitted a few bills to the office of the king — otherwise known as his brother's office— that would help ensure the operation’s smooth progress.

One of the proposals that actually got approved was a "gesture of friendship" that allowed all battlemages free and specialized passage on all the kingdom-owned trains in Arkhan — even the express train service that was being offered to the public at a premium. This was, publicly, so the lawmen of the republic could have fast and unrestricted access to parts of the nation that needed them the most when they needed it most.

Under the surface though, it was obviously to help Reivan move around more freely. While some might deem it an excessive measure just to help one man, there was the added benefit of tracking all the mortal battlemages. This was because any battlemage using the privilege would leave behind a record of their travels due to the verification process at each station.

Arkhan's government, which was responsible for paying the tower and its operatives, obviously knew this too. However, this did not stop them from approving it anyway. After all, the downside of revealing the destinations of most of their operatives was a minor loss in the face of the money they would save from this proposal.

Besides, if their operatives had a mission that they wanted to hide from Aizen, it would be a simple matter to ride the train like the public would — by buying a ticket at the counter, which was something anyone with money could do.

They never suspected that this entire thing was just to help Reivan.

Nor did they suspect that the privilege was only guaranteed to last until the end of the year, seeing as the train stations were to be handed over to the Star of Fortune soon. The great conglomerate might not be willing to honor the agreement between the two nations, and given their possession of a Transcendent, Arkhan would be less inclined to force their hand should the merchants seek to clear out all previous deals.

Overall, the arrangement wasn't much of a loss for Aizen, and though frustrating for the republic, they would also lose nothing from this. It was a masterstroke, and just one of the many reasons why competent subordinates like Gwendolyn, who were capable of coming up with such plans, were valued so highly.

She was like a chess grandmaster, except the board was a portion of the real world.

'I'm getting kinda tired of trains though…'

Because of the privilege, Reivan and Aldimir were met with no trouble as they traveled by train to a nearby city. It would take two trips on the same line but because the city wasn’t too far away, they would likely reach their destination before nightfall.

"Man, this is pretty nice, huh?" Aldimir nudged Reivan's foot with his own as he stared out the window with a smile. "We get a tiny little compartment for ourselves. And we also get to travel for free."

"Why do you suddenly care about costs? Aren't you rich?"

"I was rich. And even back then, it was my family’s money. I'm independent now, plus I have a supposedly high-income job, so I won't be getting anything from them anymore — not that I would’ve accepted it. Anyway, I still have a lot saved up, but I won't say no to saving a bit more when I can."

Reivan grunted in understanding. "So won't it be a bad idea to splurge on supposedly cheering me up? You even said you'd pay for everything."

Aldimir smiled confidently. "Don't worry, my friend. I'm not that poor yet. Even if we go crazy for the next few days, I'm confident I can still survive by the end of the month. Food’s free at the Mess Hall and I don’t need to pay rent."

"You say that like it’s impressive, but it’s not."

With a shrug, Aldimir looked back out the window. “Anyway, are you gonna be alright? I know I’m the one who asked you to come with me, but I was half-expecting you to blow me off because we have a bunch of spells to learn.”

“I’ll be fine. Shouldn’t you be more worried about yourself?”

“Not really. I should be fine too. Even I know what kind of impression I give off. But despite that, I’m still a pretty decent sorcerer, y’know? My academic ability was really low though…”

‘Hm? If academics are low…’

Reivan cocked a brow. “I’m assuming your sociability was scored decently, but how much did you get for the practical stuff?”

Aldimir shrugged. “Can’t remember. I think it was 4.6 or something. Or was that my sociability? They were both around the same. I was too preoccupied with not pissing off the silver cloak I was talking to. I already messed up by being late to the appointment, after all.”

“Is that so…”

‘Huh. I guess this guy’s not just a playboy after all. I thought he’d gotten in through connections somehow, but he got in through the right way, huh?’

“What about you, Cloverino? How’d you do?”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Sure, sure… So? How’d you do?”

Reivan hesitated, contemplating whether or not to reveal the answer. But considering how friendly Aldimir had been and would continue to be, Reivan decided not to be the asshole.

‘Besides, he’ll just keep pestering me if I don’t tell him.’

With a sigh, Reivan shrugged. “I got a perfect score.”

“A five?”

“Yeah. I didn’t think it was such a big deal.”

“Oh, fuck you. Way to keep it humble, man.” Aldimir grinned and nodded to himself. “That’s great though. Maybe we will end up in the same squad? They’ll divvy us up through our abilities, right? Let’s try for the top squad so we can keep messing around together.”

“Why do you think they’ll put all the strong ones in the same group? Wouldn’t it make more sense to distribute the capable ones so every squad’s more balanced?”

“That would probably be true if we were still safe in school.” Aldimir paused just to yawn, lazily covering his mouth with his hand. “But if I was in charge? I’d group the good with the good and the… uh, less good with the less good.”

Reivan hummed in agreement, but they still had a couple of minutes until their stop. Picking his travel companion’s brain didn’t seem like a bad way to kill time. “Why?”

“Eh… Are you asking because you’re actually curious or just to kill time?”

“A bit of both, to be honest.”

“Damn you.”Aldimir snorted, and for a moment, didn’t seem like he’d give an answer. But after a short pause, he sighed in defeat and reclined on his soft seat. “Given how most of our duties involve fighting or security, wouldn’t it be easier to deploy us to missions that match our skill if they were sure that the squad was dependable and each member had the corresponding level of ability? If you try to balance out the squads, you’ll also end up with a bunch of capable sorcerers who end up way too busy babysitting instead of doing what they do best — slinging their spells around.”

“Uh-huh…”

“And if a squad doesn’t perform up to par, then the entire squad can just be sent back to training. But if the capable sorcerers are distributed, you can never be sure if the squad’s failure is due to lack of proper leadership or a need for additional training.”

Reivan froze, his stunned gaze locked on the lethargic young man in front of him. “Y’know… you’re actually pretty smart, huh? Surprisingly.”

“That last bit was unnecessary and you know it.”

“You can’t blame me for thinking you’re an irredeemable playboy who thinks with his cock, right?”

“Bastard.” Aldimir chuckled under his breath, a sad grin on his face as he looked down at his hand. “I think I overheard somewhere that you had no siblings, right?”

Reivan grunted. “Yeah. What of it?”

“That’s good.” Aldimir clenched his fist and opened it up again, his fingers splayed as far as they would go as if he was testing just how far he could get them apart from each other. After a few more silent seconds, he stopped and looked up. “Be glad that you’ll never have to experience having siblings that want you dead.”

“Siblings that want you dead, huh…” Reivan muttered to himself, recalling that Aldimir was from the Adamantes clan, though he wasn’t supposed to know that yet. “Succession dispute?”

“Yep. Exactly. I didn’t want their fucking money though. That’s why I left.”

“Personally, I would’ve taken the money.”

“Pff.” Aldimir tried to hold in a chuckle but eventually couldn’t help it, filling the compartment with his laughter. “A difference of perspective, I guess. Personally, I would’ve preferred to have had a peaceful childhood.”

Reivan scratched his chin and hesitated, but eventually decided to dig for more information. “You make it sound like you’re some criminal boss’ long lost son.”

“Nah, my family’s not into the illegal stuff — it’s bad for the family’s integrity or something. Sadly, they can still do a lotta damage to people even when they don’t break the law.”

“Like what…?”

Aldimir raised a brow at him before shrugging. “Can’t say, I’m afraid. Just know that where I come from, the dumb ones die young — way before they can fuck their first whore.”

Knowing that pushing anymore would be suspicious, Reivan decided to stop digging, leading the conversation into a more casual topic. “That doesn’t tell me much. I bet you did it before puberty.”

“Way before that, Clover. Way before that. The stupid bitch tried to kill me part-way through though. That wasn’t very fun.”

“I guess you could say that she couldn’t finish you off, huh?”

Aldimir grinned and lightly kicked Reivan in the shin. “Hey, that was a traumatic moment in my life. Treat it with the respect it deserves by keeping your shitty puns away from it.”

Reivan also grinned. “Anyway, what are we gonna do here? You made it sound like it had to be in here.”

“Oh, that? I know a guy here.”

“Uh-huh. And what does this guy do?”

“He sells drugs,” Aldimir said, as if there was absolutely nothing wrong for two people to do that in the first few days after they started training as battlemages. “Y’know, things that’ll make you fly. It’s not even that addictive. I can quit anytime I want. I just don’t want to.”

Reivan put a hand up to his forehead and decided not to ask the obvious questions in his head. In any case, he could just not take the drugs when it came time. “What is he, some gang member or something?”

“Actually, he is. I don’t know what it’s called, but everyone in his gang has a snake tattooed somewhere.”

‘...Oh. So he’s one of mine, then.’

If Aldimir’s acquaintance had a tattoo though, that actually meant he was nobody important. The real members of Ouroboros didn’t have any identifying marks whatsoever. On the other hand, the ones that did were from the local rackets and gangs that Ouroboros absorbed and trained as disposable minions — tails that could be cut off when the need arose.

Not even the Saintess would pity those men though, considering how they were horrible people even before Ouroboros got to them. They were simply sowing the seeds that they sowed.

“What’s the guy’s name?” Reivan asked, in case he knew the person. The chances were low since all matters in the republic were left to Elsa, and even she was so high up the ladder that she probably didn’t know any of the subsidiary members by name.

“I have no idea.” Aldimir shrugged with a chuckle. “I’ve known the guy for years and we’ve had lots of fun together on numerous occasions. But strangely enough, we never really asked for each other’s name. Didn’t really need it either. It’s beautiful how drugs, booze, and hookers can bring men together…”

Sighing, Reivan shook his head. “Y’know what? I don’t think taking drugs when we’re in this profession is a good idea.”

“You’re saying that now?” Aldimir asked, exasperated. “Just calm down, the drug’s not illegal.”

“The hell's that supposed to mean…?”

“Not illegal yet. It’s new, so they haven’t got around to it yet.”

‘I didn’t know we had a new drug… Not that I would have found the information particularly useful.’

He had a fuck ton of other concerns during these past few months, so he wouldn’t have cared about some new narcotic Ourorobos was selling anyway.

Aldimir was just about to say something when the train lurched to a halt and a bell started ringing off in the distance. With a smile, he stood up and gestured for Reivan to follow. “C’mon, let’s go. I’m getting excited about the new girls I’ll get to try there… they always have the best ones, I swear. Classy too. Plus, they’re not illegal slaves, so you don’t feel bad about it afterward.”

“…You’ve tried the illegal ones before?”

“Hey, I was in a dark place at the time.” Saying nothing more, Aldimir continued down the train car until he reached the exit, jumping onto the platform with Reivan silently trailing behind him.

They waded through the crowds and at some point, Reivan called out Aldimir saying that he had to take a leak, to which the other youth agreed, also feeling the need to relieve himself. Together, they went to the restroom where Reivan immediately checked that a particular stall was empty, ducking into it as fast as he could, as if he just had to go.

‘There it is. Valter’s code…’

In the restroom stall’s partition was some graffiti. Such things would have normally gotten cleaned up, and in any case, nobody would actually dare to vandalize the bathroom in a train station protected by Aizenian knights.

The graffiti’s existence itself was strange, but not to Reivan. Among the words and profanities, he saw an arrangement of dots that would have seemed meaningless to most people but the kingdom’s military.

It was morse code, after all.

‘Yes. And Yes. So that means Valter is here at the station. And we’re also still under observation. Fuck.’

Reivan sighed as he relieved himself, annoyed at the Tower’s paranoid obsession with making sure their recruits were clean. He supposed it was a little too naive to think that they would trust the oath they made all the first years swear to.

‘And because of that recent incident, they’re a bit more on guard, too.’

His plans to unload his findings on Valter were ruined, along with the possibility of reuniting with his fiancees.

‘Guess I’ll just fool around with Aldimir and go home.’

The only good thing he got out of this was that his arrival here showed that the infiltration was a success and that he was still alive, alleviating the worries of his family and soon-to-be family.

Reivan tried to convince himself that he had to be satisfied with that for now.

════════════════════════════════

In the end, Aldimir did, in fact, find the guy he knew. The two got along extremely well and even had their arms around each other despite one side not knowing the other’s name. Actually, when asked, even the drug dealer didn’t know what Aldimir’s name was — just that the young lad was fun and always paid in full.

Sometimes, Reivan met people that made him feel like he wasn’t very good at socializing, and Aldimir was one of those people.

Maya was the other one.

‘Fuck. I was just starting to get her out of my mind, too…’

Reivan grimaced as they were led into a respectable-looking building on a main street, which was actually an upper-class brothel on the inside that offered small party rooms where a group of people could enjoy the company and service of multiple gorgeous women. It was a common type of Ouroboros-owned brothel since the idea came from Reivan himself.

There were all sorts of rooms on offer, and Aldimir boisterously ordered the second most expensive one after being informed that the most expensive room was apparently unavailable.

Unfortunately, despite everything but the top room being available, the women were apparently not the same. In fact, they were the ones occupying the top floor, celebrating something on the establishment’s dime.

“Are you serious…?” Aldimir slammed a hand on the counter, his annoyance bared for all to see. “What the hell are we even gonna do with the rooms if there aren’t any girls!?”

“You may still order a selection of food and drink, dear customer.” the male clerk calmly replied, unfazed by the young man’s ire. “Everything, even the room, will be discounted heavily.”

“Oh, they better be. Hell, they should be free at this point.” Aldimir pulled Reivan over and gestured to him. “Look, my dear friend here has just lost someone. He is heartbroken and in great pain. I came here to cheer him up and this happens? C’mon.”

“Well…” The clerk looked Reivan up and down for a few heartbeats before his face broke into one of pity. “He does look miserable.”

“...Excuse me?” Reivan raised a brow. Even if they insulted his face right now, it wasn’t really his face, so he shouldn’t feel too mad about it. But suddenly being insulted somehow got on his nerves.

In response, the clerk merely raised both hands in surrender and tried to defuse the situation. “A slip of the tongue, dear customer. In any case, if you are determined to be… served tonight, may I recommend an alternative?”

“Hoh?” Aldimir’s lips curled up into a wide smile. “Now, we’re talking. I’m interested.”

“Yes. While our female workers are all celebrating at the top floor right now and will likely continue to do so until tomorrow, we cater to many clientele, and have male workers who are quite capable in both taking and being—”

“Okay, I’m gonna stop you right there.” Aldimir held up a hand and massaged the bridge of his nose. “We’re not interested in that. We want females. With tits and everything. A pretty face too. That kind of service. And your store is the best, from what I’ve experienced.”

“Thank you for your continued patronage and I’m sorry for the inconvenience.”

“Fucking hell, he just said some generic bullshit at me…" Aldimir turned to the friendly drug dealer whose name he didn't know. "Hey. Can’t you do something about this? You said you’ll only sell to me if I use this place, right?”

The guy, whose name was actually Freddie according to [Supreme Insight], looked a bit troubled before walking up to the counter with a sheepish smile. “Dodil. C’mon, I’m sure a few of the girls won’t refuse good money to pull away for a bit, right? This is really embarrassing for me, I brought these guys here, remember?”

“It’s out of my hands.” The clerk named Dodil shrugged. “The boss is here. I'd rather piss you off, honestly.”

“What? Which boss? The one with the big tits?”

“No, not that one, you idiot. What would she even do all the way out here, so close to that giant penis they call a tower? I'm talking about our boss. He’s the one who said all the girls are off today since one of them apparently graduated from university. If you wanna go up there and try to coax one of the girls out when he specifically said that today's a day of celebration, be my guest.”

“Shit.” Freddie, whose name Aldimir still didn’t know, turned around while scratching his head. He guiltily raised his hands up in surrender at Aldimir. “Apologies, friend. I can’t do anything about it. I’ll tell you what, I’ll sell you the goods anyway, you can just do the deed someplace else. I’ll even give you a discount. Half-price. How's that?”

Aldimir fought with his frustrations for a moment before handing over a handful of bills to the dealer and taking a small package wrapped in paper in exchange. He then turned around and gestured for Reivan to follow. “C’mon, man. We’ll drown our sorrows in a place that won’t try to sell us dicks, of all things.”

“If you come back tomorrow night, we’ll serve you to the best of our abilities.” The clerk called out to them as they left, but Aldimir didn’t turn back. “May the cold winds bring warm tidings for you, dear customers! I'm very sorry for the inconvenience!”

“Damned luck.” Aldimir cursed to himself when they stepped outside. With a sigh, he turned to Reivan and slightly lowered his head. “Sorry, Clover. I wanted to show you a good time tonight, but then this happened.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Reivan rubbed his palms together and exhaled sharply, watching as his breath visibly showed just how cold it was. “Since that place didn’t work out, how about we go to some pub to start with? It’s freezing out here.”

“Yeah, it’s always been cold in this shithole… but that’s not the problem, I don’t know any other place we can go to for hookers and privacy.”

“I thought you knew this place?”

“I did, but all the ones I know of have probably been torn down in that cleanup the government did a few years back. Or they only have chicks that’ll give us an unwanted present — legitimate brothels aren’t necessarily free of disease, after all. I wanted it to be here since they keep their girls clean.”

Reivan clenched his teeth and pulled out his wand, conjuring a few baubles of heat to stave off the cold. “Screw the girls then. Let’s just get drunk. Anything to get out of this damned cold.”

“But… I'm kind of pent up.”

“Then we drink at a place where there are women. Just ask a few locals along the way.”

Aldimir’s eyes widened for a moment, staring at Clover in awe. “You’re a genius, Clover. A genius! Local procurement, why didn’t I think of that? It’s cheaper too, all we gotta do is buy them a drink or two.”

“I really hope that if I ever have a daughter, they won't ever meet a guy like you. Now c’mon, as I’ve mentioned before, I’m fucking freezing.”

“...Hey.”

"What?"

"I'm really sorry about this, man. I pulled you all the way over here for nothing."

Reivan glanced at the young man and grinned. It seemed that despite his shortcomings and overall perverseness, Aldimir had good intentions in taking him all the way out here. Not that he knew why he went to such lengths.

“Fucking hell, stop moping, man.” Reivan lightly punched Aldimir in the shoulder. “Relax. The night’s still young. Only time will tell if this was a good or a bad thing.”

“...Thanks, Clover. Let’s go here again next time. My treat.”

“Sure, thing. You had me at 'my treat'. But for now, booze.”

“Yep. Booze. Let's get the good stuff!”

════════════════════════════════

Reivan didn’t forget how weak Clover Salwyn was to alcohol, but he drank until he got drunk anyway, thinking that it would do him some good to get Maya and the other innocent person he killed out of his mind for a while.

Unfortunately, the alcohol made him forget a lot of things, not just what he wanted to forget.

“Ugh…” Reivan awoke with a horrible headache and a lack of clothing on his body, groggily pushing aside the weight on top of him — which was, he noticed, a naked woman who was sleeping quite soundly.

‘Well, I can’t remember anything but it seems I was successful last night.’

With a bit of a struggle, he sat up and finally noticed the other naked woman sleeping by his feet.

‘I... guess I was very successful last night. Holy shit.’

“Excuse me there…” Reivan gently navigated through the king-sized bed he didn’t remember climbing into without moving the women too much. Sighing in relief once his feet touched solid ground, he stood up and finally noticed two women, curled up on the floor.

They were both naked except for one, who was wearing a white collared shirt — his white shirt, in fact. The other one was wearing his underwear, except it was on her head for some reason. That certainly wasn't a good thing because he was naked and he didn't have any other clothes.

‘God... What the hell happened last night…? Did I really just have a fivesome? As Clover Salwyn? That can't be right...’

Reivan cradled his head and tried to recall the events of last night. All he could vaguely remember was drinking whatever was put in front of him, which, he just now realized, was not a very good idea when someone accompanying him had questionable narcotics on their person. Rather than Aldimir drugging him, Reivan found it more likely that in his drunken stupor, he had mistakenly taken the drugged drink Aldimir intended for himself.

In any case, the last thing he could remember was a burst of happiness.

Then he was out like a light.

‘Actually, I think I still kinda feel happy… This feels really nice...’

Reivan reflected on the feeling, somehow understanding how people got addicted to narcotics in the first place. He would not be the same though.

For he understood that he deserved everything he was going through as a result of his actions.

“You seem to be having fun, Your Highness.”

“FU—” Reivan barely stopped himself from shouting, calming his beating heart and turning to the source of the voice. “Valter. What the hell? Why are you here? Also, you almost scared the piss out of me.”

“I took it upon myself to create an opportunity to talk. I had some help though. From Dame Mordred.”

“Mordred…?” Reivan’s brows shot up only for him to frown in confusion. “Are we thinking of the same person? I know five people named Mordred."

"It’s the female one."

"The one that’s part of the Twelve Helms?”

Valter nodded. “Yes, that’s the one.”

“Huh. I thought she was in Sutherim... Wait, if she's here, who's handling the orcs?”

“She has returned. The matters with the orcs have changed and there is no longer a need to station her there. His Majesty sent her and Sir Callahan here just in case.”

Reivan rubbed his lips, which were already curving into a big grin. “Guess my brother just loves me that much, huh?”

“Indeed he does, Your Highness.” Valter smiled and nodded as if it were a matter of course. “Now, my apologies, but Dame Mordred cannot stall your observer for too long. She is doing so by accusing them of trying to steal information hidden in the nearby station, but she can’t continue blocking off all perception in the city for too long. Do you have anything to report?”

“Yes. Yes, I do, Valter. I have a lot to report.”

Feeling rushed, Reivan continuously mouthed off. He had never talked so fast in his life and ended up stumbling on his words a few times. In the end, and to save time too, he just took out multiple pieces of paper from Zouros’ stomach and a few pens, using [Formless Will] to write down what he didn’t have enough time to talk about.

By the time they were done, Reivan had divulged as much information as he could and handed over all the items he needed to hand over. He had even managed to jot down a copy of the spellbook he and the other first years were given — except it only included the part with the orb-cracking spell since Aizen already knew about the other spells in it.

Valter placed everything inside his own spatial ring and saluted him. “It seems you have profited greatly from this, Your Highness. Your sacrifice for Aizen is worthy of all the respect I can give and more.”

Reivan grinned and shrugged as if it was no big deal. “I was mostly lucky to meet Aguru and Dom, actually. Just, completely random occurrences. But sure, I’ll accept the praise anyway.”

“You deserve it. I’m sure everybody else back home will feel the same way when your report reaches His Majesty.”

“Good.”

“In fact, one can even say that just this is enough, Your Highness. It's enough for you to go home.”

Reivan’s smile froze, but after a brief pause, he shook his head. “I still have things to do here, Valter. Things to take. I can’t go back yet.”

Valter dipped his head. “I expected such an answer.”

“Oh? Were you testing me?”

“Not at all. I was merely ordered to probe your mental state.” The knight stared at him for a few moments before hesitantly speaking. “I watched you as you drank last night, Your Highness. You seem as if you were trying to run away from something.”

“Damn. I knew you’d notice, Valter.” Reivan didn’t even try to deny it, knowing that trying to pull the wool over the eyes of someone who had watched him for so long was a futile effort. “The people I killed…. The ones I told you about, they… uh…”

“They haunt you, Your Highness?” Valter finished for him.

And Reivan, in turn, couldn’t disagree. “Yes. Yes, they do. Awake or not, they're there.”

“You understand that this is one of the reasons you set out on this mission in the first place, yes? To steal information and rob the Tower of its talents. Finding ways to undermine and sabotage it as well.”

“I do… I understand that.”

“Do you also understand that this will not be the last time you take such actions?”

Reivan nodded again, though with a bit less vigor than before.

To this, Valter chuckled. “As long as you understand that, then all is well. There is nothing to be worried about.”

“Nothing to be… What about the nightmares, then? And how I can’t stop thinking about them.”

“Those are things all people go through, Your Highness. Even me.”

“Then… how do I deal with it…?”

“Booze. Drugs. Women. Pick your poison, Your Highness.” Valter shook his head and sighed. “I believe you know how difficult my life was before I found myself in Aizen, yes?”

“You were in the empire.” Reivan nodded. “I remember.”

“Hm. Well, I killed many horrible people. People who wanted me dead for reasons beyond my control, my ethnicity being one of many. But sometimes, I had to kill people who didn’t wrong me in any way too. And I still remember them until this day, hundreds of years afterward, when even their bones have turned to dust.”

Valter suddenly placed a hand on his shoulder. “What’s important, Your Highness, is that you can still feel the guilt at all. Though inconvenient, it is not a bad thing to have. Deal with it in your own way, endure it, set it aside, but rue the day when you no longer have it. That's the sign that you've become something else — something you don't want to become. Do you understand?”

“...Yes, Valter.” Reivan nodded slowly, looking up and meeting the knight’s gaze. “I understand. Thank you.”

“You are very welcome, Your Highness. Now, I would love to delve deeper into this and help you more, but we have just about run out of time. We’ll talk more on this matter. I feel as if the psychological effects of your mission and what you do to get it done is now more of a priority to me than your safety, given all the Transcendent items you have to protect you.”

“I’m fine now, Valter. Go. Don’t worry. I can deal with the rest on my own. This is me we're talking about.”

“Very well. I have great experience in matters similar to your present circumstances, Your Highness, so you may count on me for advice. Just not now, obviously.”

Reivan chuckled, shooing the knight away. “I get it, Valter. Now, just leave. I’ve been naked all this time and I’m not too happy about how showing myself to a man — a man that I know, at that.”

The corners of Valter’s lips teased upward for a heartbeat before the knight vanished into thin air, probably through the open window letting in a blast of cold air.

Reivan walked over and closed it, reveling in the darkness that followed.

Though short, he felt slightly better after venting to his guardian knight.

Initially, he understood that his guilt was a hindrance, It dulled him and even stole time away that he could use to rest. But at the same time, one of the things Reivan feared the most was eventually turning into some sort of monstrous lunatic that casually took the lives of the innocent whenever it suited his needs. He knew there was a line, and every time he crossed it made it easier to do again.

That was why, in addition to the guilt plaguing his heart, he was also conflicted on whether to try to strangle out his sense of guilt or accept that it would simply be a burden he would carry for the rest of his life.

He was much more inclined to the latter, but all the same, he had thought that would make him weak. And weakness, in this world, wasn’t a sin. But it was a sin if you chose to be weak. For that reason, he thought it would be better to try not to feel any guilt at all — to just become the monster he feared to become.

‘Acceptance, huh?’

Now, Reivan thought differently. If one of the oldest and strongest knights in Aizen said it was okay to bear that burden for as long as he lived, then Reivan was inclined to believe them. It was the option that felt right to him too.

It was okay to feel guilty. It was okay to feel sorrow.

But eventually, Reivan had to move forward. And to do that, he would need to put Maya and the nameless young man behind him — or rather, he would place them on his back, where he would drag the memories of their final moments for eternity.

‘Sorry.’

Reivan decided that now was as good a time as any to try.

Arc#4 Chapter 44: Orientation

'Break the orbs open, huh...? They didn't seem very breakable to me.'

Even at full strength, Reivan doubted he could make a scratch in the mysterious spheres the Spirit Tower gave out to their initiates. But then again, it wasn't too hard to imagine a way for even mortals to do so.

'I bet my right testicle that there's a spell for it.'

Reivan shared a glance with Aldimir, and judging by the vigorous youth's confused expression, it seemed he didn't have a concrete idea either.

Aldimir seemed to see this as his queue to raise his hand and make a show of himself. “Me, Elder! I want to crack open my orb!”

“That’s the spirit! The young should be spirited!” Elder Bernadine heartily said as she scanned the hall, seemingly taking count. “Alrighty then. I think we’re all here. So let’s start the orientation.”

With a snap of her fingers, the books stacked in the golems’ hands flew around and deposited themselves in front of each student.

Reivan took his and slowly ran a hand over the hardcover, noting how the thick tome had no title whatsoever — just a blank cover and nothing else. He was tempted to look inside but he resisted the urge in time for the Elder’s next words.

“Those are to be read later, not now. Those tomes detail a number of military-grade spells that you are required to learn in the next six months. Don’t worry, they’re a tad bit harder than the spells you’ve learned in the past, but they’re not as hard as you’d expect. Six months is a very generous deadline and there’s plenty of time for you to get accustomed to casting them.”

There was visible relief on some people’s faces at her assurance. Seemingly noticing this, Bernadine continued in a more subdued tone.

“In particular, the most important spell inside is the one that lets you form a temporary contract with the spirit beast inside your orbs. This process is called orb cracking and it isn’t that hard at all. Additionally, if you still haven’t learned it in a week, you may ask for help from an instructor.”

“Eh? Doesn't that mean we don’t have to learn it ourselves…?” Aldimir whispered to Reivan under his breath, careful not to let anyone else overhear.

Unfortunately for him, the elder was an Ascendant. She was still smiling, but her eyes contained a slight edge as her gaze fell on Aldimir. “While some may take my words as an opportunity to cut corners, I would like to remind you all that while the Tower is an institute of learning, none of you are students — you are employees in training. So we’d like it if you showed some initiative, with the intention of receiving as little spoon-feeding as possible.”

Aldimir feigned a cough and sat up a little straighter, glad that not everyone in the hall noticed who the soft reprimand's target was.

Satisfied with the young man’s reaction, Bernadine turned her attention elsewhere. “The first month will be one of the easiest and carefree months you’ll spend in this profession, but it will reveal just how much we can count on you. Everyone knows that we foster camaraderie and teamwork here. But while a whole is greater than the sum of its parts, those parts must have some value on their own. That is why we’d like to take some time to develop independence in each of you.”

“Moving on…” The elder cleared her throat and continued. “There are no such things as classes and lectures in the Tower — everything you learn, you learn yourself. The knowledge is there for the taking. Hell, knowledge walks around all over the place in the form of your seniors and elders. How much of that knowledge you absorb and turn into power is up to you and your efforts.”

“And may I emphasize that you must turn that knowledge into power. Your ability scores have been revealed to you during your oath-taking, so you know where your strengths and weaknesses lie. While we value sociability and academic might, there are certain enemies you cannot defeat with charisma and book smarts. You will need adaptability and practical ability. Do keep that in mind.”

Someone raised their hand and it didn’t take long for Reivan to notice that it was someone he knew — Inaria Netral.

Obviously, the Elder noticed her as well. “Yes, dear? You have a question?”

“If I may. Will we be regularly evaluated on this, Elder?” Inaria stood up and asked, her gaze clear and resolute. “And how often? I'd like some time to leave Vel Ayala from time to time, so I’d like to know how often I can go.”

“An excellent question.” Bernadine smiled and gestured for her to sit back down. “You will all undergo an assessment at the end of every month. Your results in these tests — which focus on your practical abilities — will be a deciding factor in your squad arrangements. You aren’t expressly required to remain in the Tower except for those times, but we do encourage you to stay here and focus on learning.”

“So it’s based on skills, huh…” Aldimir whispered to Reivan, apparently not having learned his lesson yet. “Bummer. I wanted to squad up with you, Clover.”

Reivan raised a brow at this. “I would’ve thought you’d want to surround yourself with girls.”

“Nah, that’s a recipe for disaster, my friend." The young lecher shook her head and leaned closer to explain. "How can you mess around if you’re always with them? You’d get caught, mark my words. They'd know each other's scents too and might even tell each other, so they'll know who you fucked with. If they're chill about it, then great, but if not, then you’d get stuck in an awkward situation with them for months or even years until you're placed on a different squad. That’s a hard pass for me.”

‘...In a weird way, this guy is actually kind of smart, huh? What a fucking waste of a good brain though.’

“I’m sorry, Elder.” Inaria raised her hand again, tapping the book with her other hand. “But I have another question. I’ve skimmed through this grimoire and saw that it has about five spells in it. What if someone learns it all before the deadline? Would they be free to access the archives to learn other spells? And may we bring the books out?”

“An eager one, hm? I like that. I like that very much indeed.” Bernadine was visibly pleased by the young beauty, answering with a warm smile while bouncing on her feet. “After orientation, you will have access to both the Upper City and the first floor of the Bronze Archives. We’d like to strongly emphasize the need to learn the spells in that textbook first before exploring what library the library has to offer though. Due to some changes regarding your batch of first years, you will have other things to keep you busy than expanding your repertoire."

The elder was about to end it there, but then she added. "I almost forgot, barring some exceptions, you cannot take the grimoires out of the archives itself. You must read them there. You are allowed to take notes, of course, but you cannot transcribe the grimoires in any capacity.”

"I see." Inaria seemed satisfied for now and sat down. "Thank you, Elder"

"No problem, deary. If anyone else has any questions, feel free to ask. I do so encourage curiosity."

Nobody seemed to have any inquiries, so Elder Bernadins saw fit to continue. However, a flash of light suddenly erupted from the teleportation pad, making her eat her words. When the light dissipated, two people were now accompanying the previously solitary Bernadine.

One of the two new figures was familiar, a gaunt old battlemage named Ozran Esteros. He scanned the hall with mild suspicion before directing his sharp gaze at Bernadine. “I’m sorry I’m late.”

She waved away his concern. “I was just about to get to the part where you come in, so you’re actually right on time.”

“I see. Very well then, I’ll be taking over.” Ozran stepped forward and hopped off the pad. “Listen up, whelps. Due to some recent… innovations and generally to keep up with our constantly improving neighbors, your batch will undergo a modified — no, an improved curriculum, that will make use of some experimental changes and technology.”

Reivan’s eyes momentarily widened at the information but he quickly controlled his expression.

‘There are members of the Argonian imperial family in this batch of recruits and the previous one. Why in the world are they introducing supposedly improved stuff…? Oh, wait, maybe it’s a decoy so the imperials don’t get to take real information back home?’

If that was the case, then that was a pretty good move for Arkhan in general. The acceptance of foreign dignitaries into their institution outwardly proved that they wanted to foster better relations, but at the same time, they also protected their secrets.

‘Well, that’s not good for me though. I came here to get real info! What the fuck!’

Reivan sighed in his heart. Perhaps it wasn’t possible to get a better read on their ways if they were hiding it so much, but he could still take back a copy of their archives. Plus, there was obviously his most recent boon — the spirit beasts he caught and a bunch of those amethyst orbs.

He felt better about it when he thought of it that way, so that’s what he’d be going with for now. At least until he found some conclusive evidence of why the Tower decided to test out a new curriculum at this specific time.

“The biggest and most idiotic reasons why new battlemages die…” Ozran paused, turning around and pointedly looking at Aldimir. “Is because they end up dropping their wands and becoming useless.”

“Wh-why’s he looking over here…” Aldimir muttered, shrinking into himself.

“Just stop talking,” Reivan whispered back without sympathy. The fault for why the elders tagged him as a troublemaker obviously lay on the perpetrator, so there was no reason for Reivan to console the man.

Ozran looked away from them and continued scanning the room. “There are many reasons to drop one’s wand other than the sheer fact that they’re an irrefutable clutz. It could be because the opponent knows that separating you from your wand makes you useless. Or it could be that a monster’s preemptive attack takes your entire arm off before you can even draw.”

“In any case,” Ozran continued, his sharp gaze boring down on them all. “For centuries, we have been trying to create a better alternative for wands, something less likely to be taken from you. The wand wasn’t conceived by simply carving a few hundred runes on a smooth stick. There are other considerations, and that is why we couldn’t simply make necklaces or belts that did what wands did.”

“That changed a few years ago.” The Ascendant battlemage turned to the man he came with, a lanky old gentleman with a messy head of brown hair on its way to turning gray. “Mr. Calrada, if you would please.”

“Of course.” The elderly man stepped up and smiled, though he was quite obviously nervous about being looked at from every direction. “A pleasantly chilly morning to all. I am Atos Calrada, just one of the researchers supported by the Spirit Tower.”

“Applaud,” Ozran stated shortly after the other man’s introduction, and everyone followed along like obedient little zombies, unwilling to earn the battlemage’s ire by not clapping. After a few seconds, he gestured for them to stop. “Mr. Calrada here will show you what he invented and explain its intricacies. Listen carefully. No talking. Or whispering.”

Aldimir was once again given a dirty glare, making him shrink back even more.

Seemingly satisfied, Ozran nodded toward Atos Calrada.

“Yes, uh, thank you, Elder Esteros.” Atos awkwardly cleared his throat before pulling up his sleeve to show off his arm, slowly pacing around the pad to give everyone in the circular hall a chance to see. “This is… uh, well, the name's a work in progress, but my colleagues and I call it the Wizard’s Claw. Or Wizard Claw. Or just Claw... Eh, we're not that strict about it. Just call it whatever suits you.”

Reivan carefully observed the man’s arm — specifically the hand.

There was a silver ring on each finger, and each ring was connected to a bracelet by very thin chains. It was a strange style of accessorizing, especially in the Republic, where fashion was relatively subdued.

But in fact, Reivan had encountered this type of jewelry in his past life, he just didn’t know what it was called.

‘I remember thinking they were cool when I was in a bit of a phase…’

Luckily, having a fashionista of a little sister who bluntly said if things were tacky or gross beat the emo out of him rather quickly, not even lasting a full week.

Or rather, she forced him to see common sense.

‘Well, I still think they’re cool… I just wouldn’t wear them myself.’

The researcher must have been great at his job without a doubt, but public speaking just wasn’t in the cards it seemed. Though he tried to explain what the Wizard’s Claw did and why it was even called a claw despite not being one, he kept on diverging from the topic by talking about specialist knowledge that Reivan and the other first years couldn’t parse.

What Reivan did manage to get out of the explanation was how the rings were apparently very thin wood encased in a special alloy that acted very much like a wand’s core. The wood inside the metal had all the runes carved into it, so enemies wouldn’t even notice a spell was being cast.

Or so the researcher said, but the following demonstration proved otherwise. The glow of the runes was certainly hidden but the entire thing — rings, chains, and the bracelet itself — lit up whenever it was used. In Reivan’s opinion, the claw was even more conspicuous than the wand’s glow since it turned the wizard into a lightbulb in the dark.

‘The nifty part is how spells don’t need to come out of the wand’s top now…’

One would think that when using the Wizard’s Claw, spells that usually took effect by erupting from the wand’s top would instead come out of the finger or the palm instead. But the demonstration, once again, proved otherwise when the researcher cast a missile-based attack spell from his forehead.

Apparently, it could now come out of anywhere close to the sorcerer's body.

‘Someone’s going to make it come out of their ass or their dick. I can already tell who… And it might even be me. I'm honestly curious what that would look like.’

Not even missing a heartbeat, Aldimir mimed something explosive coming out of his crotch and Reivan knew that he wasn’t the only one thinking about stupid things in the middle of a serious demonstration. All around them, he could notice a few boys making the same joke to their friends.

If Elder Ozran noticed this, he must have ignored it or given up on the first years entirely, because he scolded Bernadine for giggling before stepping up again. “Thank you, Mr. Calrada, for your… very detailed explanation.”

“It’s no problem, no problem at all.” Atos chuckled nervously. “Uhm, I’ve been gradually improving it and taking out all the kinks with the help of feedback from Elders, but this is the first time that... less experienced sorcerers will be using them. If you notice anything, please don’t be afraid to approach me in the research department at the—”

“All feedback,” Ozran Esteros cut him off. “Will be submitted to any Elders in charge of guidance.”

“O-oh, yes, of course.” The elderly researcher nodded shakily.

Bernadine took that opportunity to jump back into the fray, pushing the two men’s backs. “Alright. That’s that. Go away, you two. I’m sure you’re both busy.”

“Right. I’ll leave it all to you, then.”

“Of course! I've been doing this for years!”

Ozran nodded before putting a hand on Atos’ shoulder. A heartbeat later, both of them vanished.

“Alrighty then! Let’s get on with it.” Bernadine bubbly raised a finger and countless bronze objects appeared in the air above her. She was also noticeably wearing a Wizard’s Claw now, and with a wave of her hand, the objects flew onto the tables, each landing in front of a student.

Reivan picked it up and turned it over, muttering to himself. “A… belt buckle, right?”

“Correct, Brother Salwyn.” Elder Bernadine clapped her hands together once and began to explain. “Those buckles are spatial storage artifacts. You’ll find a belt to attach them to inside, as well as your uniforms — both combat and standard. There are a few other things too, so after orientation, you can take a look inside and explore what they do. Oh, and before I forget, those things aren’t very high-quality spatial storage artifacts, so they only have space to contain what’s already inside them. And they’re meant to contain those, so please don’t use them to store unnecessary things.”

After a gently, but warning, scan of the hall, Bernadine proceeded with orienting the first years of how the tower worked and what the next month was going to be like.

════════════════════════════════

It was around lunchtime when the orientation ended, which lasted slightly longer than anticipated because they were escorted to all the new places they had access to now and some people ended up getting too excited, delaying their itinerary. After having a quick meal with Aldimir and a few other women — and a few young men — he didn’t really care to know too much about, Reivan went back to his room to decide on his next course of action.

The first years were given an extraordinary amount of freedom, but then again, their continued employment hinged on their performance. So Reivan supposed that the possibility of wasting years of effort and studying to get to this point was enough of a motivation for most people to manage their time well on their own.

‘I could go back to the embassy for a while…’

All Reivan had to do was take a train somewhere remotely close to where Valter was currently stationed in secret, and then he’d just jump into the knight’s black puddle, reaching his destination in an instant.

He had many things to deal with on that side, after all. There was, first and foremost, the pearl of wisdom he obtained from Aguru. And of course, he had to tell his family about the almost transcendent monkey that nobody knew about. There was plenty of benefit from dealing with Aguru, and Reivan was reluctant to let the chance pass by.

Then there were the orbs, the stuff with Ouroboros, and generally just showing people he was still alive.

Seeing his fiancees again was, he admitted, a big part of why he wanted to go back for a bit. He hadn’t seen or even communicated with them since he took Clover’s identity, so he was starting to get really… lovesick.

‘I… probably shouldn’t though.’

Reivan licked his lips and fixed his glasses, taking a seat on his bed. Though he wanted to head back, he knew that he probably shouldn’t.

Clover Salwyn no longer had any family outside as far as the Tower was concerned. And since his lover either got extracted or shipped off to Pentagoria by a slave syndicate, Clover didn’t have a significant other outside either. Hence, there was no reason for “Clover Salwyn” to leave, and doing so for no good reason would place Reivan under suspicion.

If that wasn’t enough, the mysterious deaths of twenty-six recruits this year probably sent the Tower into very high alert. Hell, he wasn't truly sure he was off the hook for that, but he was always ready to ring a bell and get out of here.

‘Fuck…’

Reivan lay down and sighed, not even bothering to take off his glasses as he pressed a pillow against his face. He didn’t know if the loneliness was making him smarter, but he did have a plan to force things a little.

Aldimir had mentioned in passing that he knew a few brothels in the town Valter was stationed in, so Reivan could, through a fair bit of acting, stoke Aldimir’s desire to return there. Reivan would just have to come along and find a way to give Aldimir the slip once they were in the town itself.

That said, no one in their right mind would waste a couple of days just to go to a brothel a few towns over — especially when they had five very important spells to learn, each of which was harder than the spells they were used to. Reivan didn’t think that even Aldimir was stupid enough to go without enough leeway.

‘If nothing else, I need to at least offload the intel about Aguru... But how?’

Suddenly, there was a knock on his door, so Reivan sat up and set aside the pillow he'd been smothering himself with. “Who is it?”

“It’s me! Your coolest friend!”

“What the hell are you doing here, Aldimir…” Reivan muttered under his breath, getting up to open the door and let the young man in. “What do you want?”

Aldimir grinned, placing a hand on Reivan’s shoulder. “You must still be bummed out about Maya, right?”

“Well… I’d be lying if I said I felt nothing.”

“I get it. She was a good catch, that one."

Aldimir bobbed his head in understanding with a solemn expression, seemingly taking a few seconds of silence to pay respects to the dead. But that didn't last long, because he returned to grinning like an idiot right afterward. "How about you come with me to that town we were talking about a few days ago? I know a guy who can get us stuff to cheer up.”

Reivan frowned.

‘Why is it this easy…?’

Arc#4 Chapter 43: Getting Away with Murder

‘That went well.’

Reivan sighed and tried to look at the bright side of things, pushing all depressing thoughts to the back of his mind for now.

Luckily, the perfect distraction was right in his pocket.

He reached into his overcoat — which he really should be taking off considering how he’d intentionally roughed it up to look like he’d been wearing it the whole time he was in the sanctuary — and took out the orb with a miniature white kitten contained within the glassy cage.

It was apparently a panther, though, and calling it otherwise might upset the beast. While it didn’t have anything special about it other than having the [Light] attribute, this creature would be his outward partner for his tenure as a battlemage, so it was ideal for him to build some goodwill between them.

“Let’s try to get along, okay?”

The creature's only response was to relentlessly scratch at the inside of the orb in a futile attempt to mutilate his face — which was, quite frankly, adorable because of how small it was.

‘Which reminds me, I haven’t named it yet. I can’t keep calling it an it either, since this kitten’s a girl.’

After a bit of deliberation, he decided to give it the future true name of Innocence, in dedication to the guilt he felt in killing the young man who initially captured it. Since the beast was also innocent when it was ripped away from its family, the name fit like a glove.

‘For a nickname… Let’s go with Ino, I guess? Ah, no, that's the name of that one anime girl that I… Ehem. Anyway, better think of another one.’

Reivan kept on staring at the beast inside the orb, trying to come up with a different nickname. By the time he thought of something he was mildly satisfied with, the small kitten had grown tired of threatening him and was simply looking around the room curiously, her hatred forgotten for the time being.

“Sen. I’ll call you Sen.”

Sen tilted her head, confused. It couldn’t understand him because they didn’t have a connection yet, and hence, wasn’t aware that it was just given a name. But language barriers never stopped Reivan from talking to his dogs back in the day. It was the thought that counts.

‘Speaking of which… How do we summon them out of this thing?’

As far as he knew, the orbs only had two functions: to capture or to release.

It wasn’t the type of release where you could force the creature back inside whenever you wanted though, rather, it was the permanent kind, where you’d have to beat them down again if you wanted to get them back inside.

When he did it back in the sanctuary though, the beast inside was just released normally, appearing in front of him. But when done in the material world, that meant the beast would be sent to the spirit world, where humans normally weren’t allowed, as far as Reivan knew.

This was according to the booklet all first years were given before entering the sanctuary, warning them not to release spirit beasts after returning to the material world.

‘Or is that it? They just stay in the orbs until we convince them to form a permanent bond? That seems oddly… dumb. That surely can’t be right. The poor beasts have to stay in there for a year, if that’s the case.’

“Good day, Brother Salwyn.”

Reivan was jolted out of his thoughts by a familiar singsong voice. He shot up into a sitting position, accidentally dropping the orb on top of the bed — it almost rolled off had he not caught it in time.

As he had expected, right in front of him was Elder Bernadine, smiling at him with mischief in her eyes. “I surprised you, it seems.”

“Indeed you did, Elder…” Reivan cleared his throat. “I was just talking to… uhm, to Sen. The spirit beast I caught.”

“Splendid initiative. Even if they can’t understand you yet, an attempt to reach out will be helpful in endearing it to you.” Bernadine nodded in approval before she conjured a chair from thin air and sat on it. “Now, forgive my bluntness, but I’m going to have to ask you some questions.”

“Of course. I will answer to the best of my abilities.”

“Very good, very good. Just so you know, you’re not under suspicion. No one is! This isn't really an interrogation, we merely want to accumulate every bit of information we can from all possible sources.”

Reivan nodded in understanding, smirking in his mind. “It’s a relief that I won’t have to worry about false charges then.”

Bernadine giggled before clearing her throat. “Can you tell us what you think may have caused such a large number of people to go missing? Anything that comes to mind, dear. Perhaps you noticed strange signs while exploring the sanctuary?”

Pretending to spend a few seconds of contemplation, Reivan hummed in thought before eventually talking, a hint of uncertainty in his voice. “I don’t quite remember seeing anything suspicious, but at the same time, I wasn’t paying too much attention to my surroundings. As Elder Ozran mentioned earlier… I believe the most likely cause is an accident of some kind.”

‘A wolf-shaped accident named Dominance, that is.’

“That’s what we thought too, actually.” Bernadine sighed and shook her head, placing a palm against her cheek. “But you see, each orb is linked to each one of you. We can retrieve it any time as long as they’re in the Tower’s vicinity or anywhere in the sanctuary. Even if they’re inside spatial storage artifacts, we can still get them all back.”

“Huh. And I’m assuming your mention of this fact means that some of the orbs weren’t retrieved…?”

“That is the case, yes. Unfortunately, none of the twenty-six orbs from the missing first years could be retrieved.”

“Really?” Reivan’s brows shot up in surprise, but internally, he was relieved. The orbs he took were still in Zouros’ stomach, after all, so her words just confirmed that they couldn’t do anything to take the orbs back from him. “This kind of makes it seem like they’re absence isn’t caused by an accident. Whoever did this was aiming for the orbs, then?”

Bernadine nodded solemnly. “That is what we’re going with for now.”

“That…” Reivan leaned a little closer, as if he was afraid they would be overheard. “Then could it be that you’re implying the existence of spies? That there are still spies in our midst…?”

“Spies…?” Bernadine raised a brow before giggling. “Goodness, no. If there was a spy, they would be among the twenty-six who never returned from the Sanctuary. Though, perhaps a few of the dead this year were victims of these spies.”

Reivan acted like he realized something. “Is it because of the oath, Elder? You think some of them were spies or traitors, that’s why they were killed by the oath they took?”

“Precisely.” She gave his head a little pat. “All speculation for now, however. Even if the oath was responsible for any number of the twenty-six deaths, we should still be able to retrieve the orbs. The fact that we can’t boggles our mind.”

“...I see. Honestly, it’s beginning to seem like all twenty-six of the people who never came back were spies, and they all, through some unknown way, left the Sanctuary and got far enough away from the tower without anyone noticing.”

Bernadine giggled yet again, nodding in agreement. “Ironically, that is the most conceivable reason. However, some of the missing people are from prominent mage families and have been raised in Vel Ayala’s Upper City all their lives.”

“And this… disqualifies them from betrayal…?” Reivan ventured, trying to sound hesitant, knowing that the elder came from one of the most prestigious mage clans in Vel Ayala.

“No, not really. But it becomes all the more unlikely,” she said matter-of-factly, completely unoffended in any way. “We take very strict measures on our kin, you see. In fact, we’re much more strict than the tower in regulating our own.”

“So that’s how it is… In any case, I hope whoever’s responsible is caught, wherever they may be now.”

‘Yeah, right. You guys are way off with your theories. It was actually me, Reivan! And I’m in your walls!’

Dom did most of the work, but he was responsible for stealing the orbs. If he had never met Dom and the orbs stayed with the wolf, they would have all been retrieved without trouble — allowing the Tower to write it off as a very unfortunate tragedy caused by numerous accidents.

With everything he'd gotten so far, Reivan would have found it somewhat acceptable even if he was forced to go home right this instant. But of course, he appreciated the tower's ignorance since that meant he could stay for longer.

Reivan pretended to contemplate something before speaking with feigned hesitation. “My apologies, Elder. I don’t think I can contribute anything of substance to the investigation. I was too focused on trying to find a good spirit beast to catch…”

Bernadine nodded. “That makes sense. I was the same, back in the day. Picking a partner is very important, after all. And from the looks of it, you managed to obtain a very cute spirit. It’s a cat, is it?”

“No, she's a panther, Elder.”

“Oh. Goodness. I’m glad she can’t understand us yet. That would have gotten her quite mad!”

Reivan chuckled at her obvious attempts to lighten the mood from the relative gloom of the Tower’s situation. “Elder Bernadine, again, I’m sorry I can’t be more helpful.”

“No, no, there’s no need for that. You had your own problems and were too preoccupied with them. Simple as that. Very understandable."

Bernadine chatted with Reivan, asking a few more questions before eventually standing up. The chair she had been sitting on vanished into thin air with a single clap of her hands.

“I think that’ll be all, Brother Salwyn. You’ll have to excuse me. I suppose we'll wait until the Sage King steps in... though I highly doubt it.”

'Oh? Is she allowed to just say that...?'

Judging from her tone, it seemed the Sage King wasn't popular with everyone, as opposed to the Sword Star who was respected by every single knight that ever existed. He wanted to ask more, but something told him that now wasn't the time, so he reluctantly pretended to be concerned with something else.

"Elder. What am I to do now?”

“For now? Whatever you please. It’s still early in the morning and you have the rest of the day for yourself. You are now allowed to leave your quarters to have a meal in the Mess Hall. You’re the last one to be questioned so everyone who got out of the Sanctuary in one piece has converged there.”

“I see…” Reivan dipped his head before feigning confusion. “Huh? I’m the last one? But there’s still…”

Bernadine threw him a sympathetic glance, shaking her head. “Unfortunately, Sister Tamaya Hardeling, whom you… ehem… may have a connection with, is one of the missing people. I’m very sorry, Brother Salwyn.”

Reivan remained mostly expressionless as he let a sigh escape his lips, and Bernadine took that chance to console him.

“I dislike being the bearer of bad news, but she will hardly be the first of many losses. This is a very dangerous profession, Brother Salwyn. And though unfortunate and not something anyone wished for, I hope this incident is enough to impress upon you just what kind of calling you've pledged yourself to.”

“Yes, Elder…” Reivan nodded, acting as if he was struggling to squeeze out the words. “I’m fine… We barely knew each other.”

Bernadine looked heartbroken but she quickly smiled. “I see. Then I suppose you’ll be okay, Brother Salwyn. As for what comes after… What remains of the first years will be called upon tomorrow morning, at eight o'clock. I suggest you be in the Mess Hall before then. Take the rest of the day to replenish your stamina. Maybe get some warm food in you at the Mess.”

“Thank you, Elder. I’ll… I’ll go and do that.”

“Good. Now, I know you don’t want to hear something like this right now but… Well, Maya isn’t the only berry in the bush. Nor will she be the only fruit in the forest. Stay strong. And may the cold winds bring warmer tidings to you, Brother Salwyn.”

Leaving those final words behind, Bernadine turned around and disappeared, leaving Reivan to his own thoughts.

He sighed, involuntarily recalling Maya’s face as life drained out of her eyes. Reivan was sure that she would haunt him in his sleep for a while.

Even though he held no special romantic feelings for the chatty young woman, he certainly didn't think she deserved to die — she just had to.

For his mission.

He wouldn’t change his decision even if someone turned back time to the second just before he put a hole through her head. But he couldn't help but wish he met her a little earlier that day. Perhaps if he had the time to persuade her or to force her to eat a slave pill, he wouldn't have had to kill her.

Hell, he could have used Akrhan's oath spell.

But he was living proof that none of those things were absolute. There were loopholes. And if she really wanted to expose him, she could deal damage at the expense of her life.

Done at the wrong time, it wouldn't just affect him, but the entire kingdom he represented.

'I... I did what I had to...'

It wasn't the right thing.

But he didn't come here to do the right thing. He came here to do what he had to.

After all, morals and feelings had no place when millions of lives could be placed at risk by his actions or inaction.

════════════════════════════════

When Reivan arrived at the Mess Hall, Aldimir was already there. And the young man who concealed his identity as a member of the Adamantes clan wasted no time in hailing Reivan into a table full of girls.

‘God, I don’t really want to go there…’

Fooling around or even just hanging out with girls was the last thing he wanted to do right now. But at the same time, he couldn’t exactly ignore his only remaining “friend” in the Tower.

After a moment’s hesitation, Reivan sighed and decided to head over.

“Ladies, this is my good comrade, Clover,” Aldimir announced to the girls seated around the table when Reivan drew near. His arms were noticeably wrapped around a distressed young woman who was crying onto his shoulder, uncaring of where his arms were placed on her body. “He’s cool, if a bit quiet. Also, he’s Maya’s… uhm… what were you guys exactly?”

“Just friends.” Reivan sat himself down on the only open sear, which unfortunately placed him between two young women he didn't know. He gave a quick nod of greeting to the beauties sandwiching him before moving to order himself some food. Once he was done, he leaned back and observed his seatmates, noticing how somber the mood around the table was.

Eventually, he felt it would be too strange if he didn’t ask about it. He leaned to the left, whispering a question to the young woman adjacent to him. “I’m assuming someone here knew one of the missing people? And I think I can guess who.”

“Her brother was one of the missing people.” the girl leaned toward him and whispered back, her face close and her hand resting on his shoulder. “They were right next to each other in that hall so she noticed he was gone immediately.”

“So that’s how it is.” Reivan nodded to himself, not bothering to push the young woman away from him, lest he somehow offend the entire group. Girls were just like that, according to Valter. “That’s… rough. I’m sure they both worked really hard to get here.”

“Mhm. They came from good families and had a lot of expectations of them…” she shook her head. “Oh, speaking of. I heard you don’t have any siblings. Is that true?”

“That’s right… Did Maya tell you that?”

“Uh-huh. She told me a lot of things.”

Reivan turned to her and looked into her eyes for a moment before turning away again, infusing a bit of pain in his face for any Ascendant watching. “Only good things, I hope?”

“Very good things.” the girl giggled silently, pulling away a little and pushing a bit of her hair behind her ear. “Like how you guys had a thing together?”

“A thing…? I don’t exactly know what that is, but she just used me as a backscratcher — except her itch wasn’t on her back. There wasn’t anything else other than that.”

“Funny, that’s not all too different from what she said you would say. Ah, I don’t think we’ve been formally introduced, yet, right? I’m Panini Lizeth, nice to meet you.”

“Same… Actually, I’ve heard about you.”

“Only good things, I hope?”

“Oh, definitely. Heard you got a great ass,” he joked. “Mostly from Aldimir, by the way. Watch out for him.”

Panini’s eyes widened at his bluntness but eventually grinned as she offered her hand. “He’s insufferable. Hopefully, you’ll be slightly better?”

Reivan shook her offered hand. “I had hoped you wouldn’t set the bar too low, miss.”

She giggled, leaning in a little closer as her grip tightened. “Well? How was it?”

“How was what…?”

“My ass.”

“Uh.” Reivan forgot his wits for a second before teasing back. “Respectfully, it’s even better than rumored.”

“Pfft.” Panini let go of him and rolled her eyes, playfully slapping him on the chest. “You say not to set the bar too low when you’re like this? Men, I swear…”

“My parents told me not to lie.” Reivan shrugged and nodded to the shy and quiet girl to his right. “It’s nice to meet you too.”

“Ah. Yes…” Alini smiled softly but didn’t seem keen on talking more.

“Don’t take offense. Her name's Alini. And she's my elder sister who’s shy around strangers.” Panini tapped him on the thigh before resting her hand on it. “Don’t underestimate her though, she’s a really good spell slinger! She was unbeatable back in our hometown. Well, only against people our age, but still.”

“Really?” Reivan raised a brow at the shy girl, who looked very much like her sister, except with slightly longer dark hair. “No offense taken then. Wouldn’t want to offend someone who could blast my head off, eh?”

Alini laughed awkwardly, looking like she wanted to be anywhere but where she was at the moment. “I… I’m not that great…”

“Modest too, as you can see,” Panini interjected. “Could use a bit more friendliness though, unlike me. I’m very friendly.”

Reivan chuckled wearily. “I’ve noticed.”

“Heh. You said you were just friends with Maya, right?”

“Uh… Yes. That’s right…"

Panini squeezed his thigh a little, and Reivan had to try very hard to stifle his reaction. “How about being just friends with me too?”

Reivan froze for a heartbeat, deciding to hide his embarrassment by taking a sip of water — this earned another giggle from the woman though.

‘Damn the republic. Why are women here so… forthwith? Is it the food? Or is it the fucking cold? It's the fucking cold, isn't it... It's a culture thing or something.’

He was sure that the men who were benefiting from this aspect of their culture had no complaints, but Reivan was growing to prefer Aizen’s relative demureness. Of course, if it was a woman he loved, he would be very happy if they were forward with him. But being propositioned so much was inconvenient when he just wanted to focus on his gods damned mission.

‘And Clover Salwyn isn’t even that handsome. And he's poor too! Isn't this kind of unnatural...?’

He was a man who was already taken by two very wonderful women, so he really didn’t want to defile himself any more than he had to in this mission. Of course, he still would, as long as it was needed to keep his cover, but he didn’t want to keep adding reasons to be guilty of.

‘I can’t just blow her off though.’

That wouldn’t be very in character and no ordinary single man would refuse. Handling it incorrectly could also ostracize him from a portion of the girls — and he didn’t need that kind of negative attention.

Hence, Reivan could only entertain her, finding a subtler way to refuse.

“If you and Maya really don’t have anything between you two,” Panini whispered under her breath, her hand slowly inching closer to where they shouldn’t be. “Why don’t you give me a spin too? You can confirm Aldim’s words and a few other things in private.”

Reivan cleared his throat, noticing how a golem had teleported into the Mess Hall carrying his food. “Maybe not tonight… Or the next few nights.”

“Oh, yeah, definitely not right now.” Panini seemed satisfied with his answer and removed her hand, pulling away to make space for the golem to place the tray in front of him. “You have to wait until a few dates, at least. And I just want to pass out after that little hike. I wish they gave us hoverboards or something so we didn’t have to bloody up our feet from all the walking.”

“I’m glad we feel the same way. Perhaps some other time, then.”

Panini giggled, resting her chin on her hand. “You must really like it with Maya, huh? You’ve already reserved the next few nights with her? How scandalous. At least let her use the bed in her room for once.”

Reivan licked his lips and finally decided to drop the bombshell. “That would be a little hard to do, considering she never came back from the sanctuary.”

Silence.

That one sentence, spoken with a voice that wasn’t particularly loud, caused all the tiny pockets of conversation around the large table to cease. Noticeably though, Aldimir and the crying girl had disappeared at some point, but there were still around four girls sitting around the table aside from the Lizeth sisters.

“...Are you serious?” one girl with a supermodel's face and a particularly prominent set of fruits hanging from her chest finally asked after the silence hung for long enough.

Reivan nodded, his face a stony mask. “Elder Bernadine confirmed it.”

“Oh, no…”

“Maya…”

“S-so that’s why he looked so grumpy…?”

“No, I think he’s always kind of like that. You saw him the other day too, right?”

The young women all reeled in shock, covering their gaping mouths or just outright tearing up. Even Panini jolted away from him like she’d just gotten burned, biting her lip and seeming like the end of days was coming.

“I can’t believe it…” she muttered to herself. “I literally just talked to her yesterday… and now she’s dead…?”

“Afraid so.” Reivan bobbed his head and looked down at his food, somberly finishing off the last few bites before standing up. “I’ll get going now. I… I need to rest.”

There were no complaints from the silent young women, who all seemed visibly distressed by the news of someone’s death — even though it was the death of someone they’d only known for a couple of days. Whether it was a testament to their soft nature or evidence of Maya’s absurd social skills, he didn’t know.

Just as he was about to duck into the hallway where his assigned quarters was, he was suddenly stopped by a willowy hand on his shoulder. He looked back and saw Panini, the girl who had just propositioned him earlier.

“Uh, hey.” Panini ventured, seemingly finding it hard to find a place to rest her gaze, looking anywhere but at him. “So about what we talked about…”

Reivan held out a hand to stop her and nodded. “I understand. You don’t have to explain anything.”

“...Thanks, Clover.” she smiled and looked at him with appreciation in her eyes. “I wasn’t trying to lead you on or anything… Maya just kept saying all these things and… Well, I got curious?”

“Uh-huh…”

‘I said you didn’t have to explain though…’

“But then she’s, uhm, y’know…” Panini looked down at her feet, shuffling them uneasily. “Now it just feels wrong to, uhm, do that with you. I mean, you both said you weren't really together, but... it still...”

“I get it." Reivan stopped her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I appreciate you coming out to clear it up. Most girls would have just avoided me for a while, I think.”

“Right… uhm...”

Seemingly having trouble coming up with something else to continue the conversation, Panini turned around and started walking away. But not before turning back with a faulty smile and an awkward wave of her hand.

Reivan was about to wave back but froze upon hearing what she said.

“Oh, but maybe after a few months, I'll feel better about it and we can pick up where we left off.”

For a few moments even after she disappeared from his sight, Reivan stood there with his arm in the air, stunned, once again, by Arkhan’s women.

════════════════════════════════

Not really in the mood to mingle in the depressing mood surrounding the Mess Hall, Reivan stayed in his room for most of the day.

The thought of going outside to explore Vel Ayala on his own and maybe buy a new overcoat to replace the one he’d intentionally roughed up crossed his mind, but he restrained himself from such foolishness.

Sorcerer skills aside, Clover Salwyn was just an ordinary man if not for being in slightly better shape than the average Arkhanian his age, and from the perspective of the tower, he was supposed to have spent the last twenty-four hours running around in a different world to find a spirit beast worthy of capturing.

That meant that Reivan had to act like a tired teenager even when he wasn’t tired at all.

As he had expected though, Reivan couldn’t get any decent sleep. It was a mixture of not being truly tired and thoughts of Maya flooding his mind. Whenever he closed his eyes, he could see her face and remember the times they spent together.

The other person he killed also appeared from time to time, but not as much as Maya, perhaps because he actually knew her. But that didn't mean the note he found in the young man's body was any less haunting. He could practically hear the mother's tears fall, each drop rumbling like thunder.

In the end, Reivan gave up and jumped out of bed at around ten in the evening to sate his hunger. There were still some people in the Mess Hall, and he even saw some people he’d exchanged greetings with. But he wasn’t in the mood for conversation, so he kept to himself and only offered them a nod or a smile when their eyes met, his mind too occupied by their foray into the sanctuary.

He didn’t think the real Clover would have felt differently had he been here.

Reivan quietly finished his meal and just as quietly slunk back into his room, crashing straight into his mattress as soon as he could. He wasn’t tired before, but by now, his mind was thoroughly turned to mush.

It didn’t take long for him to fall asleep, but he woke up screaming about an hour later, droplets of cold sweat all over his forehead. He cursed in the darkness, the words coming out thick and slow as he cradled his head in his hands, hitting himself in the temples a few times to jolt thoughts of that one girl he slept with a few times out of his mind.

That was all she was to him — or rather, that was what he wanted her to be so he could just stop feeling like shit. But that didn't really work either, and at the back of his mind, he knew it wasn't healthy to deceive himself like that.

Hours later, he finally couldn’t take it anymore and ran away from his nightmares, activating [Glimpse of Eternity] so he could at least occupy his mind with something other than a girl he barely knew, all while letting the night pass quietly.

Reivan was oh so very thankful that the little white-haired fairy living rent-free in his mind said nothing about his cowardly actions. But in a way, Reivan had come here to be admonished and mocked. To be punished in some way.

So when he realized he couldn't even get that, all he was left with was a bitter taste in his mouth that he couldn’t get rid of.

════════════════════════════════

Reivan got up early, bathed and dressed up, then headed for the Mess Hall.

The first years were to gather at eight, but he was already finished eating breakfast at six. He wanted to use the next two hours to get his head back in the game, but it wasn’t working all that well.

“Hey. Are you deaf?”

“...Huh?” Reivan was jolted out of his thoughts by a familiar voice behind him. When he turned around, there was a red-haired beauty looking at him with mild annoyance. “Inaria…?”

“Excuse me?” The president’s fifth child and only daughter’s gaze grew frosty, in stark contrast to her fiery hair and eyes. “Do I know you?"

“Oh." His mind ground to a halt at the slip of the tongue. Once he recovered, he quickly tried to think of an excuse. "No, uhm, I recognize you from some newspaper articles..."

"I see... Well, then please call me Miss Inaria. Or at least Sister Inaria. We're not close, please refrain from acting in an overly familiar manner.”

"Right. Sorry…”

“...Whatever.” Inaria let it go rather easily, probably thinking that spending any more time with him was a waste. She set something on the table and turned to leave. “Don’t leave your wand on the floor. Someone could slip on it. Or worse, break it.”

Reivan looked at the wand on the table and felt for the place he usually kept it in, confirming that it was, in fact, not there. He had no idea when he may have dropped it and wasn’t even sure if it was possible to have it leave his overcoat’s inner pocket when he didn’t move around that much.

‘Oh, god… I need to get my shit together.’

“Hey there, my friend.” Aldimir suddenly plopped down on the chair right next to him, a bright smile on his face despite the dark circles under his eyes. He grimaced as he looked at Reivan’s face. “Damn. You look like shit.”

“I know…” Reivan ground through clenched teeth. “You look like shit too.”

“These are battle scars, brother. if you know what I mean. You’re not doing too bad yourself. Tired of Maya already? I saw you talking up that redhead just now.”

“What? No. I wasn’t talking up anyone.”

“Sure, you weren't.” Aldimir rolled his eyes with a smirk, obviously not believing him. "Don't worry though, I won't go for that one. She's too pretty for me."

Reivan momentarily forgot his troubles after hearing the young man's words. "She's too pretty? How the hell is anyone too pretty...? And wouldn't that be a good thing?"

"Brother, take these words of wisdom from someone more experienced than you." Aldimir leaned in close and snaked his arm around Reivan's shoulders. "The prettier a woman is, the more baggage she has."

"Baggage...?"

"Yeah. It could be anything. Family troubles, issues with an ex-lover, or some kind of tragic past. They all have that kind of shit. I can barely take care of myself, I don't need that kind of stuff on my shoulders, man. Mark my words. If you want to enjoy life, marry a six, have fun with sevens and eights, get some nines on occasion — but never go for tens. And anything beyond a ten should be avoided like winter pox. Trust me, those will kill you."

"That's..." Reivan wanted to refute that, but strangely enough, there was some truth to the words.

Helen was an orphan with simmering beef against her family. Elsamina had her past as a sex slave. Vianna, his mother, was the princess of a ruined dynasty on a different continent, and even had the new dynasty's hostility. And Stella... well, she didn't have a tragic past or anything like that, but anybody who said she didn't have a few issues would be lying.

'Wait a minute... there's still Gwen!'

Reivan almost thought that, but then he remembered that Gwen was initially born of a union between an imperial peasant and an Aizenian operative in the empire. And she had to get rescued out of there, secretly squirreled away to the kingdom's lands where she eventually became a knight.

'Oh my god... It's fucking true...'

If he scoured the continent hard enough, he could probably find a few more beauties at his mother's level who didn't have tragic pasts or some other issues. But the realization that the most beautiful women he currently knew all had one issue or another was a slight shock.

"That's the face of someone who agrees with me," Aldimir smirked at Reivan, shaking his head. "I won't ask you about it, Brother. I have my stories too. Just like you, I've been burned, thinking a mere mortal like me could handle a beauty of that caliber. I guess only a prince or something can safely taste those fruits and live to tell the tale."

'Uh, no. I haven't been burned at all... yet. No, I won't ever be burned... My fiancees are both good people... Yeah.'

"So anyway!" Aldimir clapped him on the shoulder. "What's eating you up, Brother? I'm feeling generous so if your woes are heavy enough, I'll treat you to this place I know..."

Reivan sighed heavily, his head held low. “Maya’s dead. She was one of the people who didn’t come back.”

There was a pregnant pause for a few heartbeats before Aldimir cursed in a language Reivan didn’t know. How he knew it was a curse, he wasn’t sure of himself, but he supposed there was just something about the way the young man said it.

“So that’s why you’re… Shit. I’m sorry.” Aldimir gave him a few awkward pats on the back. “I mean, you kept saying you guys just… y’know. But she obviously didn’t mean nothing to you…”

Reivan spared the young man a glance, and, after a moment of thought, nodded. “Yeah… I think I actually liked her. As a person. She didn’t deserve to die in there…”

Aldimir pursed his lips and gripped his shoulder. “Yeah. Nobody did, man. Nobody.”

The two of them spent the next few moments in silence, with Aldimir quietly eating breakfast and Reivan trying to come to terms with whatever he had to come to terms with.

At some point though, the awkwardness warranted some lightening up. So Reivan nudged Aldimir’s foot under the table. “Not everything’s all bad though. At least one of us got to take a girl to his room because of that shit.”

Aldimir’s eyes widened for a moment before he realized Reivan was just joking around. He smirked. “Hey, I was already working on her since before that.”

“Yeah?”

“Uh-huh. I'm not a monster, man. I was just trying to sincerely comfort her last night, but she just kinda... y'know? She just needed someone. And I just ended up being there, get it?”

“Sure.” Reivan rolled his eyes.

"Believe me!"

The two of them chuckled before they both silently agreed that joking about this could be seen in bad taste. They both chose to talk of other mundane matters, such as what they to happen today.

Suddenly, the teleportation pad in the middle of the Mess Hall glowed brighter than usual as Elder Bernadine appeared, followed closely by a few golems holding stacks of grimoires.

“Oh, am I a bit early? Goodness.” she giggled and checked a golden pocket watch tastefully decorated with jeweled flowers. “It seems I am. Well, since we’re already here…”

Elder Bernadine looked around with a big bright smile and nodded.

“Who wants to learn how to break open their orbs first?”

Arc#4 Chapter 42: Witnesses

“What in the hell is happening…” Reivan mused out loud as he held four orbs in his hand — all of which contained some of the most powerful spirit beasts he'd seen since his arrival, averaging at around 800 Might each.

Right after he set out with Dom and Dippy, the next few hexagons he entered each had at least one very powerful spirit beast in the area. Of course, though powerful, they were absolutely no match for Reivan or Dom. In fact, Dom didn’t even feel the need to fight them at all.

The grumpy white wolf king still did it in the end despite the obvious annoyance on its face, easily restraining the spirit beasts — who apparently had to stay in the orbs by default unless Reivan released them, unlike Dom and Dippy who could roam freely as long as he was close by.

Another surprise was how catching the spirit beasts with orbs didn’t earn a reaction from [Supreme Insight]. No affinity sharing, no true name picking, no extra skills… no anything — implying that no bond whatsoever was formed.

‘I can’t stop looking at these guys… I’m so glad I saw them before time was up!’

Reivan supposed that his luck was like the tide — sometimes it was low, and sometimes it was high. He just wished it didn't stay low when something important was happening, otherwise, he'd be finished.

The first spirit beast he caught was a [Fire] attribute lion, which was perfect for Elsa. Afterward, he found twin spirit beasts that were now reserved for Helen and Hector. And then after that, he had stumbled into the lair of a mighty swan-type spirit beast belonging to the [Light] attribute, which he reserved for Gwendolyn.

Just because she helped him out so much.

She would probably say something about just doing her job or how she would have served him loyally even with no reward. But that wasn’t right — good service must be rewarded. He would be hopeless without her at this point, even when she was so far away.

Of course, a part of Reivan actually wanted to keep the swan for himself so he could get the [Light] attribute, but Gwen would probably stand by his side for a very long time and it would be to his advantage to see her grow stronger.

He also didn’t want to hog all the good stuff to himself.

‘Besides…’

After obtaining [Frost Mastery], he no longer felt the need for new elemental affinities. The recently obtained extra skill assured that he would at least have his [Ice] attribute to fall back on no matter what the enemy’s resistances were. Rather, now he considered trying to focus on improving his control of [Ice] and maybe try compounding the element with his other affinities instead.

Also, concentrating on being proficient in a select few aetherblade arts was better than being moderately adept at hundreds of them. That was why knights — and even Reivan — picked a few arts that suited their fighting styles and stuck to those, only using other arts when the situation called for it or utilizing them as inspiration to modify their main arsenal.

Reivan wasn’t at the stage of modifying arts yet, content with knowing lots of arts for all kinds of situations. He still had favorites though, like << Spellblade >> as a constant buff to his weapon’s edge and << Lightning Transformation >> to get out of sticky situations in an instant while also enabling him to control the distance between himself and his opponents.

“Whoo! Good haul, boys.” Reivan laughed loudly as he threw the orbs into Zouros’ stomach for safekeeping, absolutely elated at how his fortune turned right around after that traumatizing fight with his wolfy companion. “To the next place!”

The spirit beasts he caught weren’t at Dom’s level, but they were as close to ascendence as he could hope for considering how shit his luck was these past few hours. Reivan couldn’t complain at all, nor would he even think of bypassing them for the possibility of meeting something better.

Even more so now that he had more orbs than he knew what to do with.

Helping Elsamina achieve immortality had just become much more realistic, which made him so giddy he could dance the samba naked.

‘Ah. I still haven’t caught one for my Clover Salwyn cosplay… Hm. I gave up on it, but if I see another one with the [Light] attribute, I’ll really catch it. Too bad I’ve only seen one so far. Christ, how rare are they anyway…?’

It seemed both [Light] and [Dark] attribute spirit beasts were rarer than attractive virgins in a college sorority.

Reivan checked his pocket watch once again and confirmed that there were only thirty minutes left, which was cutting it way too close. He had to transform back into Clover Salwyn just in case his estimate was a little off or they were taken out of the world before the 24-hour period was up.

‘Wait… Actually, I've been at enormous risk by staying in my original form for so long, huh? I mean, everything I've gained up to now makes getting caught slightly worth it, honestly, but I should pull out while I'm ahead.’

Realizing how careless he’d been, Reivan hastily deposited all his clothes in Zouros’ stomach before using [Reality Falsification] to change identities. He then donned Clover’s clothes and smoothed them out, ignoring Dippy’s confused stare and Dom’s suspicious glare.

“It’s me. Relax, alright?"

Dom remained skeptical, circling him with suspicion while Dippy just accepted his words as they were, bouncing up and down as it waited for further instructions — or maybe food, judging by how its mouth was open.

"I have to leave you guys here for a while." Reivan smiled sheepishly and dumped a large pile of food on the ground, as a sort of apology. "But don’t worry, I’ll summon you guys out of here in… Uh, well, I don’t know yet. Just wait here and help each other out.”

Dippy sent wishes of good fortune and reminders to take care through their connection as the little black blob excitedly jumped into the large pile of food. All the while, Dom looked at the heap with disdain, apparently disliking the notion of eating food it didn't hunt itself.

After checking that his bond with them was still included in his extra skills, just "hidden" for now, Reivan waved goodbye and hastily passed through a hexagon’s border. Spirit beasts couldn’t stay too far from their anchors unless they were in different worlds, so he also wanted to test what would happen if “Reivan Aizenwald” technically "vanished" from existence. According to Valter, the spirit beast literally couldn’t travel too far, by foot or by air, tethered to their human counterpart. But in cases where the anchor was suddenly teleported far away, the spirit beast would be teleported with them for free.

Reivan blinked a few times to get used to the sudden brightness, scrutinizing his surroundings to find himself on a tropical island filled with white sand, coconut trees, and various crustacean-type spirit beasts. Clearly, the island he found himself on was very far away from the land-locked forest he was just in. When he scanned his surroundings and didn’t find Dom or Dippy teleported with him, he pumped a fist and sighed in relief.

‘My theory was right.’

Reivan quickly confirmed that the bond still existed, before concluding his little experiment. He didn’t want the Spirit Tower to know of Dom and Dippy — his Double D's for short — so he would leave them here in this world until he got to a safe place like the Embassy in the city of Arkhana.

It would have been convenient if he could bring them with him in an orb, but unfortunately, orbs didn’t work on bonded spirit beasts — or rather, the ones he had with him didn’t work on bonded spirit beasts, but perhaps the Tower had orbs that did. He couldn't really be sure, but the whole point of his mission was to find out.

“Anyway… I don’t like this place.” Reivan looked around and frowned, finding the tropical climate on the island uncomfortable. It was hot and he was dressed for slightly lower temperatures given Arkhan's horrendous weather.

Just as he was about to go back the way he came, gambling on finding a different place to wait for the rest of the 24-hour period, the hexagon’s border rippled and a figure popped out.

A young man who still had a bit of baby fat on his cheeks groaned, seemingly grappling with a bout of vertigo. He then looked up and noticed Reivan, groggily raising a hand for a friendly wave. “Oh? Hi, there. Don't mind me, I'm... just gonna vomit everything I ate... or not. I think I'm okay now.”

“... Hello there, friend.” Reivan decided to act amicably for now, pasting a smile on his face. “There’s apparently a hundred of us in this world but I haven’t met a single one until now. I was starting to think I was alone in here.”

“True." The young man chuckled. "Actually, I met a pair a few hours ago, but not since.”

“Lucky you.”

“Hardly. They were a couple. While we're all out here, waddling around in swamps and shit, they were… Ehem. Anyway, how’re you doing, Brother? Caught a beasty yet?”

Reivan shook his head and lied. “No. I'm afraid I haven’t found a suitable one yet.”

“What? Really? Cutting it a little too close, no? You should stop being too picky like the proctor said.” The young man pulled out an orb and smiled proudly, showing it to Reivan. “Here. Take a look at mine. I think I was lucky!”

“Oh, yeah? Lemme see…” Reivan leaned over and readied his wand behind him, his eyes squinted, peeking through the semi-transparent material of the orb. “Looks like a… cat.”

“Hey, man. It’s a panther.

"So it's a big cat."

"Just you wait. It's small right now because it's young, but after a while, it'll be bigger than a bear!”

“I see.” Reivan nodded, though he was inwardly unimpressed. “That’s neat.”

“And get this, I think it's really rare.”

“Oh yeah? What makes you think that?”

“It was shooting light from its eyes and stuff. Isn’t that cool?”

“Light…?”

“Uh-huh. I had to catch it while its family watched… which didn’t feel that great, but hey! Me or them, y’know? They're at fault for being born as beasties, eh?”

“Sure…” Reivan answered noncommittally and looked into the orb again, using [Supreme Insight] to confirm that the beast inside actually did have the [Light] attribute. The purple tint of the orb's material made it hard to notice the beast's color, and he hadn't bothered to use his ability the first time, thinking that there was no possible way for a first-year recruit to catch anything worthy of note.

'Man. This guy's really unlucky he met me.'

With a sigh, Reivan pointed his wand at the young man. “Hey. I'm really sorry about this.”

“What? What do you me—”

The young man never got to finish his sentence before Reivan blew his face off with an ancient military-grade spell he’d learned from Aguru's pearl.

Reivan released a weary breath as he watched the young man’s lifeless corpse collapse onto the sand. For a good minute, he engraved the result of his actions into his mind before kneeling down to pick up the dead man’s orb, which had fallen from the corpse's lifeless hands before the body hit the ground.

“Nothing personal. As a soldier of a potential enemy nation, I would’ve killed you even if you only had peanuts in your pockets.”

Reivan momentarily imagined how the young man’s parents, siblings, and friends would react once they heard news of this youth’s death. As someone who also had people he would mourn, the remorse welling up inside him wasn't insignificant.

He had killed numerous criminals before. Thinking of the people they victimized, he even tormented them with relish, deeming their suffering as a minor consolation for the aggrieved.

But this young man was the first innocent Reivan had killed and probably wouldn’t be the last.

‘This is war.’

Just a bunch of innocent people killing other innocent people, with some not-so-innocent people in the mix.

The young man whose name he didn’t even know hadn’t done anything to Aizen yet, but Reivan shared the kingdom’s view on enemies — prevention was better than cure. Rather than mending the damage they do, it was better to prevent them from doing anything at all.

Rather than avenging your dead comrades, it was better to kill one's enemies before your comrades get killed. With this belief as the nation's mantra, Aizen survived as the oldest country in history simply because it got rid of most threats before they became too great to ignore.

'I don't think I'll be sleeping for a while after this...'

Reivan heaved yet another sigh, deeper and heavier this time. He searched the young man’s body for anything useful but eventually came up empty, save for some money and personal effects. In particular, there was a small note from the man’s mother that pricked at Reivan’s heart. Despite his normal courage in facing monsters and beasts, he could not muster the will to read the words on that piece of paper.

He returned the note and everything else to the youth’s pockets and stood up, pointing his wand at the body to set it alight.

‘Again, I’m sorry. And I know there's no afterlife, but I hope you rest in peace anyway.’

Reivan would do it as many times as it took until Aizen had no enemies anymore. But that didn’t mean he could do it unfeelingly. So with a heavy heart, a ball of flame erupted from his wand, igniting the remains in an instant.

Watching the body slowly char black for a few more somber moments, Reivan brought the young man’s orb up to his eye and spoke to the beast inside. “As you may have surmised, you will be under my care now. With any hope, you’ll find me a better master than a dead person.”

Surprisingly, the miniature baby panther inside the orb looked quite happy about the development, hopping up and down while growling at the young man’s corpse.

'Even spirit beasts hold grudges, huh?'

“You’re kinda cute…" Reivan smiled to himself, trying to cheer himself up after what he had just done. "You remind me of a certain white cat back home.”

Still wary that each orb was linked to each first-year battlemage somehow, Reivan freed the beast inside the youth’s orb and recaptured it with his own orb — which annoyed the little white panther tremendously. Now it was growling and hissing at him.

‘I should get outta here.’

The last thing he wanted was someone else walking into the scene of the crime. He was the most suspicious person there and actually was the culprit too.

Reivan snapped to attention when he heard some rustling nearby. He turned around and drew his wand in an instant, firing a spell in the direction of the noise. A purplish bolt of magic power shot across the air and penetrated straight through the trunk of a palm tree and connected with the creature behind it.

A cry of pain rang out as a woman collapsed on the ground, grasping at the burning hole in her thigh. Her pained gasps and the sweat already peppering her forehead announced her agonizing pain. But still, she struggled to get back behind cover.

"Maya..." Reivan's eyes widened when he saw who it was, but he didn't lower his wand, keeping it pointed at her. "Stop. You can't run."

"C-Clover..." She squeezed the words out through the pain, her eyes trembling as they locked on his own. "P-please don't kill me..."

"Now, why would I do that?" Reivan's expression was calm as his mind spun rapidly, trying to think of a way out of this. He then gestured behind him, where a corpse was still in the middle of burning. "Oh, that? I didn't do that. I just... found the body there. Killing a fellow battlemage is treason, and didn't we all swear that oath thing? Believe me, Maya, it couldn't have been me."

You have used [Essence of Falsehood]

[Essence of Falsehood] has failed.

'Shit.'

Reivan cursed as the fingers around his wand tightened.

His ability didn't make his lies absolutely believable, it simply made people more inclined to believe them.

And that had limitations. Telling people that the sun was black or that he had three heads was obviously not a lie that anyone would believe — because the contrary was already an iron-clad fact in their mind or could easily be confirmed with their eyes.

In this case, the reason it failed was obvious.

'So she saw me... she saw me do the deed.'

The noise that alerted Reivan may have been her trying to get away from the place, but she must have been there for a while. He couldn't have sensed her because he was using Clover's identity. There were six other sides to the hexagonal area for her to enter from without him noticing, and it was also highly possible she was already in the region before he even arrived.

'Fuck.'

All of that meant that there was no talking his way out of this predicament.

“Maya,” he calmly called out as he strode closer toward her. “Are you going to tell anyone?”

She gulped, the tremor in her eyes intensifying with every step he took. "D-Don't..."

“Are. You.” Reivan enunciated every word with force. “Going. To. Tell. Anyone.”

Maya bit her lip and suddenly tried to pull out her wand.

Bang!

Reivan easily blew it out of her hand with a weaker spell before targeting her face. “That was unwise, Maya. You know I’m a better sorcerer than you. Now, I asked you a question.”

“P-please don’t kill me… I w-won’t tell anyone… Please… I'll do anything you say...”

Hesitation halted Reivan’s steps as he deliberated on what to do. He checked his pocket watch again and bit his lip in frustration at how little time there was left — and that was if the whole 24-hour limit was followed.

They could get pulled out of this world at any minute now.

‘She’s not lying about her intentions… But that only speaks of her current intentions. It's easy to admit when under duress, but later on... is a whole other matter.’

If the two of them ever had some kind of conflict in the future, she could use the information against him. The same could be said if she ever got close to someone he couldn’t touch — which was highly possible with her social skills.

‘Her favor is… in the forties. It was practically nothing before and it even decreased after this incident... Or rather, it's decreasing as we speak.’

The fear and apprehension she displayed just a few seconds ago was proof that her trust in him did not run too deep. If she had been on the same level of favor as Helen, Elsa, or the president’s daughter he seduced for his mission, she wouldn’t be afraid of him. Instead, she would be thinking about how to help him get away with the murder. Reivan would have felt comfortable leaving her be if that was the case, or if her favor was at least in the seventies.

But it simply wasn’t high enough.

And by the time he finished his thoughts, her favor had already dropped down to the negatives. Any time now, it would dip into the level of hostility.

‘The mission…’

Logic dictated that leaving Maya alive was a massive liability to his mission, while the advantages of sparing her were questionable at best.

‘Fuck...’

Reivan clenched his teeth as Maya continued to wither under his gaze. To him, the mission was everything. There was too much at stake — too much time and resources had been invested into its success.

And most of all, his family and a lot of other people were counting on him.

‘The mission… The mission comes first.’

“I'm sorry.”

Reivan made sure not to blink, staring into her fearful eyes as a bolt of magic power fired off from the tip of his wand and penetrated deep into her skull.

════════════════════════════════

Reivan felt the familiar jolt of teleportation, and a moment later, the scenery around him changed. The clear blue sky was replaced with a high stone ceiling, the palm trees were and the endless seas around him was replaced by tall walls, and the sand became a marble floor.

He was back in the chamber where he was briefed about the Sanctuary.

“Welcome back, brothers and sisters! I hope you all had fun on your little adventure! I know I did, way back in my day!”

The female proctor, a silver cloak by the name of Bernadine, energetically spoke from the middle of the massive circular chamber. A few dozen meters behind her was the male proctor, speaking to the people on the other side of the room. Noticeably, the massive ball of fire that had been the chamber’s centerpiece was missing, but that was obviously because the portal to the sanctuary had closed.

Bernadine allowed the young men and women some time to calm down and even converse with the people next to them. But as she scanned the room, her smile gradually fell off. “Hm? There are… There are quite a few of you missing…”

Confusion spread before it turned into panic as some of the first years started realizing that some of the people they knew weren’t present either.

“Aleyna! Aleyna, where are you!?”

“Davic! Big Brother Davic! Where are you!? Stop fucking around and come out, you piece of shit!”

Some of the tower entrants couldn’t hold back their worry any longer, unabashedly calling out, their voices gradually rising in intensity the more their cries went unanswered. But no matter how loudly they shouted over Bernadine’s attempts to calm the situation, they did not receive a response.

Reivan put his hands in the pockets of his overcoat as he watched with feigned confusion, knowing that at least twenty-six people were missing — twenty-four of which were slain by Dom.

While the last two died at his hands.

"Are you here!? Sister! Answer me!"

"Elders! Where are they!? Where is Vara!?"

"The guy next to me is missing too! What's going on!?"

The clamor over the missing people didn't stop no matter what the softspoken Bernadine did, only intensifying even further.

And why should they calm down?

For some, a childhood friend with whom they shared dreams of becoming one of the greatest mages in the land was missing. And while some were merely fast friends after meeting in the Spirit Tower, it seemed that the majority of those absent had lovers or kin amongst the other first years — either way, nobody would settle down without gaining some kind of explanation.

But this was the Spirit Tower, not some common street alley where they could make as much of a fuss as they pleased.

Eventually, the chaos grew to the point that the male proctor flew into the center of the expansive chamber, his presence alone enough to fill the room. With a flourish of his wand, he fired off a clamorous spell that thundered in everyone's ears, forcefully gathering their attention.

"Silence, please." Ozran Esteros, the renowned silver cloak battlemage, loomed over them all and then spoke in a surprisingly gentle voice — as gentle as gravel could be, that is. "I am sure you are all worried about the friends you made in your short time here. But you will achieve nothing by screaming your heads off and calling out to them when they aren't even present."

"But sir...!" A young man with freckles sparsely sprinkled across his face voiced out loud. "Wh-what could have happened to them? Why aren't they here...? I thought we couldn't be hurt in that place...!?"

"You are protected only against the spirit beasts, not everything in creation," Ozran corrected sharply, shaking his head with a sigh. "I am loathe to admit, but accidents can happen — rather, they do happen. You’d be surprised at how easy it is to slip and hit your head when you’re gallivanting about all over the place, not being particularly watchful of your footing. Though, the number of accidents this year is the highest I’ve ever seen in my lifetime…”

The clamor resumed yet again, and this time, Bernadine spoke up to calm the crowd. "We would love to investigate this matter, and I'm sure some of you are thinking that someone could go inside and save them, but sadly… you cannot save someone who is already dead."

“B-but…” one young man ventured, but couldn’t quite think of what else to say.

“And even in the unlikely event that they still draw breath and can be saved, no battlemage in the tower can go back into the sanctuary to do so. After someone has left once, they cannot re-enter the Sanctuary. And all battlemages at this point have.”

Suddenly, someone in the with a deep and commanding voice spoke up. “Then why not have my guards go inside and take a look? I can guarantee that they’ll keep your little portal a secret.”

“You must be joking, Your Highness.” Ozran looked like he really wanted to sneer or say something mean, but the old mage held back by plastering an obviously fake smile on his face. “We have already taken great pains to… accommodate you and the other guests. It would be extremely taxing for us if we had to accommodate your guards as well.”

Prince Alphon raised both arms in surrender and shrugged. “It was merely a suggestion. The offer still stands, however. The empire is Arkhan’s friend, and we don’t want to let this tragedy pass like this.”

“We appreciate your sympathy, Your Highness. Sadly, there is nothing we can do at this point." Bernadine insisted with a troubled smile. “It is simply how it is. Unfortunate though it may be, this is not the first time people have failed to return from the sanctuary — and it won't be the last. While we must mourn the early deaths of our brothers and sisters, we cannot undo what has been done. As for an investigation, that is unlikel—”

"Oh, an investigation will be held, alright." Ozran cut her off, scanning the faces of every young man and woman. “One by one, each and every one of you will be questioned in private. The rest will head back to their quarters and are not to come out until they have been cleared of suspicion."

"Ozran, you cannot possibly think that..." Bernadine looked to the other proctor, her gaze meaningful.

"We'll see." The male proctor then pointed at someone at random. "Let's start with you, the boy from Room #002. We'll go by order of room numbers."

Right after saying that, the male proctor and the youth he pointed to vanished in the blink of an eye.

And a moment after that, Reivan suddenly found himself back in his room, a familiar suitcase propped up against the side of his bed. It was, without a doubt, the room assigned to him.

Everything looked just as he left it.

"Haaaah." Reivan released the breath he'd been holding for a while as he walked over to his bed, collapsing into its soft embrace.

An embrace that still smelled of a woman he used to know.

════════════════════════════════

[Author's Note]

Welp. Maya got sacked.

If anyone liked her... uh, tough luck. I had actually planned for her to be one of the people Dom killed, and for Reivan to only find out afterward.

But then I suddenly thought of a better scenario—Reivan killing her himself.

I think this helps him truly engrave the importance of his mission now. Sure, Maya wasn't that important to him, having spent only around a week together, but she also wasn't nobody.

Now, her life, sacrificed for his mission, would serve as a ball and chain that Reivan has to drag along with him, reminding him that he shouldn't fail—because otherwise, Maya would have died for nothing.

Every innocent he killed and would kill would have died for nothing.

Character development, yay!

Honestly, I already had a few chapters before I came up with this change, so I had to fix everything so it fit. That was quite a delay for me, considering I'm trying to pump out as many chapters this month, but I think it was worth it...

Lemme know whacha think. Is this better or do you think Reivan doesn't need this kind of weight on his shoulder? Or did he suddenly become unlikeable as a main character?

Anyway, see you in the next one and thanks as usual for the support!

Arc#4 Chapter 41: Dominance

When the White King realized he had been living in a cage his whole life, he learned that what he hated most.

It was being forced into doing things.

He could somewhat reconcile with any situation he fell into if it was the result of his failure or inadequacy, but being forced by something he could not even resist was unbearably enraging. That was why he hated the world's preference for creatures that didn't even live in it, and he also despised the humans who lorded their undeserved privileges in front of him.

It was this personality that urged him to seek the not-human in front of him for a bond.

If he was going to be poisoned anyway, then he may as well eat the entire bush of berries. If he was supposed to fall into a bottomless pit anyway, then he may as well jump into it. And if he was going to die anyway, he wanted to be the one to choose which death it would be.

No matter what the future held for him, the White King wanted to be the one to choose.

Perhaps it was just making things overly complicated. The results did not change after all. Such semantics most likely mattered only to himself.

But it did, in fact, matter to him.

Even if the world was one giant cage, he was still its king. And a king went where he pleased, did as he pleased, and lived as he pleased.

A king also chose his fate as he pleased.

The White King knew that the not-human could not be convinced to let him go nor forced to do so, so his fate as its slave was already decided. And since he was already going to be enslaved anyway, he may as well walk into his new cage on his own, rather than be shoved or dragged into it.

He had been thoroughly defeated by the not-human, even surviving the lethality of his bite — a bite that had felled countless foes throughout his life, including a dragon the size of a mountain.

With a master so strong, perhaps the White King could learn something from that strength. Or maybe make it his own.

'Besides...'

The White Wolf felt his heart grow lighter at the satisfaction of seeing such a stupid look on the not-human's face at his unexpected action.

════════════════════════════════

Reivan couldn't help but freeze, his jaw growing slack as he reread the words on the screen.

'This isn't how I imagined it would go...'

Joy and celebration should have been the first thing in his mind but Reivan simply didn't understand how it came to this. He directed a confused glance at the wolf but eventually decided to stop caring about the beast's reasoning — he was a human, after all, and would probably be unable to fully understand a spirit beast's mindset.

The most important thing was that he could now form a permanent bond with the beast without using his only orb.

'Well, alrighty then. Moving on, I suppose.'

Reivan immediately selected the only logical selection in his mind.

════════════════

The bond has been established.

One side of the bond does not have a true name yet.

Help your bond decide a true name to establish a permanent bond.

════════════════

'Ah, fuck. Right. I have to come up with a damn name...'

Reivan clicked his tongue, unconsciously gravitating towards a generic name for a big white legendary wolf — like Fenrir or something unoriginal.

'Eh. I already started a tradition with Serendipity, so let's just go with it...'

The first name that came to mind was Regality or Majesty, which paid homage to the beast’s crown and how it probably lauded itself as the ruler of the Sanctuary.

But after a moment of contemplation, Reivan realized that those didn’t seem appropriate.

The wolf wasn’t a king, after all. And although it looked majestic, it was no ruler. A king wasn’t the king because they were the strongest — otherwise, the Aizenwald clan wouldn’t be where it was, and the Sword Star would sit on the nation’s throne.

No, a king was someone who guided a nation into nurturing strength, and deciding how that strength was to be used for the good of that nation.

And something told Reivan that the wolf definitely wasn’t that kind of existence for the world. The beast probably just ran around killing things and scaring the shit out of others.

‘Hm… I got it.’

“Dominance.” Reivan let the word roll off his tongue, deciding that it was good enough. He might just go crazy and name the beast Shiro if he had to think of names even more than he already had. “For an outward name, I guess I can just call you Dom. Dommy sounds wrong and you aren’t cute enough for it anyway.”

Dom the winter ghostwolf variant sniffed in acknowledgement, but Reivan could have sworn he caught a glimpse of satisfaction in the beast’s clear golden eyes.

════════════════

A True Name has been decided; A bond has been formed.

Spirit Beast affinities are shared.

…

Unable to share affinities.

You have perfect elemental compatibility with the spirit beast!

════════════════

“Oh, that’s new…” Reivan muttered under his breath, signaling for Zouros to stop squeezing Dom to death.

A whole lot of nothing followed the fanfare of having perfect elemental compatibility with his newest companion, but eventually, something else happened.

════════════════

As a result of Perfect Elemental Compatibility, you will both obtain an inferior copy of one special ability from each other, converted into an extra skill.

This can only happen once in a lifetime and cannot be done with any other spirit beast afterward.

Would you like to proceed?

...

Error: Refusal is impossible due to the contract already being established.

Proceeding with the random selection.

════════════════

Reivan’s eyes almost bulged out of their sockets. “I can get a new special ability!?”

He had never even heard of such a thing being possible. Sure, it was apparently inferior to the original and would be an extra skill instead, but what did that matter?

‘It’s a free special ability! Please get me [Frost Domination]!’

Reivan tightly clasped his hands and closed his eyes, all while ignoring Dom’s skeptical gaze. As for Zouros, it had already slinked back into his soul to recover from its injury faster, but not before spitting out all the wolves it had stored inside its stomach — something that wasn’t very supportive of life and its preservation, and hence couldn’t be done for too long.

════════════════

Random selection in progress.

…

[Spirit King Seed] has been randomly selected.

════════════════

“NO! FUCK!” Reivan cursed and kicked the ground, throwing snow up in the air.

He was about to explore just how vast his vocabulary of profanities was when another error message popped up.

════════════════

Error: The unit is not of the skill’s required species.

The selection process will be repeated.

════════════════

‘There’s a chance! Let’s go! Reroll time, baby!’

Reivan clasped his hands once again, praying to Sormon for luck.

════════════════

Random selection in progress.

…

[Predatorial Insight] has been randomly selected.

════════════════

“No…!”

════════════════

Error: This unit already has the highest-ranked Insight ability.

════════════════

“YES! I didn't know that was even a thing, but YES!"

════════════════

[Frost Domination] has been selected as the last remaining ability.

You have obtained the [Frost Mastery] extra skill as a result of Perfect Elemental Compatibility.

════════════════

“Nice…” Reivan pumped his fist, though he was a bit annoyed at how convoluted the process was. It was short, but he’d experienced quite a bit of an emotional roller coaster.

‘How shit is my luck though…? I only wanted [Frost Domination] but I only got it on the third roll. And that’s because it was the only remaining option. What the hell!’

════════════════

Random selection in progress…

[Indomitable Willpower] has been randomly selected.

Dom has obtained the [Will of Steel] extra skill as a result of Perfect Elemental Compatibility.

════════════════

“Cool.” Reivan nodded, glancing at Dom, who had already realized the unexpected gift it received. “See? Aren’t you glad you did what you did? Would’ve been even better if you came willingly from the very start… It would’ve saved us all the trauma.”

Dom stared at him for a moment before acting as if he’d said nothing at all, proceeding to lay down and closing its eyes.

'Fucking asshole...'

Reivan let him rest for a moment, intending to examine their newest extra skills later. It seemed the process of bonding would continue now, so he wouldn’t have been able to in the first place.

════════════════

One side's abilities are far below that of the other side.

Capabilities are forcefully raised.

...

Due to Perfect Elemental Compatibility, the increase will be doubled.

Error: This unit’s maximum potential is 1200. Unable to increase until the next realm is reached or if certain skills are acquired.

...

Capabilities have been forcefully raised to the unit’s maximum potential.

...

Grievous injuries have been detected. This unit’s energy reserves are also extremely low.

Excess resources are automatically diverted to restoration.

...

The bond has been established.

Please note that Spirit Beasts cannot dematerialize in Spirit-affiliated environments and will suffer a True Death upon taking fatal damage.

════════════════

Reivan marveled at the wonderful — though somewhat disgusting — scene of his arm literally being regrown in a matter of seconds. Newfound strength also flooded his muscles, filling him with a mysterious power that restored his mana to full as well.

‘Awesome… Also, hybrids like me have a hard cap of 1200, huh? I think Pure warbeasts have a soft cap of 1400… Though, the growth range slows to a snail’s pace at that point, they can still get stronger. That's not too ideal for me and any of my kids, but whatever.’

Anyway, the main takeaway was that he had grown quite a bit stronger, gaining the result of multiple year’s worth of hard work in a single moment.

In the same way that Dippy’s capabilities were forcefully increased due to the gap between his and its base Might, Reivan received a boost because the gap between his and Dom’s Might was equally vast.

‘Man… I kinda wish I had come here earlier. Would’ve saved me months of training.’

But then again, he probably wouldn’t have defeated Dom if he was any weaker than he was now. The only way to do so would be if he knew about Dom in advance and prepared a whole box full of appropriate runestones to use against the white wolf king.

Perhaps the current course of events was the best one.

“Hm?” Reivan looked to the side, where Dom slowly got up, apparently having benefited from a similar restorative effect. “Darn. I wanted you to be injured for a bit longer. Just so you could learn from your mistakes.”

Dom snarled at him before standing up and howling, consequently rousing the rest of the wolves from unconsciousness. It seemed he silently gave them some orders because they all dispersed in various directions.

Reivan watched them go with a small smile on his face, knowing that he could summon the pack to Aizen once he got back to his real home. It would be an opportunity to have a bunch of knights establish bonds with spirit beasts.

‘Anyway. Time to take a look at my newest skill~ Man, nothing makes me feel like a LitRPG protagonist more than moments like this. I sure wouldn't wanna be one though since that'd imply I'll never have a peaceful life until the author drops the story or something.’

In a terrifically good mood, Reivan brought up the skill’s effects.

════════════════

[Frost Mastery]

Passive:

This unit's [Ice] element powers ignore any and all resistances and immunities, while also receiving 50% reduced damage and resource consumption in sufficiently cold environments.

════════════════

“Hm…” Reivan compared the skill to its original form and found that three effects had been entirely removed.

The sub-skill that passively changed the weather for free was gone, including the unconditional usurpation of ice-attribute energy in the area. He also wouldn’t be granted [Elemental Resistance] when in the right environment.

Still, it allowed him to bypass resistances and also gave him some buffs in the cold, which were still very good effects.

‘This trip to Arkhan has served me greatly. Thanks, Spirit Tower folk!’

Next, he brought up the skill Dom obtained.

════════════════

[Will of Steel]

Passive:

All attacks on the mind can be endured without suffering permanent damage.

Mind-control abilities are also nullified at the cost of being more stubborn.

════════════════

“Yep, I guess this is good enough too… I benefited a lot more from this though.”

Reivan wanted the wolf to inherit [Formless Will] or [Intent] since those two were his most used aspects of [Indomitable Willpower]. But having an indestructible soul and immunity to mind control was good enough.

‘So far though… I don’t think I’ve ever encountered mind control yet... Wait a minute, am I going to meet someone who uses it now that I've thought about it...? I fucking hope not.’

He shrugged to himself and was about to get on Dom’s back, only to get kicked away by the very angry wolf. Despite the surprisingly strong force behind the kick, Reivan didn’t get mad.

Truthfully, he was just joking around and didn’t expect such a proud creature to allow itself to be ridden like some horse. Not yet, at least.

“We’ll take things slow, boy.” Reivan chuckled and took out a small pocket watch, checking the time. He usually had a very good internal body clock, but his most recent bout was a bit too intense for him to keep track of something as mundane as time.

‘An hour left, huh…’

Reivan took out the orb that he was supposed to use on Dom, contemplating. With how strong Dom was, there was absolutely no way he would reveal the white wolf to the tower. That would just be asking for special attention — something he didn’t want at all.

‘I wonder if I can hide him anyway…’

But then again, since he would transform into Clover Salwyn during the return, he technically wouldn’t have a bond with Dom, so maybe he could work around that.

In any case, the orb would preferably have to be used on something for Elsamina. It would be even better if it was strong and had perfect elemental compatibility with her so it would increase her physical prowess, extending her lifespan before ascendence — just in case the spirit beast’s ascendence took too long.

‘I doubt I’ll find anything in the hour I have left. I think it’s already been established that my luck is shit when it comes to these things.’

Suddenly, Dom nudged him from behind, almost toppling him over. Before Reivan could scold the big wolf though, Dom spat something out.

“The hell is this…?” Reivan frowned as he used [Formless Will] to suck the object into his hand, observing it carefully. “A spatial storage ring… Where’d you even get this?... And also, you were hiding this in your mouth through our entire fight? That’s actually crazy… and mildly insulting.”

Through their connection, Dom explained that he had actually killed two dozen humans today, surprising Reivan. There were a lot of parts that Reivan couldn’t understand because of the nature of their connection, but now he knew why he just couldn’t find any other tower entrants.

It was because this mangy mutt took out a quarter of the humans who entered the Sanctuary.

‘This crazy bastard…’

Reivan sighed in exasperation and shrugged. Despite the beast’s brutality, he couldn’t really be mad at it.

It was a beast, after all.

Anyone who expected an untamed beast to value human lives was a fool. Spirit beasts aside, even ordinary animals got violent when something violated their territory — that was just how they worked.

‘May whatever gods are up there have mercy on their souls... Now then, let’s see what’s inside… though it's probably just spellballs and underwear.’

Reivan expected maybe another orb, which would already be a great boon, but he sure didn’t expect to see twenty-four orbs inside. He looked at the numerous orbs and gawked at the ease by which he’d obtained them when he had spent hours looking for a human to rob.

‘Why... have I been running around so diligently for? This is a good thing, but somehow, I just can't help but feel like an idiot.’

With a sigh and a lethargic pump of his fist, Reivan stowed away the orbs and moved to give the white wolf a quick hug. It looked disgusted and tried to swipe at him with very sharp golden claws but he was already gone before it realized what happened.

"Thank you, boy. I forgive you for everything you've done to me."

‘With this, I have a few more options.’

Reivan didn’t plan to use all of the orbs, intent on sending a few to Aizen for studying. Perhaps in a few years or decades, they could produce a replica.

That didn’t mean he couldn’t use them at all, however.

‘Let’s see… Now that I have more orbs than I know what to do with, I have to catch a relatively weak spirit beast to act as Clover Salwyn’s spirit beast. Dom and Dippy can be hidden instead, which will ensure that I won’t get any attention at all.’

Then, if fortune permitted, he could get a spirit beast for Helen too. They had been apart for too long and she was probably a bit upset at him. Though she wouldn’t complain since he was just doing his duties as a prince, he had been around women long enough to realize that they weren't creatures of logic, but of emotion. The reason for his absence wasn't very important, anyone, even him, wouldn't feel good about being apart from their loved ones for so long.

A gift would smooth things out tremendously.

He would also get plus points because it would prove that he was thinking of her even when they were apart — which he actually did, every single night.

‘Then… Uh, I’ll get one for Hector too, I guess. The bastard’s probably busy shagging my sister though… Well, he better be, with all the goddamn advice I’ve given him.’

And if possible, he could get one for his mother and uncle too, as they spent a lot of time in dangerous situations. Dom’s kin would probably be good enough despite their current weakness.

He knew it was wishful thinking. Meeting a whole bunch of strong spirit beasts in the one hour he had left was incredibly improbable and would likely place him in debt with the God of Luck — if there even was one. Nonetheless, he had to try anyway.

If he gave up now, he would definitely not meet anyone. But there was always a probability, no matter how small, that he would get something if he tried.

“Hey, let’s go. We have to pick up Dippy.” Reivan gestured for the grumpy wolf to follow as he kicked off from the frozen ground. “That’s your roommate, by the way. Both of you live inside me rent-free, together with Zouros — the big long guy you saw earlier.”

Dom followed silently, seemingly uncaring. Apparently, if they weren’t tethered together by their bond, he would have preferred to stay in place until they left the Sanctuary.

With their physical capabilities, it didn’t take long for Reivan and Dom to reach the little black blob of fur named Dippy, who was bouncing around in happiness. Reivan had told it in advance that he was okay after all, so it waited patiently for his return.

“Got you. C’mere, little guy.” Reivan picked Dippy off the ground and gave its soft flesh a little squeeze before placing the furry creature under his arm.

Together, Reivan and his two-beast gang of misfits left the Hexagon in search of worthy spirit beasts to catch.

[Transcendent] News

Hi there~!

From the very start, it has been my intention to set up a [Transcendent] tier on my Patreon, and a few of my lovely patrons have been looking forward to it. (Well, I say a few because I don't actually know how many.

The plan was to have it up months ago, but... Well, the plan failed because of my inadequacies, and some interference with life and work.

It has remained a stain on my pride for the promise I didn't keep. I feel like I failed my supporters.

BUT...!

This month WILL be different.

Come hell or high water, I will have the next tier up by the end of the month! I stake my life on this. Even if my house catches on fire or supermodels slip into my DMs, I will not yield.

So, I've made a bet with myself to increase the stakes.

If I still don't have the tier up by the end of June, I will create a temporary [Half-Transcendent] tier that will be completely FREE to everyone. And will hold all the chapters that I did manage to write.

The [Half-Transcendent] tier will only last for July though, and will be removed afterward. Of course, this is if I fail.

If — No, when I succeed, the [Half-Transcendent] tier will never come to fruition.

So there. Just a bit of a PSA for my awesome supporters.

Ah. Right. The poll.

The bet has started and the gauntlet has been thrown down, so its results affect nothing. But I'd still like to know what you guys think of the upcoming tier that I will definitely, without a shadow of a doubt, put up by the end of June.

Just as... y'know. Extra motivation or something. Also, it feels a bit boring to just have an announcement and then be done with it. lol

Arc#4 Chapter 40: Bitter Chill

“Come with me. I can show you a whole new world.”

In response to the not-human’s words, the White King growled as he struggled to get up in spite of the agony wracking his entire body. His luscious white fur covered it all, but any part of his flesh that wasn’t already bruised was instead lacerated, slowly draining him of life in the form of imperceivable wisps of energy.

The type of injury hardly mattered though — everything was in pain.

“I know you can understand me. Stop trying to pretend otherwise.”

Still growling, the White King finally managed to put all four feet under him, standing tall once more. It was an insignificant achievement when faced with the reality of his pitiful state, but the White King felt like he’d regained a portion of the pride the not-human tore apart.

The not-human was right though.

Even if the White King couldn’t understand the words themselves, he could instinctively grasp what the not-human wanted to convey.

‘The world…’

The White King would have laughed at the not-human if it said that it could show him the world that he’d ruled for so many mating cycles.

But no.

The not-human didn’t mean this world, where the White King was born and raised. Absurd as it was, the not-human meant to show him the world where it came from — an entirely different world. A world that the White King had never seen before, filled with creatures he’d never encountered.

In his long search for worthy foes, the White King had frozen vast seas and boiling ponds of flaming water just so he could scour every inch of his world. He knew he had missed some spots in the depths of the ocean, but he had no way of exploring there, so he had given up despite feeling that there was something there.

Still, he knew the humans couldn’t possibly live there either.

And that brought up the question of where the humans came from.

The White King stared down at the not-human and pondered. He had already surmised that there were other worlds, but he never expected to receive confirmation while he was in such a pathetic state.

If there were others in that world as strong as the not-human, perhaps there was merit in coming along.

But still.

Even if that other world was brimming with worthy prey, the White King wondered if he should truly debase himself by submitting to the not-human. He was the king after all — standing above all as the most superior being in the world. Could he truly throw it all away just to be the not-human’s… slave?

Sure, the not-human had beaten him down fair and square, so much so that the White King couldn’t dispute anything at all. The law of nature dictated that he could not complain about what was done to him. He may have been superior to every other creature in the world, but the not-human — a being not of this world — was even more so.

Even that massive serpent followed the not-human.

‘Serpent…’

Thoughts of the gargantuan winged snake with seemingly unbreakable obsidian scales in the sky sent shivers down the White King’s spine. He had fought and slain many snakes of varying sizes, but none of them could ever come close to the being currently glaring down at him from the sky.

Or rather, they were so different that the White King was fairly certain that it wasn’t a snake at all, merely taking the shape of one.

Whatever that creature actually was hardly mattered. What mattered to the White King was the instinctive fear its presence awoke inside him — fear that the White King had never felt in his long life. If the White King ended up forced to follow the not-human, wouldn’t the White King be in constant close proximity to the snake-like entity?

That did not seem promising at all.

For the White King, strong creatures always elicited a desire to fight — a desire to use the enemy’s strength to sharpen his fangs. On the other hand, no matter how great the disparity between them became, the White King never wanted to fight that.

Somehow, his instincts screamed that he would lose without a fight, even though logic dictated otherwise.

“I don’t want to force you into this if I can.” The not-human spoke once again, gesturing at the shiny berry that lay abandoned at their feet. “And anyway, aren’t you tired of this small and cramped place?”

Turning his gaze to the not-human, the White King pondered. Had he grown tired of his own world?

Perhaps.

The White King felt no particular joy from being the strongest. Rather, the thought that he could not grow stronger annoyed him. And he could not get stronger if there was nothing to fight.

After his fateful meeting with the red dragon, the White King’s life was just a dull never-ending wait for the next hunt — a hunt that never happened, for the White King was decimated by the not-human and reduced to his current state.

“There’s so much else to see. A world much bigger than this one… and another world where enemies don’t ever seem to run out. I can bring you there.”

The White King’s eyes narrowed as its muscles grew less tense, his misgivings gradually dissipating. Coming with the not-human suddenly didn’t seem too bad. Perhaps there was no need to continue with his schemes.

“And besides…” The not-human crossed its arms and made a face that irked the White King for some reason. “That crown of horns makes you look like a king… But what kind of king lives in a cage? Surely you don’t want to spend the rest of your life here, right?”

He did not need to understand the not-human’s barks to realize that he was being mocked.

And it was working.

The White King bared his fangs as his rage gave rise to strength. Even if he knew that letting anger dictate his actions was stupid, his limbs still tensed as he prepared to lunge.

It was right though.

The not-human was right.

And the White King knew it too — knew that he was no king, just a caged mutt in a world seemingly created so filthy disgusting humans could safely obtain pets.

With a roar, the White King — no, the caged beast kicked off the ground and charged, the feelings of humiliation he had buried deep down spurring the wrath in his heart. Despite his defeat, he knew that victory wasn’t out of reach until the very last breath he took. That was why he patiently waited for a chance to turn things around in a final gamble.

It just so happened that the not-human’s words made him feel like he’d waited long enough.

But if, he thought, the not-human still won? Then…

════════════════════════════════

With the orb, Reivan could’ve taken the wolf with him and slowly convinced him to form a more permanent bond after taking it back to his world. But Reivan felt like that wouldn’t be the right way to go about things in this case.

If possible, he wanted to see if he could peacefully convince the wolf to come with him on its own.

Not to save his only orb, but rather, it just felt… Well, it felt right.

‘I mean… If I was beaten and then told that I’d be chained up for a year, I wouldn't be very receptive to my captor’s attempts to coax me into an eternal partnership that’s stronger than marriage.’

That was part of how he rationalized it, but he also understood that not all people were the same. Stockholm syndrome was a thing back on modern Earth, proving some people were… of different mental capacities. Perhaps the forceful method would work on other spirit beasts, but this one was far too intelligent. And the fact that it tried to beat him on its own instead of summoning its pack from the very start meant it had some level of pride.

Prideful individuals didn’t like being forced into things. It was much better to guide them into moving in the direction you want them to, as if it was their idea from the very start.

‘A Guide to Kingcraft - Volume 3, chapter 4.’

He never wanted to be king but since he liked reading so much, his father had insisted for him to read the book anyway. And it was good too, since there were sections in the series that were useful elsewhere. Like how to deal with people whose pride made up their entire personality.

This was only possible because he could make inferences about the beast’s tendencies through its special abilities though.

Judging by the number of hunting-related parts in its abilities, Reivan was willing to bet that the beast had a predilection for it. Its enthusiasm in hunting Reivan — who was probably near the peak in combat prowess as far as people in the mortal realm were concerned — also convinced him that the wolf liked hunting big game.

In other words, it liked hunting down strong individuals.

‘Well, it’s all just a hypothesis. Special abilities don’t necessarily dictate someone’s personality, after all...’

Still, he didn’t feel like his thoughts were too far-fetched.

Things seemed to have been working relatively well until…

Well, until it didn’t.

‘Shit. Did I accidentally hit a nerve? Chapter fucking five didn't work, then.’

Because coaxing it gently didn't seem to be working — or if it was, Reivan could hardly tell due to the fact that he was incapable of gleaming any subtle changes in the beast's emotions — Reivan had tried to provoke it instead. People were very different when they were mad, and they were more likely to reveal an opening when they got worked up. But in putting that to practice, he had failed to consider that dealing with a human being was vastly different from dealing with a questionably intelligent wild animal.

'Eh, you win some, you lose some.'

Reivan hastily pulled his sword out of the ground and brought it up, ready to sidestep the beast’s lunge at the last moment and inflict another heavy wound on it.

Seemingly anticipating this, the large wolf pivoted mid-lunge, swinging an elongated tail covered with needle-like white fur obviously hardened by a healthy dose of essence.

‘Fool. Haven’t you learned your lesson?’

Reivan smirked as his sword traced a refined arc, plummeting to the ground at blinding speed, its lethality enhanced by multiple aetherblade arts. As he watched his blade sever the beast’s last tail, he wondered how such an intelligent creature could make such a poor decision.

The answer came instantly.

Before he could react, the severed tail exploded, unleashing a blast of frigid air that enveloped Reivan and everything around him in a dense fog of cold mist. It was as if the ice age was condensed into the detached limb — which, Reivan realized, was sacrificed as part of the beast’s cunning ploy.

‘Shit, this isn't good…!’

Reivan’s lower jaw shivered as his muscles grew numb and ice surged through his veins. He immediately lost control of the qi and magic power in his body, seemingly frozen by the wolf’s special attack. Even his armor seemed decorated with a brand-new layer of thick frost.

For just about anybody, it was a death sentence.

Obviously not letting this chance escape, the big white wolf suddenly vanished into the mist before reappearing behind Reivan, lunging forward with its maw wide open and its ferocious fangs glinting with malice.

Zouros, who had been watching the situation with focused vigilance, moved quickly to Reivan’s aid. From its connection with Reivan, it knew that attacking the wolf directly would produce incredibly subpar results, so it struck Reivan instead, sending him flying out of the beast’s way.

Incapable of moving his face, much less cursing at the way his brain shook from his companion’s strike, Reivan tried his hardest to expel the foreign energies in his body, being met with moderate success as he regained partial use of his limbs.

When he looked back to where the wolf was though, he gawked at the stunning sight of Zouros’ tail being completely frozen, taking the brunt of the icy blast that had almost turned Reivan into a snowman. Soon, a resounding crack followed as the giant snake’s tail shattered into countless pieces, eliciting a soul-shaking screech of pain from its giant mouth.

Reivan’s heart sank as he urged his limbs forward.

Logically, he understood that even if Zouros died, it would just revive after some time passed. But right now, they were in a different kind of place and Zouros shared some similarities with spirit beasts — who, in turn, died permanently in spiritual environments like the world like the sanctuary.

The thought that he might lose Zouros forever sent Reivan’s mind into a panic, pushing him forward despite his limbs still feeling numb.

‘I really can’t feel anything… If I couldn’t see my arms, I would think they’d fallen off.’

Reivan’s eyes narrowed, focusing on the white wolf king — who also looked worse for wear, its breath ragged and its stance sloppy. But Reivan had learned by now not to blindly trust what he saw.

Despite its noble and majestic countenance, the beast was deceptive and treacherous in combat. There was no honor or grace in the way it fought, just a an unbreakable will to keep on fighting until it couldn't fight any longer.

‘It should be out of magic power now, right? Surely.’

Reivan stopped and swapped his longsword for a bow and arrow, drawing the string back as far as he could in an instant. Simultaneously, numerous floating blades converged on the beast’s location, aiming to nail it to the floor.

As he had expected, the moment he resumed the offensive, the wolf’s apparent weakness vanished as it nimbly dodged a few of the flying blades before eventually being forced to transform into mist one again.

‘Got you.’

Reivan hastily used a special aetherblade art created to counter an elementalist’s ability to transform into elemental energy for a few seconds.

Its name was << The Ghost Buster >>, and it was an aetherblade art created by the Aizen’s first king.

Despite his exasperation at the ancient figure’s use of yet another modern Earth reference, Reivan thought the name was very appropriate. It imbued one’s weapon with the power to hit energy itself, rather than having the physical object just move through it.

It was an ancient ability conceived by ancient knowledge — meaning it was highly inefficient, needlessly unoptimized for the use of an average knight, and incredibly difficult to learn. Still, the fact that nobody had the skill to modify it even after thousands of years of advancement spoke of the royal progenitor’s genius.

‘Eat this, motherfucker… Don’t die though. Please. Like, seriously don't fucking die.’

Reivan’s eyes easily grasped the wolf’s location, aimed the arrow at it, and released, watching as what appeared to be a shooting star headed right for the white wolf — who must have thought it was invincible at the moment.

The arrow struck through and the white wolf suddenly materialized in the air with the projectile lodged deeply into its right hind leg.

‘Boom.’

A moment later, the arrow exploded when a second aetherblade art he used took effect, completely parting the beast’s limb from its body. White motes of light were rapidly expelled from the wound as it roared.

‘And with that… I’m out of mana too.’

Reivan’s ragged breathing came out as mist in the winter wasteland that the spirit beast created. He quickly unsummoned his bow and rushed forward like a runaway train. Closing the distance between them in an instant, he lowered his body and tackled the beast from below before slamming it into the ground.

As the beast reeled from the ungodly force, Reivan’s arms snaked around its neck and tightened like a noose. A panicked yelp escaped the white wolf king’s maw before it clenched its teeth and struggled to free itself from his grasp.

Unfortunately for the not-so-noble beast, no matter how it struggled, Reivan was determined not to budge.

He could just as easily end the beast’s life by snapping its neck like this, but that obviously wasn’t what he wanted. Instead, he used his free mouth to bite at whatever flesh he could get to as his floating blades repeatedly punched holes into its remaining limbs.

Fights were the perfect place for the unexpected to happen though.

The extended fight had depleted it of its energy reserves, but it seemed the white wolf king still had barely enough magic power to transform just its upper body into white mist. Freed from its fleshy restraints, it loomed over him and pinned him to the ground, its jaws quickly heading right for Reivan’s face.

The development's sudden nature and their close proximity meant he couldn’t summon a good enough weapon. Reivan clenched his teeth as he held up his left arm to protect his head as his right hand traced the brutal arc of a clean right hook.

The agony of many somethings plunging into his arm and maiming it came in tandem with the feeling of his fist meeting flesh.

“AHHHH!” Reivan involuntarily screamed as one of the greatest pains he ever suffered erupted from where his left arm used to be. As his mind blanked and his vision grew dim, he realized that the wolf was no longer in sight.

Instincts kicked in as the beating of his heart drummed against his skull, somehow keeping him sane. His eyes immediately searched for the greatest threat to his life, finding the wolf slumped right next to him, unconscious.

With the realization that he no longer had enemies, Reivan’s mind once again focused on the pain as he resumed screaming his throat hoarse. His knees buckled under his weight and he collapsed to the snow ground in a heap, shakily straining to bring what remained of his left arm up to his face. To get a better look at the injury, Reivan unsummoned the armor covering his left arm, all the way up to the pauldron on his shoulder. That was enough to show him the horrifying state the beast’s final attack left his limb in.

Everything beyond the elbow was just gone, probably from the initial bite connecting. It wasn’t the clean type of gone, rather, bits of pieces still hung from his elbow because the wolf’s fangs had literally ripped his arm off.

But he could still remember the short moment of pain from the fangs penetrating his armor and everything else beneath. While still agonizing, it wasn’t as bad as the pain tormenting him right now.

‘Poison…’

His upper arm was noticeably rotting, turning into black flesh that seemed like it would fall away any second now. It served as a grim reminder of the past, before he reincarnated into who he was. Just looking at it triggered something in Reivan’s brain, squeezing out another throat-ripping scream from his mind as his eyes rolled up to the back of his head and cold sweat erupted from every pore in his body — except the ones on his rotting arm.

‘Fuck… shit… shit… SHIT!’

Reivan shoved his only remaining fist into his mouth so he didn’t accidentally bite his tongue off, hoping that his teeth sinking into his flesh would distract him. Sadly, it didn’t.

But he did manage to return his gaze to his rotting arm, trying his best to examine it.

‘...It’s… spreading…’

His mind, muddled from tormenting agony, made a snap decision. In just a fragment of a second, one of his floating blades was sucked into his shoulder, cleanly cutting the necrotic flesh off.

Reivan’s muscles relaxed, his suffering over. It was ironic how cutting off a limb made things less painful, but wish as he might, he couldn't find relief in anything at the moment. He strained to sit up while his lungs screamed for air, sending a weary glance at what used to be attached to him.

He watched as the rest of the severed arm gradually turned black before being wrapped in a layer of ice and shattering into black snow.

Reivan sighed in relief as he sent a withering glance at the unconscious white wolf. “...You better…be fucking…worth it…you…fucking…mutt.”

Zouros flew in as a smaller version of itself, albeit with a portion of its tail from the tip missing, and draped itself on his shoulders, hissing warily at the blackened piece of flesh.

Frowning at his companion’s actions, Reivan wondered what it was so hissy about, only to notice that the black snow had dissolved into a strand of dark mist, swirling around the spot where it originally was. Its dark and ominous appearance was a stark contrast to the virgin white snow all around it.

“What the fu—”

Before he could finish his curse, the black smoke suddenly shot straight for Reivan.

Unprepared and too muddled by the agony he'd just undergone, Reivan was unable to react in time as the smoke seeped into the stump on his shoulder.

And the unbearable torment he thought he’d escaped returned with a burning passion.

‘This isn’t poison!’

Rather, it was more of a curse, and was the domain of darkness — an attribute he had and should be slightly resistant to. But something about the way the necrotic flesh had frozen off and shattered made him realize something.

‘It’s… It’s a compound curse.’

The white wolf did, in fact, have both [Darkness] and [Ice] attributes, so it would have made sense.

Combining elements into a single seamless technique like this was extremely difficult, and anyone who could pull it off was practically destined for greatness. To be honest, Reivan rarely encountered anyone capable of it — to the point where it blindsided him completely.

But none of that really mattered in the face of the insanity-inducing agony that plagued him once more.

His vision narrowed, growing dim at the sides. It was exactly how he gradually lost his sight as he died the last time, the rest of the hospital room disappearing in his eyes as he focused on the webcam recording his last words.

‘Death…’

He still remembered that he had [Frey’s Blessing], and would hence be saved from fatal damage. But the cold hands of death felt so real around his neck that he felt unsure if even a Transcendent’s treasure could save him.

In his muddled state, the companion draped on his shoulder surprisingly came to his rescue. It bit down where the wound was and desperately inhaled.

Reivan’s vision slowly returned and he felt the pain start to dissipate. The world around him grew clearer, and so too, did his mind. He looked to his shoulder to find Zouros looking quite pleased with itself.

Chuckling wearily, he gave his partner a gentle pat, his hand still trembling from what he'd experienced. “...Thanks, bud. You saved me there…”

Zouros blinked and his long body squeezed him a little, a show of affection for its kind, apparently. It then apologized through their connection, regretful that Reivan had to lose an arm. If it had helped quicker, perhaps he wouldn’t have had to do so.

“Hey, don’t worry about it…” Reivan shook his head, brows furrowed and breathing still ragged. “You helped. That’s what matters in the end. Now… let’s get this over with.”

After performing some first aid on himself in the way of using [Effect Reproduction] to replicate the Beast King’s Ichor — boosting his healing capabilities beyond supernatural levels. As expected though, his wounds barely recovered. There was just something about spirit beasts, the wounds they inflict nullifying most modes of healing for an extended period of time.

It was a good thing he had [Frey's Blessing], since the healing from a halo was actually one of the only ways to bypass the anti-heal capabilities unique to strange creatures.

'It's going to take a while before I can grow my arm back... and by a while, I mean not in time for the end of this exam. Damn. But whatever. I hope it's worth it... No, I'll make it worth it.'

Reivan scanned the surroundings carefully for something. It didn’t take long for him to find what he was looking for — an amethyst sphere.

He hooked his finger, causing the orb to fly into his only remaining palm. Then he directed a withering gaze at the cause of his most recent brush with death — who had already woken up and was now leaning against a frozen tree.

“No more talking, wolf,” Reivan said, smirking as he waved around the purple orb. “Since words don't work, then don't blame me for using force.”

The white wolf had no obvious reaction, not making a single movement. Different from its bouts of acting and deception earlier, Reivan didn’t see any shaking or any attempts to look pitiful and weak. Rather, the beast looked calm, but also extremely similar to the feeling one got when winter ended and summer just began.

Zouros took it upon itself to surge forward, growing slightly larger and wrapping itself around the wolf to restrain it. The obsidian serpent looked prepared for a struggle, but the wolf made no such movements.

It merely stared at Reivan with its clear golden eyes.

“What?” Reivan raised a brow as he sluggishly tread through the deep snow. “You mad?”

The whole debacle had really been too traumatic, so he was far more receptive to mocking the beast. Maybe it was childish, yes, but he had tried to go about things the polite way and was rewarded with so much agony.

Wasn’t his annoyance justified? He, at least, thought he had all the right to be pissed off.

Of course, he was mature enough to bury the hatchet once they got out of the Sanctuary. Antagonizing the beast too much would get him absolutely no benefits whatsoever after all.

Reivan’s feet eventually brought him directly in front of the restrained beast. He looked down at it, meeting its clear gaze for a moment before leaning over with the orb held out.

"Enjoy your new cage, I guess."

Just before it made contact, however, a familiar notification suddenly blocked his vision.

════════════════

A spirit beast wishes to bond with you!

Would you like to accept?

════════════════

“...Huh?”

Reivan stared at the words, dumbfounded.

Arc#4 Chapter 39: Mortal Combat

[Author's Note]

Have you ever experienced the base of your gaming chair literally snapping apart, sending you on a trip to the floor?

I did.

Just a few hours before this chapter came out, in fact. I even hit my head and the laptop on my lap(lol, get it?) also smacked the floor. Holy shit. I almost died and my most important tool in writing almost got smashed.

To top it all off, I don't have a gaming chair anymore. I sit on that when I write or play games...

Today is a bad day. Hope yours is going well.

See you in the next one.

= Lire ♪ =

 
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The essence of combat between adversaries of similar capabilities was enabling yourself to use your advantages while preventing your opponent from using theirs.

In this case, Reivan’s advantage was his physical strength, while the bear-sized wolf’s advantage against Reivan in particular was its [Ice] elemental attacks. It was a bit ironic how the smaller creature was much stronger than the larger one, but that's just how it was in the world he ended up in. It wouldn't be the first irony he'd encounter, that was for sure.

“Raaah!” Reivan suddenly stopped mid-charge and threw a fist-sized ball of steel right at the beast’s head. Given his current strength, the ball more than rivaled a destroyer's cannon fire in pure velocity, easily breaking the sound barrier.

'I hope for both our sakes that you don't die from this!'

The majestic beast dodged out of the way with apparent ease, its calculating eyes stained with a hint of mocking. But it suddenly yelped in pain when the ball came back to hit it right in the back of the head. It staggered from the strike to its cranium and seemed ready to fall over.

'Gotcha.'

His improvised plan succeeded but it wasn’t over until the beast was subdued. Reivan quickly summoned another fifteen balls that floated around him through [Formless Will]. Then he kicked the ground, closing the distance in a flash with an iron club in each hand. Exerting nigh unstoppable force, his weapons swung down upon the unsteady beast’s head as the swarm of metal spheres simultaneously aimed to crash into its joints with bone-shattering force.

Just before Reivan's attack connected though, the wolf vanished into a cloud of cold mist, letting Reivan’s attack pass through and hit the ground — which promptly exploded from the force of his strike, sending snow and debris everywhere.

The beast's massive form then reappeared in a distant mountain peak, its maw wide open as it sucked in a deep breath.

‘Shit! This bastard even knows how to act and feint, huh?’

Reivan instinctively prepared to rush toward the wolf's new location, but stopped, wincing underneath his armor when the wolf released a deafening howl that echoed across the peaks. He tried to shake off the ringing in his ears — and even his soul — but he could hardly even think in his current state, leaving him incapable of reacting to anything else.

By the time he recovered, it was clear that the beast had already finished preparing for its next attack.

An intense stream of cold air blasted Reivan from every direction, locking him in place. The chilling wind crept into his armor and licked his skin, freezing the flesh underneath and the blood in his veins. Immediately, Reivan could feel his joints lock and his bones shiver from the cold he had always felt comfort in.

His frost resistance nullified, Reivan felt cold just from the weather alone. It was a good thing he was close to Ascendance because otherwise, just the ice and snow would have had a significant effect on him.

But this?

This was on another level — this was a cold that could kill him.

‘Damn this motherfucking…’

Just one move.

This one move was enough to completely neutralize Reivan’s physical advantage. And the worst part was he didn’t even land a good hit before getting refrigerated.

Unable to move and surprisingly unable to activate any spellblade arts, Reivan quickly noted that everything around him, even mana and qi, was frozen to a standstill. Left with no choice, he willed one of the floating metal balls to slam into his stomach, shattering the ice that enveloped him and sending his stiff body flying away from the cage of frigid winds.

Not letting the chance to finish him off escape, the large wolf once again turned into a cloud of arctic mist before reappearing where Reivan would land, ready to take a chunk out of his neck — or maybe just rip his head out altogether.

Reivan had anticipated something like this, so he already had another metal sphere ready to hit him from above, slamming him into the ground instead of into the jaws of a feral beast. He then used [Effect Reproduction] to help heal any damage, though it didn't seem to be helping much. Gritting his teeth, he quickly pushed off the ground and summoned a longsword.

As he steadied himself, his eyes searched for his opponent and found it immediately, barely able to hold his sword up in a defensive stance. An overwhelming weight pushed against Reivan as steel clashed with fangs, but he held his ground. Muscles fit to burst, he pushed as hard as he could and sent the beast back, but not before it bit down and shattered his longsword like it was made of glass.

'Fuck, it actually broke it...'

Reivan understood that Soul Armaments weren't indestructible — they just seemed that way because their "Might" was focused on durability and absurdly fast restoration power. But seeing his sword get crushed into useless shards of metal caused his heart to fall. The armament spirit's quiet squeal of agony in the deepest recesses of his soul didn't help alleviate the sinking feeling either.

'Those teeth... are ridiculously dangerous.'

Reivan gulped and hastily stepped to his left, just in time to sidestep another lunge. As it passed by, he slugged it in the head with the pommel of his sword before quickly transitioning into a follow-up strike, driving what was left of his blade into the beast's stomach. The attack didn't cut too deeply, but still resulted in a gash along the beast's side. Luckily undamaged, the steel spheres all around him shot toward the injured beast as if saying Reivan's turn wasn't over yet.

Shaken from the force of his pommel strike and its newest wound, the wolf was unable to dodge or react, crying out in pain as five metal balls drove themselves into its stomach and legs, one almost hitting it in the head.

Just as it was about to get hit by even more steel balls, it hastily transformed into a cloud of white mist, retreating to a yet-to-be-destroyed mountain peak in the distance, its beastly golden eyes regarding Reivan with rage.

‘Yeah, you beautiful little bitch. That hurt, huh? There's more where that came from.’

Reivan smirked as he tried to even his breathing, his body still feeling sluggish from almost turning into an ice sculpture. He glanced at the sword in his grasp, noting how it finished restoring itself to its original state before taking a deep breath. Gripping his sword handle tightly, Reivan turned his gaze toward the beast once again, determined to end this as soon as possible.

‘You’re too strong to hold back against.’

He’d been using blunt weapons so he could take the beast home in one piece, but if he kept on doing so, he would probably end up on the losing end. Of course, he still couldn’t go too far since killing the beast would be a completely wasted opportunity. But limiting himself to blunt weapons wasn’t looking like the way to go.

‘It’s… not bleeding. Fuck. I already knew it wouldn't, but a man can hope, right?’

No matter how alive they seemed, spirit beasts weren’t ordinary biological creatures. They didn’t need to eat for one thing — which made him wonder why Dippy liked eating so much — and now, Reivan was faced with the fact that they didn’t bleed either.

That meant he had to aim to cut off actual limbs if he wanted to weaken it by even a little.

‘Sorry about this!’

Reivan took out a small necklace with the Sun God Church’s symbol on it, clutching it to his chest. A light shined and soon, a halo appeared on his head as he felt foreign power surge into his body, filling it with additional strength.

He hadn’t thought he’d need to pull [Frey's Blessing] out, but that was before he discovered how formidable his opponent truly was. Initially, he had hoped it would be adept at fighting in close combat but have relatively less formidable proficiency in elementalism. Obviously, that wasn’t the case, so he really had to pull out all the stops — perhaps he even had to use some of the runestones he had in stock.

That probably wasn’t the case since most of the runestones he brought with him were a little too strong for a fight against a mortal, being specifically designed to combat Ascendants in case he got cornered.

‘It feels dirty to borrow power from a god I haven't sworn myself to like this… But whatever! There is no such thing as an honorable defeat — victory is everything!’

Reivan took another deep breath as he gripped his longsword tighter. He couldn’t stack halos on himself because he wasn’t even a priest of Sormon, but with the additional power of just one halo and the constant healing it provided, he was all but assured to rack up small wins over time. His stamina was nearly infinite too because of [Effect Reproduction], so he truly had no excuse to lose.

Prolonging the fight would be good for him.

On the other hand, one wrong move would probably end it all, so there was a risk.

‘Fuck it. I’ll just stick to it like the clingy ex-girlfriend I never had.’

His physical prowess was his greatest asset here, and he couldn’t put it to good use if his opponent was too far away. Even though he placed himself in danger of getting frozen if he was too close, there was no other way to avoid it other than to constantly pressure the opponent, not giving them the leeway to prepare anything big.

Reivan closed the distance in but a few steps as the metal spheres hovering over their battle transformed into sharp blades with serrated edges, aiming to dig into the beast’s flesh from various angles in tandem with his attack. He swung his sword sideward so fast that there wasn’t even a blur left behind, and yet, it hit nothing when the wolf once again transformed into a cloud of mist.

Having expected this, he kicked off from the ground and shot upward just in time to evade the wolf’s extremely dangerous jaws. He then pivoted mid-air before kicking off against one of his floating blades and plummeting downward, his longsword poised to strike.

Though it saw the attack coming, it seemed the wolf couldn’t transform into mist consecutively. Instead, the snow-white beast tried to evade to the side. Fortunately for Reivnan, it was unable to get away in time, almost losing a leg to his strike. Seemingly through pure combat instinct, it forced him to cut off two tails by swinging them at him, saving its leg from the same fate.

‘I could've won right then and there… damn.’

Reivan landed on the ground and glanced at the severed tail that was already dissolving into motes of light. He then broke into a mad dash to close the distance with the beast once again. He couldn’t allow it any breathing room to prepare another ice-based attack, so all he could do was literally run up to its face every time it pulled away.

It was a set of actions that would piss off most people, and the wolf obviously didn't like it either. The beast's golden eyes shone with rage, and with the majestic grace of an apex predator, it raised its head and howled once again.

But how could Reivan fall for the same trick twice? He blocked off his ears with qi and continued forward, closing the distance and almost taking off both of the beast’s front legs before it transformed into mist again.

For a while, the battle went on in a similar pattern.

He would charge forward like a madman, launching attack after attack after attack. Then the beast would respond by transforming into mist to create distance or dodging via nimble movements. Reivan, in turn, would close the distance without using any aetherblade arts to save resources, relying on his superior physical capabilities.

It was a game of cat and mouse that favored Reivan because he kept on inflicting small cuts on the beast with every other exchange. And since he wasn’t using as much magic power, he could steadily bleed out the beast’s resources while retaining his own. The wolf only used half the normal resources when in cold environments because of its enviable skill, but with this, Reivan could even out the playing field.

All he had to watch out for was not getting caught in the beast's jaws. Also, he had to block off his ears in time with the beast's howls, unblocking it right after so he didn't disable one of his strongest senses. And finally, he had to be careful about being caught in some kind of [Ice] attribute technique, monitoring the slightest change in temperature.

Now that he thought about it, there were actually a lot of things to watch out for. Despite that, his situation was far better than his opponent's.

‘The beautiful thing about this tactic is there’s nothing this majestic mutt can do about it!’

Even though it could probably read his intentions with its skill, there simply wasn’t much it could do now. It needed time and preparation to use a move that could significantly freeze him, as most [Ice] elemental techniques did, but Reivan wasn't about to give him that opportunity for free.

If the beast truly wanted to, it would have to give up three limbs at least.

“Come back here!” Reivan yelled as yet another part of the area was destroyed by the sheer force behind his attacks, and yet, the wolf still managed to dodge it, growing better at doing so as the battle went on, almost managing to take a chunk out of Reivan's arm in a counter-attack.

Suddenly, he sensed the area around him becoming saturated with cold essence so he wasted no effort in leaving the area, the surface of his armor already coated with a layer of frost by the time he got away. Unusually stiff from the exchange, Reivan continued to control his remote blades to put pressure on the white wolf, all while expelling the frost from his body.

Since [Formless Will]’s power was based on his own physical capabilities, the blades were also strengthened by the halo on his head, easily breaking the sound barrier. The beast could dodge a few at a time, but it couldn’t help but allow a number of the dark aura-coated blades to hit, unknowingly transferring a small portion of its energy reserves to Reivan.

And this had been going on for a while now, hundreds, if not thousands of small lacerations all along its body.

‘It should start tiring out any time soon… hopefully.’

The once majestic beast had lost an ear, two of its tails, and one of its horns throughout the fight. With no blood, its majestic coat retained the color of fresh virgin snow in spite of its injuries. But even though it had suffered tremendous punishment, Reivan admired the undying fighting spirit in its fierce golden eyes.

It was truly worthy of fighting with all he had.

A normal beast would have considered escaping at this point, but the majestic wolf’s own ability locked it in combat with Reivan. That was why it had no choice but to keep fighting a losing battle.

All that was left was to wait for it to run out of steam before going for the kill with all his might.

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The White King was surprised that the intruder looked so similar to a human and even seemed to bark the same kind of sounds, but was all the same convinced that it wasn't one.

Unlike the humans it knew, its strength was domineering enough that the fur he was so proud of may as well not exist in the face of its brutal strikes. It also surrounded itself with some hard rock like a beetle would, and controlled equally hard teeth that independently flew around it.

It was nothing like the humans he knew and the White King admired the creature’s power.

Even though it was infuriating to admit, this not-human wasn't easy prey.

The White King could feel his defeat approaching with a steady gait, vicious and unstoppable.

Nonetheless, he could tell that the not-human’s intentions were to keep on attacking until he depleted his energy. Freezing the creature seemed the most effective, but the not-human knew that too and obviously didn’t allow the White King any opportunities to do so without sacrifice.

At present, the White King did, in fact, not have a way to win without sacrifice.

He also knew that he probably wouldn't die even if he did lose. The not-human would subdue him and make him a slave through one of those berry-like objects that shined and were akin to a miniature glacier.

A large part of the White King reasoned that it was only natural for the victor to decide what happened to the loser. It was only natural for the strong to impose their will on the weak. This was precisely what the White King had been doing to those around it ever since it could remember.

He could fault no one but himself for the future he would suffer.

But deep inside him, a very small part thought that it would be better to perish than to be at someone else’s mercy. After all, he had lorded over everyone for his entire life, how could he lower his head and serve another? How could he ask them for the mercy of freedom when he never granted it to those he hunted?

Though it was just a tiny and insignificant part of him that thought this, its cries were growing louder and louder in his head as defeat crawled closer and closer.

The situation was grim but he still hadn't given up, for he knew that if his heart surrendered, that would spell his defeat right then and there. He would hold out for as long as he could, as there was always a chance that his opponent would show an opening.

An opportunity to turn things around.

The White King involuntarily gnashed his teeth when two of the not-human's flying fangs cut into his body again. With a snarl, he finally decided to abandon what remained of his pride, raising his head and howling.

Anticipating an attack on its soul like earlier, the not-human tensed and blocked off its tiny little ears with qi as it charged forward.

But it was wrong — the White King had conditioned it to think this way by using the same howl over and over.

And it was all for this moment.

‘Come to me.’

The not-human could not possibly hear it, but in the White King’s mind, dozens of howls echoed out to answer his call. With how strong the enemy was, he only wanted the strongest members of its pack to answer because the weaker ones would be utterly useless. But he never figured out how to summon his kin in such a selective way.

Hence, all of the pups would answer the call.

‘Come.’

Another series of howls resonated throughout his soul, combining into one that resonated deeply in his mind and awoke something feral inside him. It had been a while since he heard a howl that wasn’t his own, and he noticed that some of the howls came from brethren who were smaller than his paw the last time he saw them.

Now, they were big enough to hunt; big enough to have their own packs.

And with any hope, big enough to matter in this fight.

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Reivan frowned under his helm as he noticed dozens of presences appear out of nowhere from everywhere around him.

‘What the fuck is happening…?’

He wanted to continue his assault on the large wolf but was forced to stop when another wolf — albeit slightly smaller and without horns — showed up right in front of him, fangs bared and claws primed to rip him to shreds. It wasn’t as large as the other one, but that didn’t mean he was in the mood to get bitten. Its fangs looked as equally dangerous as the first wolf, and surely, he wouldn't enjoy finding out how it felt to have your flesh shredded off.

Reivan quickly stepped to the side and kicked the incoming beast in the stomach, sending it flying toward a group of similar-looking wolves.

‘Okay, what the hell is going on!? It just had babies right in front of me! Even though it's a dude!’

Reivan quickly examined the newcomers through [Supreme Insight] while being careful of another attack.

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Name: N/A

Species: Spirit Beast - Winter Ghostwolf α

Realm: Mortal

Age: 134

Sex: Male

Might: 1250

Extra Skills

[Qi: Unleashed]

[Alpha's Authority]

Elemental Affinities

[Ice]

[Darkness]

Favor

(Hostility) -60/ 100

Threat Level

D

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‘It’s… It’s also an alpha? How does that make sense...? I thought each wolf pack had one alpha...'

Reivan hastily examined the few dozen wolves slowly circling him and confirmed that they were all alphas, with similar Might ratings too.

Other than the alpha group, the majority of the wolves stood far away. And Reivan saw that they had "β" sign on their status pages, meaning they were betas. Much weaker than the alphas, they stood back and released cold mist from their bodies, all while glaring at Reivan hungrily.

‘That’s crazy…’

Gulping down a mouthful of saliva as dozens of powerful beasts filled his ears with growls, Reivan’s eyes flitted back to the only wolf with horns and examined what the [Alpha’s Authority] extra skill did. He had been about to look at it earlier before the beast attacked him, temporarily blowing it out of his mind.

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[Alpha's Authority]

Where the Alpha goes, the pack follows

Active:

This unit can unconditionally call members of its pack to its location and return them at will. This authority cannot be resisted by members of the pack.

Passive:

This unit's presence empowers the pack, increasing their capabilities and enhancing resource regeneration.

This skill can be revoked depending on the unit's position in the pack.

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‘So it was some kind of summoning skill, huh?’

It suddenly occurred to him how there were so many alpha's in one pack — because it wasn't a pack at all. Rather, it was more of a clan, composed of multiple packs with one special alpha at the top.

'That's... actually metal as fuck. I want him even more now.'

Reivan's mind kicked into high gear, trying to come up with a solution. Despite the vast gulf in physical prowess between himself and any one of the new wolves, he was slightly troubled. Though he could kill one rather easily, it would also expose his back to danger.

Of course, he had a reusable get-out-of-jail-free card by turning intangible for a moment, but doing that every time he killed one of the wolves — of which there were dozens — would consume far too much of his essence reserves.

It would be slightly sustainable if he had the leeway to suck out his victim’s resources, but being completely surrounded didn’t exactly provide a safe space for that.

‘Luckily for me, I have friends too.’

Reivan reached deep inside his soul and called out to the large scaly creature sleeping inside.

‘Wake up, bud. I think I’m gonna need some help. Deep breath, just like we practiced! Don't eat any of them though! They'll be our friends after I'm done with them.’

As if it had been waiting for him to say so, Zouros appeared high in the sky, nearly covering the entire Hexagon with the shadow of its massive form and expansive wings. The fragment of the World Devouring Serpent opened its maw and inhaled, giving everyone below it a glimpse into what an endless void looked like.

'Do it.'

Not even a full second after Reivan sent his thoughts to his scaly friend, it started sucking in the air in front of its mouth. And when such a massive creature did that, the resulting consequences weren't too hard to imagine. Rocks, glaciers, and frozen trees were pulled out of their icy home and slowly pulled upward as if gravity was a thing of the past.

Reivan, of course, was somehow unaffected but the white wolves all around him had to brace themselves, digging their claws into the frozen ground. Perhaps because they were physically stronger than the current Zouros, it didn’t look like they would get sucked up any time soon.

‘Good thing I’m here.’

Not wanting to waste the opportunity, Reivan ran around and punched each of the alpha wolves’ heads in, knocking them all out while leaving the weaker ones alone. He then strongly reminded Zouros not to kill them since they might be potential allies in the future, all while the normal alpha wolves' bodies floated up to the sky. As for the beta wolves, Reivan didn't even bother with them since they couldn't resist Zouros' suction force at all.

The only one that remained was the big bad wolf he’d been fighting from the very start, who looked completely unaffected by Zouros. It merely stared at the giant serpent with calm and clarity.

Reivan chuckled as he strode toward it, his longsword resting on his shoulder. “I’m still here, and you’re looking at someone else? I’m hurt.”

Just as injured as it had been earlier, the large bear-sized wolf turned its attention back to Reivan, lowering its body and baring its fangs for what seemed like a last stand.

Reivan took one long look at the beast and contemplated fighting it until it dropped, but he shook his head. His helm disappeared to reveal his face as he spoke to the majestic beast.

“It’s over. You should know it too.”

The large wolf snarled, its only remaining tail standing up. It seemed about ready to pounce on him, as if to say that the fight was, in fact, not over yet.

“Stubborn motherfucker… Fine. Have it your way.”

Reivan’s helm returned to cover his head as his entire body transformed into a bolt of lightning that shot for the wolf, closing the distance between them in a fraction of a second, he then swung his sword and slashed downward. When the wolf once again transformed into mist, he followed after it by becoming a cloud of darkness.

They both rematerialized at the same time, only this time, Reivan was primed and in position for a quick strike, producing a deep gash on the beast’s face. He then kicked its front leg, breaking it instantly as the dull crack of shattered bone filled the air.

The wolf tried to fight back despite the pain, but Reivan’s turn wasn’t over. He once again transformed into a flash of lightning, reappearing at the beast’s other flank, slashing horizontally to open up the beast’s right side. It was such a gruesome wound that if it had any innards, they would have all fallen out right now.

Reivan kicked it in the stomach where the injury was, sending it soaring into the distance before chasing after it as a cloud of darkness and grabbing its last remaining tail. With a grunt of exertion, he mercilessly slammed the massive beast into the ground.

Again, and again, and again.

Reivan released a breath as he let go of the beast's tail and circled around it to get a look at its enchanting golden eyes. “You’re out of mana. Guess calling your pack costs a lot, huh? Too bad I have backup too."

The wolf growled powerlessly, utterly spent and suffering from all of its wounds. Still, the light in its eyes hadn’t dissipated, as if it was still searching for a way to win.

‘I like it.’

Reivan really liked its attitude.

This was the type of willpower a king of beasts needed to have.

Reivan didn’t mean to mock or degrade its effort with his words at all. Rather, he understood its thought process. Whether it was because of experience, intelligence, or pure intuition, the beast knew that it had to take a gamble to win, spending all its remaining energy to call its allies.

Unfortunately for the beast, Reivan had better dice.

“You can understand me, can’t you?” Reivan asked, stabbing his sword into the ground and leaning against it to support himself. “Or at least, you have a vague understanding of what I’m saying. My intentions or whatever, right?”

The wolf didn’t answer in any way other than to snarl and bare its fangs, but Reivan smiled. Somehow, he could feel that the wolf just confirmed it.

Reivan took out the purple orb he was given, taking a moment to roll it around his palm before deciding on something. He tossed it tossed the orb aside and it fell on the snowy ground with a dull thud before rolling off to who knew where. His actions must have confused the wolf too because he saw its brows twitch, and noted the way the beast stared at the orb, as if it knew exactly what the object did.

"I don't really wanna force you."

With a smile, he knelt down and spoke to the majestic white wolf.

“But you should come with me. I promise that I'll show you a whole new world.”

Arc#4 Chapter 38: Frozen Majesty

Reivan still couldn't believe it, but what could he do other than accept the fact and move on?

That’s why he stopped thinking about it and moved on.

Especially since he could now feel a connection between himself and the blob — that certainly helped cement the fact in his head. Said connection was similar to the one he shared with Zouros, though not the same.

He couldn’t tell what exactly the difference was, but if he was forced to put it into words, his bond with Zouros was more... intimate. More binding and a lot stronger too. Like a wide steel bridge designed by history’s greatest engineers and built with an unlimited budget.

On the other hand, the connection with his new companion was a sturdy stone bridge. It was dependable and probably wouldn’t give out under ordinary strain, but it didn’t provide the same sense of security as the monumental structure that linked him and the giant serpent inside him.

Both connections felt pretty strong though, so in the grand scheme of things, perhaps it didn't really matter.

“Wee! Wee! Wee!” The blob was pelting him with feelings of happiness while it hopped back to the pile of chicken it had ignored. It then hungrily lassoed one into its mouth using a long red tongue.

The ensuing sounds produced by meat and bone being ground certainly didn’t seem like something to come out of such a cute little creature.

"Bon' apetit, I guess..." Reivan chuckled as he sat back down, struggling with the problem of deciding a name.

'Goddamnit. I fucking hate naming things... especially when they happen to be alive too.'

Naming his dogs was relatively easy since there were hundreds of dog names available on the internet. It was impossible to pick a bad name as long as you weren’t too creative.

But a book of names for mysterious furry blobs with beady little red eyes did not exist in this world, as far as he was aware.

'If I get pissed off, I'll name you Rimuru or something. Fuck it. Maybe I’ll just name you Wee since that’s the sound you make.'

After a bit of contemplation, he decided against it, instead opting for a similar naming scheme as Valter.

'Since our meeting was kind of like fate, then...'

"Serendipity," Reivan announced. "Your true name's Serendipity from now on... I'd nickname you Seren, but that's the name of Valter's wife, so we'll go with Dippy instead."

“Wee!” Dippy didn't seem to care much about its new name, still occupied with the most delicious meal it's ever had in its short life.

Even though the creature itself didn’t care, that could not be said about their bond. Because barely a heartbeat later, a stream of notifications flooded his vision.

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A True Name has been decided; A bond has been formed.

Spirit Beast affinities are shared.

One side's abilities are far below that of the other side.

Capabilities are forcefully raised...

Error: Might cannot be raised above 100 due to qi being locked.

[Spirit Beast] perk activated — Qi is automatically unlocked upon reaching 100 Might.

Capabilities have been forcefully raised by the maximum safety amount of 200.

Please note that Spirit Beasts cannot dematerialize in Spirit-affiliated environments and will suffer a True Death upon taking fatal damage.

════════════════

Reivan curiously glanced at the newly named blob, activating [Supreme Insight] to reveal its information.

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Name: Dippy (True Name - Serendipity)

Species: Spirit Beast - Nihil sha’ Versalis

Realm: Mortal

Age: 0

Sex: N/A

Might: 201

Extra Skills

[Innocence]

[Disarming Presence]

[Spirit Bond: Reivan]

[Qi: Unleashed]

Elemental Affinities

None

Favor

(Trust / Protectiveness) 100 / 100

Threat Level

N/A (This unit's favor is too high)

════ ⋆★★★⋆ ════

'Well, look at you. Feeling protective of me.'

Reivan whistled as he stroked the little thing's fur. He noted how its physical capabilities increased tremendously, and how there was no information of the same thing happening to anyone else. But then again, he was trying to infiltrate the tower precisely because they had little information about its inner workings.

'I guess that's part of how battlemages can raise their own physical capabilities... But that doesn't change the fact that some veteran battlemages with decently strong spirit beasts are still fragile enough to die from a bullet... Perhaps even the Tower isn't so clear on the requirements?'

It was worth bringing the information back home. Though he didn't know how Aizen could take advantage of it, surely, people smarter than him would think of something. Other people may also figure out the answer to the questions he couldn't answer.

'As for what the Tower has to say about my bond with Dippy... Since this is a natural contract, not one formed through the orb, I can just say that it liked me and asked for a contract on its own.'

That was the truth, so he wouldn't even be lying. Ironically though, he was more believable when he was lying, so he would have to fabricate parts of the story to make it a lie.

‘A spirit beast with more than 200 Might, huh…’

It would attract unwanted attention and scrutiny, but he hoped it wouldn't be too much. Dippy wasn't that strong, after all. Though, it was now much too strong for a first-year battlemage with zero training in military-grade spells to handle. And — though he meant no malice in thinking so — Dippy didn’t give off the impression that it was smart or prideful. Most people would probably believe him if he just said it wanted to tag along with him for free food.

Hopefully, that combination would be enough to avoid being placed under constant watch.

Reivan took a peek at his own status page and confirmed that his contract with Dippy showed up as a new addition to his extra skills. He then picked the little blob up and carried it under his arm.

“Anyway, we can’t stick around here for too long, boy. I’ve got stuff to do. And I think I've wasted enough time failing already.”

“Wee?”

With a disappointed look in its eyes, Dippy tucked its tongue back into its mouth as the slit closed once again. Anyone seeing the blob for the first time wouldn't think it had a mouth at all.

Despite that, Reivan still felt as if he could see a pout. Chuckling, he stroked the top of its head and tried to placate it. “Don’t worry, I can keep the food for later. And you can eat even more, too.”

“Wee!” it cried happily, easily agreeing with his plan.

Reivan smiled and bolted for the nearest Area Border, instantly being transported to a new area together with his newest buddy.

════════════════════════════════

“Man, my luck is dog shit, today.” Reivan sent a punch of frustration to his right, shattering a nearby boulder to pieces despite not making contact.

He and Dippy had spent the past few hours running around, yet they didn’t meet a single strong spirit beast to give to Elsa — which was his top priority now since Dippy ensured he wouldn’t get expelled from the tower for not having a spirit beast.

Meetings with other tower entrants were nonexistent too. It was to the point that Reivan started to think that he may be the only human in the sanctuary. Or if there was some hidden rule that prevented two humans from being in the same hexagon at the same time.

'No... the Tower wouldn't warn against trying to take each other's orbs if that was true. So that means I've really just been unlucky. SHIT.'

The latter problem wasn’t much of a big deal for him since not obtaining another orb wasn't fine, but was, at least, serviceable. But what stressed him out the most was his inability to find a suitable spirit beast to give to Elsa.

Her longevity was on the line here, after all. His strength, on the other hand, was something he knew would increase over time through his own efforts — that was why finding ways to increase it here was low on his list of priorities.

‘Fuck… FUCK! Where the hell are all the strong ones! Come out, you pussies!’

It pissed him off when the one time he actually wished for the dangerous stuff to come out, he couldn’t find them at all. But just a few days ago, he was trekking through a forest hoping to avoid any trouble, only to meet someone on the verge of becoming the Sentorale Continent’s seventh Transcendent.

‘It’s like… It’s like I have a greed sensor on my random encounters or something. Damn, did I piss in the wrong place and anger the malevolent god of probabilities? I only pee in bathrooms though!’

“Wee...?” Dippy sensed his frustration and sent out feelings of consolation even though it didn’t really understand what he was so mad about.

“...I’m okay, boy. Thanks.” Reivan gave the blob on his shoulder a gentle pat before taking a few deep breaths. It was disgraceful to let his emotions get the better of him even for a moment. Getting worked up wasn’t helping him at all, and it never would, so he needed to refocus and actually start trying to come up with a solution.

Luck wasn’t a factor he could control. But the decision to give up belonged to him and nobody else.

‘Right. Guess I’ll just speed through and hope for the best!’

His new plan was to make a mad dash for the other side of an area the moment he entered it, keeping his senses peeled. If he didn’t sense anything along the way, he would keep going straight and head to the next area.

There was a very real possibility he might miss exactly what he was looking for, but he could scan at least sixty percent of an area just by going through the middle. It would have to be enough since spending so much time in one place when he was unsure of the reward wasn’t a good gamble to take. Especially when his luck was already so bad to begin with.

‘Yep. Seems like an okay plan. Let’s roll with it.’

“We’re going faster, Dippy. Hold on tight… Scratch that, I’ll hold you. Just chill.“ Reivan tightened his hold on his soft spherical friend and ran through the area as fast as he could.

Desperately — as if his own life depended on it.

════════════════════════════════

Suddenly, the White King raised its mighty head and inhaled the chilling air.

A new presence barged into the area he was in, and strangely enough, it seemed quite adept at hiding its existence. Despite his powerful senses, he couldn't quite tell what the intruder was or how strong it was.

This, in turn, told him that the intruder was a creature of the night. Only they could hide so well after all.

Unfortunately for the intruder, despite his white fur, the White King was of similar origins.

Lowering his gaze, the White King closed his eyes and focused, trying to see if there were other intruders in other directions. The first one seemed far too courageous, so it was normal for him to suspect it to have come with a large group.

Yet, there was nothing, just as he'd expected.

The weaklings that were in this area before he arrived had already fled the moment he appeared, giving him ample time to toy with another human he found within its confines. Winter followed wherever he went, turning the once luscious forest into a frozen wasteland much like the place he was born in. Using the frigid temperature, he tried to see how long a human could survive without any fur in their body.

The answer was not very long at all.

After giving the frozen form of what was once a living human a glance, the White King languidly knocked it over and crushed it with its right paw. The tiny glacier crumbled into countless pieces, and one could not even tell what it once.

Just as he was about to leave and challenge the incoming intruder, the White King's eyes were suddenly pulled to a strange object that fell out of the ice. It looked like a berry, only shinier. And harder too, as evidenced by how it wasn't crushed after all the punishment it went through.

It always intrigued him how humans left something behind when they died.

No other creature could do that, as far as the White King knew. Every living creature he had ever known vanished into nothingness once their life ended — only humans were different.

All the other foreign vermin had these shiny berries, and the White King knew that the humans used them to force other lesser creatures into forced servitude. That was why the shiny berries disgusted him. Yet, the White King had no way to destroy it even when he wanted to.

And so, he decided to collect them as trophies.

A way to show those humans how many of their kind he had slain — a way to show them that they weren't invincible, that this wasn't their world, and that they could not just do whatever they pleased in it.

The Winter King placed its paw over his newest trophy and a moment later, it was sucked into the "spatial storage artifact" he had taken from the first human he slew. He had seen the humans use these plenty of times over the years as well, and found that he could use it too. Unfortunately, it could not be worn anywhere on his body, so he merely hid it under its tongue.

Once that was done, the White King once again turned his attention to the intruder. Surprisingly, the creature hadn't fled even after he flared his aura to warn it away. Though he didn't have the habit of hunting weaklings other than humans, he couldn't very well allow the intruder's transgression. Even if it was just temporary, this place was his territory now and nobody was allowed to stay for too long.

It was a matter of pride.

Anger and indignance bled into its aura and spread outwards, more intensely than ever before. And yet, the presence still didn’t go back the way they came. Rather, it drew closer, as if heading straight for him.

It was close enough that the White King could sense it more vividly, realizing that whatever the creature was, there were actually two of them. He hadn’t noticed the other one because its presence was eclipsed by the first one.

That was when the Winter King noticed it — a feeling bubbling up inside him. The feeling of danger he’d forgotten because of how long ago he last felt it.

A worthy opponent had shown up.

Undoubtedly, the strongest opponent he had ever encountered.

'Finally.'

After all these years, prey that would provide a challenge finally appeared. In fact, it seemed eager to come to him itself — to challenge him.

The White King didn't hate its bravery.

Now, he no longer cared about the humans it planned to search for today, nor did it care about how similar to humans the mysterious challenger was.

Whatever it was, it certainly wasn’t human.

Which meant he could fight it.

Which meant he could hunt it.

Which meant he could die to it.

As it should be.

The Winter King wasted no time in heading for higher ground, intent on gaining the initiative for the greatest battle of his life. Even if he were to fall, he would not make it easy for his opponent.

════════════════════════════════

There was a saying that fortune was a goddess that favored the brave, because only by venturing forward could you give her an opportunity to aid you.

And it seemed there was some truth to that, because after rushing through dozens of areas, Reivan finally ran into something noticeably powerful.

‘Gotcha bitch! Your ass is mine now!’

Reivan’s internal clock told him that he still had about two hours before he had to start worrying about getting pulled out of the special world. Still, every second mattered.

And if the powerful presence ended up not being powerful enough, he would have to return to his search in tears. He highly doubted it though.

“I think it’s going to be a bit dangerous for you to be here, boy.” Reivan threw a glance at the blob on his shoulder. “Maybe you should wait for me here. I’ll try to be quick.”

“Wee… Wee!” Dippy seemed worried, but seemed unwilling to let him go off on his own. It warned him about what lay ahead.

Apparently, spirit beasts had some sort of innate sense for strong spirit beasts. And Dippy’s senses were ringing countless alarm bells throughout its entire squishy body.

"Don't worry, boy. I'm pretty good myself. Thanks for the warning though." Reivan then left Dippy on the ground before rushing deeper into the area, his attention fully locked in on the presence. He wasn’t about to let it escape, unwilling to let his good fortune slip through his grasp.

Fortunately, whatever the spirit beast was didn’t seem keen on escaping.

‘It’s moving to higher ground…’

Reivan’s surroundings seemed like a forest suddenly thrown into the harshest blizzard known to man, but there was also a tall mountain in the distance. That was surely where the monster waited for him, intent on studying him before the fight began.

‘Joke’s on you, my eyes are better than yours.’

Squinting as he charged forward, Reivan managed to see his adversary, unconsciously left breathless by its majestic beauty.

‘It’s… a wolf.’

A white wolf the size of a bear, to be exact.

Its body was covered in gorgeous fur the color of fresh virgin snow, accentuated by a pair of jewel-like golden eyes that barely concealed the beast’s savage ferocity underneath a layer of noble intelligence. Three horns adorned its head, resembling golden blades, with the central horn slightly longer to form a magnificent crown. Streaks of icy blue lightning flickered in and out of existence across its body, adding to its otherworldly presence as it looked down at Reivan from its high perch.

Everything about it announced that it was an apex predator — something that hunted instead of being hunted.

‘It’s… It’s beautiful.’

The wolf that seemed like it came out of some folk legend was the most beautiful creature Reivan had ever seen. Words like majestic and sublime were practically made to describe it and Reivan's heart started beating rapidly in anticipation of a fight.

Of course, its beauty was different from what his mother, Stella, Helen, or Elsamina had. Rather than the type of beauty that induced admiration or lust, it was a beauty that made him want to conquer it.

To make it his own.

A conflict arose within him. Even if he caught this majestic beast, he would have to give it over to Elsa to extend her life. Which he would surely do without hesitation, but the intense desire to have it for himself was hard to ignore.

‘I’ll… I’ll think about it later. After I’ve caught it. Can't count my chickens before they hatch and all that... Damn, it's fucking beautiful though. Wow... What a beast.’

The majestic creature had surely seen him as well and was studying him as much as it could, but it surely didn’t know that Reivan was the best when it came to studying enemies with one glance.

‘Let’s see what we’re working on here.’

With mild excitement, Reivan used [Supreme Insight].

════ ⋆★★★⋆ ════

Name: N/A

Species: Spirit Beast - Winter Ghostwolf α (Variant)

Realm: Mortal

Age: 520

Sex: Male

Might: 2024

Special Abilities

[Spirit King Seed]

[Predatorial Insight]

[Frost Domination]

Extra Skills

[Alpha’s Authority]

[Qi: Unleashed]

[Malevolence]

Elemental Affinities

[Ice]

[Darkness]

[Lightning]

Favor

(Prey) -100/ 100

Threat Level

S+

════ ⋆★★★⋆ ════

Reivan’s jaw slackened at what he saw. The beast having three special abilities and two thousand Might was one thing, but it had pretty much every affinity Reivan had.

Meaning they were both resistant to each other’s elemental attacks.

‘So it’s going to be a melee fight, then.’

If so, then he had a big advantage.

Reivan’s Might still hadn’t reached quadruple digits yet, but it was close. So activating his [Beast Gate], a racial skill that doubled his base physical capabilities, would bring him very close to the beast’s stats.

Both of them had Qi and perfect mana augmentation, but Reivan had the additional boon of Armament Energy granted by his Soul Armament. It was an advantage that all knights had over the rest of the world, allowing them to dominate battlefields with impunity.

And finally, depending on what [Intent] transformed into, he could get an additional fifty to a hundred percent of his base Might.

This meant that in full regalia, Reivan actually came out on top by a lot — and he had the incredibly sturdy armor his soul armament provided too. It was a good thing that the beast seemed yet to max out its [Malevolence] stacks, having practically no stacks at all. Otherwise, Reivan would have had to deal with a monster that had +1000 Might.

The problem here was he couldn’t kill the beast, but the beast seemed keen on killing him.

‘It’s a bit up in the air since I can’t go too far, but… Well, let’s take a look at the guy’s special abilities first.’

Reivan first brought up the skill that had something to do with spirit kings — a term he’d only ever heard in literature and anime.

════════════════

[Spirit King Seed]

Seek only the Strongest

Passive:

Slaying other entities in the same realm as this unit that also possesses the [Spirit King Seed] special ability will automatically raise this unit's realm to the next level.

The number required to advance depends on this unit's realm.

Current Progress: 1 of 3

Sub-Skill #1: [Hunter's Instinct]
Passive: This unit will instinctively detect worthy prey and other [Spirit King Seed] ability holders in a wide area around them. The range is highly dependent on this unit's natural perception range.

════════════════

‘Well, this seems promising. All I have to do to have him Ascend is have him beat other spirit beasts with the same ability, huh? Neat. Sign me up.’

For Reivan, the beast was already his, so this growth-based ability was good news for him. It was also great how it was already a third of the way to completion too.

Next, he examined the insight-type ability.

════════════════

[Predatorial Insight]

Know thy Prey

Passive:

This unit can tag other entities as "Prey", gaining an instinctual understanding of their intentions.

Sub-Skill #1: [The Hunter and the Hunted]
Active: Applies a mark on a targeted entity that lasts until the entity is hunted, killed by other units, or defeats this unit. Once a mark is applied, this unit cannot flee from battle until an outcome is decided.

Only one target can be marked at a time, but this unit receives and inflicts 90% reduced damage against unmarked targets.

Sub-Skill #2: [Relentless Pursuit]
Active: Unconditionally teleports in a random location behind the marked target. This skill can only be activated while the target is more than 100 kilometers away from this unit.

════════════════

Reivan immediately realized that he was probably marked with this ability despite not receiving a notification for it. He didn’t know how deep “understanding his intentions” went, but it seemed any long-arching tactics or traps were disqualified in the upcoming fight.

This ability alone forced opponents to play the fight by ear and improvise on the fly if they wanted to avoid getting outmaneuvered.

‘Temporary retreats are also out. It’d give the beast free access to my back.’

The crippling reduction to damage received from sources other than the marked target also meant that asking Zouros for help wouldn’t amount to much, though it was still a card he could play.

‘Man, this isn’t looking good and I’m only halfway through…’

Hopefully, [Frost Domination] wouldn’t be too hard to deal with.

════════════════

[Frost Domination]

Winter’s Fury Given Form

Passive:

This unit's [Ice] element powers ignore any and all resistances and immunities, while unconditionally usurping control of [Ice] elemental energy in the vicinity.

This unit also receives 50% reduced damage and resource consumption in sufficiently cold environments, in addition to being granted with [Elemental Resistance].

Sub-Skill #1: [Winter’s Harbinger]
Passive: Changes the weather conditions in the surrounding area. This effect cannot take effect if there are already other weather effects in place caused by similar skills or if there are significantly stronger entities in the area.

════════════════

‘Balls.’

Reivan reread it just to be certain, but sure enough, he couldn’t miss the “unconditional” part of the ability’s effect. Nor could he ignore the part where it meant that his [Ice] affinity — both its usage and the resistance it offered — was completely and utterly worthless against the beast.

‘Okay. So… I can’t retreat temporarily or run away. I can’t use ice elemental techniques. I can’t resist ice elementalism like I usually do. Offensive lightning techniques probably won’t do much because this guy has [Lightning] affinity and [Elemental Resistance]. The same can be said for [Darkness] too. I can’t stop the weather bullshit from happening or change it back. AND it can use its resources more efficiently than me.’

To add even more to that, Reivan’s weeb knowledge told him that the “α” in the beast’s name meant alpha. And that probably meant the thing had a pack. Hell, the extra skill he hadn’t taken a look at yet probably had something to do with that.

Meaning he was also outnumbered in addition to everything else.

Despite realizing how disadvantaged he was, Reivan remained steadfast, convinced of his ability to defeat anything in the mortal realm. Pointless bravado and pride were beaten out of knight cadets early on since Aizen knew those two aspects got a lot of people killed for very pointless reasons — and Reivan had none of that either.

What he had was faith in himself and trust in the skills he'd built up.

'Now, let's take a look at that other extra skill...'

Suddenly, a loud and cranium-shaking howl echoed throughout the skies, as if announcing that he wasn’t even allowed to think.

Reivan looked up just in time to see thick bolts of lightning gather in the wolf’s horns before shooting up to the sky.

A moment later, a gigantic thunderbolt that would have turned most people into charcoal struck down on his head, too fast for him to evade.

“Urgh...!” Reivan groaned, feeling his muscles tense in shock for a moment before he shook it off and tried to steady himself.

Being resistant to an element didn’t mean he was invulnerable. Though drastically reduced, he still received some damage from such a big attack. The [Lightning] element was also especially good at penetrating physical defenses too.

But since he didn't die, Reivan started healing immediately, restoring what damage was inflicted on him.

‘Good thing it opened up with [Lightning] instead of [Ice]. Must've used a good bit of energy on that preemptive attack.’

The advantage of possessing more information shined in this instant, because Reivan knew what not to use against his opponent. While his opponent couldn’t possibly imagine that he had so many similar affinities.

‘It probably noticed that I took very little damage from that lightning attack, so it’ll switch to other elements.’

There was no use in hiding his affinity with lightning anymore, and his only advantage was physical strength, so Reivan focused his mind and transformed into a bolt of lightning that shot straight for the wolf. In just a second, the vast distance between them disappeared.

Surprised only for a fraction of a second, the majestic wolf, unaware that it was disadvantaged in close combat, bared its fangs and flexed its claws in preparation, three furry tails flaring up behind it.

‘Wait, w-what? Three tails? Why are there three...?’

Reivan hadn’t seen those earlier. Or rather, he was pretty sure there was only one of them. His memory and eyesight were both good so he surely wasn't mistaken.

Still, there were three tails attached to the wolf's ass and there was nothing he could do about it.

Too late to back out or think about why there were suddenly three tails, Reivan rematerialized in full armor just before his lightning form collided with the wolf, strength rapidly filling his body as he forced it out of his soul faster. His mace swept sideways like a reaper's scythe, aiming to disable the majestic beast's front leg.

The ghostwolf's eyes widened, probably surprised at the sheer force it could sense behind his attack. It hastily shut its mouth and evaded Reivan by transforming into a frigid mist for a fraction of a second, before reappearing behind him and lunging for his throat.

'Hey! That's not fair! I mean, I have a move like that too, but still...!'

Reivan cursed before summoning a shield and bracing for impact, only to blanch when the wolf stopped its lunge mid-jump, sweeping sideways with its tail.

Caught unprepared, Reivan had no choice but to use << Lightning Transformation >> once again, creating some distance between them and replacing his shield with a great bow as long as he was tall. His hands worked quickly, shooting three arrows in quick succession.

Two of the arrows shattered into countless tiny motes of ice on its way while the last one was caught between the wolf’s teeth. It crushed the steel arrow without difficulty, beginning to circle Reivan with its golden eyes glaring into his own.

‘Hah. Think you can take me, beast?’

The beast didn't growl, snarl, or look angry in any way. Perhaps he was overthinking it, but the way the wolf looked at him gave him the impression of someone calmly inspecting a scrumptious piece of steak.

He would know, since that was what he and his mother looked like sometimes.

‘I'll show you.’

With a roar, Reivan charged forward with his sword raised.

'You're biting off more than you can chew!'

════════════════════════════════

[Author's Note]

Dun Dun Duuuuun.

*Red Health Bar appears*

Arc#4 Chapter 37: Random Encounter

‘How in the fuck can I not find a single one…!?’

About eighteen hours since he arrived in the sanctuary, Reivan had explored innumerable hexagons, encountered countless spirit beasts, and tried all sorts of things to coax them into forming a contract on their own.

Yet, he couldn’t find another human to steal from. Nor could he find a spirit beast that wanted to volunteer as his partner. And frustratingly enough, he also couldn't find a spirit beast of the [Light] element, which was already low on his list of priorities.

Plenty of spirit beasts seemed too dumb to realize how strong he was and attacked him though, so that was certainly something.

Reivan was just about ready to lose his mind, clenching his fists while resisting the urge to pull at his hair. He had wasted hours upon hours of time with nothing to show for it. What's worst was that it wasn't even his fault.

He was simply unlucky.

'Well, at least I know a little more about spirit beasts and the sanctuary now...'

While gallivanting around, he discovered that having the same affinity as a spirit beast had an immediate effect on said spirit beast’s interest in someone. If he forcefully added [Light] to his elemental affinities using [Reality Falsification], he would be much more appealing to spirit beasts of that attribute.

But before that, he had to actually find one.

Anyone who saw Reivan could tell he wasn't doing too well on that last part though.

“Man, fuck this shit… Fuck this world!” he yelled to nobody in particular as he sat on a nearby rock. Somehow, he had ended up in yet another forest-like region, which wasn’t hard to fathom since about seventy percent of the hexagons he entered were forested.

The possibility he was somehow going around in some distorted circle popped into his head, but he was pretty sure he had never entered the same hexagon twice.

‘Maybe I should just accept it. Maybe this is a higher being giving me a sign — a sign that I should go for a [Wind] or [Earth] attribute one instead.’

There were still six hours left, but in other words, there were only six hours left.

“No… No. Haste makes waste. Let's calm down for a minute.” Reivan breathed in and out, trying to beat his impatience down. Thinking that perhaps a bit of food would help, he took out a few of the rations he was given and took a bite, grimacing as soon as it touched his tongue. “This… This tastes horrible. What the hell."

'Couldn't they have given out better stuff considering it didn't need to be preserved for so long?'

With how strong he was, Reivan didn’t have a problem with how hard the jerky was. But it was a bit too salty for his taste — or anyone's taste, for that matter. He tossed it to the ground so some woodland creature could snack on it later, though he wasn't sure if they would deign to eat such salty food.

After grappling with the innate guilt of littering and throwing away food, Reivan took out some of the personal rations he usually kept inside his long-bodied friend’s stomach. With some decent food in hand, he idly began to eat as he sunk back into contemplation.

‘Hm. Yeah. [Wind] and [Earth] aren’t bad elements. Let’s just go for them, instead. No need to be so hung up about [Light]. Totally overrated element. Fuck [Light]. Nobody likes that guy anyway.’

And when he really thought about it, obtaining the [Wind] attribute meant he would have plenty of excuses to spend time with Helen, since he could have her teach him a thing or two. They already sparred and trained against each other a lot though, so it was questionable if he even needed to increase it at all. But more excuses to spend time with his beloved was never a bad thing.

As for [Earth], there was Gwen. Heck, there was even Sir Bob — his father’s old guardian knight from back when he wasn’t a king yet. He wasn't quite sure what that guy was up to these days, so perhaps it wasn't good to count on taking the unusually stealthy knight away from his covert duties.

‘Yeah… Taking [Light] actually limits the number of teachers I can approach, huh?’

Thinking about it, the only people with the [Light] attribute in his vicinity were Gwen and Roland. While the former could be a good teacher, she was also extremely busy and had better uses for her time than teaching a knucklehead like him. As for the latter… well, Roland wasn’t a combatant anyway. Nobody expected him to be that good at fighting. The current king of Aizen's strengths lay in his administrative skills.

Then there was Sir Lancelot, the knight at the top of the so-called Twelve Helms — but that one was busy too, apparently working on something in the continent to the far south.

Reivan could ask some other knight with the attribute to teach him, but all the good ones were probably busy with other duties. So in the end, he would probably fall back to self-study, stuck inside a fragment of eternity for years.

‘Yep. I’ve decided. I’ll give up on [Light]. Time to switch to Plan B, then... or was it C now?’

“Hm?”

As he was enjoying his modest snack, Reivan suddenly noticed a blob-like creature wrapped in black fur hop out of the bushes before bouncing harmlessly toward him. Two bead-like red eyes placed a little too far from each other stared at the discarded jerky at his feet.

Eventually, it stopped right in front of the Reivan and the food he'd abandoned. The creature didn’t try to eat the jerky though, nor did it seem ready to snatch it away — it just stared at the jerky with what was obviously desire. From time to time though, its eyes seemed to dart toward Reivan, as if unsure if he minded.

Reivan eyed it curiously before letting an amused chuckle escape his lips. He kicked the jerky toward the surprisingly considerate creature and gestured for it to go ahead.

"Wee!" After a cute cry and an equally adorable hop of happiness, a long wide slit — that definitely wasn’t there before — opened up just below its eyes, revealing multiple layers of horrifyingly sharp teeth. Then, a long red tongue extended out of its gaping mouth, scooping up the jerky before retreating back inside.

The creature then happily chewed before releasing a belch that was far too loud for how little it ate.

‘It’s… Kinda cute. In a nightmare fuel kind of way. I don't think it belongs in a forest full of woodland creatures though...’

“You liked that, little guy?” Reivan reached down and gave the creature a little pat, surprised at how meaty it felt on his hand. He had initially thought it would be more similar to slime with fur, but actually, the creature was most definitely made of flesh and skin.

"Wee...?" The creature had eyed his hand with caution at first but ultimately let him do as he pleased. When he stopped, it even deflated a little, perhaps in disappointment.

‘Heh. He likes it.’

The feeling of fur in his palm felt not unlike the dogs he used to take care of a long time ago, back when he was strong enough to worry about touching them too hard. His nose suddenly felt a bit stuffy when he nostalgically remembered the dogs that stayed with him until their last day, so he hid his feelings by taking out more of the rations he didn’t plan to eat.

“Want some more, boy?" Reivan snorted and wiped a stray tear that almost fell from his right eye. "I’m not really a big fan of these.”

"Wee!"

After receiving what was probably an affirmative, Reivan threw down the rest of the rations he was handed earlier, grinning at the creature’s obvious elation. Once the creature finished the rest of the jerky, it once again belched before it hopped right next to the rock Reivan sat on. A couple of seconds later, it deflated significantly, seemingly falling asleep.

Reivan smiled warmly at it, slightly exasperated at how it let its guard down around someone it had just met. “Hey, hey, don't just fall asleep next the the scary human, boy... You're gonna learn that the hard way, one of these days.”

Whatever the black furry blob was, it really reminded him of a dog. Furry, questionably adorable depending on who looked at them, and stupidly trusting. He couldn’t resist the urge to stroke its fur as it slept.

Still, he couldn’t stay there forever.

Having spent enough time on this unexpected distraction, he quietly got up and prepared to leave.

"Wee...? Wee! Wee! Wee!" Surprisingly, the little eldritch beast woke up and quickly realized his absence, hastily bouncing after him.

“Ah, no, I don’t think I can take you with me…”

"Wee! Wee!" Though he tried to walk away, the blob kept on hopping in pursuit, determined not to let him go.

Of course, he could have just run away, but his heart ached with the very notion.

‘Should I catch it with the orb? It’s probably a dark element spirit beast…’

He already had the attribute, so forming a contract with the little guy felt like a waste. But then again, he also felt bad about just leaving it there when it had somehow grown so attached to him.

‘Ah. I was too distracted. I didn’t even look at what this thing is.’

Reivan frowned and held his head for a moment, confused at how unusually lax he was when it came to this adorable creature. Then he gazed down at the blob and used [Supreme Insight].

“Stay still, boy. Let’s take a look at just what you are…”

════ ⋆★★★⋆ ════

Name: N/A

Species: Spirit Beast - Nihil sha’ Versalis

Realm: Mortal

Age: 0

Sex: N/A

Might: 1

Extra Skills

[Innocence]

[Disarming Presence]

Elemental Affinities

None

Favor

(Gratitude) 100 / 100

Threat Level

N/A (This unit's favor is too high)

════ ⋆★★★⋆ ════

'Why does your name sound like you come from the Cthulhu mythos...? Anyway, it doesn't even have a single affinity. Though it does have extra skills I’ve never seen before...’

Reivan reached down and gave its fur a few more strokes, which it unmistakably enjoyed quite a bit. While he was at it, he decided to check them one by one.

════════════════

[Innocence]

This unit may undergo changes depending on its environment and the entities around it.

This skill evolves when this unit “matures”.

════════════════

“This… seems like it’ll be OP. Or it may also not. How should I know...” Reivan raised a brow, unable to decide how to feel about the skill. He then moved on to the next one.

════════════════

[Disarming Presence]

Any entity with a threat level of C and above has a 60% chance of having their hostility toward this unit completely nullified.

The chance for this effect activating increases by 10% for every increase in grade, having a 100% activation rate for S-class threats.

This effect overrides all forms of mental defense.

════════════════

“Oh, this is definitely overpowered, what the fuck…” Reivan frowned, suddenly realizing why he seemed oddly attached to the creature for no apparent reason. He looked down at it with a questioning gaze. “Did you get me with some hypnotic bullshit?”

The blob was weak enough that Reivan could kill it by accidentally breathing too hard, so he was an absolute threat as far as the blob was concerned — far above that of an S-class threat. That meant the skill's activation chance was more than guaranteed.

"Wee...?" The furry blob with a species name he couldn’t make sense of stared up at him with what appeared to be confusion. "Wee wee?"

Reivan squinted and tried to intimidate the creature, which made it tremble in fear immediately — which then, in turn, made Reivan feel guilty.

And this, in turn, made him even more impressed with the skill.

‘It’s crazy how being aware of the skill doesn’t help much. I can’t feel hostile at all… It's kind of fucked up. Wow... Just, wow...’

Reivan knew that he could theoretically still kill the little blob though. One didn’t need malice to end someone’s life — sometimes, logic or the call of duty provided enough of a push.

‘Logically though, this little thing isn’t a threat to me. And it hardly affects my mission and desires in any way.’

Perhaps that was why he couldn’t kill the blob — because he had no need to. If he was going to kill it, the only possible reason would be because he just felt like it or he disliked something about the spirit beast.

Which wasn't the case.

'Wait... Am I thinking this way because of the skill or is it really me thinking all this...?'

Reivan licked his lips and, after a moment of thought, decided to leave the spirit beast alone. The little blob simply didn't match what he was looking for, so he couldn't take it with him in the first place.

“Anyway…" Reivan smiled sadly at it. "I have to go now, boy. I really do want to take you with me... but I can't.”

Since it didn’t have any of the affinities he wanted, using the contract orb would be a complete waste. It was also incredibly weak, so he couldn’t even consider giving it to Elsa.

She would be long dead by the time this blob ascended. And that defeated the entire purpose of bringing her a spirit beast at all. He may as well gift her a coffin.

‘On that note, I really have to find a strong one.’

Sadly, he hadn’t met anything above 500 Might in his travels in this strange world. Everything was far too weak for his goals.

Reivan took out three whole chickens and left them on the ground in front of the blob. Marinated in special sauce before it was roasted to perfection by the palace chef, its quality could even satisfy Reivan’s picky mouth.

Perfect bait for a voracious little eldritch blob.

“Here you go, boy. A parting gift.” Reivan gave its head another pat before turning around to leave.

He really did want to bring the blob with him, but he didn’t have any extra orbs. Having not met a single person despite exploring innumerable hexagons, he wasn’t even sure he could get another one. At the rate things were developing, he would have to choose between his initial mission and giving Elsa a possible ticket to longevity.

Taking along the blob for an insignificant and selfish reason such as “Because I wanted to” was irresponsible and foolish, considering everything that was on the line.

Sure, the blob’s extra skills were interesting, but they weren't enough to change his mind.

“Hm?” Reivan stopped just as he was bracing in preparation for a mad dash to the area border. Looking down, he saw the blob biting his pant leg and ignoring the juicy meal he had left behind. “Hey, boy… you're making this hard for me too.”

He easily pried it off because of how weak it was, but he ended up ripping a potion of his pants off. Not that he minded, since he had multiple pairs and more personal wealth than he knew what to do with.

“Just stay here and—”

════════════════

A spirit beast wishes to bond with you!

Would you like to accept?

════════════════

Reivan shut his mouth as the notification popped into his vision. He blinked a few times and doubted his eyes for a few moments before looking down at the blob and the surprising determination in its gaze.

‘Huh.’

Since there was no button, Reivan just willed acceptance, and that seemed to be enough. Who would say no to a free spirit beast?

════════════════

The bond has been established.

One side of the bond does not have a true name yet.

Help your bond decide a true name to establish a permanent bond.

════════════════

“Hm.” Reivan dumbly grunted to himself, still not getting over what was happening. "That was easy..."

‘I guess it’s true what they say about food and conquering men through their stomachs.’

════════════════════════════════ 

Ever since the White King could remember, he had towered above everyone with his superiority.

Wherever he went, winter followed. And where winter was, he was invincible. With his power, it didn't take long to dominate his pack by defeating the alpha and taking his rightful place at the top.

A pack was only as strong as its alpha, and a pack without him as the alpha would never be the strongest. He was bigger, stronger, and his claws were sharper. Even his fur looked better, attracting more mates than the other males. And while he could shrug off the previous alpha's chill like it was nothing, the freezing cold he brought down affected all.

But ruling his pack wasn't enough.

The White King turned his attention outward — to the other creatures who competed for prey against his pack. With cunning and followers under his command, nothing stood in his way. Even the beasts that plagued his pack for years fell quickly one after the other.

Eventually, the White King didn’t even need his pack anymore.

So he separated and scattered them, leaving them to fend for themselves in the hopes of raising each one into an alpha of their own. Many would not come back, he was sure. The unforgiving tundras had a tendency to filter out the weak.

But the ones who remained may prove worthy of joining him in another hunt — or perhaps serve as his next challenge in the future.

At the time though, they were useless. Deadweight, even.

Sure, he still had the ability to summon them any time he wished, but he no longer felt the need to do so. They only served to hold him back once he started hunting bigger game.

Something that could provide a real challenge.

The White King could feel it in his bones — that there were stronger foes out there, beyond the veil of sleet and frost.

And he wanted to hunt them.

So he did.

There were many different kinds of places outside his previous hunting ground, and strangely enough, calling forth winter's chill became much more difficult the farther he went. Especially in places where it was hot or melted snow constantly fell from the darkened skies.

But he triumphed anyway.

Always.

Not even the giant fire-breathing lizard he fought for days could best him, its scales crushed under the force of his bite.

The battle was legendary, and the White King savored that victory for countless cycles. Such was the pleasure of defeating a worthy opponent, a creature that would make one work for the kill.

For centuries after that fateful day, there was nothing his claws could not shred, nothing his fangs could not penetrate, and nothing his tails could not crush. Defeat was a foreign concept and he was unrivaled in the world. Nobody challenged him anymore.

Nobody could challenge him anymore.

Except, of course, the creatures called humans.

Those unfair weaklings somehow received the protection of the world — the world that belonged to the White King.

The world that he dominated.

Of course, he had his pride. He would not hunt such weaklings. But when he saw a few lesser beasts try to fight them, only to be rebuffed by some unknown force he couldn’t fathom, the White King grew interested in humans.

Interested in hunting them.

With such protection, who could call these humans weak? Such an unfair advantage invoked rage in the king, as if the strength he'd accumulated was a trivial thing — something that couldn't even penetrate a weakling's skin.

It was, he believed, an affront to the laws of nature itself.

Whenever the White King hunted something, he was also putting himself on the line. Every time he lunged forward, fang and claw bared, he knew it might be his last. It was, for him, a form of respect for his opponents, who would lose their lives to nourish his own.

But what about the humans then?

They waved around their sticks, unafraid of the consequences. Territorial markings everywhere were ignored as they went where they pleased without fear of retaliation. And sometimes, they would one-sidedly beat beasts much weaker than themselves just to steal their freedom.

The White King hated it.

He loathed humans.

But then came the problem: how could he hunt them if he could not hurt them? Though he had never tried and no human had ever laid eyes on him, he knew, instinctively, that he couldn't — that he simply could not do anything against the force protecting those weaklings.

And so, he thought. And thought. And thought again.

For a very long time.

He was no fool. The trick to hunting was to know what you were hunting. Too many cubs lost their lives going after prey that was too strong for them.

If you knew nothing, then you probably weren’t hunting at all.

Rather, you were the one being hunted.

That was why the White King eventually took a step back and observed the humans whenever he chanced upon them. And he was right to do so, because his years of observation allowed him to see patterns he would have missed.

Like how the humans always had strange sticks in their hands whenever they used those peculiar powers he couldn't understand. And when they had it hidden away, they couldn’t use those powers until they took it out again.

The White King had also discovered a pattern as to when they arrived.

On one particular day of every third mating cycle, the world as he knew it would change. Strange walls would separate certain areas from the other, and even more strangely, trying to cross those walls would transport you to a completely different part of the world. Whenever this happened, all beasts understood that it was best to stay where they were to avoid getting lost.

But the White King was different.

He was the king. The alpha of alphas. And so, he would go where he pleased.

And where he pleased to go was wherever the hated humans were.

Even before he discovered his hatred for humans, the White King was already very thankful for this bizarre phenomenon. Being unable to choose or even know where you would end up was inconvenient, but if he was lucky, a strong foe would be waiting for him — like the red dragon, his strongest adversary to date.

He had the event that brought them together to thank for that meeting.

And when the White King realized that it also heralded the arrival of humans, he felt even more thankful for the mysterious event.

No matter how hard he tried, he could not find any humans most of the time — and the only exception was the day the walls appeared. It would then be a game of luck if he managed to see a human. But there was at least a chance for him to meet one on that particular day.

And today was that day.

The day the walls appear once again.

After decades of observing how humans acted, the White King now felt ready to hunt them. If all went according to plan, he didn't even need to show himself. Those hapless humans would never know what killed them.

The protection surrounding these weaklings prevented creatures who weren't humans from harming them, but the White King deduced that there were other ways to inflict harm.

Such as the ground beneath them caving in. Or simply launching a tree into the air and having it coincidentally fall on them. An avalanche was yet another way too.

There were many ways, and the White King planned to try them all.

"P-please, no...!" One human squealed as it stumbled onto the dirt, too tired to continue running. "I d-don't know who's doing this, but stop it! Th-this is treason against the republic!"

The White King stalked it from afar, observing the human with shorter fur on its head than the other two it had just killed a moment ago. These ones seemed to be the males of their species, but it hardly mattered, since all humans were weak. He tried to think of a new way to slay this one, all while the hapless fool's terrified whining served as music to his ears.

Because of the unpredictable nature of the barriers, the White King was sometimes unlucky enough not to meet a single human. It had made observing them very difficult, so it had taken the White King a truly long time to gather a satisfactory amount of information about them.

Today seemed different though, since he was able to encounter quite a lot of them. He managed to find the group of three this human belonged to, but before that, he had found a grand total of nine humans.

Encountering twelve humans in just a single day was unheard of. In previous years, the most he'd ever seen in a day was two.

Perhaps it was proof that even the world didn't want these pests scurrying around in it.

"No... No! NO! Help! Someone! I don't want to die! Some cunt's trying to kill me! Help! Anyone!"

The White King's large golden eyes sadistically watched the human wallow in its own fear. Playing with one's food was bad and he used to beat it out of his pack's younglings as soon as possible, but these disgusting humans deserved it for their disrespectful desecration of nature.

He would not give them peace that easily.

This was his world. And they could not do as they pleased here.

Arc#4 Chapter 36: Hexagon

[Author's Note]

Hi there~

Just a bit of an intro chapter for the world Reivan got flung into. It took an enormous amount of self-control not to just info dump, and I actually had to cut out a number of paragraphs because it felt too... long?

Lemme know whacha think if you can!

I hope you enjoy and see you in the next chapter~!

════════════════════════════════

'That stupid bitch!'

After being flung into a questionable portal to another world, Reivan groaned as he pushed up against what he hoped was grass. He didn't know the exact cause, but he felt unbearably dizzy and his vision was too blurry to make sense of anything around him.

Struggling into a sitting position, Reivan took deep breaths as he blinked repeatedly, trying to get his eyes to work again.

His efforts failed to bear fruit fast enough before he suddenly fell on his back, too light-headed to even stay upright.

"Ugh..." Reivan groaned, preemptively covering his mouth in case he regurgitated vomit right into his face with gravity's ever-present aid.

'This is worse than being drunk...'

Fortunately, his agony didn't seem like it would last for eternity. After what seemed like a few years of his life, his eyes slowly regained focus and the world around him gradually stilled.

That was when he discovered that there was actually a large earth-colored cougar staring right at him, ready to pounce.

"Woah!" Reivan instinctively tried to summon a sword but just managed to draw his wand instead, simultaneously checking its stats to see that it only had 30 Might.

‘Ah. It’s weaker than I expected…’

His sudden actions must have scared the cougar into action because it lunged, claws primed and fangs bared.

Reivan casually flicked his wand, conjuring a transparent barrier of energy between him and his feline attacker just in time for it to crash into the barrier.

The rebound force launched the cougar back with surprising force, slamming its back into a nearby tree. It recovered quickly though, landing on its feet and circling around him.

"Hah." Reivan quickly fired three stunning spells. Though it tried to evade, one still hit while another nicked its back leg, making it release the first cry of pain since the encounter. "Not today, big guy."

Suddenly remembering how humans were supposed to be invincible in this world, Reivan intentionally showed off an opening to coax an attack. Of course, he was still ready to move his head and other vitals out of the way to avoid dying instantly if the invulnerability somehow didn't work.

Not one to let the opportunity escape, it seemed, the cougar pounced once again. Its claws connected and its fangs clamped down on Reivan's arm, but they failed to do any damage.

'Interesting.'

Reivan curiously observed the cougar desperately bite him everywhere it could. Unbeknownst to the big cat, he couldn't feel anything at all. Not even the spirit beast's weight.

'This is amazing... How crazy would it be if the Tower could take this effect outside?'

After a few more attempts, the cougar finally gave up. Releasing him and creating distance between them, regarding him with an increasing amount of caution. A few seconds of hesitation later, it turned around and decided he wasn't worth the risk, fleeing into the forest's embrace.

Reivan smoothed down his clothes while walking over to a nearby rock. Looking around, he immediately realized that he was, in fact, not sent to the same spot as all the other recruits based on the fact that there was not a single human in sight. That, in addition to the fact that nobody was probably watching him in secret, meant he could do as he pleased without compromising his mission.

In any case, the time-limited nature of their stay in this world meant that he should get moving to make the most of it, but he still chose to take a few moments to decide on a course of action. There were times when a quick decision was better than a well-thought-out order, but this probably wasn't one of those times.

And coincidentally, he was just given a book with potentially important information. He was quite curious about that and wanted to take a look before anything else.

‘Hm… There are a few reminders here. I know most of them already, though.’

Reivan flipped through the first few pages, skipping the repetitive reminders not to spend too much time reading the book, including a note that mentioned how all humans were invulnerable to all damage. He then scanned down for anything he didn’t know yet.

“Ah. Here it is…” he muttered to himself. “Spirit beasts to avoid.”

Apparently, the strange world also kicked out any creature who Ascended into immortality, so every living thing inside was mortal. This didn’t mean nothing could grow strong enough to reach heights just below that, however.

Because of this, the tower entrants were advised to avoid these incredibly strong spirit beasts since trying to force a contract on them would be a complete waste of time. Many had attempted the challenge, but nobody had ever succeeded. Very detailed illustrations were provided for each entry and there wasn't a whole lot of them, so it was quite easy to remember, even for the dimmest of minds.

‘Half-ascendants, huh? Or close to that. I can't really tell from so little information.’

Some of the intel wasn't even confirmed as fact since only weak newbie battlemages were ever let inside the world. But from eyewitness reports and because these particular spirit beasts had witness reports throughout multiple decades, it could be assumed that these particular ones were too strong to force into a contract.

‘Interesting. I hope I meet a few.’

Ascendants were a definite no-go for him, but as long as someone was still in the mortal realm, Reivan wouldn't fear them.

Finally, there was a very strongly worded warning about stealing the contract orbs from other tower entrants. An entrant was only allowed one orb, and anyway, killing another battlemage to steal their resources was an act that amounted to high treason.

The warning was for the battlemages’ own good though, since attempting such a thing would probably make the monster hidden inside them take lethal action.

Reivan smirked to himself as he started stripping.

A moment later, his face and the rest of his body slowly returned to their original state. Strength filled his muscles and the dizziness immediately vanished as if it was far too trivial for his present form. His hearing, his sense of smell, and even the sensation of the wind caressing his skin became more vivid — more detailed — than any normal human could ever fathom.

His facade as Clover Salwyn completely fell away, revealing the young wolf underneath.

“I can’t say it enough.” Reivan chuckled as he stretched his muscular limbs. “But being in my own body is the best.”

Running a hand through his silver hair, Reivan instantly summoned an appropriate set of clothes to cover his naked body. Afterward, he directed his gaze to the book, rapidly flipping through the rest of the pages he hadn't read yet. For his current state, reading such a thin book took no time at all, so he finished it in just a couple of minutes before throwing it into Zouros’ stomach.

With new information in hand, he sunk into his own thoughts.

‘Forming a contract with the stronger ones would benefit me the most, but it would also cause undue attention to fall on me.’

Since he planned to stay at the tower for a prolonged period of time, he would be unable to avoid revealing what spirit beast he made a forced contract with. And obviously, if the powerful spirit beast in question was recorded in the book, people would wonder how such a powerful spirit beast was contracted in the first place.

The unwanted attention was highly… unwelcome to his plans to quietly gather information before disappearing forever.

Additionally, he could probably hide the contract orb indefinitely by storing it in Zouros’ stomach. Even if they searched up Reivan's anus just like some border guards apparently did, nobody would ever find it — though he did hope they wouldn't go that far.

'But then again, I can't not have an orb when I get out.'

“I suppose…” Reivan pondered, not feeling particularly rushed. “I’ll have to steal someone else’s orb.”

One for his identity as Clover Salwyn. And another to take back to Elsa — preferably containing a spirit beast close to ascendence. There was the problem of making the spirit beast form a permanent contract with Elsamina, but he could worry about that later down the line.

As for the unfortunate youth he would steal it from, they would just have to chalk it up to their bad luck for entering the tower in the same batch as him.

In a perfect world though, Reivan could steal two orbs, for a total of three. He could then make a contract with two strong spirit beasts — one for himself and the other for Elsa — and use the last one for a contract with something that wouldn’t draw attention to him.

The first two would be hidden away in Zouros’ stomach when he exited this strange world, while the last one would be Clover Salwyn’s spirit bond publicly.

‘I don’t know how large this world is, but hopefully, I find a few other tower entrants before they use their orbs on something stupid. Like a ferret or something.’

“Hm?” Reivan was suddenly pulled out of his thoughts when he noticed the prickling sensation at the back of his neck. He looked up to find numerous spirit beasts staring at him curiously. “The fuck…?”

He reflexively got ready for a fight, aware of the possibility he’d lost his invincibility. After all, he wasn’t completely human now, being half-warbeast.

But when he scanned the various spirit beasts with [Supreme Insight], he confirmed that none of them had hostile intentions. Rather, they were all interested in him.

‘Not in a romantic way, I hope.’

Reivan stood up, causing most of the beasts to flinch. There were a lot of them, made up of various animal species like birds and various types of rodents.

After seemingly having had their fill of him though, most of the little critters made a run for it. The handful that remained, however, kept on hovering around him, curiously eyeing his every move.

“What’re you all doing…?” Reivan asked aloud, not really expecting an answer. He once again checked each of their Favor stats and saw that they were still interested.

A common quality about the few that remained, he noticed, was that they were all attributeless — which immediately disqualified them as a potential spirit bond in his eyes.

‘I'd prefer something that'll grant me a new element.’

He knew from Valter’s experience that forming a bond with a spirit beast allowed the human to obtain the beast’s elemental affinities.

There was also the possibility that the human’s affinities were copied over to the spirit beast too, but he couldn’t confirm that yet. And in any case, that wasn't important to him on a personal level.

‘Fire, Earth, and Water would be nice… But what I really want is [Light].’

Reivan was strong enough on his own, so from his perspective, it wasn’t imperative for him to have a strong spirit beast.

What he wanted was the elemental affinity they granted him.

If an attributeless, lightning, ice, or darkness beast with 1000 Might was weighed against a 100 Might spirit beast with an affinity he didn't have, he would pick the latter without hesitation. They could be a literal plankton or a tiny earthworm for all he cared.

‘A strong one would be nice though.’

It could help him out in a pinch when he needed it, so strength wasn't unwelcome. But he decided to temper his expectations so he wouldn’t be too disappointed if he failed.

Elemental affinity was the highest priority, after all. This, he could not forget. It would all be over if he got blinded by the notion of bonding with a powerful beast that had the exact same affinities as he did.

“Light, light, light…” Reivan muttered as he scanned the area for any light element spirit beasts he may have missed, but couldn’t see anything with the element he was looking for.

Most of the spirit beasts in the area seemed to have either the [Earth] or [Wind] attributes.

‘Must be because I’m in a forest, huh?’

Reivan recalled his vast experience as both a reader and a gamer.

Barring special circumstances, fire types were usually in volcanoes or deserts, water types were in bodies of water, and wind types were usually in the sky. Naturally, wood or plant types would be found in a forest, but no such affinities existed, so he supposed [Wind] and [Earth] made the most sense.

‘Wait a minute… By that logic, where the hell do I find light types then? The church? The kingdom of heaven?? Or do I have to fly up to the sun or something?’

Reivan looked up and noticed that the world didn’t even have a sun. The sky just seemed to emit light of some kind as rainbow-colored clouds floated by listlessly.

“There goes that idea.” Reivan scratched his head and shooed away all the tiny critters around him. They scattered immediately even though the casual wave of his hand didn’t have any force on it. “Anyway… I guess I gotta move.”

Forming a contract with the [Wind] and [Earth] type spirit beasts in this area wouldn’t be bad for him, since Helen and Gwen were perfect examples of how devastating those elements could be in battle. But the creatures he saw so far were listed as species with "low potential" in the booklet, which made him a bit reluctant.

And he also really wanted one that had the [Light] attribute.

Reivan got up and bolted in a random direction, zigzagging through the trees and any creatures in his path.

In his short journey, some spirit beasts foolishly tried to attack him, but Reivan got rid of them with just a minor flick of qi. It was then that he discovered killing spirit beasts in this world actually killed them since this wasn’t the material world and said beasts didn’t have anchors.

The thought of massacring the spirit beasts in this world to cripple future generations of battlemages ran through his mind for a moment but he decided against it for now.

‘I might gain some kind of debuff.’

In some of the games he used to play, killing creatures you were supposed to befriend usually had some kind of drawback to discourage the player from doing so.

Like sending some overpowered monster to kill you or slapping you with a passive that increased the damage you received.

‘That wouldn’t be too bad considering how massive the effect on Arkhan would be, but…’

But if the drawback was being hated by the entire spirit beast race, that would be fatal for the continuity of his plans. It might even affect the spirit beast he gave Elsa since he planned to be together with her a lot — and even impregnate her eventually, after they got married.

If the spirit beast dipped because Elsa was cavorting with the demon who massacred countless spirit beasts, Reivan wasn't sure he could handle the guilt and regret that would follow.

‘Absolute vigilance. I'm not about to be caught lacking!’

Reivan was forced to halt his steps when he almost collided with a suspicious film of transparent energy forming a wall of some kind. He tried to examine it with [Supreme Insight], but that ended up being less helpful than a man’s nipple since a screen didn’t even pop up.

“The hell is this…?”

He ran down the wall and, after about fifteen minutes, made a complete circuit around a hexagonal area. It seemed that the mysterious barrier completely surrounded a portion of the forest.

‘Is there no way to get to the other side?’

Reivan could see more forest beyond the transparent film but was unsure if it was safe to pass through. After a bit of internal debate, he decided that it should be safe since neither the proctor nor the book mentioned being careful about some kind of barrier.

Plus, entrants were to stay in this world for 24 hours — the hexagonal area he was in was far too small to explore for that long.

‘Best to test the waters first, though.’

Logically, he knew that it was safe. But that didn’t mean Reivan was rash enough to charge through it like a hard-core barbarian roleplayer in an online D&D session.

“Sorry about this.” Reivan caught a nearby squirrel-type spirit beast and chucked it at the barrier, keeping his eyes peeled for what happened next.

The moment the little critter made contact with the wall, the barrier surprisingly opened up a little to let it pass through safely.

Only, the view beyond wasn’t the forest Reivan saw, but rather, a swamp.

“Interesting...” Reivan’s brows raised as he grabbed yet another nearby spirit beast and once again threw it at the barrier. This time, instead of a swamp, Reivan saw a vast snowy landscape.

After sacrificing a few more innocent woodland creatures to his curiosity, Reivan discovered that the destination changed every time someone passed through. Multiple entities could go to the same place as long as they crossed the border at the same time and at the same general spot though.

‘That means any systematic approach to exploring this world is impossible. It's impossible to map too.’

Reivan picked up a pebble and threw it at the barrier, discovering that it passed right through, hitting a tree on the other side instead of being portalled to another part of the world. Afterward, he tied a rock to other woodland creatures and discovered that objects could be taken along by living things.

‘This place is weird as hell.’

After gaining a sufficient understanding of how the barrier worked, Reivan finally felt safe enough to step through, finding himself in a craggy region with numerous spike-like mountains jutting out of the ground to caress the storm clouds in the sky. The crackling of thunder was a constant companion to the relentless downpour of rain.

“Ugh…” Reivan immediately found himself soaked to the bone, wanting to immediately turn around and try his luck in another area. But it seemed like a waste to leave when he was already wet.

‘Eh… I can just dry myself off later. Guess I’ll look around for a bit…’

Reivan easily made his way up a particularly tall mountain, aiming for an unhindered view of the surroundings. But there were so many damned mountains that he couldn’t really see much even when he was in the tallest one.

It wasn’t a complete waste though, since he discovered that the prevalent element in this area was [Lightning].

And it seemed the spirit beasts in the area liked him.

Reivan curiously eyed a few glowing bees gently zapping him with bolts of electricity from their stings. Since they seemed somewhat friendly, he decided to respond by releasing a few sparks from the edge of his fingers, keeping it weak enough not to go through their innate resistance.

A few more critters of various shapes and sizes showed up to “play” by trying to electrocute him, and they seemed excited every time he returned their greeting with a burst of electricity. All of them, including Reivan, had the [Lightning] attribute, so nobody was really harmed despite all the current being thrown around. Reivan held back too since he didn't want to accidentally kill non-hostile spirit beasts.

“Hey, you guys,” Reivan called out, taking a chance. “Do any of you want to form a permanent contract with me? I’ll give you lots of food and stuff.”

He had his own plans with the contract orb, but if he could get a free spirit bond without using it, then that would be amazing.

‘Wait a minute, wouldn’t it be sick if all these lightning spirit beasts form contracts with me? I could come back out with, like, a hundred contracts.’

The “Extra Skills” portion of his status page would be a complete mess, but it would be somewhat worth it if he had an army of spirit beasts at his beck and call.

Reivan really liked the idea of being some kind of overpowered summoner-slash-warrior. With an expectant gaze, he scanned the surrounding spirit beasts for their reactions.

Unfortunately, none of them seemed to understand what he just said.

‘Yeah… I don’t know what I expected when I tried talking to them.’

A battlemage and their spirit beast could understand each other because of their bond, but humans and spiritual creatures absolutely did not speak the same language. Freed was a bit of an exception given how much time it spent with Valter and his many family members, but exceptions were never the norm, so it was general knowledge that communication with a non-contracted spirit beast was a herculean task that may never bear fruit.

Hence, these critters had no idea what his intentions were.

‘Damnit. I'm not giving up yet though! Let's see...’

Reivan used large gestures to try to make the creatures around him understand, but they just happily circled around him, seemingly testing just how much voltage he could resist. He managed to make them understand what "zap" meant though, since they shot lightning at him in unison whenever he said it.

But the contract was another matter.

“This isn’t working. Fuck.”

According to what Valter said, Freed was the one who initiated the contract. As for why, it was apparently because Freed liked Valter’s aura.

Obviously, Reivan didn’t quite understand what that meant. But from the look of things, it seemed the lightning spirit beasts around him liked him too. So he couldn’t quite understand why he wasn’t getting swarmed with requests. He hoped it wasn't because of some silly reason like not being a virgin.

‘I guess… they like me, but they don’t like me that much.’

There must have been some kind of threshold he wasn’t aware of. And he just so happened to be below that.

Reivan wasn’t ready to give up though, so he played with the various beasts, betting on the chance that his actions might raise some kind of affection meter. But even after enduring three hours in the pouring rain, he achieved nothing — other than increasing the number of beasts hovering around him.

“I’m going now…”

The thought of capturing one of the nearby creatures to act as Clover Salwyn’s spirit beast crossed his mind, but he decided to wait until after he actually had multiple orbs. With how random traveling in this world was, finding other people would be difficult. If his luck was bad, he might not even meet anyone at all.

Reivan transformed into a bolt of lightning that shot through the sky, immediately passing through the barrier — which he decided to call a “Hexa Border”.

With any hope, he would find at least one of the things he was looking for there.

Arc#4 Chapter 35: Shooting Star

[Author's Note]

I'm very sorry for the delay.

Honestly, I'm a little bit like Aldimir in this chapter — I just kinda closed my eyes and then BAM, a few hours passed just like that.

I obviously panicked.

Honest mistake. I'm very sorry.

════════════════════════════════

Reivan had learned many things in the two years after he made a show of himself in the royal arena, one of them was that Inaria hated being stared at and had an uncanny intuition for when someone was. That was why he quickly averted his gaze, feeling no need to provoke her ire by looking at her for too long.

Instead, he quietly returned to his meal while examining the surrounding people in secret. Not even ten minutes after he arrived, Reivan finished his meal and the task of checking everyone's status screens. More people trickled into the Mess Hall as time passed, but he'd already seen them before.

'I kind of expected a special ability or two, but there really isn't a single one, huh?'

It truly spoke of just how rare people with special abilities were. The fact that he'd met so many of them was an anomaly — the good kind, of course.

Just when he was starting to get bored again, Reivan looked at the cheap pocket watch he'd bought on the way to the Tower, noting how the thirty-minute deadline was almost up.

"I made it!" exclaimed a familiar female voice in the distance.

Maya leaned against the wall, winded from running. Her hair was still a little damp as she bounced off the wall and strolled deeper into the Mess Hall, garnering the attention of many — particularly of the male variety.

Reivan's eyes met with hers, but she harrumphed and turned her gaze away, opting to sit with some other young women instead. He shrugged, noting how she was clearly still upset because he'd kicked her out of his room.

'Works for me.'

The main cause for distraction had chosen to distance herself from him. Who was he to complain? There was a tiny part of him that was disappointed though, since even if she was an unwanted distraction sometimes, she did help him fight off his boredom.

Just before the thirty minutes was up, a flash of light erupted from the middle of the teleportation pad.

An elderly man with pale skin and an expression as cold as stone appeared in the middle of the Mess Hall, gazing at a pocket watch in his left hand. His flowing dark purple combat robes contrasted the bright purple platform he stood on. But more noticeable than anything were the extravagant trimmings of his attire.

'Silver... So he's an Ascendant.'

"Right." The elder closed the pocket watch shut and it vanished, probably into a spatial storage artifact. "I believe that time is—"

"I'm not late!"

Interrupting the only person in the room who could eradicate an entire house with just a thought, Aldimir burst into the Mess Hall and rushed toward the nearest empty seat, not even noticing the battlemage he'd just slighted. His breathing was rough from the run and his brown hair, damn with sweat and what was probably bath water, clung to his face.

Reivan looked at the young man with mild exasperation.

'There's always that one guy...'

It seemed the old battlemage thought the same as him, sighing with an expression that betrayed just how fed up he was. "I believe the time I have given is up. And I'm glad to see that all ninety-nine of this year's recruits are present... although one of them was almost late."

Aldimir smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head at this, though he made no excuses.

'Ninety-nine...? Doesn't he mean one hundred?'

Reivan's brows rose for a moment, wondering if it was even possible for an Ascendant to make such a mistake. But once he thought about it, he remembered a key fact about this year's batch.

'Oh, right. There was that one imperial prince entering this year... Forgot Alphon or something.'

Now that he thought about it, the Argonian prince wasn't present at the moment.

“It doesn't matter now.” The elder cleared his throat, demanding everyone’s attention as he pulled things back into business. “In any case, I am Ozran Esteros, the one chosen to proctor this exam.”

Understandably, the majority of people stirred at the battlemage’s words. They had all thought today’s event would just be an inauguration ceremony of some kind — certainly not an examination. After all, everybody in this room except Reivan experienced the Tower’s hellish entrance exam.

Nobody wanted to go through that one more time.

It was like barely completing a marathon, only to be told you had to do another one right after finishing it.

‘Ozran Esteros…’

Reivan, on the other hand, was more focused on the proctor’s name.

It was one of the names included in a list of the most dangerous battlemages known to man, after all. Ozran Esteros was most active in the border with the empire though, so Aizen had little information about him. But from the sheer amount of enemy Ascendants slain, the man was worthy of their caution.

The elder in front of him was a bogeyman for the Argonian people — and yet here he was, doing the mundane job of heading a ceremony.

“Silence.” Ozran snarled slowly scanning the room for anyone who dared disobey. None did, however, since just about everyone was inflicted with muteness just from the intensity of his gaze alone. “Good. Now, if you could all act like proper adults for the next thirty minutes, perhaps we could actually get somewhere.”

“You’re too stiff, Ozzy. Stop scaring our new comrades.”

A moment later, another silver-cloaked battlemage appeared next to Ozran. This time, it was a middle-aged woman with her dirty blonde hair braided into a bun behind her head, a warm motherly expression on her face.

She narrowed her eyes as she smiled at the others in the room. “Good morning to you all. I am Bernadine Sentel, the assistant proctor for today.”

There was a bit more of a reaction this time, not because the battlemage herself was famous, but rather, because of her last name.

Sentel.

One of the Four High Magus clans of Arkhan.

It was said that about thirty percent of all battlemages actually belonged to one of the Four High Magus clans, cementing just how integral their existence was to the republic.

‘They’re like House Mercer… except there’s four of them.’

Reivan unconsciously remembered his fiancee and his best friend, but managed to shake off his loneliness by refocusing on the current situation.

‘I knew where I was from the start, but having all these big names shoved into my face really drives it in.’

He was in the absolute middle of enemy territory. Any random person he bumped into could have a history of greatness so he had to tread with extreme caution.

“Hmph. Bernadine.” Ozran stared at the other battlemage coldly but didn’t bicker or argue, taking out his wand and pointing it at the floor instead. “Let us get this over with.”

Bernadine nodded, taking out her own wand and following the other’s lead. “Very well. I’m ready.”

A moment later, a blast of blue light erupted from the tips of their wands, blinding everyone around them for a second.

Reivan, on the other hand, kept his eyes peeled. He managed to catch how the two elders performed a twenty-pulse spell in but a fraction of a second, completely in sync with each other. It was an amazing display of skill that even Reivan would be unable to replicate unless he focused all his efforts on sorcery.

‘The teleportation pad…’

It used to be made of some kind of purple stone, but now, it was pure white and softly radiating a gentle light.

“Now, all of you.” Ozran sighed, seemingly a bit winded from whatever spell he’d just cast. “Follow along. Do not worry about where you are going, for this teleportation pad only goes one way now. All you need to do is to step on it.”

“Chop chop, young ones.” Bernadine wiped a bead of sweat from her brow and beckoned everyone onto the platform. “The faster you all get there, the more time we’ll have to explain.”

With urging from both proctors, everyone quietly filed into the teleportation pad, disappearing into it one by one. Reivan chose to hang back a little, intent on observing how things go.

“Hey, Clover. You going or what?” Aldimir came up behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Let’s go together, yeah?”

“Sure.” Reivan nodded, thinking that delaying it anymore would make him seem overly suspicious of the Spirit Tower. “You were cutting it close earlier.”

“Yeah… I did wake up when the voice asked us to and even checked the time, but then I accidentally closed my eyes a little.”

“Let me guess. It only seemed like a little. But actually, it wasn’t.”

“Yeah…” Aldimir scratched his head as they walked toward the pad. “When I checked again, about fifteen minutes passed.”

Reivan sighed in exasperation, but truthfully, he could somewhat relate.

“Anyway, we better hurry. I think that old man over there keeps looking over to me from time to time...” Aldimir jogged forward a little, jumping on top of the pad and disappearing immediately.

‘Here goes nothing…’

Reivan stopped just before the pad and took a moment to steel himself for anything before he stepped into it as well.

The moment the sole of his shoe made contact with the white stone, his vision turned pure white.

════════════════════════════════

When Reivan opened his eyes, he was surprised to find that he wasn’t on a platform in the middle of a room — instead, he was at the border of a big circular hall with an incredibly high ceiling.

Unlike the previous hall’s simplicity, this hall was generously adorned with statues of birds, snakes, and all manner of animals housed in their own niches along the high wall. The floor was made of white stone, decorated with veins seemingly made of luminescent gold and silver that served as the room’s only source of light.

Aside from the gigantic purple sun in the middle of the room.

‘Holy shit, what is that…’

Reivan found himself gawking at it, unconsciously examining it with [Supreme Insight].

═════════════════

[Modified Fragment of the Spirit World]

A small part of the Spirit World, modified by a Transcendent to birth a semi-independent world with its own set of natural laws.

Special conditions have been placed to stabilize its existence and a vast amount of energy is needed to open an entrance.

As long as it is within the confines of the semi-independent world, core conditions cannot be resisted by any entity below the Archon-ream.

Core Conditions:

- Any entities above the mortal realm will be automatically kicked out of the world.

- Any entities above the mortal realm cannot influence the world in any way, other than to destroy it completely.

- Any entity cannot re-enter after leaving once.

- Entities of the “Human” species will automatically be expelled 24 hours after entry or if the portal closes prematurely.

- Entities of the “Human” species cannot be harmed by other species.

- Entities of the “Human” species will regenerate “Magic Power” ten times faster.

- Entities of the “Human” species cannot use other forms of energy aside from “Magic Power”. This condition does not include stamina and other vital resources.

═════════════════ 

Reivan licked his lips and tried to digest all the information as quickly as he could.

‘The Sage King made another world…’

Even if the Sword Star made all sorts of improvements all around Aizen, the old man never outright made a world. The discovery that the Sage King did, however, made Reivan think that perhaps the latter was stronger than the former.

But then, he quickly realized his folly.

The Sword Star was a warrior who had spent most of his mortal life on battlefields all over the continent. He was born and raised in battle, obtained immortality in battle, and even became a Transcendent in battle.

Combat was in the old man’s blood.

Perhaps the Sage King surpassed the Sword Star in creating worlds, but in a fight with their lives on the line, Reivan would undoubtedly bet on the Sword Star.

‘Ideally, they don’t ever fight.’

Reivan looked around and found that the other battlemage recruits were in similar positions, evenly spread out along the walls of the circular chamber. As for the two proctors, the male one was gone while only the female one remained.

“Listen up, everyone.” The proctor clapped her hands to gather everyone’s attention. “I’ll try to explain this as quickly as I can because keeping the entrance open costs energy, and we don’t want it to run out before it spits you out — that’d be too much of a waste!”

‘That checks out…’

Reivan leaned against the wall as he perked up his ears, discovering that the other proctor was on the other side of the massive glowing ball of fire, giving a similar briefing to the newbies on the other side of the hall.

“I’m sorry we couldn’t tell you all about this sooner.” Bernadine made a troubled smile as she tapped her cheek. “But you see, we had to make sure that the people who know of this thing behind me are… trustworthy. At the very least, we must make sure that revealing it has consequences.”

‘That checks out…’

Given the timing of the ceremony, the one-month period for the fragment of the watcher to mature would have already elapsed, ensuring that each tower entrant had a monstrous bomb on their arm that could go off the moment they considered betrayal.

The Tower’s caution was well warranted though, seeing as the secret of controlling an entirely different world was definitely not something you’d want other nations to know.

‘Inaria didn’t tell me about this… So either her father didn’t tell her, or the president of Arkhan doesn’t know.’

Honestly, given how bad the relationship between father and daughter was, both could be correct.

“First of all, let us quickly discuss what this is.” Bernadine cleared her throat. “Simply put. This big ball of fire — that isn't hot, by the way — is actually a portal to an entirely different world we call The Sanctuary… Well, that may be hard to understand. So just think of it like a different continent, except the Spirit Tower is the only one who can access it.”

This announcement brought a wave of shock to the entrants, but the elder calmed them all down gently before continuing.

"I would tell you more about it, but there’s not enough time. Just figure it out for yourselves while you’re there. This is also a test to temper your adaptability to sudden situations, so do your best! Anyway, let’s get on with it.”

Bernadine held out what appeared to be a piece of amethyst, carved into the shape of a sphere. “Let us now discuss your purpose in going. This thing is a special artifact that we simply call an orb. Its purpose is to temporarily capture a spirit beast, enabling you to bring it to the material world. You use it by having it touch them for about a minute.”

This statement brought another wave of shock to all who heard it, including Reivan.

‘By the Sun God… it’s like pokemon!’

“Save your shock for later, brothers and sisters. Focus!” the female proctor called out with urgency. “I say temporarily because the forced contract only lasts for a year. After that, it is up to the spirit beast to decide if they want to form a more permanent bond.”

‘Oh. So it’s not like Pokemon… Bummer.’

“You will be on probationary status until you form a permanent bond with them, so do treat them nicely. And I mean really nicely. They have all the power to decide your fate here. If you can’t make them form a permanent bond by the end of the year, you’re going to be fired!”

After catching her breath, Bernadine continued. “Don’t worry though. The tower offers plenty of benefits to spirit beasts, so they will likely choose to stay even if they don’t like you as a person.”

“Ah!” Bernadine’s eyes widened, suddenly remembering something. “Regarding the use of force, don’t worry because all of you are safe inside. You can one-sidedly harm the spirits to force them into a contract, but they can’t do anything to you. You likely can’t do much to them with the spells you know though — which works for us because we don’t want you accidentally killing a bunch of spirits there. It’s enough for you to restrain them for a minute while you touch them with the orb! Don’t be too violent, okay? They won’t like you afterward.”

“Excuse me, I have a question.” Suddenly, a young man raised his hand and called out.

Bernadine quickly took out a pocket watch to check the time before looking back at the young man with a kind but troubled smile. “I would prefer if there were no questions given how little time we have to make the most of this, but sure, go ahead.”

“Is a contract through the orb the only way to take a spirit beast out, Elder?”

‘Good question, random dude!’

Reivan was actually wondering about that exact same thing as well. Someone else asking it in his stead really saved him a lot of trouble.

“No, there is another way.” Bernadine tapped her chin and seemed to like the question, giving it more thought. “It involves the spirit beast initiating a permanent bond themselves. They’re all quite comfortable where they are, so this is incredibly unlikely though. I suppose it’s similar to people who naturally gain a spirit bond in their early childhood, like The Gold Cloak and the four High Magus Clan leaders.”

“I see…” The young man who asked the question mused for a moment before asking. “Then what if someone with a natural spirit beast bond enters? Can they still use the orb? What happens then, does the first spirit beast they contracted with disappear...?”

‘Another good question. Damn, dude! Thank you so much!’

Reivan memorized the young man’s face and noted it for later.

"No, no." Bernadine giggled as if she found the question amusing. “What happens is they get a second spirit bond, simple. There was a similar case just last year, one of the entrants already had a spirit bond before entering the tower. A few months later, she formed a permanent bond with the one she brought from the sanctuary.”

“That’s amazing…” The young man gasped. “Then doesn’t that mean we can just bring a lot of those orbs with us and capture as many spirit beasts as we can?”

“Oh, if only we could.” The female proctor chuckled. “Unfortunately, we can only produce a limited number of these orbs yearly. In fact, their number dictates how many recruits we hire in that particular year.”

‘Oh. So that’s why they increased the recruitment.’

Reivan released a subtle sigh at having one of his questions answered. It seemed Arkhan wasn’t planning to bump up recruitment in preparation for a war with Aizen — they just managed to obtain a much larger amount of the contract spheres this year.

‘That’s good… But I guess I shouldn’t rule the possibility out yet.’

Complacency was an enemy, after all.

“Any more questions?” Bernadine patiently asked though it was clear that she was feeling a bit rushed.

The young man, however, shook his head. “My apologies for interrupting, Elder Sentel. I no longer have any questions.”

“Not at all. They were all very good questions. Don’t lose that curiosity of yours.”

“Yes, Elder. Thank you.”

“Moving on, then! Goodness! The time!” Bernadine checked her pocket watch again. “What else… Well, you’ll be there for up to 24 hours if everything works out well. Again, don’t worry. Nothing inside there can hurt you. Do be careful of accidents though, like hitting your head or slipping on the edge of a cliff.”

With that, it seemed the explanations were over. Bernadine waved her wand, causing a small amethyst sphere to float toward each tower entrant.

“We’ll be providing you with a travel satchel. Inside, there is a water canteen and some rations to tide you over. It would have been better if you ate at the Mess Hall earlier, but most of you probably didn’t have the time to. A lesson for next time — wake up early when something important is happening. Here you are.”

Reivan snatched the orb from the air and looked down at it, quickly stuffing it into his pocket. Then he took the tiny bag that floated toward him right after, opening it and peeking inside. Mixed with wrapped biscuits and a canteen was a thin book though, and if his memory wasn't failing him, the proctor hadn't said anything about that yet.

‘What’s this…?’

The female proctor quickly offered an answer to the question in a few entrants’ minds. “There is a book included inside detailing as many of the spirit beast types inside the sanctuary as possible. We only have witness reports to go off of, referencing them with past records of similar spirit beasts, so you may find spirit beast species that aren’t there. Ascendants and even the Sage King himself can’t go inside there anymore, so we can’t exactly create a complete encyclopedia.”

‘Interesting…’

Reivan took the book out and popped it open with one hand, landing on a page about some kind of blob-type spirit beast.

“Don’t spend too much time reading that when you’re inside though,” Bernadine warned. “We’ve actually had cases of that… people who spend so much time reading that they didn’t have enough time to catch a spirit beast. They were held back for a year. Don’t be like that. Understood, everyone?”

Voices of confirmation followed, seemingly satisfying Bernadine.

“Very good. Off you go then.”

Suddenly, Reivan found his feet parted from the ground as he was sent flying head-first into the giant ball of fire.

Arc#4 Chapter 34: Unexpected Boon

[Author's Note]

Happy Mother's Day!

Not to you, of course, since I highly doubt the existence of females on my list of readers.

Say hi to your moms, grandmas, wives, or any other mothers in the vicinity for me. Today is their day!

Because of that, "your mom" jokes are banned for now. Please act accordingly. lol

Anyway, here's the chapter~!

════════════════════════════════

When Reivan finished the mini-celebration in his head — which only lasted for a few seconds in real time — he turned around and examined the door to his room and its surroundings.

He was preoccupied earlier, but after looking around, Reivan realized that he was teleported to a hallway. In front of him was a door made of some dark brown wood that had an iron plaque with "099" engraved on it. A few steps to its left was Room #098 while Room #100 was to its right.

Framing the door was a floor of white marble and a dark purple wall that seemed to curve inwards, hinting that the space still adhered to the Spirit Tower's cylindrical shape.

The vicinity lacked decoration save for a helpful sign that pointed to where the Mess Hall was, but Reivan didn’t think that it looked mundane. In a strange way, the simplicity and barebones nature of the surroundings actually had a refined elegance to it.

'Better check the inside...'

He reached for the doorknob when suddenly, there was a flash of light in front of Room #100.

"Wow. So that's how teleportation works..." Maya murmured to herself, amazed at her newest experience. A moment later though, her face twisted into a grimace as her posture grew unsteady. "Ugh… I feel sick."

Reivan smirked as he watched her squirm, remembering how it was for him when he first experienced teleportation. Then his eyes widened in shock when he remembered that since he was supposed to be "Clover Salwyn", he should have a reaction similar to Maya.

'Ah, wait. I think I'm in the clear... I did pause for a few seconds earlier...'

He didn't know if he had looked nauseous enough, but if some mysterious observer pointed it out, Reivan would just talk his way out of it by insisting that he didn't feel anything. Being particularly resistant to the jetlag-like feeling caused by teleportation wasn't too farfetched after all.

“Oh. Clover...?” Maya finally noticed him after wrestling with her light-headedness. “Did you wait for me so we could bunk together?”

“Like hell I did.” Reivan snorted, turning away from her. He mused back to their room numbers and confirmed something. “The room assignments don’t seem to take any sort of ranking into account. It all depends on arrival time, so obviously we’d be right next to each other. Unless of course we’re ranked right next to each other in terms of skill — a fact I highly doubt given your past performance.”

“...Did you just diss me? You did, didn’t you!?”

“I did. I’m not wrong though, no?”

“You’re not wrong, but you’re also an ass for saying it. And anyway, how’d you know that we’re roomed based on our…” Maya raised a brow and then noticed the number engraved on Reivan’s door plate. Then she looked to her own. “Oh. Now I get it.”

Reivan sneered before grabbing the doorknob and turning it, frowning when it wouldn’t budge. He scanned the door with his eyes in case there was some other mechanism to open it, but came up with nothing.

'The hell’s wrong with this thing…'

Maya seemed to notice his troubles and stared at him strangely. “What are you doing?”

“My door won’t open.”

“Uh… Well, probably because it's locked."

"I know it's locked. But how do I even open it when there aren't any instructions here?"

Maya stared at him for a few moments, mouth slightly ajar. "...Are you being serious?"

"I'm not a fan of wasting time. If you're not going to help, stay quiet."

"Well... Maybe you should use the key that you just got? Brilliant idea, right?”

Reivan froze for a moment before taking his hand off the knob, noticing that there was indeed a keyhole on it. When he took his key out and inserted it, the tiny piece of metal fit in like a glove.

‘What the fuck… Everything’s been so magical that it kinda feels strange to use a key in such a normal way…’

Honestly, he expected the door to be unlocked just because he had the key with him — just like how the teleportation pad worked. And quite frankly, he had associated the key to the pad, so he was a bit blindsided by how it also opened a door.

Reivan cleared his throat and ignored Maya’s snickers, quickly entering his room. He immediately closed and locked it just in time before Maya got inside.

“Hey! Open up!”

Of course, Reivan did not open up and proceeded to examine the room, particularly paying attention to anything supernatural.

‘Nothing out of the ordinary… Just some normal household stuff.’

He had thought that the rooms would be bugged in some way, but it seemed the Tower didn’t feel the need to do that. Considering where they were, Reivan understood their sentiments.

"Pretty good..." he muttered as he scanned the room's interior.

Just as the female battlemage who welcomed them said, their rooms were equipped with just about everything they’d need. Reivan couldn’t help but liken it to the one-room apartments he often saw in anime and films though.

‘It’ll do.’

Reivan saw a bed, a desk, a closet, and another door that likely led to a bathroom. That was all that mattered to him. Having all the other furniture was nice, but his purpose in the tower wasn’t to relax or live like a king — it was to take as much knowledge back home as he could, all while finding other ways to further Aizen’s interests. And of course, it was also to seek out a path to immortality for Elsamina.

“I guess I should set things in order… Ah.” Reivan froze on his way to the closet, realizing that he’d left his suitcase in Maya’s care. “Fuck.”

She had a spatial ring after all, and it apparently had enough leftover space to hold his stuff. That's why he'd agreed to let her carry it when she proposed to do so.

'Did she plan for this...? Nah. I don't think she's slick enough.'

With resigned reluctance, Reivan got out of his room and knocked on Maya’s room. It only took a few seconds before the young woman opened the door, a smug look on her face. Glancing downward, it seemed she had exchanged her travel attire for a more comfortable — and slightly revealing — set of loungewear.

“Look who it is.” she sneered. “Forgot something, asshole?”

“... I would like my stuff back.”

“Is that how you ask someone a favor?”

Reivan sighed and licked his lips. He contemplated just forcing her to give it up but decided to give her what she wanted. “I’d like my stuff back, bitch.”

“That’s right, you should ask nicely— Wait, what did you say?”

“I said I’d like my stuff back, please.”

“That’s not what I heard…”

“You heard wrong.”

Maya crossed her arms under her chest and leaned against the doorway. “I don’t think I heard wrong. But I’ll forgive you if you do a sexy dance for me. Of course, you'll have to be toples—”

Reivan didn’t wait for her to finish, snatching her arm and quickly prying off the ring on her finger.

“Hey!”

“Relax, I’m just taking my stuff,” he said as he dodged out of her grasp and put the ring on his pinky, immediately manifesting his belongings. “Done.”

“You’re such a brute…!” Maya seemed infuriated, rubbing her arm where he had grabbed her. “Can’t you treat a lady more gently?”

“Ladies don’t try to force people into doing sexy dances.”

Reivan went back to his room and threw his luggage onto the bed, deciding to fix it later. For now, he wanted to check the Mess Hall.

‘If I’m lucky, I can scout out the rest of the entrants.’

He wasn’t too worried about talented people if their talents lay in just sorcery. But it would be nice to find out if anyone in his batch had some kind of special ability he had to watch out for. That way, he could decide if they were worth assassinating — or poaching.

When he got back out, Maya was still there, leaning against the wall.

“I figured you’d want to head to the Mess Hall.” Maya giggled before pushing off the wall and walking beside him.

“Don’t you have stuff to do?” Reivan followed the direction dictated by the sign he saw earlier. Given how Room #100 was the last room in the hallway though, he only had one direction available.

Maya tilted her head. “What stuff? All my things fit inside my ring. I don’t need to leave them in my room, do I?”

‘I suppose she’s right.’

Reivan shrugged and let her follow him. Along the way, Reivan observed the numbers on the room and noticed that the hallway’s exit stood right in front of Room #091, which meant that rooms were likely grouped in tens.

'Must be because squads are grouped in tens... outwardly, that is. But we know there's an extra member dedicated to scrying from afar.'

“Wow. This place is bigger than I thought…!” Maya exclaimed upon exiting the hallway.

“They probably did the same thing with the first floor.” Reivan looked around the massive hall, which seemed big enough to comfortably host a soccer game in.

The teleportation pad was noticeably in the middle, but interspersed all around it were numerous circular six-seater tables. There was even enough of a gap between each one, providing additional assurance that one wouldn’t be overheard by one's neighbors easily. Numerous floating chandeliers illuminated the entire chamber, which was bustling with people.

‘One, two, three… ten doors leading to different hallways. So there should be a hundred rooms.'

That meant that Reivan and Maya were the last to arrive. A result that wasn't too strange given how they were delayed by all sorts of misfortune.

‘A hundred recruits this year… I think that’s a lot for them. Are they becoming looser with their criteria?’

If he was right, some things could be inferred. For example, the republic might be preparing for war or a large battle of some kind, seeking to bolster its forces even if the quality was a bit lower than usual. With the relationship between Arkhan and Argonia improving, it wasn’t too hard to imagine who the target of aggression was.

Of course, there could be some other reasons Reivan couldn’t even imagine. The increased recruitment might also be to increase their numbers, solely to act as a deterrent to other nations.

‘Nonetheless, I should definitely report this when I get the chance.’

“Hm?” Reivan suddenly noticed the absence of the woman beside him. He looked around and was flabbergasted when he found her chatting with a few ladies like they'd known each other for decades.

‘Well, maybe they do know each other?’

If that wasn’t the case though, then Reivan really had to marvel at Maya’s socializing skills. Her sociability grade as a battlemage was probably at 5.0 or close.

‘Her skills and adaptability are shit though, so she’s the complete opposite of Clover.’

Making friends and connections was nice, but when shit hit the fan, you could only count on yourself. If he was in charge of the Tower, Reivan would nurture Clover over Maya any day.

Reivan chose an empty table to sit on and continued watching people. Fortunately — and unfortunately — he didn’t see anyone with a special ability. He did note how only thirty percent of the people he observed had an elemental affinity though.

And that there were only fifty of them there.

‘The other fifty must be staying in their rooms or out and about. Unfortunate.’

Done with scouting the competition, Reivan directed his gaze over to a small sign at the table. Inscribed on it were a few rules to follow while in the Mess Hall, as well as how to order food.

‘Might as well get something to eat.’

Reivan took out his key and followed the instructions, placing the key on the table.

A moment later, a plaque sprouted up from the metallic table, a list of food carved on it with glowing ink — a menu, he mused. Reivan then proceeded to tap his key against a few of the selections before putting it back in his pocket.

After a few moments, a humanoid golem appeared from the teleportation pad, marching toward Reivan’s table with a tray. It then wordlessly laid the tray across his table and walked back to the pad, disappearing right afterward.

‘Neat.’

Reivan looked down at the food and found that it was exactly what he’d ordered. It seemed that each battlemage could order up to three meals a day and eat them at any time they wanted. They could even eat all three meals one after another.

There were a few more details and rules to follow, but that was apparently how it worked in the Mess Hall.

“Hey there, friend. Haven’t seen you around here.”

Reivan looked to the side to find a smiling male youth with swept-back brown hair and striking blue eyes.

‘Guess I’ll act a little friendly… It’s what Clover would have done after being warned about his sociability, after all.’

“Yeah.” He nodded with a light smile. “I just got here a few minutes ago.”

“You seem to have figured things out already though.”

“The instructions were pretty clear, so I didn't have to think too much.”

“Guess, that’s true.” The youth sat down the seat to Reivan’s right and held out a hand. “I’m Aldimir, by the way. Don't mind my last name. Oh, and I’m the guy at Room #098.”

“Clover.” Reivan took the youth’s hand and grasped it firmly. “I’m right next to you. Room #099.”

“Figures. I’ve already met the guy in Room #097.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. Big as a carriage, that one. Almost ran me over too.” Aldimir snickered at his own joke. “Anyway, nice to meet you, Clover.”

Reivan nodded. “Same. It’s nice to meet you too, Aldimir.”

“Now that you’re here, I guess we’re just waiting for the one in Room #100.”

“Not really.” Reivan shook his head and picked up the mug of mead he’d ordered. “They’re already here.”

“Is that right?” Aldimir raised a brow. “How’d you know?”

“I came with her.”

“I see… So it’s a woman, huh?”

“Yes.”

Aldimir hummed in thought for a moment before he leaned into Reivan and smirked. “Is she hot?”

Reivan’s mug froze on its way to his lips. “What?”

“Like, you saw her, right? C’mon, I need some details. Is she attractive? Does she have big tits? A big ass? That’s what I want to know.”

“Uh…” Reivan thought about it for a bit and eventually nodded. “I guess you can say she’s attractive…?”

Even though she was somewhat annoying, Maya was indeed attractive by conventional standards. He couldn’t deny that from her, at least.

“Nice… What about, y'know.” Aldimir mimed something round and heavy in front of his chest. "Her baby feeders."

'Baby feeders. What the fuck did I just hear... I mean, it's true, but still.'

Today was a bad day to have ears it seemed, but Reivan still humored his newest acquaintance. "They're pretty average, I think? Maybe a little below that..."

"What about her ass? She's gotta have some, right?"

"It's great."

"Nice." Aldimir snickered and playfully punched Reivan's arm. "Thanks for the info, man. You're a cool guy."

Reivan looked at the spot the youth punched, suddenly thinking of Hector. These were the types of stupid, lecherous, and ultimately pointless conversations he would have liked to share with his best friend. Instead, they were nations apart as he pretended to be someone he wasn't. Nostalgia and a desire to go home hit him like a truck but he tried to put it out of his mind for now.

Aizen's spies were away from their loved ones for decades, and sometimes, they never even got to step back into their homeland's soil. What kind of prince would he be if he couldn't deal with his homesickness?

Reivan wouldn't be able to live through the shame and self-disgust.

'It's only been a month... Damn.'

Aldimir nudged Reivan's arm as he looked around. “Oh, wait. I think I see her… She’s the only pretty face I don’t recognize.”

Pulled out of his thoughts, Reivan followed his gaze and confirmed that the youth had indeed found Maya, who was getting along really well with a group of attractive young women. “I guess you’ve been scouting, huh.”

“You bet I have.” Aldimir nudged Reivan with his elbow, a boyish smirk on his face. “Man, she’s definitely a looker. Best one I’ve seen since I got here a few days ago. Not that I've seen everyone, of course."

“Right...” Reivan answered noncommittally as he started devouring his food.

‘Teenagers.’

Perhaps it was typical of most men this age to have nothing but women on their minds. But Reivan had expected a little more from the select few people who passed the Spirit Tower’s hellish entrance exam. He tried to be understanding though, citing how fooling around with women may have been the youth's way of dealing with exam stress.

‘Well, not like I can say anything here.’

Reivan had gone and lost his virginity very early. And right after that, he enjoyed relations with numerous women, all of whom would make a lecher like Aldimir drool.

‘Yep. I really don’t have much to stand on in this argument. I am a horny bastard. Yes, I am.’

Now wasn’t the time to let his crotch do all the thinking though. He was in the heart of enemy territory, surrounded by enemies. In this place, sex was just another way to act like a normal guy with normal motivations — a tool to get what he truly wanted.

“Hey, hey.” Aldimir suddenly interrupted him from his meal, pointing at something. “I think she noticed me looking at her.”

“Oh yeah?” Reivan resisted the urge to roll his eyes and focused on his food. He was quite hungry, after all.

“Hey, you think I have a chance?”

“Uh…”

Reivan stopped chewing and took a moment to consider, glancing at Aldimir’s physique. Though Reivan didn’t know much about Maya, one thing he was sure about was her preferences toward her partner’s body.

Basically, she liked men with a bit of muscle.

In fact, she seemed to place so much importance on it that no matter how excellent a man was in every other field, Maya wouldn’t give them the time of day if they weren’t buff enough.

‘I don’t think it’ll work…’

Aldimir was actually quite handsome. And he wasn’t skin and bones either. But Reivan doubted whether the youth could even lift a sandbag.

‘Eh. Well, maybe I’m too harsh? Most adults can at least lift one, right…?’

Honestly, he wasn’t sure anymore. But in any case, Aldimir definitely lacked the rugged muscles that Maya seemed to prefer so much.

“We won’t know until you try.” Reivan tried to phrase it positively, not wanting to shut the guy down immediately. For all he knew, Aldimir could have godly levels of charisma when it came to chasing women.

As such, he decided to be supportive.

“Alright, alright…” Aldimir eyed Maya from afar and nodded before turning back to Reivan. “Oh, you don’t mind, right? I don't wanna step in if she's taken.”

“Be my guest.”

“Great. Wish me luck, brother.” Aldimir stood up shakily and fixed his shirt’s collar — which, Reivan just realized, was of immensely high quality.

‘A rich kid, huh?’

Reivan looked at the guy’s status again, focusing on the last name to see if he could recognize it. He had looked at everyone already, but with the volume of people to check, he had only looked at their Might, Affinities, Age, and Special Abilities — everything else was irrelevant.

‘Let’s see here… Aldimir… Adamantes… Hm? Adamantes?’

Eyes slightly wide, Reivan checked again just to make sure. The name was still “Aldimir Adamantes” though.

‘What the hell? This guy’s from the Star of Fortune… And from the main clan, too.’

Of course, just having the last name didn’t mean that he was anyone important. The current chairman had dozens of children, and those children could obviously have dozens of children too.

At the very least, Aldimir wasn’t Kalman’s — the 34th son of the chairman and the Star’s most likely heir’s — progeny. Reivan had memorized everyone important to the future head of the gigantic conglomerate.

That alone was enough to calm Reivan’s thoughts.

‘He’s a nobody.’

Aldimir Adamantes wasn’t a person Reivan had to pay particular attention to. But there wasn't any harm in forming a connection if it wasn’t too inconvenient.

Reivan finished his meal and talked to Aldimir about a few things, stating how unfamiliar he was with Vel Ayala.

The youth was all too happy to divulge his knowledge, seemingly in love with the sound of his own voice. He even pointed out a few seedy shops in the city that offered excellent services despite Reivan saying he wasn't interested.

After dozens of minutes, it was obvious that they had hit it off.

That said, Reivan wasn’t doing much. Men generally weren't too selective of friends, so all he had to do was react normally to whatever Aldimir said. And the youth seemed satisfied enough from their interaction to invite Reivan out — not on a date, but rather, to show him around Vel Ayala when they both had time.

A guy's night out, apparently.

It was obvious what the lecherous youth had in mind and Reivan wasn't too enthusiastic about it.

“Man, I’m glad I finally get to talk to someone around here.” Aldimir sighed.

“Didn’t you say you got here a few days ago? There are a lot of people to talk to here, no?”

“They’ve already formed their little cliques before I even got here so it feels a bit awkward to just butt in, y’know?”

“Ah…” Reivan scanned the Mess Hall and somewhat nodded. “Yeah. I get what you mean.”

“Well, not all the people in our batch are here, apparently. A bunch of them probably have houses in Vel Ayala and just went back there after laying claim to a room. Then they’ll just come back the day before the ceremony — at least, that’s what I would do if I was part of some magus clan.”

“Right.”

The Four High Magus families and dozens of other rising sorcerer clans were all based in Vel Ayala's Upper City, so it was a bit pointless to have members of their clans live in the tower when their actual houses were so close by. Especially when the semester hadn't officially started yet.

“Anyway…” Aldimir slowly stood up, his eyes trained on Maya and the group of girls around her. “I think I’m gonna go shoot my shot.”

“Uh… Are you sure? There are a lot of them over there… Didn’t you just say approaching groups was intimidating?”

“It’s fine. I’m more comfortable approaching girls, anyway. Worst case, the new girl rejects me and I go for the other girls instead. Pity points, y'know?”

Reivan shrugged, not particularly agreeing with his plan. “Good luck, then.”

“Yep. If I’m lucky I’ll introduce you to some easy ones afterward. Maybe we can even... y'know. Team up. Heh.”

‘No thanks, I’m good.’

Reivan downed the rest of his drink and watched Aldimir heroically approach a table full of attractive young women, thinking that it would be interesting.

Aldimir’s adventure started out pretty well, and he seemed to chat amiably with every girl at the table. There was laughter and everyone seemed to be getting along. But eventually, Maya stood up and said goodbye to everyone, heading for Reivan and leaving Aldimir with a complicated expression.

‘Guess he blew it. Unlucky.’

“Hey, Clover. Finished eating?” she asked, taking a seat right next to him.

“Do you see any food on the table?”

“I mean, you can always order more, right?”

Reivan thought for a bit but couldn’t offer a rebuttal. “I guess you’re right.”

“Yep. I’m slowly getting used to dealing with your crappy personality.”

“You have a crappy personality too.”

“Anyway.” Maya clapped her hands, her smile suddenly falling off. “The guy you were sitting next to earlier just suddenly tried to talk me up. Know anything about that?”

“I told him to go for it,” he admitted instantly.

“I knew it.” Maya sighed at him. “You know what type of guys I like so why would you do that? At least find me some hunks.”

Reivan shrugged. “Who knows, maybe he had a good personality that you might like.”

“My eyes need to be satisfied first, okay? I have standards.”

“Standards that let you fuck a guy a few hours after meeting?”

“Yes. If they look good enough and don't smell.” Maya unabashedly admitted. “I don’t like how you phrase it so negatively though. I just like men with a bit of muscle on them. What’s so bad about it? It’s the same with guys who only like women with huge tits or a big butt. I bet any guy here would jump at the chance to do it with a hot chick, no strings attached.”

“Hey, if you took offense from what I said, that’s your problem.”

“You’re such an ass…”

“Bitch.”

“Anyway.” Maya grabbed his thigh under the table, making his shoulders jump a little. “Let’s head to your room to work off what we just ate.”

Reivan grimaced. “I’m not really in the mood.”

“After what you did to me on the way here, I don’t care whether you’re in the mood or not. You owe me for all the suffering I went through.”

“You started that shit though.”

Maya completely ignored the fact that she did, indeed, start it. “Don’t wait for me to make a scene here.”

“Do your worst.” Reivan sneered.

A few moments passed in silence as they stared into each other’s eyes, each one intent on getting their way.

“Alright. Fine.” Maya got up, smirked, and suddenly sat on Reivan’s lap. “Clover, was last night nothing to you!?”

Reivan blanched, looking around to see that he had the entire Mess Hall’s attention. He absolutely did not want so much attention on him. As a spy, what he wanted most was to stay low-key.

‘This crazy bitch…’

When he dared her to do her worst, he actually didn’t think she would go ahead and do anything. But it seemed he underestimated the thickness of Maya’s face.

Reivan heaved the deepest sigh he had ever released in his life as he nodded. “Fine, just shut up. Let’s talk somewhere else.”

“Really? You’ll stop playing hard to get, right? I know you like it.”

“Whatever. Get off me so I can stand.”

“Okay!”

Maya hopped off him and waited for him, bouncing on her heels. The happy smile on her face would have looked cute if she hadn’t just coerced him into doing what she wanted.

Reivan caught a glimpse of Aldimir from the corner of his vision and thought the youth would hold bitter feelings after seeing what just happened.

But who would have thought Aldimir would raise two thumbs up instead? He was even nodding with an admiring gaze and mouthed the words “Nice work, man!” at Reivan.

‘I guess his attitude isn't trash, at least.’

Maya wrapped her arm around his and waved at the table of young women she was talking to earlier. Then she pulled Reivan toward the hallway where their rooms were.

════════════════════════════════

The two days of waiting at the tower quickly passed.

When Maya wasn’t bugging him, Reivan found himself spending quite a lot of time with Aldimir. The guy was a fountain of knowledge about Vel Ayala, since apparently, he had been to the place on numerous occasions and even stayed in the city for an extended duration a year ago. Reivan had to filter out all the useless tidbits about sex workers and which girls provided the best experience, though. Aldimir was also prone to losing focus when an attractive woman was nearby.

Still, Reivan learned a lot just from picking Aldimir's head.

Also worthy of note was how the Mess Hall received an influx of visitors the night before the supposed ceremony.

Gong! Gong! Gong…!

Just as the sun began to rise, a bell’s deep ringing reverberated throughout the entire floor, penetrating walls and doors to wake up anyone who wasn’t already awake.

‘It’s time, I guess.’

Reivan, of course, was already awake and dressed properly. Just to make sure he would be in good condition even if the ceremony occurred at the crack of dawn, he had kicked the very disgruntled Maya out of his room last night. He had even gone against his daily routine by not exercising at all.

“Good morning to our new brothers and sisters.”

“Hm?” Reivan raised a brow as he stood in front of a full-length mirror, fixing his appearance.

The experience of having some mysterious man’s voice fill his room was certainly strange, though not very unexpected given where he was.

“Gather in the Mess Hall for the initiation ceremony within thirty minutes. Do not be late. Or today will be your last day here.”

‘We've got a spicy one, huh?’

Being used to such instructors, Reivan smirked involuntarily. He didn’t want to admit it, but he kind of missed the old bald bastard that helped him become an infinitely better version of himself.

Missing the man wasn't the same as wanting to see him though.

‘Anyway. I’m already dressed and ready to go, so I might as well head there.’

Reivan smoothed out his prized black coat and left his quarters. No noises were coming from the rooms adjacent to him, and from his impression of them, Maya and Aldimir were the type of people who would sleep for as much as they could.

Meaning they likely weren’t already up when the bell rang.

Before he left for the Mess Hall, he banged on each of their doors to rouse them awake, mentioning how he was heading to the Mess Hall first.

On the way there, he could already hear distant chatter, confirming that he wasn’t the only one who woke up early in anticipation of what was to come. Reivan scanned the hall and estimated that about thirty people were already there, each doing their own thing.

Some were even eating — an act that Reivan decided to replicate. He didn’t know what the ceremony entailed, but having some food in his stomach wouldn’t be bad.

Reivan chose an empty table and quickly ordered a meal. He’d done it a number of times over the past two days and had grown accustomed to it, though his refined palate didn’t think too highly of what was served.

‘Now’s a good time to scout them out. I’ve never seen most of these people.’

While waiting for his food and even while he was eating it, Reivan took a peek at everyone’s information through [Supreme Insight] one by one, freezing when he noticed a certain someone.

It was an absolutely gorgeous young woman with a striking pair of bright red eyes and a crown of shoulder-length crimson hair framing her pale white face — looking not unlike one's mental picture of a vampire princess. Her beautiful features were marred by an incredibly unkind expression, but Reivan knew that she looked like that by default when she wasn’t paying attention.

In the words of his past world, the young lady just had a bitchy resting face — a quality she was both aware of and annoyed at.

‘What the fuck is she doing here…?’

Reivan frowned and looked at her information one more time just to be sure.

═══════════════════

Name: Inaria Netral
Species: Human
Realm: Mortal
Age: 18
Sex: Female
Might: 9

Elemental Affinities: [Fire]

Favor: (Indifference) 0 / 100

Threat Level: SSS+

═══════════════════

‘Yep. My eyes aren’t busted. It’s really her…’

Inaria Netral.

Severan Netral’s youngest daughter.

In other words, she was the youngest daughter of the Magitechnocratic Republic of Arkhan's president.

She was also not supposed to be here, as far as he was aware.

‘I knew she was enrolled in the curriculum but… she didn’t tell me she was good enough to try for the tower.’

The girl in question was calmly seated on her lonesome, poring over a grimoire. A plateful of bread and a mug of hot tea lay neglected beside the thick tome.

Reivan’s shock quickly turned into delight though. With Inaria here, he had secured yet another card to play if things ever went wrong for him.

After all, when Reivan researched how the Favor stat worked, Inaria was one of the subjects he focused on the most. She was one of the subjects whose romantic feelings for him reached a rating of 94 — which was high enough for her to agree to just about anything he asked of her.

Even betray her own father.

Arc#4 Chapter 33: Vel Ayala

════════════════════════════════

Top 10 Places To Visit at least once in your life!

With the introduction and price stabilization of train tickets, inter-city travel has become much more accessible for middle-class citizens — and safe, too!

Be it for professional reasons, taking a vacation with your family, or seeking a fresh start anywhere other than the town you were born in, it can be a bit intimidating to be faced with the choice of just where to go once you realize how big our great nation is.

Not to worry though, because I'm here to make those questions go away!

My name is Jairon Silvenne, and I fashion myself as somewhat of an adventurer.

I have made it my purpose in life to reach every corner of our world before I die. After all, it is a great pity for a man to grow old and die without knowing of everything the world has to offer.

And I don't want to regret anything!

Now, why does that matter, you ask?

Because before I even started writing this book, I had already explored every single place in Arkhan! (Barring private places, of course.)

And I am now offering that knowledge to you through this book.

In any case, before I get to my personal top 10, I believe it's only right to get a certain place out of the way first.

A place that this list is unworthy of. A place that would obviously take first place!

Vel Ayala.

The city of sorcerers, by sorcerers, for sorcerers.

The origin of magic itself.

A place where dreams can become a reality through power.

Back in the old days, just getting there was a grueling journey that stood as a test of one's determination. But now, one can reach it from just about anywhere in Arkhan through a series of questionably expensive train rides — or just one express train that would put most middle-class households into debt.

Solving things with money is a luxury, of course. But even this luxury was nonexistent in the days of old. One had to risk their very life just to reach the city’s walls.

Does that matter now? Maybe. Maybe not.

Much has changed between the first time I laid eyes on that gorgeous city and my most recent visit, but some things never change.

The Spirit Tower is still massive.

And there are still four incredibly large floating islands tethered to that gargantuan structure.

Yes.

For those who have never heard of the wonders of Vel Ayala, let me clarify it now. You did not read that sentence over there incorrectly!

Vel Ayala is a multi-layered city!

The largest layer is obviously the one at the very bottom — The Lower City — where most of the city's inhabitants reside. Just from size alone, it could fit all four of the floating islands on its surface. Massive stone walls, with history itself carved into their aged surface, serve to fence off the city from the outside world. Though it was questionable if there was anyone or anything foolish enough to lay siege to a city of powerful mages.

Different from the stories of past eras, The Lower City's buildings gradually started getting taller and taller, as if they were reaching for the Upper Cities.

The Upper Cities? What's that, you ask?

Well, let me tell you!

A few hundred leagues above the ground were those four flat rocks the size of an ordinary town, floating precariously above the highly populated Lower City. Hicks from the boonies might think that living in Vel Ayala was dangerous because there was a risk of the Upper City crushing a significant portion of the Lower City.

But they would be fools to think so!

After all, unlike the gradual increase in the Lower City building heights, Vel Ayala's Upper City has existed for more than a thousand years!

Much more than any of our puny lives. It's certainly lasted more than my marriage, of that, I'm sure.

Now, here is where I'll apologize — for I have never actually been to the Upper City.

After all, only battlemages and their families are allowed to reside or do business there. And I'm no battlemage.

An exception is made for members of the Four High Magus Families of Barial, Demoscene, Morvala, and Sentel. But sadly, I'm not part of those bloodlines either. As far as I'm aware, at least. But who knows… maybe I am?

In any case, even without access to the Upper City, the Lower City still offers a lot to see, even for the common man. Don't be discouraged.

High-quality magic items sold on the streets like common trinkets, human-like dolls moving around to obey some busy sorcerer's bidding, and the Spirit Fountain in the central plaza are all perfectly good sights to see at least once in your life.

Vel Ayala is magic itself.

Just laying eyes on the city from afar would be worth the trip, as it would provide an amazing glimpse of what the future of Arkhan could be. Just imagine, perhaps a hundred or a thousand years from now, all cities in the republic would be multi-layered just like Vel Ayala.

It gives me goosebumps. I wish I could see it. But alas, life is too short.

For all its wonders, the prices in Vel Ayala aren't for everybody.

Be warned. Be ready. And be rich.

With that out of the way, let us move on to the true list. And don't worry, most of these don't need you to sell your house to see. Whether you’re searching for a destination for your vacation or a place to settle down in, I swear you can afford these!

— Jairon Silvenne

The Man Who Will Explore The World

One place at a time...

════════════════════════════════

Reivan briefly recalled the prologue of an Arkhanian travel book he’d read a few months ago. It was written by an author who, unfortunately, died in a monster attack on his way to imperial lands.

‘Well, he wasn’t lying when he said that the city was magic itself.’

The ridiculously oversized tower with a height that probably exceeded a kilometer was strange enough, but the four floating islands made it apparent that you weren’t headed anywhere ordinary. And Reivan hadn't even entered the city yet.

One thing the book failed to mention was what tethered the islands to the tower. Now that Reivan could see it in person though, he confirmed that they were actually chains — extremely massive chains that glowed with an ethereal blue light, to be exact.

‘Oh, wait a minute. I think those are runes.’

Reivan squinted, but even he couldn’t see it clearly. Still, he was quite sure that there were luminescent runes carved all over those gargantuan chains.

‘Gravity doesn’t seem to be affecting the island… And from how taut those chains are, it seems the islands actually want to fly up and away from the tower… Interesting. Wonder what would happen if I... free them.’

Aizen had never had a trustworthy source divulge information about Vel Ayala. And with the Sage King there, it was far too risky to send any scouts too close to the city. That was why Reivan would be the first Aizenian to ever step foot into Arkhan’s most important city.

Obviously, Reivan wanted to take in as much information as he could.

“Hey, Clover. Stop gawking at everything.” Maya grabbed his arm and forcefully pulled him toward a nearby carriage. “We’re wasting time!”

Reivan pulled his hand away and walked toward the carriage himself. “There’s no need to rush when we're already here.”

“There’ll be plenty of time to look around after we settle into whatever lodgings we’re going to be provided, no?”

“... I guess you’re right.”

With that, Reivan and Maya approached a smaller carriage pulled by only one horse. It didn’t have a roof, but Reivan actually preferred that since it offered him a much better view of his surroundings.

“Good morning!” Maya energetically stepped up to an elderly gentleman who was obviously the carriage’s driver. “We’d like a ride. Is that okay?”

“Certainly. Hop aboard.” The driver smiled warmly at Maya and nodded toward Reivan, who was right beside her. “I can only take you to the city edge though. Unless you’re tower entrants, of course.”

Reivan raised a brow. “What if we are?”

“If you are, then I’m to drive you all the way to the tower. You’ll have to show me some papers though.”

Since Reivan didn’t have his anymore, Maya took hers out and showed it to the driver, who then nodded. “Looks real. Alright, to the tower then, you two. All free of charge, of course.”

Reivan wanted to ask why he wasn’t being asked for his papers, but chose to silently board the carriage right after Maya instead.

After the crisp snap of a horsewhip, the carriage took off.

“The wind feels nice~” Maya closed her eyes and tilted her head back, her flowing brown locks trailing behind her.

Reivan grunted in affirmation as his eyes roamed the vicinity.

‘The area looks newly cleared… There must have been a forest here a week or two ago. What'd they do with all the wood and rocks...?’

The trees and land around the city were cleared and flattened, probably to help with visibility and whatnot. Or perhaps in preparation for expansion.

‘Probably expansion. Contrary to normal cities, the Lower City actually can’t expand upward infinitely.’

Aizen was in a similar situation — their buildings were gradually getting taller to accommodate more people. They even dug underground to build subterranean cities with future population growth in mind.

‘This is a city of mages though. So if there’s a need for expansion…’

That meant Vel Ayala’s sorcerer population was ballooning. This was obviously not good for Aizen, who treated Arkhan as a potential enemy in the future.

‘Perhaps I can help thin it out while I’m here.’

Reivan rested his elbow on the carriage’s side, looking up when the driver called out to them.

“I hope you don’t mind me asking, but are you two kids a couple?”

Maya giggled, throwing Reivan a side glance. “Well, Clover. Are we?”

“No,” Reivan answered without much thought. “We just met a few days ago and coincidentally had the same destination.”

“Oh… I see. Sorry for misunderstanding.” The driver didn’t seem to have expected the answer, turning his attention back to the front in silence.

Maya seemed happy for some reason though. She brought her face to his shoulder and whispered into his ears. “I can’t believe you can just say it so easily.”

“It’s the truth though.”

“You’re so cruel… So you feel nothing after having your way with me so much?”

Reivan frowned and checked to see if the driver heard before replying. “You make it sound as if I started it.”

“And you make it sound like you didn’t enjoy it. That kinda pisses me off.”

“Whether that pisses you off or not isn’t my problem.” Reivan snorted and turned away from her. He tried to see what kind of security measures Vel Ayala had along its walls.

Just a cursory look already told him there were hundreds of offensive and detective enchantments all over the walls. Maybe he could spot some other things mixed in if he looked more closely.

His plans were ruined, however. He grimaced and turned to his right, toward Maya. “What’re you doing?”

“Hm?” Maya smirked and turned her face away from him, her hand still massaging his thigh. “Just admiring the scenery. Not much of it to speak of though.”

“Oh, about that.” The friendly driver seemed to take this as a chance to show off his knowledge as a local. Thankfully, he didn’t turn around and just talked as he drove forward. “There used to be some trees and small ponds all over the place here, but they all got cleared out a few months ago. A shame, really. The view was beautiful, I tell ya.”

“Is that so?” Maya sounded interested but she had a big dirty smirk on her face as her hand steadily got closer to Reivan’s crotch.

‘This woman is really…’

She was the bane of public transportation, it seemed.

Unlike in the train where it was too embarrassing to retaliate, however, there was actually less of a chance to be discovered now. They weren’t in the city yet so nobody could view them from above. And the carriage’s sides were high enough to cover up to their shoulders.

‘Two can play at this game.’

Reivan ignored her hand and pressed his palm against her inner thigh.

“Ee!” Maya squealed in surprise, not having expected his revenge. She was wearing a long skirt today, and Reivan had hiked it up to get to her bare legs, exposing quite a lot of it to the open air.

At the very least, the driver would be blessed with quite a sight if he looked back.

“Something wrong back there?” The elderly man asked, still not turning around. He seemed to be squinting at something in the distant wall.

“Nothing, sir,” Reivan answered for them both. “Some kind of bug just flew by and she was surprised.”

“Oh. Yeah, that happens. Don’t worry though, bugs are a thing of the past when you enter Vel Ayala. Same with the blasted cold that never seems to go away. You two will love it.”

“I’m sure we will…” Reivan chuckled and then threw a glance at Maya, whose face had reddened like a tomato.

‘She must be the type with little resistance to being surprised.’

Somewhat similar to Helen, she was in her element when she had the initiative but found it hard to get that initiative back once lost.

‘Well, Helen doesn’t really lose the initiative as easily though…’

Reivan was thinking of Helen’s combat techniques, but when he gave it some thought, it actually applied to a lot more. Sadly, thinking about her made him miss their time together too much, so he forcefully stopped his thoughts.

They would see each other again. Just not now.

“Clover… stop…” Maya whispered, grabbing his arm with both hands and desperately trying to get it out from in between her legs but he wouldn’t budge. “He’ll see…”

“By the way, sir.” Reivan ignored her wishes and continued, pulling her underwear aside and pushing a few fingers in — all as he acted like nothing was happening. “I heard everything is really expensive here.”

“You heard right.” The driver chuckled and shook his head. “You won’t have much trouble since food and lodging are provided for battlemages. But even with your salaries, you’d still go broke if you don’t watch your spending. Be careful, you hear?”

“Thank you for the advice, sir. I’ll take it to heart.”

Reivan continued to take revenge on Maya as he talked to the driver about this or that, steadily painting a more detailed picture of Vel Ayala’s internal affairs. He only stopped punishing her when they reached the gate, though, by that time, his hand was thoroughly soaked.

Maya didn’t trouble him for the rest of the trip.

════════════════════════════════

The hour-long ride from the walls to the tower wasn’t of much interest to Reivan since he surprisingly didn’t discover anything he didn’t already know.

Just a few points of curiosity were the absurd number of robed individuals walking through the streets and the humanoid golems that were mixed in with them.

Different from the Arkhanian war golems the republic used in place of foot soldiers, the golems prevalent in Vel Ayala weren't the size of a small house, but mimicked an ordinary person’s proportions. Their purpose seemed to just serve as gophers for their sorcerers, dutifully fulfilling menial tasks like carrying packages too large to fit through lower-class spatial storage artifacts.

Reivan wondered how they worked, because war golems usually had large mana reservoirs strapped to their back to function for at least a full day. But these smaller types didn’t have anything similar on them, which led to Reivan assuming that they somehow fit an energy source inside the golems themselves.

But then, that would make those mana reservoirs incredibly small, and therefore, not carry much power. Their numbers were also a bit ridiculous, giving Reivan the impression they were incredibly accessible despite their utility.

And if they were so easy to procure, why weren't they used more in other cities? This was the first time he was seeing them, after all.

‘Tons of questions. Hopefully, they'll be answered as I spend time here.’

As for the scenery, Reivan could barely see anything because of how tall the surrounding buildings were. If that wasn’t enough, the looming Upper City cast a dark shadow that made the dull gray buildings even more… dull.

‘Man, can’t they… I dunno, color it up a little? Or is this a cultural thing? Do they think making all their buildings the same color is cool?’

Reivan didn’t know and it wasn’t really his place to push the idea forward. He was, after all, a spy — an illegal alien. It wasn’t his job to beautify Arkhan.

“Here we are.” The driver announced after deftly stopping the carriage close to the base of the Spirit Tower. “We’ve arrived, you two.”

“Thank you, sir.” Reivan thanked the elderly gentleman. He would have liked to extend a modest tip for the excellent service but his identity as a miser prevented him from doing so. So he just popped the carriage door open and hopped off.

‘The Spirit Tower…’

Reivan craned his neck upward, marveling at the towering building.

‘Heh. Puns…’

It wasn’t a very funny pun, but Reivan still smiled, trying to release as much of his nervousness as possible. In just a few moments, he would be strolling right into a foreign force’s main base, a place with no true allies inside.

Only enemies.

‘There surprisingly aren’t a lot of people around it…’

He thought the Spirit Tower would be something like a tourist attraction, but that didn’t seem to be the case. There was a space similar to a park around the base of the structure, and the carriage had dropped them off just outside that park.

From a distance, Reivan could clearly see two massive war golems that looked like statues of an armored man with a crab’s lower body.

There were two very menacing cannons on each of their shoulders too.

Reivan licked his lips and finally took his first step toward the park-like space’s entrance — only to be stopped when someone grabbed his shoulder from behind.

“W-wait for me, you bastard…” Maya rasped, short of breath from chasing after him. Her cheeks were still flushed from Reivan’s teasing.

The teasing he had continued after passing through the gates despite the risk someone might see them from above.

“Walk faster so I don’t have to wait.” Reivan sneered and looked down to her knees, which were still a bit shaky.

‘Kids.’

No matter how experienced Maya was, how could she compare to Reivan, who earnestly learned how to pleasure his women? He even had the knowledge of a different world and numerous opportunities to practice with different people.

“I don’t like the look on your face…” Maya frowned at him but still straightened up and tried to catch her breath. “Let’s go, then.”

Reivan rolled his eyes and led the way toward the entrance, stopping when something suddenly shot up from the ground.

“Ah!” Maya exclaimed in surprise, almost falling on her ass while Reivan calmly inspected the creature.

‘It’s a worm. A Bobbit Worm, to be exact. And it looks disgusting…’

Reivan tried very hard not to grimace at all the mandibles squirming around the worm’s mouth. He couldn’t tell how long it was either since most of its segmented body was still underground, but he did know that the worm was a spirit beast.

“Ahaha!” A light chuckle sounded from somewhere above them, directing their attention toward a youthful battlemage with a bald head. “Sorry about that. Just a bit of hazing, if you will! One of you wasn’t surprised at all though.”

“I merely froze in fear.” Reivan smiled and extended a hand as the battlemage descended to the ground. “Good morning. My name is Clover Salwyn. We seek entrance to the tower and hope we aren’t too late.”

“Yes, good morning, Brother Salwyn.” The man took the hand and shook it, though he didn’t offer a name. “Don’t worry, I don’t need identification from you since I’ve been told about your situation. Rough trip, I must say. You may pass.”

“Thank you.”

“As for Sister Hardeling, she can naturally pass as well. I know she has her papers and I’ve been watching you from the moment you got off the train.”

“W-what…?” Maya blanched.

The man laughed even louder. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone about your mischief. Those kinds of acts aren’t all that uncommon here, but try to keep it private most of the time. And if you ever end up in the same squad, just make sure whatever drama you have with each other doesn’t affect the team dynamic.”

“Yes, Brother.” Reivan nodded solemnly.

Maya threw an annoyed glance at Reivan before nodding. “Yes…”

“Good!” The man smiled and stood out of the way. His ridiculously menacing spirit beast also disappeared, magically repairing the ground it had upheaved in its appearance. “Just walk right up to those two big golems and you’re good to go!”

“Thank you.”

“The entrance ceremony isn’t until two days from now, so take the time to rest up. You’ll need it.”

Reivan nodded and strode deeper in, paying special attention to the man’s words and their implications.

‘Whatever the Spirit Tower does to get spirit beast contracts for all their battlemages, I’ll likely see it then.’

It would also mark the end of the grace period for oath-takers. Meaning the tower would probably lose most of their suspicion, if any, toward Clover afterward. At the very least, they would stop assigning people to tail him.

This would then give Reivan much more freedom to move around and maybe take a trip back to the embassy at Arkhana. There were plenty of people worried about him, after all, and he wanted them to know he was doing fine.

Also, he just really missed his fiancees.

Spending time with some random girl whom he felt nothing for just made him miss them even more, actually.

‘Just a bit more, Reivan.’

Reivan walked past the pair of six-legged crabman golems guarding the door and headed inside. Surprisingly, the tower itself didn’t have a door, just a massive yawning doorway.

What was even more surprising was how spacious it was inside.

The tower was wide, of course, but not as absurdly wide as how it appeared from the inside. One could fit the Roman Colosseum inside the first floor alone — and the Spirit Tower definitely wasn’t that wide when he looked at it from outside.

‘This is…’

To further confirm his suspicions, Reivan looked back outside and saw only a distorted view of the outside world.

‘Spatial expansion. Typical.’

The Spirit Tower was the Sage King’s domain, after all, according to Aizen's musings over the centuries. Reivan didn’t find it too strange to see spatial anomalies here. After all, there were similar things happening everywhere in the Sword Star’s domain — the Sword Sanctum and the gargantuan mountain it was on. Transcendents were the masters of spatial manipulation. So as the places they were most powerful in, their domains were host to all sorts of weird phenomena.

Still, Reivan acted mutely amazed, keeping up his act as Clover Salwyn. Not everyone had the opportunity to witness such advanced spatial manipulation after all. Especially one that lasted indefinitely.

“What!? It’s so big inside!” Maya didn’t react as quietly as Reivan did, announcing her shock to the few dozen people around her. She quickly regained her senses and cleared her throat, moving to hide behind Reivan. “Anyway, what are we supposed to do now…?”

Luckily, they didn’t need to wait for too long because a young female battlemage with a kind face and a button nose approached them. “Good morning, Brother Salwyn and Sister Hardeling.”

“Good morning, Sister,” Reivan promptly answered.

“Ah, hello…” Maya stepped out of Reivan’s shadow and bowed. “Please call me Maya~ And what can we call you, Sister?”

The battlemage smiled and nodded. “Just call me Brit. And there’s no need to be too nervous, I’m not some instructor or something.”

Maya tilted her head. “You aren’t?”

“Uh-huh. I’ve only been here for a year. Obviously, I haven’t cleared training yet. So relax.”

“I see…” Maya tapped her cheek before breaking into a short fit of giggles. “Did someone throw the work of guiding newbies to you?”

Brit covered her mouth and also laughed, turning around and gesturing for them to follow. “That’s exactly what happened. Well, I kinda like it so I'm not complaining. In any case, I’m here to show you where you’ll be staying. You’re not needed until two days from now, so just relax. Oh, and someone will come get you when it’s time, so don't worry about that either.”

“Thank you, Sister Brit.” Reivan dipped his head slightly and trailed the lady battlemage.

“You can go out and explore if you want. Ah, but you can’t go to the upper floors or the Upper City. Keep your exploration to the first floor and the Lower City, okay?”

“Yes, Sister Brit.” Maya nodded, falling into step beside their senior. “And about these lodgings… Can we only stay in our assigned ones?”

Brit raised a brow but seemed to understand, throwing Reivan a glance. “No. I don’t think such restrictions are in place. As long as nobody’s forcing anyone, of course.”

“Did you hear that, Clover? She said it was okay, so you don’t have to worry.”

“What the f—” Reivan stopped himself before he cursed involuntarily. “Why are you making it sound like—”

“Anyway!” Maya interrupted, smiling as she looked at Brit. “I really like your earrings! Where'd you get it?”

“Really? I just bought them a few days ago to celebrate getting through my first year…”

“They go great with your eyes. I bet guys just line up for you, huh?”

“O-oh, no… Well, I do get asked out from time to time… Probably not as much as you, though.”

Reivan rolled his eyes when the conversation turned to just a mundane exchange of compliments.

Their group eventually arrived at the middle of the first floor, where a circular platform made of some kind of purple rock lay. He’d actually noticed this since a while ago and curiously examined it with [Supreme Insight], discovering that it was a teleportation pad that took people to different floors.

There seemed to be some kind of access key needed though — something he obviously didn’t have.

“Alright. It’s time to give you these.” Brit handed each of them a small iron key with an owl engraved on the bow. “These are your temporary keys. Don’t lose them. And don’t exchange them since each key is tailor-made for each individual. As for how to use them… just having them on your person when you step inside one of these pads is enough.”

“You mean this.” Maya pointed at the purple platform.

“Yes, Maya. This is called a Teleportation Pad. Everybody just calls it a pad for short though. There’s one on every floor and they’re the only way to get from floor to floor in the Tower. They’re also conveniently in the middle of every floor, so you’ll never have trouble finding one.”

Reivan raised a brow and rubbed the owl engraving with his thumb. “How do you specify which floor you want to go to?”

“Good question.” Brit beamed, as if praising him for asking. “It’s simple. You just think about it. And that’s it.”

“I see…”

“Of course, there are restrictions. If you’re not allowed on that floor, then you can’t go there.”

Reivan nodded. “That makes sense. And I’m assuming our keys don’t give us access to many floors?”

Brit giggled. “That’s right. It only gives you access to the floor where new entrants are lodged and this floor. Don’t worry though, your room has just about everything you’ll need, including your own bathroom, kitchen, and dining area. If you’re not much for cooking, or you just want to save money, then there’s a Mess Hall on the same floor. You’re encouraged to socialize with the other entrants there too!”

“I see…” Reivan hummed in thought before asking another question. “By the way, how were these keys made? You said each one is tailor-made for us?”

“I did say that.” Brit seemed to take a moment to gather her thoughts before hesitantly continuing. “I don’t know the specifics, but these keys are made upon taking the oath.”

“...The oath?”

“Yeah. Didn’t a bunch of blood come out of your arm?” Brit mimed something gushing out of her wrist. “I think they keep a drop of that to use for these.”

Reivan tried to keep a straight face as he nodded. “That’s interesting. Thanks for explaining it so well.”

‘Shit. SHIT. Is this going to be a problem?’

The one who had participated in the oathtaking was the real Clover. And although Reivan did transform into Clover, he wasn’t completely sure if being a phony affected whether he could still use the key.

‘Damn, I haven’t even made it to my fucking room!’

Reivan licked his lips and reached inside his soul, waking the drowsy Zouros up so he could retrieve the small silver bell at any time.

Afterward, Brit proceeded to list off a few rules and regulations that, to Reivan, seemed like things a person with sufficient common sense would have followed without being told.

“Well, there you have it!” Brit clapped her hands and gestured toward the purple stone podium. “Please go ahead.”

“Britty, how do we find our rooms?” Maya asked with a bit of doubt. “Can’t you take us there…?”

“I’d love to but I have a job to do here…” Brit scratched her cheek and looked troubled. “Don’t worry though. For the first time, you get teleported right in front of your assigned room."

“Oh, really?”

“Mmhmm. There are numbers on the doors, so just remember those and you’ll be good to go! The floor layout is pretty simple. Nobody’s ever gotten lost, I believe, so don’t worry when you get there. You’ll figure things out.”

Reivan still had a few misgivings but he did agree that the most important questions were already answered. And he was eager to find out if the key made for Clover worked for him too.

So he resolutely stepped into the pad and willed it to activate, ready to take out the bell whenever.

When a bright light flashed, Reivan opened his eyes and smiled when the surroundings he saw were completely different from a second ago.

‘It worked. Thank Sormon…’

The anxiety caused his knees to buckle slightly and he leaned against the door behind him to stay upright.

‘I’m in.’

Reivan maintained a stoic expression, but inside, he was laughing and pumping his fists.

He had just successfully infiltrated the Spirit Tower.

And they were none the wiser.

════════════════════════════════

[Author's Note]

I tried a little something different in this chapter, where I take an excerpt from a book in the story's world and use it to tell how a place is perceived.

I had a bit of trouble trying to format it while being limited by Patreon though. I'm not allowed to center text here and just putting the entire thing in one massive "quote" is kind of cancer.

Sigh.

Anyway, I'll probably go into more detail about the city itself when Reivan explores it. He's just passing through on his way to the tower here, after all.

Thoughts? Hit me!

Arc#4 Chapter 32: Revenge of the Black Rabbits

"Well then, Brother Salwyn. This is where we part ways. Just take the train over there and you're good to go."

"Yes, Brother Garus." Reivan held out his hand and then nodded respectfully toward the other battlemages standing back. "Thank you for your help. And to the others too."

"No problem. Just part of the job." Garus smiled and took the offered handshake. His grip was firm and his demeanor seemed sincere. "Anyway, I'm sorry we can't actually escort you to the tower itself, but we have other matters to attend to, you see."

"There's no need for apologies. You've done enough."

"In any case, with how close we are to Vel Ayala now, the chances of being compromised along the way are slim to none. You have no need to worry."

"I'm glad to hear that."

Garus chuckled then pulled out what seemed to be an envelope. "Oh, and here you go. A gift from yours truly."

Reivan raised a brow, hesitant to take the gift. "What's this for...?"

"New clothes. Yours look a bit worse for wear... I assume it's from jumping off a cliff, getting dragged off to nowhere by a ravine, and then wading through a forest."

"Uhm... I think they were like this even before that..."

"Really?" Garus chuckled then shook his head. "Anyway, just take it. Vel Ayala's still two stops away, so along the way, buy a few shirts and pants to wear underneath the robes you'll be getting. You'll need it. Trust me."

"But... I actually just received some money from the Star of Fortune's people for the inconvenience."

"Oh, that? I know about that. But just take this anyway. More money never hurts, yeah?"

"Well..."

"You're a shy one, huh? C'mon. This is nothing for me! Just take it."

Reivan pretended to hesitate for a few moments before eventually taking the money and nodding. "I'll remember this."

Garus laughed as he turned around, waving goodbye without looking back.

'A sly one.'

Reivan vaguely understood what Garus was doing — it was similar to what Reivan did when he treated Maya to drinks and breakfast.

At the moment, "Clover Salwyn" was still poor. Likely, his terrible financial situation was noted down on his profile, which people tasked to guard him would have access to.

By demonstrating generosity now, they might earn the favor of a potentially skilled battlemage.

And the only thing they would lose was money — a plentiful resource that would degrade in value once "Clover Salwyn" eventually started accumulating it.

‘Hmm… Maybe I’m being too cynical? Am I mentally ruined, I wonder?’

Of course, there was always the possibility that Garus was just that much of a good person. At the very least, Garus had never lied even once during their time together.

But Reivan thought that the gesture being purely made out of kindness was unlikely.

It was one thing to give a penniless person some money to buy new clothes, and another thing entirely to give it to someone who had just received a hefty lump sum earlier that day.

‘Anyway. Free money. Yay.’

Reivan watched the “kind” battlemage and his squad members go before buying a ticket to his next stop. Some people were giving him looks since he was just interacting with half a squad of battlemages — who, in turn, stood out for wearing purple robes in a country where wearing monotone colors was the norm — but Reivan just ignored them all and minded his own business.

After buying the ticket for the next train that would take him closer to Vel Ayala, Reivan lined up and managed to board it without any trouble. It ended up being very full though, but the person sitting next to him didn’t seem keen on talking or feeling him up — which was nice.

By the time night fell and the trains stopped for the day, Reivan was one trip away from the famed city of sorcerers.

════════════════════════════════

“Thank you for your purchase!”

Holding a brand-new briefcase, Reivan walked out of a clothing store wearing a new white shirt, an equally new pair of jet-black slacks, black leather shoes, and a fancy coat that looked to have been woven from a portion of the night sky — complete with stylish golden threads embroidered into the hems.

It wasn’t too gaudy though, which was just the way he liked it.

‘I feel so damned good.’

It wasn’t at the quality where someone would try to sell it to a prince, but the ensemble was still quite good. Reivan had always taken for granted just how lucky he was to wear the best of the best. But having experienced rags, going back to something somewhat decent was a breath of fresh air he never knew he needed.

The clothes one wore truly did affect one’s mental state.

‘It’s a bit out of character for Clover to go for the expensive stuff. But…’

If someone really asked, he’d just say that since Garus gave him money to buy clothes, he felt the need to spend it all on clothes. And if he only bought cheap stuff, he’d be stuck with a huge inventory before he spent every cent.

So “Clover Salwyn” begrudgingly bought some expensive stuff to honor the kind intentions of the battlemage who had helped him.

Reivan smiled as he strolled through the streets, leisurely observing the people passing by. He had asked the employee for inn recommendations and discovered that there was a reasonably priced one just a minute’s walk away from the clothing store.

And it really was only a minute away.

“Welcome!”

Reivan nodded and ducked inside, quickly negotiating for a room. He followed the innkeeper to a nice and cozy bedroom before leaving the briefcase inside. In it was the rest of what he bought at the clothing store inside, in addition to an extra pair of shoes. Obviously though, his wand and all his money stayed with him as he went back down to grab a meal.

As was the case with just about every inn he had visited, it had an attached tavern-slash-restaurant.

And it was here that Reivan unexpectedly ran into an acquaintance.

“Clover?”

“...Maya?”

He stopped on his way to an empty seat at the counter when he saw Maya, who seemed to be sitting with a handsome young man. And right next to them was a somewhat pudgy girl digging into her meal.

Reivan’s eyes then focused on the meal in question.

‘Oh, they have steak… That looks really good...’

Meat dishes were Reivan’s undisputed favorite so the fact that they were offering steak dishes was a significant discovery to him.

Sadly, Clover didn’t like them because they were usually expensive.

‘I don’t care though. I'm having steak. I deserve a break after all that shit.’

“Anyway, bye.” Reivan casually said farewell to his female acquaintance and sat at the counter, immediately hailing the barmaster. “What kinda steaks you got, old man?”

“It’ll cost you. Meat’s been hard to get these days.”

Reivan pulled out a folded bill and slid it across the counter. “This enough?”

“...Yeah.”

“Then answer my question.”

There was a moment of silence between them before the man chuckled and started listing off the meat menu. Reivan couldn’t decide because he actually didn’t know what thirty percent of them were, so he just asked for a recommendation.

“Wait here, boy. I’ll get you your meat with extra meat.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Reivan watched the man head to the kitchen with anticipation, wincing when someone suddenly slammed their hand on his shoulder.

“You’re being way too cold, Clover.” Maya’s grip strengthened as a faulty smile graced her damp lips. “And with all the crap that happened too!”

“You’re alive, aren’t you? I am too. I don’t see the problem. Let’s move on.”

“... I don’t know if I should be in awe or exasperated right now.”

“Whichever you choose, do it over there. With the guy you were sitting with.”

“Oh?” Maya ignored his grouchiness, sitting down on the empty seat next to him. “Are you jealous~? Don’t worry, that was nothing. He was just trying to talk me up and I was thinking of getting a free meal out of him.”

“You’re a horrible person... Mothers warn their sons about girls like you.”

“Hey. That’s harsh... It’s not like I force them to spend their money on me. You’re here now so I let him down easy.”

“Whatever.” Reivan rolled his eyes so far back that he might have actually glimpsed the top of his skull for a moment. “Don’t bother me. I wanna focus on my steak.”

“You’re oddly passionate about this…” Maya raised an eyebrow at him before returning to her usual self. She leaned back a little to get a better look at him and whistled, reaching forward to give his arm a squeeze. “Anyway, I almost didn’t recognize you. You dress up nicely, huh? Yum.”

Thinking that he had some spare time to kill before his meal arrived, Reivan decided to humor the talkative woman for now. But not before heaving a deliberate sigh. “I got a bit lucky. The battlemage who helped me out gave me a handout because my original clothes looked like crap.”

“He was right. You looked like a beggar.”

Reivan actually agreed, but just when he was about to feign offense at her statement, he remembered what Garus said earlier.

Now was the perfect time to confirm some things with someone who stayed behind. “Anyway, did anything happen after I left?”

“Oh! That’s right.” Maya punched her palm in realization and nodded. “Get this, about five minutes after you jumped, there was some kind of commotion. Apparently, someone took a look at the crates? I was there but I didn’t see anything, so I still don’t get what happened.”

“How informative. Then what?”

“Yeah. Well, right after that, the rest of the Custodian Guards showed up to report something to Mr. Valand. Obviously, I couldn’t listen in on what they said.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Afterward…” Maya gulped and bit her lower lip, a furrow in the middle of her brows. “It went dark.”

“... Dark?”

“Yeah. Like, there was black smoke everywhere. Like the stuff that filled the forest, remember?”

“Oh…”

“Then there were some really loud noises. By the time the smoke was gone, just about everyone was dead.”

Reivan’s eyes widened. “Dead? Everyone?”

“Yes. There were… three of those black rabbits inside the cave too. Not alive, of course."

"I assumed so."

"Yeah, and... and they were dead. Everyone… Mr. Valand, the employees, and the guards… even…”

“...I see.” Reivan thought back to the Custodian Guard that helped him and Maya out during the chaos. “That’s unfortunate.”

They both spent a moment in solemn silence, broken only when Reivan’s steak arrived. He ordered some wine too, so he could drink in the dead man’s honor.

Drink in hand, Reivan let about a quarter of it drip down the floor so even the dead could have a drink in the afterlife. Strangely, this was a tradition that both Aizen and Arkhan had.

In both countries, any bar owner would be mad if you accidentally spilled alcohol on the floor but nobody would bat an eye if you did it intentionally.

"To Deni." Reivan raised his cup and downed it all in one go. He immediately felt regret strike him at the same time as the dizziness did, but he endured. "May he rest in peace."

“You lost someone, boy?” the bar owner noticed Reivan’s actions, asking with a gruff tone.

Reivan looked up and nodded. “Yes, sir. Only met them today. But they saved my life.”

“That so?”

The bar owner threw a glance at the equally solemn Maya and nodded. He ducked back into the kitchen for a moment, coming back out with an unopened bottle of wine and an empty mug. After filling the tankard, he proceeded to let the wooden floorboards drink all of its contents before filling it again, this time, downing the alcohol himself.

Noticing him, everyone else in the bar who had a drink in hand let some of it drip down to the floor, raised their mug, and then downed what ale was left inside.

“Everybody. Your drinks are on the house.”

After slamming the opened bottle atop the counter and taking out a new mug for Maya, the barmaster silently went to the kitchen despite nobody ordering anything. And even with the fortunate development of getting free alcohol, nobody cheered or celebrated.

It was clear that everyone was mourning a stranger’s death in their own ways. Or perhaps they were remembering someone they lost too.

“That was nice of him.” Maya smiled and took the bottle, examining it carefully and even taking a whiff of its aroma. “Hey, hey... This is good stuff. Clover, let’s get drunk, yeah? Okay? You'll get drunk with me, right?”

“Sure…” Reivan nodded and looked down to cut up his steak. “But not too much. And I want to eat first.”

“I’m pretty hungry myself.”

“Good thing you’re pretty loaded right now. You won't freeload off me, will you?”

Maya sighed and called out toward the kitchen, ordering a meal of her own.

“Anyway, how’d you live through that” Reivan asked when the bar started to regain its previous drunken atmosphere. “If even the Custodian Guards died, shouldn’t you be dead too? I mean, even the employees died, right?”

Maya shrugged, sipping on her drink. “Beats me. All I know is that I was the only one in there. Even the crates were emptied.”

‘Huh. So that’s what happened.’

It seemed the black rabbits really weren’t all that bad. They prioritized retrieving their kin and only killed the people who were actually guilty. How in the world they knew who was guilty was a giant question mark though.

‘They’re not monsters after all, then.’

There was absolutely no reason to leave Maya alive when everyone else in the cave was dead. Maya would have been unable to resist too, since she had run out of mana and couldn’t even see anything.

That meant the black rabbits purposely spared Maya's life.

Monsters didn’t have morals though, so if that was what the black rabbits based their decision on, then that meant they weren’t monsters at all.

'If that's really the case... then their value does warrant all this commotion.'

It made perfect sense to Reivan why the Star of Fortune wanted the species for themselves. Once domesticated and trained, they could be a good fighting force — similar to Aizen’s huskies. In fact, it might even be a good idea to make a move himself.

And by "making a move himself", Reivan actually meant sending the people at the embassy a message so they could do it instead of him.

“After that…” Maya continued, resting her elbow on the counter. “I was stuck in that cave for a while.”

“What?”

“I mean, the rope somehow got cut… So I had no way up. And there were dead bodies everywhere!”

Reivan nodded. “Must have been hard on you.”

“No kidding. I thought maybe the others had something on them I could use to get back up—”

“Uh-huh. So you looted their corpses?”

“...Yes.” Maya frowned. “But I don’t like how you said that. This was a matter of survival for me!”

“There must’ve been so much money on Mr. Valand’s body. And yet, you were trying to get some random guy to buy you a meal…?”

“Hey, I’m not some evil bitch, Clover. I didn’t take anything I didn’t need.”

“Really…?”

“Of course. I saw the money. But I didn't take any.”

Reivan raised a brow at her, finding no fault in her words. “Okay. I believe you.”

“Oh, thank you for your faith in me, Your Majesty. Anyway, I didn’t find any useful artifacts. Mr. Valand had a lot of spell balls on him, but they weren’t very useful.”

“So how’d you get out?”

“A battlemage squad showed up. They were nice enough to fly me up on their hoverboards.”

'What the fuck, they were so late.'

Had the black rabbit species been a malevolent one, and had Reivan not made the moves that he did, "Clover Salwyn" would have been a corpse by the time the battlemages arrived.

'Sloppy as fuck. How pathetic.'

The worst part about it is that it probably wasn't the battlemages' fault. It was that the information had to be relayed through multiple people, delaying their response. The battlemages couldn't deploy without orders too, so their hands were truly tied by a faulty system that deprived their operatives of independent action.

“That’s what I thought…” Reivan hummed in thought, forming a plausible map of events in his head. “Then they split up and some of them went to search for me?”

“Yep. I told them you jumped off. And a bunch of them praised you. They knew everything we did because they were scrying — their eyes were all lit up and everything!”

‘I’m so glad I didn’t do anything flashy…’

There would have been a bit of a problem if they discovered just how accurate he was with his rifle when it was supposed to be dark. But the way scrying worked, they wouldn’t be able to see much.

Scrying Spells could only show the past from a bird’s eye view, or from the point of view of someone present. Since Reivan wasn’t there to participate in the scrying, the battlemages could only rely on viewing things from above.

There was an exception to the rules though: which was that dead people’s memories could be viewed from their point of view without a problem. And there just happened to be a forest full of dead mercenaries — some of whom were beneficiaries of Reivan’s aid.

Fortunately for Reivan, scrying the past through someone was significantly more demanding than just viewing things from a bird’s eye view. This was even more so when the target was a dead person.

Hence, the likelihood of the battlemages examining every single dead mercenary’s perspective was slim to none. This also meant that Reivan’s accuracy would likely remain undiscovered. At most, the battlemages may have scryed a few of his “lucky” shots. And even if they somehow did examine every single perspective, the dark smog impaired the vision of their subjects so much, the battlemages would barely learn anything damning for him.

The battlemages were also on a time limit since they could only scry up to an hour into the past of a certain area.

‘I should be okay.’

In fact, the fact that the battlemages didn’t say anything about it meant Reivan was already in the clear.

“So that’s what happened…” Reivan sipped on his drink and nodded. “Thanks for telling me.”

“Yeah, sure thing. Now it’s your turn.”

“Eh… I’m kinda tired, actually. I’ll tell you about it tomorrow… Or next week.”

Maya was obviously not letting that answer fly and Reivan didn’t expect her to. So after he finished his lovely steak, he told her a heavily modified — but generally truthful — story of how his travels went.

════════════════════════════════

The next morning, Reivan had clearly drunk too much because the hangover he had was worse than the one he had yesterday. It made him miss his original body so much he wanted to cry.

Luckily, he still didn’t experience any bouts of forgetfulness. But seeing as he woke up right next to a naked Maya, it wouldn’t have taken a genius to deduce what happened after a few drinks were downed.

‘If our genders were reversed, this would look so bad.’

Reivan was almost always drunk when they did it after all.

‘Eh, well… Since I technically consent to it… I guess it’s fine?’

In any case, Reivan’s head felt like it had a crack in it from how much it hurt. He clambered out of bed and found his glasses on the floor, hidden under Maya’s discarded blouse.

As he used a dampened piece of cloth to wipe himself off, Reivan hummed a certain tune. It was a lighthearted one, a tune that one might hum unconsciously as they went about their day.

'Nothing, huh?'

When Valter didn’t show up even after twenty seconds into his little whistling show, Reivan acted as normal. With how close they were to Vel Ayala, Valter likely chose to wait at the predetermined meet-up point.

At this point in time, however, Reivan didn’t know when they would next meet.

‘Valter should be fine on his own.’

There was no point worrying about the thousand-year-old knight. Even when there were all sorts of weird stuff happening regarding the black rabbits and the Star of Fortune, Valter had the adaptability to take care of himself.

In fact, Valter would do better without Reivan’s orders weighing him down.

Even though their initial estimations of the situation were mistaken, Reivan was confident Valter would somehow eke out an outcome that wasn’t the worst one. Perhaps it could even be beneficial for Aizen.

‘I should be more worried about myself, to be honest.’

After Maya woke up, Reivan was coaxed into some morning exercise before they both grabbed a quick breakfast. Afterward, they leisurely strolled to the station, finally boarding the train that would take them to their destination — Vel Ayala, the city where sorcery originated.

From what history recorded, the Sage King asked the past republic for help constructing the tower. Not for free, of course. Arkhan received the Sage King’s wisdom about sorcery and all manner of beneficial items as well.

Naturally, normal people couldn't learn multiple books' worth of information in a short time. Hence, it became hard to learn from the Sage King without a roof over their heads, so people started building a camp around the base of the tower — which was still under construction at the time. Merchants with a good nose for profit saw the opportunity, bearing carts full of whatever the campers needed in their day-to-day lives, be it food, alcohol, ink, paper, spare clothes, or women.

One thing led to another. And soon, a city was born.

A city built for sorcerers, those who wanted to join their ranks, and those who wished to profit from supporting them.

“I’m kind of excited,” Maya muttered quietly, unable to mask her rising exhilaration. “What about you, Clover?”

Reivan looked out the window from the seat at the very back of the train for a moment before answering. “I am too.”

“You certainly don’t look excited though. Something on your mind?”

“Plenty.”

“That so? Hit me with a few then. It’s a two-hour ride there, right?”

“No thank you.” Reivan yawned and reclined, his back sinking into the seat’s soft leather cushion.

Soon after, Reivan found out that Maya was very annoying when she was bored.

Not only did she seek entertainment by being quite touchy, she also intentionally did other things to get a reaction out of Reivan when he ignored her. He had mistakenly thought that if he didn’t react to her at all, she would give up and stay quiet, but who would’ve thought she would see that as a challenge and be even more brazen?

Needless to say, they were getting all sorts of looks from those around them.

‘I mean, it feels good but... Someone please help me…’

Everyone probably thought they were just some stupid couple though, so he likely wouldn’t receive any aid — just gazes of envy from the men.

All things must come to an end though, and Reivan finally had the opportunity to break away from his annoying travel buddy when they reached their last stop.

'It's even bigger than I was told.'

Vel Ayala was an absolutely enormous city that was slightly comparable to Aizen’s capital. That was why it made perfect sense why it had six train stations placed a few kilometers outside its edges.

This arrangement was due to how Aizen's knights had to be stationed at each station. Arkhan couldn't agree to build them within the city itself for this very reason. They were obviously very reluctant to have such a foreign nation's forces in the heart of their country's power — and rightfully so.

'Joke's on you, I'm about to get in though. Hahahaha...! Eat shit!' 

The short distance between the stations and the city's walls wasn’t much of an inconvenience though, because large stagecoaches were waiting to ferry anyone and everyone for free. Reivan confirmed this fact when he stepped out of the station and saw dozens of horse-drawn carriages waiting for their next passengers.

“Whoah…” Maya, who had one of her arms hooked around Reivan’s, gawked. “Look, Clover. It's the tower... Y'know, it kinda looks like a giant peni—”

Reivan cut her voice off from his head and followed her gaze. Whether he agreed with her or not was up for debate though.

‘The Spirit Tower… finally.’

His goal in sight, Reivan couldn’t help but lick his lips in anticipation of what was to come.

════════════════════════════════

[Author's Notes]

And there you have it.

The starting point is finally in sight. I have to admit, I've been slowing things down these past few chapters because I wanted to truly establish Reivan's limitations here and that discovery is highly likely if he lets his guard down too much.

I've tooted the Aizen Kingdom's horn a lot because most of the characters are there and are part of it — and yes, they are a powerhouse in the verse — but that doesn't mean the other nations are a bunch of paper doors that can just run through!

Anyway, I think the next few chapters will have a somewhat faster pace with shit happening every chapter. Don't quote me on that though. Plans are just plans, after all.

Sometimes, as I write, the characters just kind of take over and do what they want based on how they're designed in my head. And I'm kind of just stuck following them and being the invisible-slash-invulnerable cameraman.

That's all for now. Once again, thanks for the usual support. Really appreciate it. Can't thank you enough.

I hope to bring the next chapter to you asap, and as high quality as possible.

Bye~ see you in the next one.

PS - As usual, and this goes for literally every chapter, spelling/grammar corrections are welcome. I edit chapters numerous times but... y'know. Thanks in advance if you find any!

Arc#4 Chapter 31: To the Tower!

“Young Clover Salwyn? What’s wrong?”

“Ah…” Reivan suddenly realized that now wasn’t the best time to be sinking into his own thoughts, so he cleared his throat and sat back down. “I’m sorry for that. I just didn’t realize how foolish I’ve been.”

“It’s no big deal.” Aguru, the wise monkey who was also three meters tall, shook his head with a smile. “Sometimes, difficult questions have simple solutions. In this case, knowing too many things might prove detrimental.”

“That’s a good point. I was considering things from a wider perspective because I thought the answer was out of my reach… when it was right next to me all along.”

“That can happen sometimes, yes. I can relate very much.”

Reivan smiled, suddenly finding himself in an amazing mood. “Sorry, what were we talking about again, Mr. Aguru?”

“Forgetful as well, are we? Haha. We were discussing what kind of knowledge you seek, so I may exchange it for the knowledge you hold.”

“Right. Well, Mr. Aguru, rather than knowledge…” Reivan made a small circle with his thumb and forefinger. “I would like a few of those pearls instead.”

“The pearls?”

“Yes. At least three.”

“At least three…” Aguru muttered something to himself before his gaze returned to Reivan. “They aren’t as useful as you think though. When people other than me put knowledge inside, they forget it all. I’ve heard it’s not a pleasant experience.”

“What? That’s a little scary…” Rievan pretended to think about it for a bit more before reluctantly making a counteroffer. “Then I’d like at least five instead. Just to make it worth the drawback…”

“Hm. That makes sense.”

“Maybe even seven, depending on how much knowledge you want from me. Do you mind?”

Aguru raised a brow and shook his head, taking out eight pink pearls from what Reivan assumed was a hidden spatial storage artifact. “Not really. They’re not very useful to me if I’m being honest. I’d prefer to have one or two at hand so I can perform exchanges with interesting humans I find though. I can, at most, give you six.”

“That works for me. Let's go with that.”

‘Easy.’

No matter how “wise” Aguru was, being a hermit and staying away from society in general inevitably made him a bit gullible, it seemed. Scamming the guy for everything he had was easy since the monkey only ever valued knowledge and nothing else.

‘I feel dirty though…’

Reivan fought his guilt by telling himself that he didn't have the leeway to feel guilty about things like this. He was about to embark on a dangerous mission where he would have to use people to avoid being found out.

And at the end of it all, he would probably try to find a way to cripple the Tower. Or at least grab it by the balls so Aizen could get rid of one competitor whenever they wanted.

Doing so would affect the lives of millions.

Feeling bad about scamming some monkey he only just met was foolish considering how he had more horrors in store. And now that he found another personal reason to place more importance on his time in the republic. He had to get as much as he could.

“We have terms, then, Young Clover Salwyn.”

“Yes, Mr. Aguru.”

The monkey and the man shook hands and nodded with smiles.

Reivan let go of the large hand and cleared his throat. “You’ll have to forgive me though, since I have to consult a number of people first.”

“Oh? Why so?”

“You see, the knowledge I hold is not my sole responsibility… It could affect quite a few people, so I would like to have their permission first. It’s only polite to do so.”

“I see… That makes sense.” Aguru nodded repeatedly, understanding of Reivan’s circumstances.

“Yes. Part of why I want so many pearls is so I can smoothen the deal with them… I’m sure they’ll be less likely to agree if they have something nice to show for it, no?”

“Is that how it works?… Hm. Yes. Well, I’ll have to leave this matter to you then, Young Clover Salwyn.”

“Yes, Mr. Aguru. I will return as quickly as I can. But human correspondence can take a long time when we can’t just fly around like Ascendants can.”

Aguru smiled and nodded. “Take your time. Go slowly and safely if you have to. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Of course. I take my safety very seriously.”

“I have trouble believing that, considering what I saw earlier. In any case…” Aguru chuckled and held up a finger. “I won’t pay until I get what I want though. And if what you provide doesn’t satisfy me, then I’ll adjust my payment too. I've learned a few things about human transactions myself.”

‘Eh… guess he’s not as gullible as I thought.’

“Understandable.” Reivan shrugged and restrained the disappointment in his heart. “Then please await my return.”

“Yes, yes. I shall be waiting right here… unless I’m discovered.”

Reivan frowned. “That reminds me, the battlemages on my tail are following me through scrying, so won’t they discover you, Mr. Aguru? Are you going to…”

“Kill them?” Aguru finished for him, shaking his head. “No. As I said, I dislike violence. With a passion, at that. If I am discovered, I will peacefully leave without a fuss. I’d much prefer not to, of course. I quite like this place after all.”

“Then what are you going to do?”

“Hm…” Aguru pondered for a moment before shrugging. He then pulled out a wand. “I’ll be borrowing this for a moment.”

“What do you…” Reivan paused, suddenly realizing his lower body was a bit lighter than it was a few seconds ago. After giving himself a quick pat down, he discovered that his wand wasn’t where it usually was.

Obviously, the wand Aguru held was his wand.

‘Well, I didn’t need any more proof that resisting is idiotic. But here it is anyway.’

Unaware of the thoughts running through Reivan’s mind, Aguru closed his eyes and held up the wand he’d stolen. Numerous runes sequences suddenly flashed — a full twenty, Reivan counted, which meant it was a spell of the highest order — followed by a bright blast of radiance from the wand’s tip that blinded Reivan for a brief instance.

“That should do it.” Aguru opened his eyes and sighed. He then bent over and politely presented the wand to Reivan. “I’m sorry for suddenly borrowing the wand, Young Clover Salwyn.”

“It’s fine… But can I ask what you just did?”

“Oh, just a Magister-tier spell called Phantom Pocket,” Aguru replied, sitting back down with a bit of a sigh, looking surprisingly tired. “It’s a way to deceive scryers by leaving behind a fake record of events in a place, overwriting what really happened.”

“That’s…”

“Now, if any of the battlemages survive and follow your trail here, all they’ll see is how you impressively dealt with a monster attack and took a short rest before moving on. I was never here.”

Reivan failed to find the words and just gawked for a moment before asking. “Such a spell actually exists? I don’t think I’ve ever heard of it.”

“Why, yes. It’s quite hard to cast though. And one needs a greater energy than mana to cast it. A combination of qi and magic power would work though, I believe the human who gave me this spell said.”

“So… a battlemage gave you the spell?”

“No, he wasn’t a battlemage…” Aguru hummed in thought for a moment before shrugging. “Actually, I don’t know what he was. But he was most definitely not a battlemage. In fact, he hated them.”

“And where is that person now, if I may ask?”

“Buried in the dirt. If he's lucky, that is.”

“I…” Reivan awkwardly cleared his throat. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

Aguru sighed, staring into the air as he spoke. “He was killed a thousand winters ago. By the battlemages he hated so much. I believe the Tower wanted his knowledge but he didn’t want to give it up.”

“So they killed him?”

“Yes. But I assume he did some bad things as well, so the Tower wasn’t being entirely tyrannic. In our time together he did not particularly strike me as a… peaceful individual, even though we did get along.”

“I see…”

“Still, it was truly a shame. He was a good man when he wasn’t angry or drunk. A seeker of knowledge, just like me. He must have seen something in me too — the same thirst he had, perhaps. For about a hundred years, we just kept sharing our knowledge while putting our heads together to come up with all sorts of things… and it was fun. I… I thought it was fun. I thought it would last forever.”

Reivan sensed the Ascendent’s gloomy thoughts and replied solemnly. “Did you watch it? How he died.”

“No… But when I discovered that the Tower got him, at that moment, I had thought that perhaps I had lived in peace for long enough. I’m glad I did though. Perhaps it was a good thing I didn’t watch his final battle.”

“I see…”

Reivan silently sat, unable to come up with anything to say. No words would heal a scar that had failed to heal for a thousand years. And if there was no scar at all, then he might reopen it by offering words of consolation.

So really, he thought silence was the best path forward here.

“Forgive me, Young Clover Salwyn.” Aguru suddenly broke the silence in a calm and emotionless voice. “But I wish to be alone for now.”

“Of course.” Reivan stood up, having no intention to dilly dally. “I will be back on another day. Hopefully, soon.”

“May the cold winds bring warm tidings.” Aguru waved his hand, causing something to fly into Reivan’s hand. “Take it. A gift and an advanced payment. Also, an apology for suddenly taking your wand.”

“This is…”

Reivan looked down and found a pink pearl in the middle of his palm. He hesitantly looked up to find that Aguru was slowly walking toward the spring. “What is this…?”

“As I said, it’s a gift, advanced payment, and an apology,” Aguru said, not turning around. He stopped before the spring’s edge before sitting down on the ground and looking up at the clouds. “Just return here safely for the other five pearls.”

“Ah… “ Reivan nodded. “Yes.”

“Don’t bother heading in the direction of the battlemages following you. It is dangerous. That monster is only a few years away from the next level, after all. All those battlemages can do is try to escape. They’re lucky none of them have suffered fatal wounds yet.”

“Thank you for your warning.”

“Head to the village instead. I will mark your path for you.”

Reivan wondered how the path would be marked when a vine suddenly growing out of the ground caught his eye. Within the next few seconds, it rose up to match his height and a very juicy-looking pink fruit grew on it, just asking for him to take a bite.

“You can eat those if you ever feel famished.”

“That’s amazing. Thank you.”

“Clover Salwyn.”

Aguru slowly turned around, his face solemn.

“Be careful in the Tower.”

Reivan stared into the monkey’s eyes for a few moments before nodding. “I will.”

“I know my acquaintance back then wasn’t the most law-abiding citizen. But the Spirit Tower is not full of only… good people. And by no means is it a place that only does good things.”

“I am aware.”

‘No place is like that… except maybe the Saintess Faction.’

Reivan was fully aware that few organizations were purely good. Not the Spirit Tower, not the empire, and not even the Aizen Kingdom’s royal family was like that.

There was only power.

And the consequences of not having enough of it to make your desires a reality.

Aizen was full of powerful people who just wanted the nation to excel, who wanted to protect it for eternity, and who wanted to see it stand at the top of the world.

But because they lacked the capability to realize such a vision, they had to resort to all sorts of violent and unsavory deeds.

Reivan was just one of them.

“Thank you for your warning, Mr. Aguru.” Reivan smiled and bowed, pocketing the priceless pearl. “I will keep your words in my mind at all times.”

Aguru nodded and turned his gaze back to the front in solemn silence as Reivan left without turning back.

════ ⋆★★★⋆ ════════ ⋆★★★⋆ ════════ ⋆★★★⋆ ════

‘Phew. Holy shit, I thought I was a goner.’

Once he had walked far enough away, Reivan leaned against a tree and sighed in relief as he tried to steady his slightly shaky knees. When a three-meter-tall Ascendant monkey snuck up behind him, Reivan had thought his time in the republic would come to an end then and there.

But somehow, he got out of it with significant gains.

‘I’m so lucky… Shit, maybe I am a cultivation novel protagonist.’

That wasn’t a promising discovery though, since that would mean a lot of meditating. It also probably meant he would be separated from his harem for ninety percent of the story just so the author could find an excuse to just keep throwing new girls at him.

‘I have enough ladies in my life, thank you very much.’

Just Helen and Elsamina were sufficient in his books. He was even supposed to marry and make babies with quite a few concubines so he truly, truly had more than enough women. Any more and he would have to fear for his balls.

‘Anyway, it’s time to check the loot! Loot, loot, loot~ I’m a little loot goblin and this is my little loot goblin song~!’

Smiling like an idiot, Reivan took out the pearl and placed it on a leaf in the middle of his palm. Seeing as the pearl didn’t enlighten Reivan despite being in his pocket for so long, it seemed one had to hold the pearl directly for it to take effect.

Because he didn’t know what kind of knowledge was inside, carelessly giving it access to his brain felt like a bad idea. That’s why he wanted to check it out first.

He used [Supreme Insight] on the pearl, confirmed that it was an “Activated” version, and then focused on the part that listed the knowledge contained inside.

═══════════════════

Currently Contained Knowledge

- A certain sorcerer’s collection of improved beginner-level military-grade spell sequences and the arcane knowledge required to use them.

- A certain sorcerer’s collection of improved intermediate-level military-grade spell sequences and the arcane knowledge required to use them.

- A certain sorcerer’s insights on how to run away from battlemages.

- A certain sorcerer’s insights on how to kill battlemages alone.

- A certain sorcerer’s improved insights on how to kill battlemages alone without losing a limb in the process.

- A certain sorcerer’s theories about potions that might help regenerate mortal limbs.

- A certain sorcerer’s insights on how to stop being bad at sorcery.

- The Phantom Pocket spell sequence and the arcane knowledge required to cast it.

═══════════════════

‘Wow. He really included the Phantom Pocket thingy here! He’s so nice.’

Now Reivan really felt like a shitty person for trying to take advantage of Aguru’s lack of wariness. No actual harm was done, but he felt bad anyway.

‘This looks good. In you go…’

Seeing nothing wrong with the information listed, Reivan got rid of the leaf between the surface of the pearl and his skin. He resumed walking forward as he picked off a pink peach-like fruit, and a minute later, the pearl flashed with a soft light.

Just like that, Reivan knew all sorts of things.

It was a considerably stranger experience than the first time, considering how much more information was in this particular pearl. But there was still a conspicuous lack of headaches or anything negative to talk about.

Reivan just knew these things now, as if they were in his head from the start.

‘I don’t think I can cast Phantom Pocket… Or maybe I can, but just once. And I have to be at full capacity when I do it.’

Afterward, he would pass out without question.

It wasn’t a skill issue, but rather, simply because he was a mortal trying to do something that only Ascendants should be able to do.

‘Whoever that certain sorcerer was, he was a genius.’

There were all sorts of improved military-grade spells in the pearl, and all of them were incredibly outdated. But the neat part was how they were still better than what was currently being used by battlemages.

With twice as many runes in each sequence as modern spells though, each spell was considerably harder to cast. But they cost much less magic power and had far greater potency.

As well as lethality.

There were all sorts of other insights that Reivan found mildly useful too.

‘A great haul.’

Trying hard not to grin from ear to ear, Reivan donned his well-practiced stony expression as he continued heading for the nearest village.

════ ⋆★★★⋆ ════════ ⋆★★★⋆ ════════ ⋆★★★⋆ ════

With the help of a new walking stick he’d found along the way, Reivan safely reached the destination.

He met a few more hostile woodland creatures along the way, but there wasn't anything too dangerous other than some snakes and very poisonous-looking frogs. There was a bit of an incident when a bird aimed a shit bomb on his head, but all was well since he managed to avoid everything that could have killed him in time.

Not the shit though. He had to stop for a few minutes to clean that off him.

'Okay, how do I approach this...'

Reivan hid behind some bushes and observed the edge of the village, where a few people were attending to cows and sheep grazing outside.

He didn't know what kind of people were in there, and he'd read a few novels where the main character walked into a town full of cannibals so he was just being careful not to follow in that guy's footsteps. It was a bit naive to expect everyone to be a good samaritan after all.

Other than that, he also had to admit that a man suddenly emerging in the direction of a non-populated forest where venomous and poisonous creatures abound was extremely suspicious.

He couldn't abandon the idea that kind people might just refuse to help him out of fear, thinking that he was some sort of psycho.

'Lying would be easier since it would ironically be more believable, but that's not a good look for Clover if someone found out. I’ve already received confirmation that people are on my tail too.'

Reivan was just about to walk out of the bushes and wing it when he heard movement behind him. He immediately drew his wand and came face to face with another wand, pointed straight at his face — the only difference between the two wands was that the other side already had a spell prepared and Reivan's didn't.

Almost reflexively, Reivan checked his adversary's stats through [Supreme Insight].

════ ⋆★★★⋆ ════

Name: Bertus Filbar

Species: Human

Realm: Mortal

Age: 46

Sex: Male

Might: 619

Extra Skills

[Spirit Bond: Nikora]

[Qi: Unleashed]

Elemental Affinities

[Wind]

Favor

(Suspicion) 15 / 100

Threat Level

SSS+

════ ⋆★★★⋆ ════

'Yikes. Being weak sure is scary. Even someone like this is a triple S plus threat.'

Reivan could deal with the man if needed though, but seeing as Bertus was more than likely to be a battlemage — or at least affiliated with them — there was no need for him to do so.

"What brings you here, stranger?" A middle-aged man with suspenders strapped to his pants slowly reached forward to take Reivan's wand away.

Reivan didn't resist, allowing Bertus to disarm him. "I mean nobody any harm, sir."

"That's what people who mean harm say."

"Well, I can't deny that..." Reivan chuckled despite the situation and raised his hands in surrender. "I'm Clover Salwyn, a battlemage trainee headed for Vel Ayala."

Bertus backed away to put more distance between them, his wand still trained on Reivan's heart. "This is a long way away from Vel Ayala, boy. Or any train stations, for that matter."

"The trains were suspended because of some issues with a monster infestation, so I traveled with a train privately owned by the Star of Fortune... only to be attacked. By a horde."

"A privately owned train...? Times are changing, I suppose," Bertus muttered to himself before speaking to Reivan once again. "And how'd you end up here?"

"I escaped by jumping into a ravine. Then I drifted over to a waterfall... where I fell."

"There is a waterfall nearby, so this story checks out. And how'd you survive the fall? That's no normal waterfall, after all."

"With a Whisperfall spell, sir."

"As you were falling?"

"Yes."

"Huh." Bertus raised a brow and looked at Reivan with an appraising gaze. "You're more impressive than you seem."

"Thank you...? Is that a compliment though?"

"Maybe. Anyway," Bertus snorted, but seemed less hostile now. "Say it then."

"Say what...?"

"Say what we are. You know what I mean. They shoulda told you after the oath."

'Oh. That.'

The real Clover had obviously mentioned what practitioners of sorcery were actually called, revealing to Reivan — and Aizen — that some words were actually cursed. It was a good thing too, since Reivan would have been utterly clueless about it if Clover hadn't told him.

"Kura—" Reivan abruptly found his mouth forced shut, unable to speak. This only lasted for a short moment though, since he gained back control shortly afterward.

"I believe you now, boy. " Bertus' wand vanished into thin air as he lowered his hand. He then tossed Reivan's wand back to him. “And I'd prefer not to lose my lunch.”

"Understood..."

“One last thing. I won’t ask you how you survived such a dangerous forest, but you must have your papers, right? A letter? Maybe a contract?”

“Actually, I lost it during the attack. It was in my bag, and… Well, I don’t have it anymore…” Reivan chuckled sheepishly before he realized something and genuinely blanched. “Ah, wait, is that going to be a problem? Am I not going to be accepted now?”

“I wouldn’t worry about that. Those things are just symbols. Your name’s already on the list and you can just have those reissued. The person who interviewed you can also just vouch for your identity.”

“Oh, is that so? That’s a relief. Thank you, sir.”

“Don’t call me sir. It gives me goosebumps. Like I'm some knight.”

“Then…?”

“Name’s Bertus Filbar. Ex-battlemage. People ‘round here call me Bert. You can do the same.”

“Yes, Mr. Bert.”

“Just Bert’s fine. You’re making me feel old. I mean, I am, but I don't wanna feel old. Now, walk with me.”

Bertus turned around and headed for the village, gesturing for Reivan to follow.

Reivan stayed quiet and waited for the other man to ask some questions, but who would’ve known that no words would be exchanged at all? It was a bit awkward, so he decided to bring something up first.

“You were a battlemage, Bert?”

“Yes. Retired.”

“Can I ask since when?”

“Ehh… Well, I think it was ten years ago? Not too sure. You live long enough in the quiet countryside and you tend to not notice the years go by. It’s not too bad though, mind you.”

Reivan nodded, having heard similar things from other long-lived people. “Would it be prying if I asked why you retired? You still seem pretty healthy to me.”

“I don’t mind.” Bertus shrugged, surprisingly open to questions despite how they started out on the wrong foot. “It’s because I’ve got a bad leg.”

“A bad leg…?”

“Yeah.”

Reivan raised a brow and sent a glance at the man’s legs, only to discover that both of them looked perfectly fine.

Apparently, Bertus had expected his next question, since he stopped walking for a moment to pull up his left pant leg. “It’s well made, so not a lot of people notice.”

“A prosthetic…” Reivan bobbed his head in understanding, not staring at the steel bar that had replaced the man’s leg for too long. “Isn’t there a way to grow it back?”

“Not that I know of, no. Ascendants can regrow lost limbs naturally over time, but us ordinary folk have to settle with peg legs and ridiculous medical bills.”

Understanding the assignment, Reivan chuckled at the jest before asking something else he knew the answer to. “By the way, how’d you find me, Mr. Bertus? You just showed up from out of nowhere too.”

“My budd—Ehem, my spirit partner told me.” Bertus gestured toward the empty air above his head. There was nothing there, and even Reivan couldn’t see anything, but Reivan knew it was because said creature wasn’t in the material world yet.

“I see.” Reivan shrugged. ”I thought I tripped a wire or something.”

Bertus unexpectedly chuckled. “Good one. Tripping wires, he says.”

His curiosity was now fully sated, but it seemed the other side wasn’t keen on taking their turn to ask questions. As such, there was no talking until Reivan was escorted to the village head’s house.

Reivan was then asked for his name and a recounting of the events that led him there. Afterward, the elderly leader of the village left to send a message to the local government unit — only to return five minutes later, accompanied by a battlemage wearing bloodstained purple combat robes.

Once the elder left to give them space, the mage ducked into the room.

“Finally found you.” The blonde battlemage wearily spoke, walking toward a nearby seat. He roughly parked his ass on the chair before he continued. “You’re a hard man to meet, Brother Salwyn.”

“Brother... You're a battlemage?”

“Yes. Ah, let me prove it. Kuram.”

Reivan winced and so did the blonde battlemage, who seemed to be trying very hard not to barf.

“Ugh… They should just give us a badge we can flash or something… Anyway, I’m Garus Filbar. Just call me Brother Garus since my last name is already taken. I and part of my squad were tasked with tracking you down and escorting you to the tower safely.”

“I see.” Reivan stood up and dipped his head a little. “I'm sorry. You had to take the trouble to chase me all the way out here.”

“Eh, a bunch of us almost died, but I’m personally fine with it since I get to visit my birthplace while on the clock.” Garus shrugged with an airy smile. “Besides, you ended up making the right choice by getting away from the Star’s people. Anyway, let’s go. You’re lucky my father’s here, so we can borrow his hoverboard for you to use. Wouldn’t want to be carried for an hour, would you?”

“Yes, Brother Garus…”

Reivan didn’t miss the implications of the battlemage’s earlier words — it seemed something did happen to the ones he’d left behind in the cave. Now didn’t feel like the right time to ask though, since, despite the man’s friendliness, his exhaustion was clear.

When emerged from the elder's house, there were five other men and women — each with purple robes and varying degrees of injuries — waiting outside, their feet placed firmly atop a floating metal plate with glowing runes carved all over it.

Unlike Garus though, none of the other battlemages seemed to have the spare energy to talk too much, offering a curt nod and a short introduction to Reivan before withdrawing into themselves. Garus gave a short but very easy-to-understand crash course on using the hoverboard and even allowed Reivan to take a few minutes for a test run.

Reivan could have acted a bit more naturally by failing a couple of times, but he could vaguely sense the impatience in the other mages' demeanor, so he “got the hang of it” rather quickly.

After that, Garus — who was clearly the leader of their squad — arranged them in a formation that placed Reivan in the very middle before they all departed on their magical vehicles.

And just like that, Reivan’s little adventure came to an end.

═══════════════════

[Author's Note]

And that's the mini-mini-arc done. Thanks for reading~

Fairly sure I've checked to see that there aren't, but if you find any spelling/grammar errors, please feel free to tell me so I can fix them.

I ran this through, like, three edits, but one can never be too sure.

Anyway, May has arrived~

Hopefully, it treats us all well.

See you in the next chapter~

Arc#4 Chapter 30: Aguru the Wise

════ ⋆★★★⋆ ════

Name: Aguru

Species: ???

Realm: Ascendant

Age: 2157

Sex: Male

Might: 31420

Special Abilities

[Crown of Wisdom]

Extra Skills

[Perfect Memory]

[Qi: Unleashed]

[Soul Damage Immunity]

[Elemental Resistance]

[Magic Resistance]

Elemental Affinities

[Fire]

[Wind]

[Water]

[Earth]

[Lightning]

[Ice]

Favor

(Curiosity) 30 / 100

Threat Level

Absolute (Threat cannot be resisted)

════ ⋆★★★⋆ ════

Reivan fingers fidgeted and he was very close to summoning the small spherical bell that the Sword Star gave him.

But the courageous willpower within him urged him to collect as much information as he could before retreating. He didn’t know if he was true bravery or just foolhardiness, but failure could be salvaged if one could learn from it.

If he retreated here instantly, however, he would learn very little.

‘First thing’s first, I gotta know what his special ability does.’

Aguru, the big monkey who had shown up out of nowhere, had a few abilities Reivan didn’t know about. So he wasted no time in examining it with [Supreme Insight].

════════════════════════════════

[Crown of Wisdom]

Knowledge is Power

Passive:
- Accumulating wisdom and knowledge gradually enhances the user’s state of existence, thereby slowly removing them from the natural order. In exchange, they are unable to improve through training of any kind and have their comprehension ability significantly reduced.

- There is also a small possibility of temporarily forgetting knowledge appropriate to the user’s situation exactly when they need it.

- All of this ability’s drawbacks are nullified upon Transcendence.

Sub-Skill #1 - [The Smell of a Good Book]

- There is a very small chance of detecting when a nearby entity is “Extremely Knowledgeable”. Extremely knowledgeable individuals possess a vast amount of knowledge that the user doesn’t possess.

Sub-Skill #2 - [Pearls of Wisdom]

- Once a certain amount of wisdom and knowledge has been accumulated, a “Pearl of Wisdom” is cultivated somewhere on the user's body.

════════════════════════════════

‘Ah, I found it. The reason why this guy has such stats…’

At two thousand years old, Aguru had no doubt accumulated quite a lot of knowledge just by staying alive and observing people in secret. Even if he was dumbed down because of his own ability and the fact he was a literal monkey, two thousand years was a lot of time to stop being an idiot.

Something Aguru said earlier also stuck in Reivan’s mind because it implied that Aguru had actually made contact with other "interesting humans" before.

The mysterious pearls aside, [Crown of Wisdom] seemed like a strange power with quite a few drawbacks. The benefits were clear though — one just had to keep accumulating knowledge to become stronger, never needing to put oneself in any kind of danger.

‘Transcendence might be close for this guy. Then he’ll really pop off.’’

Reivan gulped at the notion that another Transcendent could potentially show up in the republic. His father and brother were both wary of such a thing happening.

From the look of things, their suspicion was warranted.

‘Anyway, I’ll think about that later… I gotta look at the other stuff so I’m aware of what I’m working with.’

He already knew what most of Aguru’s extra skills did except for one, so his next point of interest was already decided.

════════════════════════════════

[Perfect Memory]

The user is unable to forget anything they have ever known or experienced.

════════════════════════════════

Reivan read it again and gawked.

[Perfect Memory] mitigated [Crown of Wisdom]’s most annoying drawback — randomly forgetting things one ought to remember when they needed it most.

‘Wait, does this nullify the other’s effect or does this ability's effect become useless in the face of a special ability…?’

Honestly, Reivan thought it could go either way. It was similar to the Unstoppable Force vs Immovable Object conundrum, but Reivan felt like [Perfect Memory] worked in Aguru's favor.

It was just a feeling though.

All of Reivan’s thoughts were just that though — thoughts. He had no way to confirm them by himself. And he couldn't very well ask Aguru, since Reivan would then be asked the question of how he knew about the information in the first place.

Thinking about the synergy between the monkey's skills was completely pointless.

He just couldn’t help doing so because he was curious as fuck. How could he not? Faced with an existence with such an imbalanced status page, how could he not wonder how such a creature came to be? But none of that really mattered in the face of the overwhelming gap between Reivan and Aguru.

If the simian Ascendent wanted him dead, Reivan would have no other choice than to retreat.

'Ideally, I somehow find a way to establish peaceful coexistence.'

By the time he was done rearranging his thoughts, Aguru had already taken the chance to sit on the fallen tree Reivan used as a chair earlier. “I truly mean you no harm, human. I understand that you are only afraid because I am an unknown, so let me introduce myself. My name is Aguru and I have chosen this spring as my temporary residence for the next few years. You just so happened to chance upon it while I was away.”

“I… I see.” Reivan nodded slowly, cursing his luck. He’d wanted to avoid whatever produced the giant turd he’d seen earlier, but then he ended up wandering into this incredible individual’s dwelling. “My apologies for the disturbance.”

“Not at all. I don’t build walls or a roof precisely because I don’t mind others coming. It’s fun to see what kind of creatures I’ll see.”

“Is... Is that so?”

“Yes. And just like now, I surprisingly met an interesting human fighting for his life near my home on my way back from a little trip. I'm not mad, of course. Rather, that was quite a good show of skill. I hope you don't mind that I used your struggle as entertainment.”

“Not at all. In fact, I thank you for your tolerance. But you see, I’ve had something on my mind since earlier… What will happen to me now?”

“What will happen to you, you ask…?”

"Yes. Uh, am I not going to be eaten?"

"Heavens, no. I don't like eating creatures I can converse with. It's... revolting for me."

Reivan found himself sighing in relief, wiping his sweaty palms inside his pockets. "Then, what?"

Aguru scratched his head and seemed to ponder the question. “For starters, I would like to know your name first. Humans tend to have one, I’ve observed. And all the ones I’ve talked to had one — which was actually why I thought of one for myself.”

“Ah, right.” Reivan cleared his throat and bowed, realizing that he had, in fact, failed to answer the creature’s earlier question. “My name is Clover Salwyn.”

He was just about to include his affiliation as a trainee battlemage, but Reivan didn’t know what kind of relationship Aguru had with the Tower. For all he knew, they were mortal enemies and would cause Aguru to immediately turn hostile.

Of course, there was also the possibility that they had good relations, and would cause Aguru to help him out or just let him go peacefully. But Reivan chose to err on the side of caution.

Sometimes, staying quiet was the safest option.

“Clover... Clllllloverrrrr. Clovvvveeeeer Sallllwyn.” Aguru seemed to take a few moments to quietly practice saying the name before turning back to Reivan. “Clover Salwyn. Did I say it right?”

“Yes, you did.”

“Interesting, interesting. Anyway, to answer your previous question, Young Clover Salwyn, I don’t intend to do anything to you — except to talk. That is what intelligent beings like you and I do, is it not? Talking, that is.”

“...Really? I’m going to be okay?”

“Of course, of course. I do not like violence, Young Clover Salwyn. I am a… uh. Tsk, what’s the word…”

Reivan licked his lips and hesitantly spoke. “A pacifist?”

“Yes. That. I think? I didn’t know there was a word for it though... or did I? Did I just forget again? Goodness...” Aguru thought for a bit before he clapped two of his hands together while the other two remained clasped behind him, a big toothy smile on his face. “To reiterate, I am a pacifist. I dislike conflict. I like peace and harmony.”

“I see…”

‘He’s not lying… so I guess I’m clear.’

Once the risk lowered drastically, Reivan started thinking of his current situation as an opportunity rather than an unfortunate event.

 More composed about his situation, he noticed that the smiling Aguru actually had flat teeth that didn't have a trace of sharpness to them — which was a good sign, since monsters were generally carnivorous and hence had fangs or serrated teeth. This meant that Aguru likely wasn’t a monster, but what Aizen commonly referred to as a mystic beast.

Hence, peaceful coexistence was possible.

There were exceptions to everything, of course. Like Huskies, which were relatively agreeable creatures that were carnivorous. But from Aizen’s vast experiences in dealing with wild creatures, a good way to tell a monster’s nature was by examining their teeth, nails, and other body parts.

Exceptions were not the norm, after all.

“That’s very good for me, then.” Reivan sighed as he remained standing, finding it too awkward to sit on the same fallen tree. “Because I don’t wish to fight you, Mr. Aguru. I do not wish to fight you at all.”

“That makes two of us then. Splendid.” Aguru then snapped his fingers and vines literally sprouted up from the ground next to Reivan and formed something that closely resembled a chair. “Now, we’ve established that we aren’t enemies. Please take a seat, young human. I’m sure you’re tired from all that fighting.”

“Ah, yes…” Reivan gingerly nodded, throwing a quick glance at the chair. After confirming that it was, in fact, just normal vines shaped into a chair, he sat down and faced the simian man. “Well, we ended up meeting strangely, but it’s nice to meet you, Mr. Aguru.”

“Yes, yes. To you as well.” Aguru bobbed his head up and down twice, a hand rubbing his chin. “Sadly, you're reaction to me wasn't rare. Most humans get scared rather easily once they see me.”

‘I wonder why.’

Reivan naturally didn’t utter his sarcastic comment out loud, seeking to change the subject. “Excuse me, but that thing you did earlier…”

Aguru tilted his head. “Which one? I'm sorry, I'm prone to bouts of forgetfulness, you see.”

“It sounded like your voice was coming in a different direction after every word. May I ask how you did that?”

“Oh? You're curious about that, are you?” Aguru nodded in understanding before chuckling. “I don’t mind telling you. Knowledge is meant to be shared. An inquisitive mind is a wonderful thing.”

“That’s an admirable way of thinking, Mr. Aguru.”

‘It’s also very convenient for me, so I like it a lot.’

“As for how I did it...” Aguru chewed on his lip, apparently in deep thought. “Well, it’s a bit hard to explain to a sorcerer. I believe you call it elementalism. I’m not actually sure though. It’s just something I’ve been able to do since before I became… well, me. Quite some time ago, believe it or not, I wasn't all that different from the little ones you just slew.”

Reivan’s eyes widened for a moment, but refocused on what really mattered. “I see. So it wasn’t sorcery or some way to turn invisible?”

“Indeed. I was never invisible and had no wand either. You just weren’t looking at me since I was hiding behind a tree far from here.”

“So that’s how it is.” Reivan sighed, relieved that it wasn’t some kind of method to hide from his eyes.

“Yes. You see, some time ago, while I was deep in thought, I noticed that sound and whatnot actually had a lot to do with air.”

“Oh?”

“Strange, isn’t it? Back then, some passing birds decided to expel their feces precariously close to where I was. The smell was absolutely horrid, I tell you. But I did not have the heart to deprive the nearby worms and plants of food by cleaning it up. I also didn’t want to move since I was on the verge of solving a problem in my head that I was struggling to remember. So I simply created a bubble of air that wouldn’t let outside air inside — and wouldn’t you know it, somehow, I could no longer hear the birds chirping or the wolves howling! It was baffling and fascinating at the same time.”

“I-I see…”

“That discovery completely blew away all my other thoughts and I focused on studying the mysteries of sound for years, eventually developing the nifty little trick I just showed you. It’s very useful for confusing anyone chasing after me, though, years wasted because of delays caused by my forgetfulness were very inconvenient.”

‘This is one talkative monkey…’

Reivan didn’t actually hate that though. How could he hate free information? “That’s intriguing, Mr. Aguru. I can’t even begin to fathom replicating that with sorcery.”

“It's funny that you mention that, because a sorcerer I met a long time ago managed to invent a spell that did something similar by using… Ah, I suppose it’s faster to just do it like this.” Suddenly, Aguru reached up and plucked the pink pearl embedded on his forehead, leaving a fleshy half-sphere-shaped depression behind.

“Here you go, Young Clover Salwyn. I shall lend this to you.”

Then he held out the pearl toward Reivan as if it was natural.

“Ah, thank you…”

The movement was done so casually and in such a natural way that Reivan didn't realize what Aguru had done until a few moments later.

Reivan somehow got carried along by Aguru's pace and took the pearl without much thinking, rolling it around in his hand. Its characteristic smoothness felt just like any other pearl, though quite a bit bigger than the ones he was used to seeing. He stared at it for a moment before asking. “Uhm, why did you give this to me? What am I supposed to do with this?”

Of course, he was just asking that question for the sake of it. He had every intention to check what [Supreme Insight] had to say.

═══════════════════

[Pearl of Wisdom (Active)]

A nearly indestructible object cultivated by the collector of wisdom. Being in contact with it for forty-seven seconds will activate [Enlightenment], bestowing the holder with a copy of the knowledge stored inside.

There is no limit to the number of individuals that can be enlightened with the same knowledge.

Alternatively, the holder can choose to deactivate the pearl, returning the knowledge stored inside to its original owner. Once deactivated, the holder can choose to store their knowledge in the pearl.

The original owner of the knowledge’s death does not affect the knowledge stored inside.

WARNING: Storing knowledge into the pearl will cause the depositor to forget it. They also cannot use the pearl to relearn the knowledge they deposited.

Currently Contained Knowledge

- The Sound Redirection Spell sequence.

- The wise one’s musings on the mysteries of sound.

- A certain sorcerer’s research into the application of the mysteries of sound through sorcery.

- A certain sorcerer’s practical observations on the mysteries of sound.

- A certain sorcerer’s insights on how to avoid causing one’s ears to rupture and bleed.

- Ear Healing Spell sequence and the arcane knowledge required to use it.

- A certain sorcerer’s experiment results and personal insights on how to avoid other fatal mistakes with sound.

═══════════════════

‘Yet another drawback that [Perfect Memory] will nullify.’

Reivan tried very hard not to show any emotions on his face as he marveled at how useful the pearl could be to a large group — especially a nation.

It essentially removed the need for studying, saving thousands of hours stuck to a book.

And that was for just one person. The fact that a single pearl could save millions of people more than a thousand hours each was ridiculous.

He didn’t know how well the knowledge would be integrated into one’s mind nor did he know if there were any drawbacks. But even if used to transfer information little by little, its utility was priceless.

‘I could just run away with this right now…’

Aguru said that he was lending it to Reivan, but if Reivan rang the Sword Star’s bell right this instant, there was nothing Aguru could do. Reivan would ruin years' worth of planning, but at least he wouldn’t be going home with nothing.

With a priceless treasure in hand that could accelerate the production of knights, Reivan didn’t feel like he was failing at all.

“You don’t have to do anything.” Aguru chuckled and shook his head. “Just hold it. It should light up and then you’ll understand what happened.”

Reivan tried his best to seem anxious since he wasn’t supposed to know, but internally, he was looking forward to it.

Before a minute passed, the pearl glowed dimly with pink light before returning to its previous state.

“Huh.” Reivan dumbly grunted when it was done.

There were no obvious physical changes, no headache, no mysterious intangible something flowing into his head as he expected.

Suddenly, he just knew a spell that could manipulate the perceived origin of the caster’s voice — including the arcane knowledge required to bring the spell to life.

It was strange because he felt as if he knew it all along. As if the information was already inside his head before coming to this place and he just forgot it for some reason.

‘Freaky. Absolutely fucking freaky as hell.’

One thing he noticed though, was how he had an incredibly detailed theory of how the spell works. He had insights that only someone extremely well-versed in casting that spell could have too. But he didn’t have the innate confidence that only experience could foster.

That was when the realization of why struck him.

‘Wisdom is different from knowledge.’

Going back to [Crown of Wisdom]’s description, one could even see that it made a point to separate the two.

Crown of Wisdom and Pearl of Wisdom… both used the word wisdom. Yet, the word that showed up in their descriptions the most was knowledge.

The crown’s wielder forgot knowledge, knowledge was infused into the pearl, and the pearl only transferred knowledge to the holder.

‘What was that saying again…? Knowledge can be shared and copied, but wisdom is something unique to each person.’

Knowledge was an accumulation of information obtained through studies or education.

But Wisdom went beyond that, requiring insight and discernment. It was an understanding of how that knowledge was applied and what deeper implications it held.

It was something one usually acquired over time, through experience.

So even though Reivan knew how to cast the spell, he realized that the gap between his results and someone more practiced would be leagues apart.

‘That’s a bummer, but it doesn’t really make this pearl any less valuable.’

Just from what it had done, stealing it was more than worth the price of abandoning his plans in Arkhan.

‘Let’s… Let’s calm down though.’

Who said he had to abandon anything at all? Reivan could just negotiate with the wise monkey. Surely, he — the prince of Aizen — could provide something enticing enough to exchange for it. And if he didn’t have what the monkey wanted at that moment, then all he really had to do was order a bunch of people to acquire whatever it was.

“It worked, yes?” Aguru asked with a slightly hunched back because of their height discrepancy. His simian face of rough black skin was quite close, allowing Reivan to see it in all its wrinkly glory.

“Yes… I think I can cast the spell.”

“You think? Young Clover Salwyn, why don’t you go ahead and try it? There’s no harm in doing so. And you have a very willing participant right here. If you'll have me, of course.”

Reivan nodded and slowly drew his wand so as not to accidentally threaten the powerful entity right in front of him. But then again, Reivan could do nothing to harm Aguru, and Aguru likely knew that too, so it didn’t matter.

‘This spell is unnecessarily complicated for what it does.’

Sound Redirection was what was commonly referred to as an intermediate spell because it only had eleven pulses. Though with between seventy and a hundred runes in each pulse, the spell would have been considered among the more difficult intermediate spells. It was incredibly unrefined and lacked the optimization that more modern spells usually had.

Because of that, Reivan pretended to fail a couple of times before finally getting it right.

“Is it working? Testing, testing...” Reivan said, raising a brow at the strange sensation of hearing his own voice coming from far away. He was familiar with it since there was a time when Kyouka recorded his rendition of a certain anime song, but he still found the experience strange.

'Ugh. My voice sounds like shit. How the hell can anyone take me seriously when I sound like that? Fuck.'

“Impressive. You are quite skilled to do it just after a few tries, Young Clover Salwyn.” Aguru bobbed his large head in approval before extending his equally large hand.

Reivan of course knew what Aguru wanted, and was hesitant to give the pearl back, but he still did so anyway. “This pearl is amazing, Mr. Aguru.”

“You think so? They just grow on my head from time to time. It's refreshing to pluck them out when they’re ready since this little hole gets itchy when I leave the pearl there for too long.”

“Oh…? Does that mean there are more?”

“That is the case, yes. I still have around, uhhh, seven...? Ah, eight, now that I’ve taken this one out. There was more, but I gave them away to some people who helped me out in the past.”

Reivan tried hard not to smile as he listened, contemplating what to say next. “Even someone as powerful as you need help sometimes, Mr. Aguru?”

Aguru chuckled. “Of course. I was not always strong. And shamed as I am to admit it, I wasn’t very… intelligent in the past. I would not have lasted as long as I have without the help of some very kind humans.”

“I see...”

“Even now, I still have a lot I don’t know. So I suppose one can still consider me a fool, going through life in the hopes of curing my ignorance, if only slightly.”

“That is an admirable way to live, Mr. Aguru. I've heard that the first step to being a learned individual is to admit to one's ignorance.”

“I’m glad you think so.” Aguru chuckled, slapping his knee. Then he smirked and leaned forward a little. With his height though, he ended up looming over Reivan. “Now, seeing as you’ve experienced the pearl's effect, might I interest you in a deal?”

Reivan’s brows shot up, surprised that the simian man brought up something he was having trouble bringing up. “Can I even offer anything of value?”

“Of course!” Aguru exclaimed. “I shall give you knowledge. And in return, you will give knowledge back. In other words, it's an exchange. Simple, is it not?”

“Knowledge for knowledge, huh…”

“Indeed. I have quite a repertoire of spells, you know? I’m sure it will be very useful for a budding sorcerer such as yourself. All you need to do is tell me what you know...”

‘I couldn’t care less about the spells, to be honest.’

His knowing a whole bunch of spells wouldn’t matter so much. What would be really useful was if he obtained a pearl with all that knowledge inside. That way, they could train up a legion of sorcerers.

A Mage Knight division, perhaps — composed of squires who fail to become true knights.

They could also just take a portion of the peacekeepers in the Order of Peace instead.

‘I really want one of those pearls… maybe three. Maybe more.’

Reivan mused quietly before looking up at the Ascendant. “I’m ashamed to say this, but I do not believe I’m particularly wealthy in that area either. I’ve only lived for around twenty years and have spent most of it studying sorcery.”

“Is that so?” Aguru's face froze before he frowned, seemingly troubled by his words. “That’s strange… I thought for sure you had quite a bit. I’ve never been wrong in this.”

“Why do you think so?”

“Hm? It’s a feeling I get from time to time… about once every few hundred winters or so.”

‘That’s a long fucking time… the chances must be ridiculously low. Or maybe he just doesn't meet a lot of humans who know things he doesn't. Probably both.‘

Reivan knew that the feeling Aguru had was just [Crown of Wisdom]’s sub-skill at work. And it was right to label him as someone who possessed a vast amount of knowledge Aguru didn’t have.

After all, Reivan was from another world.

He didn’t have Wikipedia downloaded into his brain, but he still knew quite a lot. Heck, if [Crown of Wisdom] considered web novels, anime, manga, and light novels as “knowledge”, then Reivan was an unrivaled font of wisdom.

And then there was the fact that he grew up in Aizen too.

It was just an assumption, but Aguru probably hadn’t been there yet. So even the mundane little facts Reivan knew about his beloved nation would be unknown to Aguru.

‘I don’t feel comfortable telling him all that right now though.’

If Aguru suddenly became a Transcendent because Reivan gave him a bunch of knowledge, it could mess up everything.

‘I think I’ll have to consult Valter about this. And then I’ll have to consult my family too.’

The possibility of his actions giving birth to a new Transcendent was just too big for him to deal with on his own. It wouldn't hurt to ask a room full of smart people how to move forward before actually taking the next step in this particular side quest.

“Let’s say that I do have a lot to offer.” Reivan cleared his throat and looked up into the simian sage’s eyes. “What else can I get in return? I’m honestly not that interested in the spells since I can just learn them when I enter the tower…”

“You’re a battlemage?”

“Ah.” Reivan realized his verbal slip. But Aguru didn’t seem to have any particular beef with the Spirit Tower judging from his calm expression, so Reivan just nodded.

“I see. Interesting. I suppose your skills make sense then.” As expected, Aguru didn’t seem to mind Reivan being a battlemage, more concerned about convincing Reivan than anything else.

Reivan checked and Aguru’s favor hardly showed any changes either. “I was headed there to train to be one, actually.”

Aguru rubbed his chin and bobbed his head. “So that’s why there are battlemages tracking you down right now.”

“... Excuse me?”

“They were following your trail by using consecutive scrying spells. But they stumbled into a powerful monster’s territory and are currently in the middle of being completely obliterated.”

“That’s… not good.”

“For them, yes. Nobody's dead yet though, don't worry. I was wondering what battlemages were doing all the way here when I've been very careful not to leave behind tracks. Now the mystery has been solved.”

Reivan licked his lips and mused about what he would do with that information before gingerly asking the large monkey. “You don’t intend to help them?”

Aguru solemnly shook his head. “Nature must be allowed to take its course. Just as humanity used their inherent advantages to erect their cities and towers, murdering and subjugating everything else in their paths… this is also nature taking its course. A powerful beast catching an unprepared squad of battlemages off guard and having them for dinner — and subsequently, getting hunted down by a prepared squad of battlemages a week or two later. Everything is as it should be.”

“I see…”

"Of course, there is also the chance that the battlemages triumph. Or at least get away. It's not all bad."

"Let's hope so."

“Hm. Now, you may think this is cold of me, but this is what it takes to live in peace. Not getting involved in anything that doesn’t concern me directly has worked out very well so far. I would’ve died early otherwise. Just like the little ones you slew earlier.”

Reivan nodded, understanding the merits of such a lifestyle. Personally, though, he wouldn’t be able to live that way for too long since the loneliness would be unbearable.

“But I digress.” Aguru clapped his hands, producing a crisp loud noise, like the crack of a whip. “What kind of knowledge would you want in exchange for what you know? You may find it hard to believe, but I’ve lived for a long time. I do not know many things in this world, but I know quite a lot as well.”

"Hmm... Then do you know of a medicine or herb that can restore magic power? Or essence?"

"I have never heard of such a thing... I know of a few that can heal wounds. Interested?"

"No, thank you. Then do you know the secret of Transcendence? Or a way to kill one safely without risking oneself?"

"... No, I do not. Your inquiries are on a rather grand and fantastical scale, Young Clover Salwyn."

"Are they?" Reivan laughed. "Those are the questions I want answered most though. Then... what about a way to extend a mortal's life? Or even make them immortal. Other than unlocking their qi or having them ascend, of course."

"Sadly, I do not believe there is a way... aside from receiving the aid of an incredibly powerful spirit beast."

Reivan hadn't been expecting an answer, so he was speechless for a moment before leaning forward and urging Aguru to continue. "There's a way?"

"Yes. Being a battlemage, you probably already knew this though. And even if you didn't, you would've realized this anyway."

"What do you mean?"

Aguru rubbed his chin for a moment before kindly embarking on an explanation. "You are aware that a spirit beast can share their qi with their human partner, yes?"

"I am."

"Well, an Ascendent-level spirit beast can share their immortality with their human partner as well, in exchange for being locked out of the material world they so desire to be in. I don't believe this is a secret though. Did you really not know?"

Reivan sat there with a slack jaw for a few moments before suddenly bolting up and slapping his forehead.

'I'm so stupid. How could I not have realized?'

Hell, Valter was a living breathing example of someone whose life was extended because of a powerful spirit beast.

Many people didn't know, but Valter didn't Ascend within the normal lifespan of a mortal who had unlocked their qi — which was 200 years.

No, Freed had Ascended first. Then Freed practically lived inside Valter for decades, unable to come out just to continuously extend Valter's lifespan. Of course, this wasn't an arrangement that lasted for too long because Valter eventually Ascended on his own.

In fact, the vast majority of Arkhan's Ascendants likely weren't Ascendents themselves — just a bunch of people contracted to Ascendant-level spirit beasts.

'I should have realized this sooner.'

Thinking about it though, perhaps it was a given that he failed to consider that approach despite being aware of its possibility. After all, for all the kingdom's innate advantages, they were not abundant in spirit beasts just waiting for someone to form a contract with someone.

Arkhan's Spirit Tower aside, the only other way to form a contract with a spirit beast was to coincidentally be seen by one who liked you. It sounded easy, but if they saw you while while not find you likable, or if they would have liked you but never saw you, then it wouldn't matter — nothing would happen.

Valter's case, where he was just living his life when a spirit beast found him and liked him, was a fantastical story that happened to less than one in a billion people.

'This is the way.'

Reivan gulped down a mouthful of saliva as his heartbeat quickened at the notion of finding a means to help Elsamina extend her life.

He would just have to help her contract with an Ascendent-level spirit beast.

That would, of course, not be easy. But it was possible, at least. It was much more plausible than getting Elsamina to Ascend on her own, that was for sure.

Reivan loved her, she was hardworking, and had a host of other skills to her name — but Reivan couldn't help but marvel at just how untalented she was when it came to the supernatural.

She wouldn't sense magic power even if he shoved it in her face. If someone cast some kind of heinous spell at her, she wouldn't feel it until her face completely melted off either. It was a good thing she faithfully wore all sorts of protective artifacts he gave her, thinking they were ordinary gifts.

In any case, Elsamina had absolutely no chance of becoming immortal through normal ways.

'And just like that, I suddenly can't abandon the plan. Ever.'

The Spirit Tower Infiltration Plan or whatever it was called stopped being something he was doing as the prince of Aizen at that moment. Now, it was a personal issue and a national endeavor, exponentially increasing its importance to Reivan.

'I can't fail. At all.'

There was no longer a path of retreat.

Reivan suddenly regretted how many risky maneuvers he'd made in the span of a single day. If he'd realized the importance of the plan sooner, he would have just robbed someone back in the city and taken a long detour around the affected area by way of trains. While not the most honorable display to show to anyone observing him in secret, it was much safer.

'I need to be more careful from now on. Infinitely more careful. No more risks. Just calculated actions.'

Gradually, the pressure of making the plans work started weighing down on him.

But only time would tell if this pressure would urge him forward or crush him instead.

════════════════════════════════

[Author's Note]

Man, this chapter really made me wish that Patreon supported the use of tables. Trying to format every table into a non-table form is a massive pain sometimes since I hate how it looks like a list.

I want tables goddammit!

Colorful boxes!!

Reeeeeee!

....

Anyway, I hope you're all keeping hydrated. It's very hot where I am, but I've heard that it's the opposite elsewhere. It's mind-boggling how bipolar climate is even though we're all on the same planet.

Earth is kind of amazing, huh?

Whatever extreme weather conditions you're suffering through, I hope you all take care of your health.

Thanks for the support as usual and I hope you all have a wonderful day.

Peace!

Arc#4 Chapter 29: Encounter

With some help from his trusty walking stick, Reivan forged onward through the forest.

The ground was soft and uneven, everything smelled dangerous, and he often got his foot stuck on roots or tiny little holes.

It was not an ideal forest to have a relaxing stroll through, that was for sure.

But at the back of Reivan’s mind, nothing could stop him, so he remained calm throughout his little adventure. It was truly amazing what a sense of security could do to a person's mental state. He even had the leeway to seek enjoyment from the novel experience of being inconvenienced.

‘I hope I don’t meet the big guy who produced such a gigantic pile of shit though.’

Reivan carefully navigated through a small field of purple vines as he thought back to what he’d seen earlier—a giant turd bigger than a dog.

That was not a promising discovery at all since it meant there was something in here that could squeeze out a turd that large. While size wasn't everything, it wasn't a completely useless quality either. There was a very high chance that such a large monster had a formidable force under its belt.

‘Good thing it wasn’t in the area.’

When he used [Supreme Insight] on it, it told him nothing except that it was a dangerous beast’s feces.

Nothing more.

Given how dangerous knowing nothing about his potential adversary was, Reivan had made the wise choice of taking the long way around what he estimated was the unknown creature’s territory. Now was not the time to limit test his lacking capabilities.

“Whoo, there we go...” After successfully passing through the bed of purple ivy without being itchy anywhere, Reivan scanned the area to regain his bearings and headed toward where he assumed the village to be.

After a few minutes of walking, he saw a spring that was surprisingly devoid of anything that looked dangerous to touch or consume. There was vibrant grass all around it, some bushes, and a fallen tree that seemed like it would be perfect for him to sit on.

‘This place looks good. I think I should take a break.’

Reivan was in Clover’s body, after all. And he was starting to feel a bit winded by how challenging it was to traverse the forest full of dangerous fauna. Now that he realized it, his lower back needed some scratching too.

After parking his ass on the fallen tree, Reivan used his wand as a backscratcher to relieve the itch while observing his surroundings.

‘I wished there were berries or something to eat. I’m getting kind of hungry and I obviously didn’t have the leeway to bring any food…’

Unfortunately, although there was an absence of dangerous fauna around the spring, it was also completely barren of anything he could snack on. Now that he could rest, he realized he was running on empty and needed something to fill up his complaining belly.

Just as he was about to give up and simply accept that he would get nothing to eat until he reached the village, he suddenly noticed a few pheasant-like birds perched atop a nearby tree.

They weren’t too big and therefore wouldn’t be very filling, but what Reivan liked about them was how they didn’t seem like the type of birds that would kill him once consumed. There were three of them too, so he could compensate for the lack of quality with quantity.

But even with three of them, he likely wouldn't be very satisfied either.

‘Eh, beggars can’t be choosers.’

Still seated, Reivan rapidly fired three bolts of magic power to accurately shoot down three of the birds. They each fell to the soft earth close to the spring one by one.

“Easy,” Reivan muttered, twirling his wand around his fingers before stowing it away.

Such a feat was apparently impressive among beginner sorcerers, but Clover could do it rather easily — proving that if circumstances had been a bit different, he would have been a great asset for Arkhan.

Now, Clover was his asset. Not the republic's.

“Agh…” Reivan grunted as he rose from his seat and walked over to where the fallen birds were, bending down to grab one by the leg. “Nothing personal.”

Only battlemages had access to truly lethal spells that could be shot from range, and Clover hadn’t learned any yet. The worst he could do was cause a concussion if he struck someone on the back of the head.

As such, he would have to deal the final blow to these birds personally — a coup de grâce to end their suffering, so to speak.

“I will eat you with gratitude.” Reivan easily snapped the bird’s neck, mechanically moving on to the next one after saying the same thing. He held them up for a few minutes to let the blood drain out before plucking out all their feathers and cleaning them.

‘This is… kinda fun, actually.’

Hunting his own food on his own, eating it on his own, and being in the great outdoors on his own…

Reivan didn’t think it was too bad as he hummed a soft tune while he worked.

Clover didn’t know a whole lot about preparing prey though, so Reivan intentionally didn’t do it optimally — not that he was all that knowledgeable about being an outdoorsman, of course.

For instance, Reivan didn’t take out the birds’ innards before skewering their cleaned carcasses with sharp twigs since Clover probably wouldn't have known that you were supposed to take those out.

His meal would probably not taste all that great as a result of intentionally holding back his accumulated knowledge from lifehack tutorials, but protein was protein.

After washing his hands in the spring for the umpteenth time in the past few minutes, Reivan cast a spell and created three balls of flames that levitated in front of him. He directed each toward the skewered birds and slowly roasted them.

It would cost him some magic power to maintain until the birds were cooked, but he had no other way to cook the birds otherwise — unlike elementalism, everything conjured by sorcery vanished after a certain amount of time. That was why he couldn’t just ignite a few twigs to build a campfire that Clover didn’t know how to make.

This was one of sorcery’s disadvantages and was also why he needed the spring for drinking water instead of conjuring water himself.

Luckily, anything that was affected by conjured elements would remain that way. Meaning if he cooked something with conjured fire, it would still be cooked even when the fire disappeared. And if he cleaned something with conjured water then it would still be clean when the water vanished.

‘It should be done now, right…? I’m not too sure though… Actually, cooking’s kind of hard, huh? It'd be great if there was a ringing sound in my head whenever the food was ready.'

Reivan had increased the flame’s intensity, so it only took about five minutes for the smell of burning meat to waft into his nose. Unsure if it was ready though, he decided to let it cook for a bit longer since eating overcooked meat was better from a food safety standpoint than eating some that was undercooked.

He was just a weak little mortal right now, after all. That's why he had to pay attention to even the smallest of risks.

‘I asked for it though. I could’ve just stayed in the palace like a good little prince.’

Once he deemed it enough, Reivan dug into his modest meal, quickly putting away two of the birds.

As expected, it tasted quite bland since he didn’t even have salt or pepper on hand. But it was certainly better than nothing and it was presumably sufficient to tide him over until he reached the village.

Reivan drank a few mouthfuls from the spring before moving on to the last bird. But just before he took a bite, he felt a slight tingle on the back of his neck.

‘Ah, damn it all. I knew cooking meat would attract something...'

He hated being right sometimes.

Reivan had just found the perfect place to take a rest and was too hungry to be at his most effective if something were to happen. When he’d glimpsed the hamlet he was heading to, he was on relatively high ground. It would take a while of walking to actually reach the place and he even had to take a detour.

As far as he knew, it was worth the risk to stop and rest. And this was the result.

‘Maybe it’s friendly?’

Perhaps sensing his rising tension and that they’d been noticed, there was a faint rustling in the bushes all around Reivan, letting him know that he was surrounded and was being attacked by multiple foes. There was a lot of growling too, emphasizing their hostility even more.

‘Of course it’s not friendly. And there’s a lot of them, it seems. Balls… They could have at least waited for me to finish my meal. Bunch of assholes.’

Reivan sighed heavily and abruptly tossed his uneaten food in a random direction. In a flash, something leaped from the bushes to grab it mid-air, prompting Reivan to shoot it with a Stun Bolt that sent the hapless creature crashing into a nearby tree.

As it crumpled to the ground with a soft thud, unconscious, Reivan took the opportunity to inspect its identity.

‘It’s a… monkey?’

Specifically, it seemed to resemble what he knew as a macaque and looked only about sixty centimeters tall.

He had once tried to read an isekai novel where the main character reincarnated as one, so he knew a few things about that particular species. Unfortunately, said story started going in a strange direction that he couldn’t hop on board with so he quietly dropped it. An ordinary person could only read about a monkey mating with about twenty other monkeys once before thinking they'd done it one too many times.

════ ⋆★★★⋆ ════

Name: N/A

Species: Rhemunian Macaque

Realm: Mortal

Age: 4

Sex: Male

Might: 19

Elemental Affinities:

[Earth]

Favor:

(Caution / Hostility) -55 / 100

Threat Level:

E

════ ⋆★★★⋆ ════

‘It’s four years old and can already overpower most human men. Typical monster logic…’

Reivan’s mind spun rapidly as he drew the pistol — yet another beneficiary of a waterproofing spell he’d cast earlier. He sent a silent prayer of thanks to the dead mercenary he'd looted it from as he analyzed the situation in his head.

‘It’s not too strong, thank the Sun God.’

There was a possibility that the one he examined was particularly weak compared to the others, but more often than not, most members of a hunting party would be of similar capabilities.

‘Numbers unconfirmed.’

If he still had his old body, he could probably tell how many of them there were. But Clover obviously did not have developed capabilities when it came to perception. For now, all he could do was say that there were a lot of them.

‘Earth attribute… which means they’ll be sturdy. And they’ll hit hard too. Going melee is a fool's choice.’

If he let them grab his joints or strike him in the head, it would be over for him. On the other hand, striking them anywhere but the head would yield little result. Luckily, the one earlier had hit their head against the tree when Reivan sent it flying.

‘Six bullets… reloading isn’t possible in this situation. I can’t be too trigger-happy here. Oh, but if I...’

His other hand had to hold his wand, and he couldn't not have it at the ready in most situations. Furthermore, he wasn’t skilled enough to do a single-handed reload for a revolver pistol — if that was even possible at all, that is, but someone on YouTube or something could probably do it.

There was a way to make reloading a breeze though.

‘Spell-wise… my main tools would be Stun Bolt and Force Rebound.’

Clover was incredibly proficient in using the two spells and showed great results during his hunting trips near Arkhan’s capital. The former spell was the spell Reivan had used to knock out the monkey earlier, while Force Rebound was a spell that used the opponent’s momentum against them.

It only worked against physical attacks, lasted for just an instant, and could be broken with extreme force, but it was a good spell if you got the timing right. lt also had a very economical mana cost.

The problem was that if one missed that split-second timing, whatever wanted to get to you would.

‘Clover wouldn’t miss though. And I won’t either.’

“Alright, let’s do this. Come and get me you little shits.”

Done with his short analysis, Reivan dashed toward the spring. With how deep it was, it would only reach up to his navel at most — but for the monkeys, they would have to swim, drown, or wait for him on the outskirts.

Seemingly having caught on to his plans, numerous monkeys burst out of the bushes and pursued him.

But this was a mistake for them since Reivan expected them to give chase.

Having made a mad dash for him, three monkeys were unable to evade in time as they ate a Stun Bolt to the face. Their neck practically broke from the force of their head being blown back as their body charged forward, and each of Reivan’s victims slumped to the ground unconscious.

Seeing this, the others trailed Reivan a bit more carefully, taking care to hide under cover along the way. This slowed them down significantly though, allowing Reivan to create a good amount of space between him and the bulk of the monkeys. Reivan didn’t bother trying to hit the ones who had slowed down since they had lowered themselves on his list of threats — he would deal with them later.

He’d much rather take advantage of the clear path to the spring… which wasn’t as easy as he thought since four monkeys quite literally burst out of the ground to block his path.

‘Shit. Should’ve known they could do that.’

Reivan didn’t slow down, stunning the two in the middle and jumping over their bodies. The other two tried to jump him as he passed, but they were met by a transparent plate of magic power that sent them back with the force of their own lunge.

‘There we go. That wasn’t so hard.’

After wading into the middle of the spring, waist-deep in water, Reivan turned around and tried to better assess how many monkeys he still had to take out.

A rough count told him there were about fifteen, but considering how a few of them could be hiding, maybe it was better to think there were twenty or thirty of them.

‘It's not too much… or not. I'm just coping. No use lying to myself here.’

Escape was all but impossible now that he’d placed himself there, but Reivan never considered escape in the first place. Those monkeys were likely faster than him since he had Clover’s specs after all, and they could no doubt traverse this forest much easier than he ever could.

From the very start, he either had to take them out or ring the Sword Star’s bell — thereby accepting his failure.

He had some advantages, of course. Within terrain they couldn't easily traverse, Reivan was free to use the pistol in his hand. He could now reload it in the time it took any monkeys to reach him and shoot the closest ones.

The problem, of course, was how the loud noise could potentially call other things to his location.

‘Luckily, Clover also has a solution for that.’

Reivan smiled as he cast a spell on the gun, muffling any noise produced around the object for a few minutes. Then he carefully aimed at one of the monkeys. The first shot had to count since they would be more guarded afterward.

‘Breathe in, Breathe out…’

When he was ready, Reivan pulled the trigger and quickly aimed at the next monkey, shooting the next bullet into its head. He repeated this as rapidly as he could until all six bullets were used. By the time the monkeys realized that six of their kin suddenly dropped dead, Reivan was already halfway done reloading his pistol.

Perhaps their emotions at their kin’s death were too overwhelming, about a dozen of the monkeys actually dived into the spring and started swimming toward him despite how it would endanger them. They were quite fast too, something their lightness and monster muscles probably caused.

‘You're all fish in a barrel.’

In the water, their superior physical capabilities didn’t matter as much. Their heads were also conveniently exposed to him, allowing his bullets to find their targets more easily.

Contrary to his initial plans, Reivan only managed to shoot down four of the swimmers when his pistol suddenly jumped out of his hand. Naturally, it hadn't done that on its own — a rock had hit it from the side and he accidentally let it go.

Stunned, Reivan looked at his hand for a moment before gazing at the source, finding a few monkeys holding what seemed to be makeshift slingshots made of wood and some kind of plant fiber. They weren't too hard to find since they were being quite noisy, jeering at him and mocking him for losing his weapon.

‘Fuck.’

He didn’t know where they learned to make such tools, but his curiosity was eclipsed by his frustration. Part of his training as a knight was to never accidentally let go of his weapon no matter what. Sure, soul armaments could just be resummoned — but that would inevitably cause a delay, and in a fight, any delay could be fatal.

Now, because he didn’t do exactly what his training warned him against, one of his most lethal weapons was somewhere in the bottom of the stream and probably too wet for him to use for a while.

‘Stupid, stupid, stupid…’

While berating himself, Reivan quickly used most of his remaining magic power to erect a different sort of shield around his position — one that lasted a bit longer but had weaker protective properties. It would be enough for now though.

Hopefully.

With his defense against projectiles covered, Reivan started using Stun Bolts to knock out as many of the approaching monkeys as he could while his defensive ward caused stones to bounce off into the water.

The spring wasn’t that big though and the monkeys didn’t have to swim for too long to reach him. So he had to quickly use Force Rebound shields to create space when they tried to grab him then shot a Stun Bolt at another one. Since the monkeys couldn’t muster much momentum while in water, his spell didn’t have much of an effect either. But it gave him a moment to take out another foe while the first one was still reeling.

There were too many monkeys though, and he knew that he would eventually run out of mana. The magical ward protecting him against the other side’s projectiles would also expire soon.

‘Right. Guess I’m not getting out of this unscathed.’

Reivan clenched his teeth and let two monkeys reach him while he took out the last three swimmers.

Immediately, one of them grabbed him from the front and sunk its claws into his chest, all while the other tried to take his wand away.

The very moment they made contact, Reivan felt the weight of the monster’s biological superiority against him. Despite looking like they weren’t very heavy, Reivan could hardly resist the force they were exerting on him.

His only physical advantage was that his lungs could probably hold a lot more air.

After taking a deep breath, Reivan curled up, submerging himself and his unwanted hangers-on. Caught unprepared, the monkeys quickly let go of him and tried to get away, but this was exactly what Reivan wanted.

Underwater, Reivan tucked his wand into his pants and grabbed the monkey’s tails, pulling them further down with his entire weight. In their struggle to get away, they didn’t think to just follow him underwater and claw at his face or something.

But eventually, their struggle faded into nothingness as their powerful limbs went limp.

Reivan let them go and quickly snatched up the pistol he’d dropped earlier, tucking it into its holster before straightening up.

“HAAAAH!”

After taking the loudest breath of his life, which may have been mixed with an exclamation of victory, Reivan started unloading spells at the monkeys on the spring’s edge, finally ending the battle.

‘I win, little bitches.’

Obviously, he had to trash talk. But only in his head. He was too classy to say it out loud, after all.

Reivan chuckled as his chest rose and fell rapidly, adrenaline still pumping in his veins as he scanned his surroundings for anything else that may have wanted to capitalize on his current situation.

When his heart finally calmed down and he was sure nothing else would be coming for him, Reivan collected the monkeys floating on the spring and dragged them back to land before finishing them all off by lining them all up and stepping on the backs of their necks. After each dull crunch of bone, he then mechanically moved on to the next one.

Of course, he could have also just resumed his journey without finishing them off, but he didn’t know for how long they’d remain unconscious. There was a very realistic possibility that they’d wake up and track him down with a vengeance an hour or two down the line.

And next time, Reivan wasn’t too sure if he would still have favorable terrain to take advantage of.

In any case, mercy had no place in a dog-eat-dog world like this forest.

‘That sure was a rush.’

Now that the situation had turned for the better, Reivan started to think how fun and exciting it was.

Sure, his life was never truly on the line. But he could have lost years' worth of planning if he messed up and got killed by monkeys on his way to the Spirit Tower. How the hell would he have spun this tale when he met his family?

He’d much rather have a success story to recount over some meat pie.

“That was an impressive display of skill, young human.”

“I know, right? I’m pretty great…” Reivan reflexively answered and was about to boast a bit more, but then he realized he should have been alone. He slowly turned toward the source of the voice — which sounded deep and gravelly — only to realize that he was looking at the spring.

Which wasn’t good at all.

‘Normal invisibility doesn’t work on me… so where the hell are they?’

The possibility that something could bypass his [Supreme Insight] was always at the back of Reivan’s head. But finding such a case right after he finished fighting off a bunch of monkeys wasn't on his list of expected scenarios.

Reivan licked his lips and decided to see if the conversation would help. After all, the fact that he wasn’t sneak attacked meant that the mysterious entity he was talking to wasn’t outright hostile. “Can you show yourself? It’s a bit unsettling talking to someone I can’t see.”

“Oh? You wish to see me?” the voice said. This time, it came from above him.

“Yes…” Reivan looked up, finding only branches, leaves, and the sky to greet him. Nothing that looked like it had vocal cords. “If that’s fine with you, of course.”

“If it’s fine with me, is it?” the voice seemed to ponder, seemingly coming from Reivan’s left this time. “It’s not fine, actually, since I would have liked to keep my existence a secret.”

“Then I’ll make myself scarce.” Reivan edged farther away from the spring. “Obviously, I won’t tell anyone about the mysterious voice that I talked to. Everyone would think I'm crazy if I did.”

“Now, now. Not so fast.” the voice spoke from a different direction once again, and this time, the direction it came from seemed to change with every word. “I’ve not met a promising human in a while.”

“Oh, I’m not that great…”

“Didn’t you just say otherwise?”

“...I was lying.”

Reivan's words were met with a gentle, grandfatherly laugh that seemed to fill the air around him. Then, the voice spoke again, this time sounding closer.

As if they were right behind him.

“Be not afraid, human. I mean you no harm. But if you wish to see me, you’ll have to look in the right direction.”

Reivan felt a shadow fall over him, signaling something blocking the sunlight from behind. His curiosity eventually got the better of him and he gradually turned around to see what appeared like a three-meter-tall monkey.

Though he called it a monkey, it could have also been mistaken for an old man with how human-like its facial features were — that is, if it didn't have white fur covering its back and four arms. Its chest was free of hair though, covered with rippling black muscles instead. A makeshift long skirt that reached up to its knees covered its lower body, but Reivan could make out a pair of bare feet that definitely looked like they would belong to a monkey.

Just like its hands and chest, the towering monkey’s face was also black. The color offered a stark contrast to its white skin, but the thing that Reivan noticed more than the contrast was the shining pink pearl on its forehead.

“Be not afraid, human.” the monkey repeated, baring his human-like teeth in a smile. “I mean you no harm.”

Reflexively used [Supreme Insight], though he could already feel like defying the existence in front of him would be unwise.

════ ⋆★★★⋆ ════

Name: Aguru

Species: ???

Realm: Ascendant

Age: 2157

Sex: Male

Might: 31420

Special Abilities:

[Crown of Wisdom]

Extra Skills:

[Perfect Memory]

[Qi: Unleashed]

[Soul Damage Immunity]

[Elemental Resistance]

[Magic Resistance]

Elemental Affinities:

[Fire]

[Wind]

[Water]

[Earth]

[Lightning]

[Ice]

Favor:

(Curiosity) 30 / 100

Threat Level:

Absolute (Threat cannot be resisted)

════ ⋆★★★⋆ ════

Reivan gulped down a mouthful of saliva and completely forgot to lick his lips. For a good few moments, he started to doubt if his ability was broken or not.

After all, he had never seen an Ascendant with that much Might.

It was like three Valters combined into one.

And age aside, this monkey had six elemental affinities too. Then there was its race.

'Why in the fuck is it just a bunch of question marks!?'

Reivan almost took out the Sword Star’s bell and rang it on the spot.

════ ⋆★★★⋆ ════════ ⋆★★★⋆ ════

[Author's Note]

Hi, there!

I'm still alive, in case you were wondering.

It's still hot af though. Pretty rough. I wish there was a "Skip to the end of summer" button.

Well, that's all from me. Seriously though, see you guys in the next chapter.

Stay safe out there, keep hydrated, and always look at where you're walking so you don't step on dog shit like I did last Tuesday.

Arc#4 Interlude: The Knight's Bluff

‘Damned dark attribute… I can’t see shit through that fog.’

Sir Tidus Suprana ran along the train tracks faster than the fastest train ever did. The effort didn’t seem to tire him out in the slightest though, as if he was just doing a light bit of jogging. Covered from head to toe in steel that hid everything but his towering height and his well-built physique, the warrior also had Aizenian Wolf engraved on the buckle of his belt.

Just like all knights from the kingdom of Aizen did.

‘I only came here since it’s that time of the month for my sister, but…’

Of course, as a knight, his sister wouldn’t have had any trouble pushing through any biological inconveniences — and in fact, she did so on a regular basis when they had work to do. But all the same, it didn’t feel right to shove extra work on her given how particularly bad she had it during these times, so he had answered the secret orders in her stead.

He grumbled and acted pissed about it like any brother would just so she wouldn’t start thinking he could take advantage of his kindness to be pushed around though.

‘All things considered, she would have been perfect for the job since she had the earth attribute.’

Regardless, he was here now, so he may as well do it.

Tidus stopped just before his body made contact with the thick dark smog, musing on how he and his sister had been celebrating an unexpected break from work because of the recent issues with the transportation restrictions.

But then someone very important sent them a message in code, ordering them to send someone down the tracks and check if any trains were running on it.

Of course, with the restrictions in place, the only trains active on these particular tracks were the ones that had been handed over to the Star of Fortune for some reason — a reason the knight didn’t know, nor need to know.

The orders didn’t come signed by the king or the Knight Overseer who served as the commander of the knights stationed at all the train stations in Arkhan.

But that didn’t mean Tidus could just ignore it either.

‘Sir Valter Suprana… the second prince’s guardian knight.’

Prince Reivan Aizenwald was famous among the knights for his various contributions and how rapidly he was growing stronger. Tidus was confident that in a year or two, even he would be bested by the young lad, but he held no negative feelings about that — only pride.

After all, that was his prince. The royalty of his nation. it could not be anything but a good thing.

In any case, Prince Reivan was supposedly in Arkhan at the moment, so Valter Suprana also being in the republic wasn’t that strange.

But being here, specifically, was.

‘Wherever the prince is or whatever his planning is irrelevant now. Given who delivered the order, this must be the prince’s orders then.’

It wasn’t strange to assume so.

Even if it wasn’t the prince’s direct orders, Sir Valter’s identity alone meant he was probably doing things for the prince, and needed a bit of assistance on short notice.

Guardian Knights served the primary role of ensuring the royal family’s safety, but oftentimes, they also served other roles — like teachers, advisors, or even assassins.

Hence, Tidus assumed that Valter’s orders were Prince Reivan Aizenwald’s orders.

And that changed things, as far as he was concerned. Now, Tidus’s direct superior or even the Knight Overseer's intentions didn’t matter — the royal family’s orders were to be given the highest priority.

Hell, even if it wasn’t an order from the prince, and was a favor for Sir Valter instead, Tidus still would have been happy to oblige and get yelled at by his superiors.

Sir Valter Suprana was a living legend after all, someone all young knights — including Tidus, who was turning 124 this year — aspired to emulate.

Sure, Valter wasn’t among The Twelve Helms — an unofficial name for the twelve legendary Ascendant Knights who were said to have the greatest dueling capabilities before Sir Viktor and Queen Vianna came along.

But even then, he was still the one said to be closest to following in the Sword Star’s footsteps, and was probably somewhere around 13th place among human knights anyway. That wasn't something to be looked down on at all.

‘Anyhow… I must decide what to do with this Sun God-forsaken mist…’

Tidus took a moment to think things over before realizing something.

Although he was ordered to run along the tracks, there was nothing about saving anyone or killing anything. He just had to check if there were any trains running on the track — and there was. He could see a very damaged locomotive derailed by the side of the tracks, just beyond the smog’s area of effect.

With this, it could technically be said that he’d completed his orders.

‘How… inconvenient.’

He wasn’t the only one to hold this opinion among the knighthood, but orders that left much of the decision-making to the knights on site were very undesirable. Most knights preferred receiving detailed orders that could just be followed to the letter.

After all, orders like those usually went through multiple rounds of consideration from strategists, tacticians, or a bunch of other people who were too smart to put at risk out in the field. That usually meant those plans were near perfect, improved and revised countless times by people who had the nation and the field knights’ interests at heart.

Of course, knights would never be entirely dependent on such plans, and neither was Tidus. Adapting to the situations when needed was the default. But it didn’t hurt to have a very detailed plan of action with very detailed map of possible consequences spelled out that could be used as a reference.

Now, though? Tidus had to use his head to deduce what was wanted of him. All while grappling with the anxiety that he might completely go in another direction.

‘Ugh. I don't like acting being given free rein… Should I stick my nose into this?’

Tidus crossed his arms and pondered what the prince’s intentions should be, despite the obvious noise of battle beyond the darkness.

Though he and his sister had been stationed in Arkhan for the past two years, they held no particular fondness for the country or its people. Tidus’s loyalty was to Aizen, and his love was for his countrymen. If he ever lost his life, he wanted it to be used for the land where his ancestors lay to rest.

He wasn’t about to go rushing into danger just to save a few Arkhanians — those weren’t the people he swore to protect with every fiber of his being after all.

Simply put, if he was ordered to save them, he would save them. If he was ordered to ignore their suffering, then he would ignore them. And if he was ordered to slaughter them, although he wasn’t some raving lunatic with a taste for the blood of the innocent, then he would do just that.

He was a loyal soldier by trade and he had already decided to live like that for the rest of his life.

Currently though, he didn’t have any specific orders. And he held no personal feelings about the matter either.

That left considering the source of the order’s intentions.

‘What would His Highness, Prince Reivan, want…’

But that was the thing, he didn’t know Prince Reivan all that well either.

It may have sounded a bit negative, but most members of the royal family didn’t reveal their true colors to the public, and Tidus was aware of that too. Generally speaking though, they all had the kingdom’s interests at heart, and that was what mattered most to knights like him.

He may have had more insight into the matter if he worked closely with the prince — but he didn’t.

Before being deployed to Arkhan, Tidus was assigned to one of Aizen’s underwater projects for ten years because he was a somewhat adept water elementalist.

In any case, since he couldn’t gleam anything out of the intentions of the order’s source, that meant the only thing left for Tidus to consider was whether he personally wanted to get involved in this or not.

‘Do I, though?’

Tidus hummed in thought before he knelt on one knee and pushed his palm into the upturned soil.

‘There’s water… Ah, now that I think about it, there should be a ravine somewhat close by. It should be down a steep cliff though.’

The river was too far for him to utilize to its full extent, but river water had a tendency to bleed into the nearby areas too, and he could pull it out of the depths of the earth to bolster his strength if need be. Of course, the groundwater was really far underground, and there were layers of hard rock in between.

But Tidus was quite a decent elementalist in his own right, and being in an underwater base allowed him plenty of opportunities to improve his skills.

‘Now what about the sky?’

He then stood up and squinted up at the heavens, noticing how it was somewhat cloudy today. It didn’t seem like it would rain, but the clouds certainly looked a bit heavy.

‘Hm. I’m quite strong here, aren’t I’

In fact, the current conditions meant he was slightly better at taking out large swathes of weaker foes than his sister.

‘Maybe I will get involved in this then. Haven’t had anything exciting happen recently.’

Tidus may have sounded like a nutjob by finding the idea of jumping into trouble exciting, but really, all he had as a sparring partner lately was his sister. And that got old really fast.

They had already annihilated the monster population near their station early on too, so there really wasn’t much to do but stand guard.

‘Then again… on the off-chance that I die here, it would be for nothing.’

It would not be for his woman, for his country, or for his king — but rather, just for some fun. That seemed like a very foolish thing to risk his life for, especially when he still had a chance to gain immortality.

After a full minute of thinking about it, Tidus decided that he should at least investigate a little. Just so he could add a bit more content to the report he would send to Sir Valter.

‘...Wait a minute, how am I supposed to send him a report on this? I don’t have a line to him and I don’t think my direct superior does either… Maybe I don’t need to send in a report at all? Is that it? I hope that’s it. I hate writing reports…’

Tidus pondered it as he jogged along the outskirts of the smog. Of course, for him, a “jog” was far faster than anything an ordinary human being could possibly be capable of, so he reached his destination quickly.

‘Those monsters really messed it up, I see.’

With a bit of schadenfreude, Tidus marveled at the destruction the alleged monster horde must have wrought on the train.

The sides of what seemed like passenger cars for their troops were completely mutilated, revealing the interior. He walked along the path of destruction and inspected things closely, suddenly stopping at a few cars that had no damage at all.

‘Oh? What’s this, then?’

Tidus easily punched a hole through the wall and peeked inside to see a number of empty crates. There were blatant signs of damage on them, and it didn’t take a genius to realize they were made with a monster’s teeth — the little buggers must have gnawed the thing open, seemingly very careful not to damage anything inside.

“Interesting…” With a smirk, Tidus knelt down and picked up one of the crates, overturning it and watching a few pieces of fur and what seemed like little turds fall out.

‘I’m starting to get an idea of what happened here.’

He saw it all the time back when he was still in the underwater base east of Aizen’s shores. Some monsters really took good care of their young, and even had all sorts of homing functions to find them.

That’s why it was common practice to kill everything so they didn’t get followed to base.

If the creatures seemed peaceful, then they would be left alone, of course. But there did not seem to be a lot of them underwater — everything wanted to eat everything else.

The Star of Fortune — or one of its operatives seeking profit and renown — probably abducted a few monster babies for breeding purposes. And this situation was the consequence of that.

‘This is none of my business. This wasn’t our train, anyway. So it matters little if the Star’s antics get it run aground.’

What mattered more here was how this entire incident with the monster horde actually hindered the kingdom’s operations in Arkhan — after all, although it was just a small bit of income, running the train stations was still a source of revenue for the kingdom.

It was convenient for him since he didn’t have to deal with as many people during the transportation ban, but that hardly mattered in the face of his country’s earnings. Although the losses probably weren’t all that high, he still felt somewhat indignant that any damage was dealt to Aizen at all.

‘I bet someone smart can put this information to good use to wring out some concessions or something.’

That was obviously out of his jurisdiction as well though. Old as he was when compared to a lot of people, he was no diplomat.

His job now was to go back and file a report. Since he didn’t have direct contact with Sir Valter, then Tidus would have to go through his direct superior. It would take a bit longer, but since they all had communication crystals — or dream crystals, apparently, since that was what they were called according to the prince — there wouldn’t be much of a delay.

Tidus jumped out of the train car and was just about to head back to base when suddenly, something small shot out of the darkness.

His body moved before he even realized, slapping the projectile away mid-flight. When more of them came, Tidus almost dodged out of the way when he noticed how slow and weak the mysterious things were.

So he just stood there and took the barrage.

‘Wasting resources on an attack of this caliber would be unwise…’

There was a series of dull clangs that reminded him of his childhood, hiding from his mother’s scolding out on his father’s tool shed as the rain banged against the metallic roofing sheets. Tidus couldn’t feel a thing despite the seemingly endless barrage of what were probably horns piercing the air with greater intensity than a bullet. So he just let the tiny insignificant vermin beyond the smog shoot him as they pleased.

Naturally, though, he was keeping an eye out for anything stronger mixed in.

But none came.

Eventually, the attacks ceased, leaving piles of discarded horns with shattered tips around Tidus’s position. His full plate armor, manifested by his soul armament, remained spotless and without a single scratch — as if it was brand new.

‘Alright. If they're smart, they should start to understand that they can’t hurt me and back off—’

With his back against the train car, Tidus had been preparing to walk forward to intimidate the horde, but then a sharp pain in his hindquarters caused him to yell in shock. He swiveled back to see a black rabbit with a ghostly mane of white fur on its neck.

It was right where he was investigating earlier, surprisingly bypassing his natural perception.

‘That’s not a good sign. I didn’t know they were so formidable at hiding.’

More rabbits who looked similar appeared from the shadows of trees or underground, looking at him with their beady little red eyes. It didn’t seem as if they were keen to let him get away peacefully.

“You little shits…” Tidus muttered in anger as he pulled out the horn sticking out of his armor.

It was a good thing that the projectile seemed to have lost most of its power piercing through his armor, because though it pricked his skin a little, no blood was drawn.

But Tidus’s anger wasn’t about pain, but pride. If the monster's attack was just a little stronger, Tidus would have died here today.

Aiming at that spot seemed deliberate too. The thought of dying with something shoved up his ass was infuriating.

‘It’s stronger than the others, that much is apparent.’

None of the other projectiles even made it through the steel he wore, but the one from this rabbit did. It may have been the leader of this entire species — though, Tidus highly doubted that given how monster species whose numbers grew this big usually had an Ascendant to lead it.

But it wouldn’t be strange if this particular rabbit was older or part of some kind of special bloodline.

‘You’re dead meat.’

Not giving its comrades a chance to gain their footing, Tidus rushed forward and closed the distance in less than a second, extending a hand to crush the small monster’s head in his grip.

Unable to react, the monster didn’t even realize it was dead until its head practically exploded.

With a blood-soaked gauntlet, Tidus could sense hundreds — if not thousands — of gazes lock onto him, and this time, he wasn’t in the mood to take the hits.

The next moment, his body burst into a dense cloud of vapor, spreading outward and mixing with the dark smog. This let him perceive just how ridiculous the monsters' numbers were, but also let him know that the vast majority of them were weaklings.

He rushed into the horde of rabbits, and sapped the moisture in their bodies, turning every living thing around him into mummified corpses.

Placed in the horrifying situation where countless members of their kin dropped dead in such an inconceivable way, the swarm of black rabbits started to visibly panic. Some tried to attack by shooting their single horn at where he should have been, and some even shot forward with their teeth bared.

But all their attacks passed right through him, until a moment later, they joined the list of casualties.

Faced with such hopelessness, they all chose to disperse in different directions.

Tidus didn't pursue those who fled, flying around like a reaper, claiming the lives of the braver monsters with his mere presence. As he did, the groundwater stored deep underground rose up, floating out of the soil in countless tiny droplets that were rapidly sucked into the clouds in the sky as soon as they were freed from the shackles of the earth.

It was only a few moments later that a light drizzle started falling from the heavens.

And that was a death sentence for these monsters — even the ones who had fled from him.

‘Foreplay’s over.’

Tidus’s body rematerialized in the middle of a field of dried-up corpses. He spread his arms wide and looked up, soaking up the rain with his body. Gradually, he could feel his magic power being restored, and now, the entire forest was nice and wet for him to do as he pleased.

In the rain-soaked forest, the darkness was irrelevant to Tidus.

Every droplet was both a window for him to peek through and a lance to use on his enemies.

Countless squeals erupted from all around the forest, as countless monsters were speared through the head by a high-pressure jet of water that killed them in an instant.

════ ⋆★★★⋆ ════════ ⋆★★★⋆ ════════ ⋆★★★⋆ ════

There was a saying from before the Kingdom of Aizen was born — one should never fight water elementalists anywhere near bodies of water.

Or if it was raining.

Tidus’s display was a perfect example of that.

But over the years, the knights of Aizen realized that water elementalists didn’t need to restrict themselves so much. Trying to lead enemies into coming near bodies of water and waiting for rain to fall was too much trouble.

If it wasn’t raining, then simply make it rain. And if there were no bodies of water nearby, then simply make one.

It was one of the oldest tricks in just one of Aizen’s many books though, so Tidus didn’t particularly feel proud. He simply benefited from what those who came before him perfected.

When the symphony of death around him ended, Tidus opened his eyes and let his arms fall beside him. He tried his best to appear calm and serene, as if what he’d just done took less effort than eating breakfast.

‘There are four… no, five.’

As expected, not all of the monsters were weaklings he could pick off easily. Though he wasn’t completely sure, there were around four or five hidden throughout the forest who were at or close to his level — which was not good for him, seeing as he’d just wiped out so much of their kin and they likely didn’t like that.

‘Time to pull out the good old fashioned bluff card.’

Most monsters weren’t completely dumb. Moreover, they had highly acute survival instincts.

If they were watching him right now and they saw him acting completely nonchalant after performing such a feat, then they would think twice before challenging him.

Tidus would have to retreat and see how he could play the situation out if they did. He could hardly perceive them, making a possible fight skewed in their favor and forcing him to fight defensively.

‘Is it working? I hope it’s working…’

Tidus slowly surveyed his surroundings, stopping to gaze in the general direction of where he thought the hidden foes were, hoping that it would make the monsters think that he could see them, and the earlier incident where a surprise attack on his bum worked was just a fluke. Truly, the darkness attribute was unfair in that he still couldn’t be sure even though he had just turned the area into a playground for water elementalists.

A few grating moments passed, yet nothing popped out of nowhere to take a chomp at him.

‘It worked.’

If they were going to attack him at all, they wouldn’t wait for him to restore even more of his depleted energy — they would strike right after he did something big like he did before.

The fact that they didn’t meant the hidden monsters would wait and see for now.

‘Good for me, I suppose.’

As Tidus inwardly sighed in relief, he idly thought back to how knights got so good at bluffing in the first place.

Everyone on the continent agreed that knights were the greatest military force known to humankind, and they weren’t wrong either. Though few in number, each was a force to be reckoned with.

But in fact, the stories about them throughout the continent were way overblown, and this was something intentionally induced by a certain knight with the special gift of releasing an aura that made her seem much more powerful than she truly was.

Historians called it the “Domination Aura” or something along those lines.

But knights just called it “The Poker Face”.

That knight had run around fighting in wars and showing off their domineering aura, and quickly discovered that they could actually spread it to their allies, amplifying the fear enemies felt for the knight order as a whole.

Of course, this was accompanied by a long history of success and victories, but, as far as their reputation was concerned, they were a lot more impressive than they actually were. Even the Sword Star admitted to having felt threatened by the Domination Aura even though he had watched the lady knight grow up, thereby knowing the full extent of her capabilities.

In any case, because of that knight — who, sadly, passed away in a battle with a particularly nasty nightmare spawn — the world’s estimation of knights was quite bloated.

Aizen also realized how useful bluffing could be. And Tidus had to admit that being feared ended a lot of battles before they were fought.

Just like right now.

With the threat of stronger foes dealt with for the moment, Tidus started walking toward where the other people were.

Perhaps the monster’s deaths instantly dispersed it, but the ebony smog had already vanished by the time he was done bluffing the hidden monsters, giving him a much wider view of his surroundings. That also made it much easier for the people from the Star of Fortune to see him too.

He noticed how most of them had collapsed in exhaustion upon realizing that they had survived the fighting. Some even took the opportunity to start checking on their comrades.

Tidus threw a glance at the rifle-wielding men that the Golden Star usually hired as cannon fodder and completely ignored them afterward, walking toward the ones in armor.

‘Custodian Guards. I see, so there's a Custodian nearby.’

He did not have a particularly good impression of their capabilities given how they let the situation be reduced to this state, but then again, it was a bit mean-spirited to compare them to knights.

Though comparable in base physical prowess, the two were leagues apart.

One side had teachings from countless geniuses over multiple millennia. They learned under the best teachers using the best techniques and the best resources, all while doing so in the best conditions. Then they were given the best equipment, tailor-made to suit their individual capabilities. And to top it all off, their loyalty ensured they would continuously seek improvement all while their healthy salaries provided an extra layer of motivation and security.

On the other hand, the other side was composed of unwilling slaves forced to live in harsh conditions and utilized simple techniques.

They were not the same.

Knights and Custodian Guards were worlds apart in terms of capabilities and just about everything else. And that notion intensified in Tidus’s mind when he saw them up close.

‘They don’t know what I’m here for, but they show their exhaustion so easily.’

Tidus found their lack of discipline pathetic.

Even he did not reveal how much his magic power reserves had dwindled after he slew so many monsters in such a wide area — and in such a short amount of time, too.

Such a spectacle obviously didn’t come cheap.

And it would take a while before he could restore it to full. Sure, the current conditions were gradually restoring it, and there was enough water to theoretically restore his mana reserves a hundred times over.

But doing it so fast would almost assuredly cripple him forever. Only Ascendant water elementalists could instantly transform natural water into power without consequence.

‘Whatever. Their capabilities are none of my concern since they aren’t allies.’

Tidus was so exhausted he felt confident that he would fall asleep standing just by closing his eyes for a bit. But there was no need to show that to anyone except those he trusted. It was in his best interest to end things here and go back to his assigned train station.

“Well met,” Tidus spoke to the nearest Custodian Guard, of which there were three. “Are you alright?”

“Yes…” The armored man answered, trying to desperately control his breathing. “Thank you for your aid, Sir Knight.”

“No thanks are necessary. I had my own orders and was simply attacked in the middle of fulfilling them. Anyway, may I— Ah, ahem.”

Tidus was just about to ask what the man’s name was, but when he remembered Custodian Guards weren’t given names from birth — just some identification code branded on their chest with a special tool — he cleared his throat to disguise his blunder.

Tidus then rushed into the heart of the matter. “Where is your Custodian? I’d like to speak about some things. Please lead me to them.”

Although Tidus believed his theories were incredibly likely, he recognized the need for more evidence. Reporting this incident to his superiors might instigate someone on the diplomatic side of things to take action — and though that wasn’t much of a problem in itself, it would be a great embarrassment to Aizen if it turned out his assumptions were incorrect.

Hence, he had to take additional steps to confirm some things.

‘They probably saved a few while retreating.’

The little boxes that supposedly held the monster babies weren’t all that big, and presumably, weren’t too heavy either. Even ordinary people could aid in their transportation without much trouble.

Obviously, the Golden Star’s personnel wouldn’t outright showcase their misdeeds to him, but with his skills, it wouldn’t matter.

“That’s…” There was a slight delay of hesitation before the Custodian Guard shook his head. “I’m sorry. But I cannot help you, Sir Knight.”

Tidus stood there in silence for a moment before shaking his head and walking right up to the man who was a head shorter than him.

“If you thought that was a request, then you are mistaken.”

His words were punctuated by a stifling silence as a portion of his essence mixed into the air, sending chills down the spines of everyone around him.

Normally, ordinary people had trouble perceiving supernatural energies like mana or qi. The few that could were usually those who had the talent to walk the path of a knight or sorcerer.

But essence was so intense that even people with the dullest senses could vaguely feel it. It awoke a person’s survival instincts, alerting them that a being they could not resist was nearby.

Tidus intensified this further by infusing his will to intimidate into his own essence, creating an aura of indomitability around him — a pale imitation of the ancient gift, the Domination Aura.

This was yet another way to bluff.

The mercenaries, whose combat strength was completely irrelevant to him, were slowly backing off while some fell on their asses, staring at him in horror. As for the three Custodian Guards, their muscles visibly tensed but Tidus could tell that they had no intention of attacking or down.

‘Their loyalty is admirable, at least.’

As soon as he had that thought though, he suddenly realized that what lay behind the men’s eyes wasn’t bravery or the resolution to die for their masters — rather, it was fear. Though Tidus understood why they would feel that way, he felt stupid for admiring them for even a second.

If he were in their place, he would burn his life away just to get back at the people who put a collar around his neck. But these people clung to the hope that they would be released from their chains, even though nobody had ever done it before.

‘But then again, I suppose I've never been a slave, so I hardly understand.’

Even though Tidus’ head was full of idle thoughts, he was still paying close attention to what the three Custodian Guards were doing. After a few more moments of waiting for something to happen, Tidus eventually gave up, knowing that these men wouldn’t tell him anything.

He didn’t actually need them to lead him to the Custodian though.

‘I can find the Custodian myself.’

Tidus grunted from behind his helm, then walked right past the three and transformed into mist as he headed deeper into the forest.

‘It should be somewhere beyond here.’

There were a lot of dead mercenaries in the certain parts of the forest and it wasn’t so hard to notice that the Star’s forces were utilizing a tactical formation to surround and protect a specific area.

Obviously, the Custodian and the monster babies that those black rabbits wanted so much were nearby.

Tidus rematerialized before a steep cliff, throwing a glance behind him where he could sense the three guards he’d talked to earlier giving chase. Then he looked down in satisfaction when he laid eyes on the ravine below.

‘Excellent.’

Absorbing too much natural water to restore his mana was dangerous, but utilizing it as it was had no drawbacks. So Tidus was significantly more effective in this type of environment.

Now, if he acted threatening against those monsters or the Custodian Guards again, he wouldn’t be bluffing anymore. Killing twenty of them in an instant would not only be easy, doing so would barely cost him any energy either.

‘Now, where could they be…’

Tidus looked around and glimpsed a rope tied to a tree. The other end led down the cliff, so he followed it with his eyes and finally noticed something that looked like a cave.

‘That must be where they’re hiding.’

If it wasn’t, then he’d eat the tree.

Chuckling at his own foolish thoughts, he transformed into mist once again and rapidly descended, heading straight for the cave’s entrance. He floated in front of it and peeked inside, immediately noticing a dozen or two people — all of whom, except for an armored man and a young woman talking animatedly with someone, were wearing coats or jackets marked with the Golden Star’s insignia. a few crates placed at the very back of the hollow were particularly conspicuous.

‘Bingo.’

Without waiting for the lone Custodian Guard in the cave to notice him, Tidus went straight for one of the crates and let some mist seep through the gaps. His perception bled into the crates — which seemed to have some sort of perception-blocking effect.

Luckily, they only blocked it from the outside, so Tidus successfully confirmed his theories.

‘Time to get out of here then.’

The only Custodian Guard in the vicinity got up, seemingly having noticed him, but it was already too late. His essence had already taken over the ravine below, so his misty form was rapidly sucked into it as if the body of water was magnetic and he was made of sand.

‘Hm? Someone’s there…’

As Tidus was absorbed by the river water, he became the ravine, sensing every living thing within it in a very long area — no matter how small. He hadn’t noticed it earlier, but now that he was here, he finally noticed someone being carried away to who knew where by the ravine’s intensified currents.

‘Did someone fall in?’

He could save them, but he also didn’t need to. Though he did feel a bit sorry since they were likely having a harder time because of him — after all, he had intensified the river’s flow so it would gather more momentum earlier.

This wasn’t done in malice, of course, but rather, so he could utilize it easier in the unlikely event battle erupted.

‘Eh. They’ll be fine.’

If that person fell in, then that was their fault for falling in the first place. The same could be said if they jumped in on their own volition.

‘I must go back now.’

Tidus’ consciousness rapidly moved up the ravine, away from the unknown person who was being carried away by the river’s flow. The ravine actually didn’t reach anywhere near his assigned station, but he could use it part of the way to get there faster than running.

‘Mission complete.’

Of course, a mission was never actually finished until the knight was back home or at least in a base, but he believed he was quite safe now.

Now it was time to go back to his station and write a report.

═══════════════════

[Author's Note]

Recently, the heat has been getting straight-up demonic, don't you think? Or is that just me?

It's not even technically summer yet, but the other day, I literally had to leave work early because the heat was just killing me. I was so dizzy and just felt extremely lethargic.

That was the first time in my life so it's a pretty big eye-opener for me.

Eh, I dunno. Maybe I'm getting old... I exercise and keep hydrated but it still happened, so I don't know anymore.

Well anyway, you all better take care of yourself too. Don't get heat strokes and shit.

I think I almost died though, holy crap.

= Lire ♪ =

Arc#4 Chapter 28: Escape

There was no concrete proof that Reivan's theory was absolutely correct, but every bone in his body was telling him that this place was actually more dangerous than the fiesta of blood and chaos happening above.

'Yep. I'm getting the hell outta here.'

If he'd known earlier, he would have gone in the other direction as the others. Surely, the rabbits wouldn't have chased after him too far since their goal was elsewhere.

Well, maybe it wouldn't have gone as well as he would have hoped, but ending up in the same location as the monster babies was one of the worst outcomes imaginable.

Because the adult monsters might treat him as an enemy by association.

“Ah, yes, I almost forgot.” Thomund Valand suddenly walked over to him and took out two envelopes. He held them out to Reivan with an awkward smile.

Reivan tilted his head and inspected the letter, but didn’t take it yet. “What’s this?”

“This… unfortunate event was both unforeseen and unwanted. But I feel as if I’ve failed as a host by being ill-equipped to protect you from all danger.”

“And like I said, what is this, Mr. Valand?”

“One of them holds a letter for you to give to the Spirit Tower if you are ever late for the opening ceremony. I know not how effective it can be, or how much weight my words have as far as the Tower is concerned, but I feel I should still offer this up so they know that your lateness is not your fault.”

Reivan grunted in thought for a moment before taking the letter with a nod. “Thank you. You prepared this in quite a timely manner.”

“Of course. Given our present circumstances, the penmanship may be a bit faulty, but I hope it’ll add to the authenticity.”

“And? You said there were two letters. What’s the other one about?”

“Ah, that is…” Thomund rubbed his chin with a sheepish smile. “An apology. For your emotional distress. Of course, I’m not just trying to buy you off, but I don’t want this unexpected event to cause a strain on our relationship. There should be enough in there for you to ride the express train from the farthest reaches of the republic to Vel Ayala ten times if you wish. You can, of course, spend it on something else.”

Reivan cocked a brow at him and peaked inside, only for his eyes to widen momentarily at the stack of banknotes. “There is indeed quite a lot in here.”

“Yes, well, I understand that most of your possessions were lost in the initial attack, seeing as you’re not carrying anything on your person.”

‘Well, that’s true.’

The bag with all of Clover Salwyn’s clothes and other personal effects was completely ripped to shreds by a barrage of sharp horns flying faster than a bullet. Now, a wand, the clothes on his back, and a wallet with not much in it were all he had to his — Clover Salwyn’s — name.

‘This amount of money can easily get me to Vel Ayala safely and buy me a few sets of brand-new clothes.’

That said, the general trend in Arkhan meant he would only be buying white shirts and a few colors of dark pants. Maybe a few coats, a hat, and some shoes too. But nothing too crazy.

It was, of course, much better than continuing to use Clover’s raggy clothes.

‘This is great. He didn’t need to apologize since we’re all adults and I came with them willingly, but…’

“I won’t refuse this.” Reivan tucked the thick stack of money into his pocket, barely fitting it inside.

“Thank you for accepting.” Thomund bowed a little, a relieved smile on his face. “By the way, where is Ms. Hardeling?”

“She’s still up there, waiting for me to replenish some of my mana so I can cast a spell to stop her from falling. If the need arises, of course.”

“I see. Not many can still have the capability to cast spells while plummeting to their doom, I suppose. It’s impressive how you managed to do it.”

“You think so? Is that why you’re showing me such consideration?” Reivan gestured at his stack of bills in his pocket.

Thomund chuckled. “Perhaps. At the very least, I would not have apologized so… sincerely if I was talking to someone incompetent.”

Reivan smirked and shook his head in exasperation, turning around to head to the mouth of the cave. “I hope you don’t mind me loitering near the entrance. I have to watch out for that girl.”

“Of course.”

“And I hope you compensate her too. She used a couple of spell balls in this whole ordeal. Me and her both share a lack of financial resources at the moment.”

“I already planned to, Mr. Salwyn. But thank you for the reminder.”

Reivan waved his hand and then ignored the Custodian, sinking into his own thoughts once again.

‘Haste makes waste though, so I should make sure of some things…’

He stretched his back before sitting at the edge of the cave, his legs left dangling in the air. A quick glance at the river below his feet filled him with confidence.

At this height, even Clover would survive the fall. So that meant Reivan could now jump into it without much of a problem.

Wherever the river led him to, it wouldn’t matter. It would be much safer than this hole on the wall where the monster magnets were being kept.

For the next few minutes, Reivan internalized his plans and thought of backups. He wasn't smart nor was he a genius strategist, so he had to give each plan considerable thought.

And then after thinking it through once, he would do it a couple of more times just to make sure.

'The important thing is not to mess up.'

Valter had told him that the first step to becoming proficient at anything was to focus on fundamentals. Then afterward, one had to eliminate mistakes and build consistency — the good kind of consistency, of course.

The guardian knight had said that about something else entirely, but Reivan believed that the advice applied to many other things.

'It should be about time...'

Reivan looked up and sent a bolt of magic power skyward. It was a spell that was used to send signals and looked much like miniature fireworks, without the loud noise that would probably attract all sorts of things.

A few moments later, the rope dangling in front of the cave entrance shot upward. Then quite a few moments after that, far above him, a figure started descending on a gradually elongating rope. It was obviously Maya, and she seemed to have taken some time to tie the end of the rope around her body just like he did — she even used her head and found a much safer, but magically costly way of getting down safely.

Nerves probably had something to do with the improvement too.

Reivan patiently waited for her, his ears perked while his eyes scanned the river below for any creatures he had to watch out for when he inevitably jumped in.

‘Just fish, as far as I can see… That’s good. Really good. I hope there aren't any piranhas or something. I've seen the movie and I don't wanna end up like those guys...’

Having cleared up all he needed to know, Reivan looked around and noticed some discarded rope nearby.

It was probably used when all the crates were brought down. Slowly lowering the crates would have taken too much time, so they had probably just attached all the crates to the Custodian Guard’s back and had him go back and forth, hiding as many crates inside the cave as possible.

Reivan picked it up and held it up for a nearby Star of Fortune employee. “Hey. Do you mind if I have this?”

The employee took one look at it and raised a brow at him. “That’s just some used rope, sir. If you have some use for it, then by all means. Feel free.”

“Thanks. And sorry, do you have a knife to cut this with?”

After borrowing a small dagger from the kind employee, Reivan made some smaller ropes to more securely close his wallet, which was full to bursting with a stack of money inside. Clover had the type of wallet that was only ever used for coins, so it couldn’t contain thick wads of banknotes optimally.

Reivan had to take some extra measures to prevent his newly acquired funds from escaping him.

He had even stuffed Thomund’s letter inside, rolled up and folded. It ruined the thing and made it quite unsightly, but he didn’t have much of a choice here.

After securing its stability, Reivan tied it extra tightly to his belt with another piece of rope.

Once he was done, Reivan tied together some shorter pieces of rope to make a much longer one. He managed to connect quite a few, giving birth to a rope of decent length that he could use in all sorts of situations. The knots tying it all together also served as something firm to grip on, so that was an unexpected plus.

He then cast a waterproofing spell on all his valuables, including the pistol that he'd looted. The spell would last for an hour or two, but sadly, he didn't have enough to cast it on his entire body. This meant he would likely end up like a wet dog later on — which was fine, since being soaked was preferable to being broke.

'That should do it.'

Finished with just about all his preparations, Reivan rolled up the rope and slung it over his body. Then he looked up to see that Maya had managed to climb low enough for him to notice how much of a horrible job she’d done tying the magic rope around her body. He could also vividly see her underwear because she was wearing a skirt.

Reivan frowned a little before he looked away.

“I-I… I did it!” Maya exclaimed as her foot touched down on the cave’s floor. In the end, Maya didn’t seem to have needed him to cast the Whisperfall spell since she made it down without any help. “I’m out of mana again though.”

“It doesn’t really matter, does it? Anyway…” Reivan suddenly pulled on her arm and whispered. “I’m getting out of here. And I suggest you do too.”

“What? I just got here though… Wait, why are you leaving?” Maya asked in a subdued tone, noticing how he seemed to want to keep the conversation between them.

She also didn’t seem immediately dismissive, which was something he felt thankful for.

“I can’t tell you why…” Reivan shot a glance toward the others in the cave, who were all busying themselves with tending to the crates or whispering amongst themselves. “But I just don’t think this place is as safe as it seems.”

“That doesn’t really tell me much of anything… wait, so it’s just a gut feeling?”

“You can say that.”

“Uh-huh…” Maya stared at him skeptically for a moment before shaking her head. “Where are you even planning to go? Surely, you’re not planning to jump into the river below, right?”

Reivan shrugged. “That’s exactly what I was planning to do.”

“You're crazy. There could be all sorts of nasty things down there.”

“Better than being here, though.”

“And like I said, what makes you say that…?” Maya sighed before gesturing at the others. “Look, there’s that guy who’s as strong as Deni. And surely the Star of Fortune’s employees are going to have a bunch of other tools hidden away to defend themselves — they must have more spell balls than I did. Then we’ve got all those mercenaries up there holding the line. This is the safest place around here, as far as I know.”

Reivan couldn’t help but admit that her logic was flawless.

Logically, this cave really was the most defended place in the vicinity — but it was the most defended because it was the most dangerous spot. And the Star of Fortune's employees knew that.

In any case, Reivan didn’t want to fuck around and find out which side was stronger.

With a sigh, he stared straight at her. “Look, are you coming with me or not? If you’re staying, then you’re on your own. I’m leaving.”

Maya seemed to sense that he wasn’t kidding around and gave it some thought for a few moments. But it didn’t take her long to shake her head. “I’m staying. Sorry, but we just met a few days ago, and I can’t be sure how accurate your gut feelings are. I'm not sure I can trust it.”

‘That’s rich, coming from a woman who literally hooked up with someone she met on the same day.’

Reivan shrugged at her refusal. “Then talk to Mr. Valand over there. He probably has a gift for you.”

“Is it money? I hope it’s money.”

“It’s money.”

“Great. See you, Clover.”

“Yes. I’ll see you in the tower, then.”

“Uh-huh. Don’t get yourself killed.”

“...You too.”

Reivan nodded and didn’t watch her as she passed by him, heading deeper into the makeshift cave. As she had just mentioned before, they had only met yesterday, so he had little attachment to her despite what happened between them.

Of course, he didn’t wish death and suffering upon her, and he actually saw her as a potential connection within the tower. But at the same time, he couldn’t really convince her of his theory’s accuracy without telling her about his ability to see through lies or his experiences in the dark underbelly of Arkhan’s society.

And obviously, he wouldn’t trust her with that information.

In the end, there was simply no way for him to convince her. Naturally, he couldn’t force her to come with him either, seeing as she was an adult and was therefore responsible for her own decisions.

So all he could really do was hope that everything worked out for her while doing what he thought was correct.

With that out of the way, Reivan took one last look at the people inside the cave before jumping off.

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‘This is a lot more dangerous than I gave it credit for. Maybe I shouldn’t have jumped straight into the river…’

Reivan desperately tried to keep his face above the water as the ravine’s irresistible flow carried him off to infinity and beyond. He was a pretty adept swimmer, but there was no way he could go against the flow as an ordinary human. All he could barely do was change his direction a little to avoid being rammed into rocks jutting out of the river bed.

‘Ideally, I can get to one of the walls so I can grab onto something…’

Despite the lack of agency, Reivan was still thinking clearly about how to most efficiently get out of his situation without using anything that would compromise his mission.

Unfortunately, none of his thoughts or plans mattered when he suddenly found himself on a downward slope, straight into what was obviously a massive waterfall.

‘Oh. Well, that’s not too good for me, isn’t it?… Or maybe it is?’

Realizing that he could just use another Whisperfall spell right before he fell to his potential doom, Reivan hastily tried to feel his body up underwater, trying to tell if his wand was still there.

If it wasn’t, he would probably have to give up on his plans to infiltrate the Tower.

Because if he suffered enough damage from the fall, activating Saintess Frey’s gift, that would be one of the worst-case scenarios. That thing was a one-time-use life-saving artifact that would protect him even from a Transcendent’s attack — it would be an absolutely massive waste to use here.

‘Good. It’s there.’

With that, Reivan let the river push him off the waterfall without any resistance.

════ ⋆★★★⋆ ════════ ⋆★★★⋆ ════════ ⋆★★★⋆ ════

Completely soaked and looking not unlike a dog in the rain just as he'd expected, Reivan sat atop a rock near the bottom of the waterfall, where a somewhat large lake was formed.

Weighed down by his own drenched clothes. His breathing was rough and his entire body was sore just from the effort of swimming to stable ground, but he remembered what was really important, immediately patting himself down to check if his wallet was still attached to his person.

When he found it and once again confirmed that the temporary waterwarding spell he placed on it still worked, he sighed in relief.

'Damn. I lost my rope though.'

At some point, it just wasn't there anymore. It was unfortunate since a rope was a versatile tool that might be able to help him save mana in a sticky situation if he used it correctly.

‘Anyway, I really need to get more used to this body fast. My sense of danger still doesn’t match my current specs.’

Although he had survived his own antics, he had underestimated just how much force a river’s flow could exert when making his initial estimations. Actually, when he looked at it earlier, the river’s flow was obviously not that strong.

But it’s not like he could blame the inanimate body of water for being so powerful all of a sudden. All he could do now was to internally berate himself for not considering unexpected river conditions.

‘Okay. Time to reflect. What should I have done there, I wonder?’

After thinking about it, Reivan thought that he should have used a Whisperfall spell before striking the ravine’s surface, allowing himself to land on something he could step on, thereby giving him the agency to cast spells or consider his options.

‘These are the types of mistakes that get soldiers killed before they get to fight in the war, huh?’

Reivan certainly thought he was an idiot these past few hours. But now that he knew what he did wrong, he would just have to strive to learn how to be less idiotic.

To his defense though, he had thought things through in his own way. He just wasn't used to having such inferior hardware to work with, so to speak. Of course, he wasn't blaming it on Clover or anybody else. Reivan knew that his life was his own responsibility and he took this matter to heart.

'It's like... I did the calculations, but my calculator was made in China.'

He tried to look at the bright side though — he was now very far away from rabbit monsters and anything stronger they had available.

“God, I’m so wet…” Reivan grumbled to himself, grimacing down at his drenched clothes. They also smelled all sorts of weird now. He quickly waved his wand and used a common spell that produced a few dried orbs of warmth to help him dry himself faster.

With his current physique, it wasn’t too strange to get sick if he stayed soaked for too long, especially with how cold it was in the republic all year round.

‘I’m so glad I practiced sorcery so much.’

It was wrought with difficulty, loneliness, and a lot of mind-numbing studying, but Reivan managed to reach a stage where he could proudly say that he was a full-fledged sorcerer.

The art of sorcery, Reivan had discovered in his private studies, was much like playing the piano. Of course, he never learned how to play the piano, but he knew that one had to press keys at the right time to play certain sounds, somehow producing music.

First, there was the wand.

Using the same metaphor, the wand was equivalent to the piano itself. A tool. The instrument of sorcery.

Wands were fashioned from various materials: certain types of wood, metallic alloys, and on occasion, an unfortunate monster’s bone. While the material did influence the wand's quality to some extent, the most important part of the wand lay in the quality and quantity of its runes.

Intricately engraved on such a wand were many, many tiny runes that glowed when they made contact with the sorcerer’s magic power. If the wand was the piano, then these tiny runes were its keys.

And if it wasn’t obvious enough, the sorcerer was equivalent to the musician, while their mana was equivalent to the fingers needed to press down on those keys.

With a sorcerer, their mana, a wand, and its runes, everything needed to compose a spell was present.

Now, what about a spell?

Using the previous analogy of pianos and keys, a spell was basically a very short song.

And if one wanted to play a song, one had to refer to the song's chords.

Chords were basically recipes, telling the musician which keys to press down on at a particular part of that song. Sometimes, the musician only has to press one key at a time. While on others, multiple keys had to be pressed to produce the desired sound.

Now, this was the part where the piano analogy stopped being very precise — spells weren’t actually as long as actual songs. They only had three beats — referred to as pulses — minimum and a maximum of twenty beats.

One couldn’t be too happy about this, because although there weren’t many pulses to play out, sorcerers were using a piano with hundreds of keys.

Metaphorical analogies aside, a sorcerer simply needed to make certain runes glow using their mana to use a spell. Once they did that, the sorcerer had to direct a slightly more intense burst of mana into the wand’s core, thereby finishing a single pulse — which was very similar to how a pianist would press down on multiple keys at a time to play a beautiful note.

Then they would move on to the second pulse. And then the third pulse and so on.

Put this way, sorcery actually seemed simple.

But then again, a sorcerer had to learn how to precisely control their magic power, directing it only to the barely visible runes they needed for each chord, else, the spell would malfunction — and at worse, blow them up.

Sorcerers also had to memorize which chord was needed in which particular beat. The time between each beat also had to be uniform and they couldn’t be longer than three seconds if they didn’t want the spell to fizzle out.

And of course, to pile on the pressure, they had to finish casting the spell before whatever they were fighting ran up to them and tore their face off.

Each chord could have anywhere from one, ten, or even one hundred runes involved, and a spell could have from three to twenty beats. Runes had to have the same amount of mana infused into them, and the magic power sent into the wand’s core to punctuate each beat had to be uniform too. Naturally, sorcerers had to pay careful attention to their timing and avoid mistakenly including runes they didn’t need in their spell.

As long as one paid attention to all of that, and the sorcerer had extensive knowledge of the arcane theory behind the spell, the spell should succeed.

That was how Reivan understood the sorcery, at least.

He was no teacher though, so his ideas may have been confusing to others. But at least to him, he felt like he understood sorcery better when he compared it to playing the piano.

Of course, it didn’t really matter if his thoughts were a bit messy, because he wasn’t planning on teaching anyone sorcery, and nobody, as far as he knew, was reading his thoughts.

‘Oh, well, I might teach one of my future kids if they want…’

Reivan had no confidence in refusing if one of his children — who, he was convinced, would look absolutely adorable, and even if they weren’t, would still be cute in his eyes — asked him to.

‘That’s a few years into the future, so I’ll tuck that image away for now.’

With a smile, Reivan inspected his clothes, which were now significantly dryer than they were a few minutes ago. He then stood up and stretched, wincing when he felt a sharp pain in his left shoulder.

It wasn’t a big deal for him though, so he continued stretching it, just to see what positions were causing him pain. After figuring them out and purposely doing them just to force his body to get used to it or maybe fix the problem, Reivan started walking off in the direction of where he estimated a nearby city to be.

As the head of a criminal organization who dealt in business around the republic of Arkhan, he naturally had a few crude maps of the country and was somewhat familiar with where the cities were relative to each other.

Nobody was perfect and Reivan certainly didn’t think he was, so he could be absolutely wrong though.

But no matter.

If he walked enough, he would likely come across either a city or train tracks, and if it was the latter, he could just follow the tracks to a settlement. Statistically speaking, it would be impossible not to run into signs of civilization if he just kept going in a single direction.

As Reivan trudged through the brushes of unknown fauna and flora, he suddenly thought back to the cultivation novels he’d read back in his old world.

If he were the main character of one of those, he would have absolutely found something amazing by now.

Like an ancient ruin that was conveniently suitable to his power level and hadn’t been found yet despite hundreds of thousands of years after the area was discovered. Or a supreme elder’s inheritance that only opened up if something he conveniently possessed was present. Maybe even a distressed goddess healing her wounds by bathing naked in a secret hot spring — bonuses if she was in some kind of trouble that only he could solve.

‘So stupid.’

Reivan chuckled at the notion.

How could there be ancient ruins in a country that was fully explored? Sure, there were still monster-infested areas, but the areas those monsters infested were mapped out and checked for relevant resources like precious metals or rare herbs — as any self-respecting country would do.

And as for goddesses and springs, if he saw one, he’d be more likely to think that he was seeing an illusion made by a monster trying to lure him into being its next meal.

'The one about an elder's inheritance could happen, but there's no way it would be meant for me.'

As if to prove just how ridiculous those stories were, Reivan only had to walk for two hours before he saw signs of civilization again. It was a small farming hamlet far into the distance, but at least he didn’t have to wander around aimlessly now that he had something to aim for.

Reivan heaved a sigh of relief as he picked up a sturdy-looking stick on the ground and discarded the one he’d been using for the past hour. The new one was cooler, and if he looked at it from a specific angle, it actually kind of looked like a wizard’s staff.

‘This is a good stick.’

With renewed vigor, Reivan gave his new stick a few whacks to make sure it was sturdy before using it as a third leg.

Then he fearlessly marched onward — alone, but not lonely.

Arc#4 Chapter 27: Poaching

‘Oh? What’s that over there…?’

While being lugged around on Deni’s shoulder, Reivan was observing his surroundings when he caught sight of something interesting.

There was a group of people in what seemed like an organized retreat, heading deeper into the forest with haste. At the very back of this group, serving as the rear guard, were three Custodian Guards wearing armor identical to Deni’s. They drew enemy fire with their imposing presence, protecting themselves with a bubble of magic power around them.

Every living being their maces got remotely close with was turned into an unrecognizable mess of blood and flesh.

Accompanying them were a few Clouds, who were frantically protecting a line of retreating riflemen from being overwhelmed by hornless black rabbits — who, even after losing their greatest weapon, were all still very eager to rip any humans they saw to shreds with a sharp pair of front teeth. After creating some distance, the gunmen turned right around and shot another volley, ending the lives of a few monsters.

Of course, the smog reduced their accuracy tremendously, but there were so many monsters that it was harder to miss.

The battle wasn’t so one-sided though, as countless human bodies strewn across the ground and the constant ring of gunfire filled the air, masking the brutal screams of terror from men and women alike. With every dead rabbit, it seemed as if three more rose to replace its place. To anyone watching from the sidelines, it was obvious the warriors would be overwhelmed in a melee if nothing changed.

‘That sure doesn’t look fun. But I think they made a good move. Staying in train cars when there are loads of enemies with ranged weapons that can pierce through is a bad idea.'

It was like hiding behind a cardboard box when someone with a machine gun was trying to kill you.

Additionally, they couldn’t gang up on anything in such a narrow space. Though they did slightly expose themselves by getting out of the train cars, they also obtained a wider field of view…

‘Oh, wait… the smokescreen kinda invalidates that advantage, doesn’t it? And with this many monsters, I would be more worried about being ganged up on rather than being unable to gang up on anything…’

In the end, it seemed like a plan that was both bad and good. Staying inside the train carriage and trying to defend what was left of its cargo was a worse decision though, so perhaps their current course of action was simply the least idiotic plan available.

“Almost there… I think.” Deni rumbled, and Reivan’s ears barely picked up the words through the guttural symphony of blood and battle. Apparently, Deni couldn’t quite see the fighting below but could tell where they were and where the meet-up spot was.

The noise of combat and dying people probably helped too.

Deni sent a kick to the side, deflecting a particularly powerful rabbit’s charge. “Once I set you two down, kindly provide aid by casting some defensive wards to protect the path of retreat.”

“W-We don’t know any strong ones though!” Maya replied in a panic.

“Anything and everything would help at this point. Our goal is to buy enough time for help to arrive.” Deni solemnly said as he jumped off the roof, adeptly landing on the ground without straining his passengers.

Not stopping for a moment, he actually started picking up speed, going even faster than a runaway carriage. He bolted in the approximate direction of where the majority of combat was taking place — all while being pursued by an endless sea of red-eyed rabbits.

When Reivan and his human steed got close enough, the other Custodian Guards seemed to notice Deni coming. Two of them moved forward to stop the wave of monsters chasing after them.

Deni didn’t stop to look or thank his comrades, passing through between their armored bodies and heading deeper into the forest.

Finally, after a few moments, Reivan could see something through the trees that let him grasp the plan immediately.

“Here we are. Please do what you can before going down.”

Reivan and Maya found their bums violently acquainted with the rocky ground as Deni dropped them. Without saying another word, the armored man ran back the way they came with two maces, one in each hand — probably intending to bolster the rear guard.

“Ow…” Maya groaned as she stumbled into an upright position, her head warily swiveling from here to there.

“Wards, Maya.” Reivan reminded her, preparing to cast some himself. His eyes flitted toward the cliff behind them, and the rope tied to a tree with the other end leading somewhere downward. Perhaps because they had reached a very open area, the dark mist had stopped being much of a factor, allowing anyone to see just how deep the chasm below was.

‘So this was the plan all along — we were never meant to stand and fight. Not that we could’ve, with that many monsters…’

It was also mildly surprising that people from the Star of Fortune would so easily abandon their cargo to the wolves — or in this case, to the bunnies — but Reivan supposed that money could always be earned, while almost everybody only had a single life.

The Star of Fortune's employees must have also understood such a simple fact.

Reivan’s wand flashed with the light of sorcery as he weaved spells with a practiced hand. Over the course of three minutes, layers upon layers of defensive shields enveloped the area near the rope. Once he had cast everything he was supposed to know how to cast, he strode right up to the edge of the cliff and marveled at how deep it went.

‘There’s a river down there… I could probably— Oh, wait. Scratch that. Forgot that I’m Clover right now. Clover would die from a fall this high up, even with water as a cushion. And I don’t know how deep the river is, so… Yeah. To the scrap heap that idea goes.’

Squinting, Reivan sighted down the rope — which, according to [Supreme Insight], was an artifact that could elongate to hundreds of times its original length — to see that there were actually still some people climbing downward. From the looks of things, there seemed to be some kind of cave or something drilled into the cliff face below.

The cave should have been recently made with the help of a Custodian Guard. Or perhaps an item of some kind.

‘Now that I think about it, with three back in the rearguard plus Deni, that accounts for four out of five Custodian Guards. The last one must be down there, expanding a cave that's probably not meant for everyone here to seek refuge in...’

Reivan looked back to see lines upon lines of mercenary gunmen trying their best to hit something through the dark smokescreen, all while using trees and each other as cover for the occasional rabbit horn that made it through the Custodian Guards’ shields. As his eyes scanned the battlefield, a few mercenaries died every few seconds — their lifeless bodies, still warm, fell to the grass like autumn leaves, never to rise again.

‘Can't really help them out with my mana pool this depleted...’

Even if he undid his transformation now, he would simply become a Reivan who had his mana pool depleted. It hardly mattered in the long run, of course, since he wasn't in any real danger no matter how empty his tank was. If push came to shove, he would just let the giant snake under his clothes loose.

He would only resort to such idiocy when he stopped caring about his Tower Infiltration plan, of course.

'Eh... Well, fine. Maybe I'll help a little...'

Reivan sighed as he walked over to a nearby mercenary’s corpse, taking the dead man’s rifle — which appeared to be the bolt-action type he recognized from watching an anime set in the WW1 era — and the ammunition tucked away in a belt pouch. There seemed to be a revolver-type pistol too, so he took its holster and strapped it to his belt.

“Clover…? Aren’t we supposed to climb down the rope now that we've cast the wards?” Maya seemed to have regained some manner of calm as she remained safe behind layers of wards. She peeked over to what he was doing, but still warily eyed the impenetrable darkness for any signs of attacks. “What’re you doing?”

“What does it look like I’m doing?”

“...Looting a corpse for everything it's worth?”

Reivan scratched his head since that was exactly what it looked like he was doing, but it sounded too negative when she put it that way. “I’m out of magic power so being a sorcerer is worthless now. That’s why I want some other way to help out.”

“Oh.”

“You should take one too.”

“But I don’t know how to use a gun…”

“You think I’ve used one? Rather, you think I'd waste my money on one...?” Reivan shook his head, exasperated as he aimed his rifle through the darkness only he and the monsters could see through. “See this hole? Just point it at something and press the trigger. It’s at least better than using your hands to fight those things off.”

To demonstrate, Reivan pressed the trigger of his looted firearm. A loud bang echoed within the chamber of his own skull, but his shot had connected with a horned rabbit that seemed to have been aiming its horn at a nearby mercenary.

The bullet penetrated the creature’s stomach, forcefully sending it flying. It did try to get up, but its lethal injuries made it collapse a few seconds later.

‘Fuck. I was aiming for the head…’

Reivan didn’t have a marksman-like combat style, but all knights — and of course, him too — were generally trained to be slightly above decent at just about every weapon. With his skills, hitting the small bunny mid-flight should have been a lot easier than, say, trying to hit Helen during their spars.

But he wasn’t used to using a normal gun.

It would take some practice but for now, he could at least provide some support for the brave men who were fighting for their lives. Knight training taught him that courage was to be admired, and though he felt no emotional attachment to these people, he felt that they were worthy of some respect.

Enough respect for him to help them out with his very limited capabilities.

‘Clover has never even held a gun... But although the excuse is a bit flimsy, I can just say that I’m talented at it. Nobody can refute talent since it can’t be measured.’

Reivan lifted his rifle’s bolt handle, pulled it back to eject the spent cartridge, and pushed it forward and down again to chamber a new round before firing off another shot. He repeatedly worked the bolt as he emptied his magazine, throwing it away and taking out a new one. Every time he pressed the trigger, another rabbit died — sometimes, he would even take out two or three with one shot.

But since there were hundreds of thousands of these monsters, even Reivan wasn’t sure just how much he was helping.

════ ⋆★★★⋆ ════════ ⋆★★★⋆ ════════ ⋆★★★⋆ ════

Many many dead rabbits later, Reivan had gotten used to the rifle and even acquired a sense of satisfaction every time he heard the crisp click that was produced when he chambered a new round.

Still, he would have much preferred something with a greater rate of fire.

Like a machine gun. Or something automated at least, such as an assault rifle.

Actually, he would have much rather picked up a rock and started hitting things with it using his real strength, but he obviously couldn't do that.

'It never ends...'

No matter how accurate his shots were, that could not be said about the other mercenaries, who were pretty much fighting in the dark.

The mercenaries did relatively well when the rabbits just bunched up together and made it easy for the men to kill one. But that wasn't the case, as the monsters gradually dispersed or had their numbers significantly reduced by the men's efforts. They could only fire their weapons in volleys, hoping that by blanketing a certain direction with gunfire, enemy casualties would follow as a result.

But that wasn't the case.

The rabbits were not only nimble, but also small — meaning a human had to angle their shot perfectly on the ground to hit it. And that was when the rabbit stayed stationary. Monsters actually held a desire to survive and had some manner of intelligence, so obviously, they would be inclined to dodge whatever direction the men’s guns were pointed at, especially since there was much more room to move around in after hordes of their comrades were slaughtered.

And when the rabbits got close enough to any riflemen, it was pretty much game over for the human. Their screams would be the last thing that their comrades would hear of them in the smog-filled forest of death.

'I think I've done enough here. Time to climb down the rope too.'

Reivan let go of his spent rifle and walked back toward the cliff with his looted revolver out.

It was just in time too, since he'd run out of rifle bullets and corpses to loot nearby. Now, nobody could say that he didn't at least try to help out. He had well and truly gone above and beyond what he would do for a bunch of strangers.

In the end, though, his life and his schemes were his greatest priorities.

Now that the situation had deteriorated to such a state — it was starting to look like the rabbits would start banging against the defensive wards he and Maya set up — it was time to leave the stage.

‘Good luck, everyone. My heart goes out to you.’

After sending his thoughts and prayers to the people who would be left to fend for themselves while waiting for reinforcements, Reivan looked down the cliff and reconfirmed that a normal person would undoubtedly perish if they fell down.

Luckily, even if he didn’t have a body that would survive the impact, he was, outwardly, a sorcerer. And one of the spells that sorcerers learned was a nifty little spell called the Whisperfall Spell — and fortunately, Clover knew this spell too. That meant Reivan could use it without arousing suspicion from his watchers or any scryers who arrive in this area later on.

Unfortunately, the spell had a very tiny cast range, so sorcerers could only use it on themselves or anyone in their immediate vicinity. Also, the spell lasted for just a few seconds and only affected one person per cast.

This meant he couldn’t save a whole lot of people if a bunch of them fell off the cliff.

He’d probably have enough to cast the spell hundreds of times if he mixed his magic power and qi, but “Clover” wasn’t supposed to have qi. So really, although it was a bit merciless, he would have to leave all these people to their deaths in exchange for his plan’s smooth sailing.

‘I should have regenerated enough mana to cast it once just in case I… Hm? Wait a minute, it would actually be faster to just freefall and use the spell right before I reach the cave entrance’s height instead of climbing down, huh?’

A normal person would have just climbed down the rope and kept the spell at the back of their mind in case their grip failed them. But Reivan had a lot of experience with heights and wasn’t afraid of doing a bit of skydiving.

The time he would save by going that route was very tempting.

“Clover, are we really going down this rope…?” Maya asked from beside him, anxiety staining her voice.

While he was shooting up a storm, Maya hadn’t really done much except stare anxiously at the forest shrouded in smoke and death. She stood behind the defensive wards they cast and seemed to wait for Clover to descend with her.

‘I’m surprised she’s still here…’

Reivan shrugged, wondering why she didn’t just leave without him. He rolled his eyes as he pointed at where the fighting was. “We will have to go down the rope if we wanna survive.”

“But I don’t really think I can do it… Just look at it, that rope’s so long.”

“Well, that’s your problem, isn’t it? Just use your head.”

“Clover…” Maya bit her lip and grabbed his sleeve. She seemed about ready to start sobbing any second now.

Seeing her, Reivan shook his head and sighed. “What are you being so nervous about? Just cast a Whisperfall spell if you fall.”

“...Oh, you’re right. Why didn't I think of that?” Maya giggled sheepishly, but the wrinkles on her forehead weren’t gone. “But casting a spell while falling down this height… I don’t think I can do that either.”

‘Again, that’s your problem.’

Reivan internally shook his head at how little situational adaptability Maya had. And she was supposed to become a battlemage too. It wasn’t as if she was completely helpless either, she already had the tool she needed to get out of the crisis she was in — she just didn’t realize she had it until he pointed it out. And now that she was aware she had it, she still felt troubled.

‘She’s nineteen years old… At that age, most of Aizen’s squires still wouldn’t be knighted. But they sure as hell would have a better time in this situation just by keeping a cool head.’

He really had to thank the countless hours of mental training he was forced to do in between martial arts lessons and improving his supernatural techniques. It was boring and repetitive, but now he could see the difference between someone who went through it and someone who lived an ordinary life before embarking on a more militaristic one.

‘Still… I should help her out here.’

Even though her favor for him wasn’t high, Reivan wouldn’t abandon the good foundation for an ally that he managed to stumble upon. Especially since it didn’t require much effort on his part. Actually, there was a much easier and safer way to descend, but revealing it wouldn't be as effective in endearing her to him.

'Wow, that sounds so... manipulative.'

That was exactly what he was doing though. Really, a spy needed all the allies they could get when they were behind enemy lines. And Valter had told him repeatedly that he couldn't be picky with his methods.

'I feel like I'm the bad guy of my own story...''

“How’s about this...” Reivan gestured to the yawning chasm below. “You wait until I reach the cave. I don’t have much mana, so maybe wait for a dozen minutes or so before starting to climb down. And if you fall, I’ll cast Whisperfall on you.”

Maya’s eyebrows shot up as she looked at him, beaming. “Are you sure?”

“Yep. Leave it to me. I've got you covered."

“Thanks Clover… You’re really nice despite being a massive grouch most of the time. You must secretly like me a lot, huh?”

“Whatever. Stop joking around and just make sure to somehow stay close to the rope or else you’ll be out of range… but if you get hit by rocks near the cliff wall, then I don’t know anymore. Well, just make sure not to fall, I guess.”

“Suddenly, I’m losing confidence in the plan…”

“Suck it up. We wouldn’t have to do this if you could cast the spell on yourself.” Reivan shrugged at her and then funneled a small portion of his magic power into the rope, causing the miles-long rope to shrink to just over ten meters long.

The people below had already finished getting into the cave, so he could do with it as he pleased.

“What’re you going to do with that?” Maya asked from the side, a loaded pistol in hand as she prepared to shoot at anything that came at her.

“I’m going to eat it. What do you think?” He asked sarcastically as he once again infused some mana into the rope, willing it to the correct length to suit his needs.

“Goodness,” Maya grumbled. “You're right back into acting like an assho—I mean, a grumpy old man. I was just asking.”

Reivan didn’t bother replying, just tying the other end of the rope around his chest in an X pattern, making a makeshift harness. The spell likely wouldn’t fail him since he had enough confidence in himself not to fumble it, but being extra careful wouldn’t hurt.

“Oh, that’s smart…” Maya muttered to herself, watching him do his work.

“I’m just using my head.” Reivan shrugged, not particularly impressed with himself. A smarter person wouldn’t have gotten into this situation in the first place. Yet here he was, stuck in a situation he wanted no part of. “Well anyway, take care of yourself up here. And remember, wait about a dozen minutes or I still won’t have the mana to help you in case you fall.”

With that final warning over, Reivan took a few deliberate steps back, giving himself a good running start.

“...Huh? What? Clover? Are you going to—”

Not waiting for her to finish her sentence, Reivan sprinted forward. Even though he wasn’t afraid, a sense of urgency gripped him and he could feel his heart furiously pump adrenaline into his veins. Maybe there was something biologically installed in every intelligent living being — something that told them jumping off a cliff was a very bad idea.

The ground beneath him vanished in an instant and he spread his arms wide while keeping his legs together. It was a perfect leap of faith — like those assassins did in a certain game franchise. There was a cry of panic from Maya, but Reivan couldn’t be bothered to listen as a rush of wind engulfed him.

It whipped against his body with relentless force, drowning out all other sounds. Reivan squinted and clenched his teeth shut to avoid hurting his eyes or biting his tongue. The sense of weightlessness wasn’t new to him, but perhaps because he was wearing someone else’s skin, a feeling of fear mixed with the sense of freedom he usually felt when he was freed of earthly restraints.

That only lasted for a short few moments though, as the familiarity eventually stepped in, bringing calm to his rapidly-beating heart. As the river below loomed larger with each passing second, the world around him blurred. Despite the situation though, he was filled with exhilaration.

But not enough exhilaration to forget what he was supposed to do.

Just as he saw a cave dug into the cliff face, Reivan released the spell he’d been preparing along the way. His wand lit up with what little mana he had recovered, and suddenly, most of the momentum built up from half a minute of freefalling vanished.

‘I'm pretty sure I just broke a few laws of physics. I just don't know which ones.’

Reivan didn’t just stop in mid-air, of course. Rather, he just started falling at a snail’s pace all of a sudden. He knew that he only had a few good seconds before the spell lost its effect, so he grabbed hold of the rope and got as close to the cliff face as possible.

Once the spell’s power wore off, gravity tried to pull Reivan toward the river, but he firmly gripped the thick and strong cord and placed both his feet against the cliff face to steady himself. Once he found good footing, he started rappelling down as the rope slowly grew longer.

A few moments later, Reivan eventually stepped foot into the makeshift cave.

“There we go…” Reivan grunted as he worked to untie the rope knotted across his entire body. He could have cut it off, but the rope was an artifact that didn’t belong to him. Naturally, he wouldn’t do something as stupid as mutilating it when he had so little funds to pay for damages.

“You’re… Mr. Salwyn, correct?”

“Yes, I am.” Reivan looked up at the source of the voice to find a few men and women wearing coats with the Star of Fortune’s sigil embroidered on the right arm.

The last Custodian Guard was also in the cave just as he suspected, slumped near a wall with his helmet beside him on the floor. Every breath was released as a gasp as his chest rose and fell and beads of cold sweat decorated every visible surface of his skin.

‘Obvious signs of magic power exhaustion. Probably exhausted his stamina reserves by using his qi a lot too.’

Making a cave like this would have been no trouble at all to a proficient elementalist who had the earth attribute — like Gwendolyn or the knight known as Bob who did stuff for his father in secret sometimes — but obviously, doing it with brute force would be a difficult endeavor for any mortal.

And besides, only Aizen had such proficient techniques in manipulating the elements, born from thousands of years of the most excellent knights passing down their knowledge and expertise, just so the next generation could polish them up even more.

The Star of Fortune was certainly not a force to be underestimated, but even their most elite forces didn’t have the foundation that Aizen offered to its knights.

‘Hm? What's up with those crates…?’

Off to the side, there were a few wooden crates that looked like they could fit a small dog inside. Reivan eyed them curiously, but his line of sight was quickly blocked by a very anxious employee.

An employee Reivan recognized as the man who had invited him and Maya to come with them.

“Ah, you’re…” Reivan intentionally trailed off. “Mr. Valand.”

“Yes, I’m happy you still remember me. And please, call me Thomund.”

Reivan shook his head with a chuckle. “I would not dare to call a Custodian with such familiarity.”

Thomund raised a brow. “What gave it away?”

“Nothing. I was just taking a shot in the dark and you just confirmed it.” Reivan smirked and reached forward to shake the man’s hand. “You said you were a nobody as we were boarding the train though. That somewhat struck me as untrue, so I've held a hunch the entire time.”

The man smiled sheepishly and took his hand with a firm grip. “In front of someone who is soon to become a respected battlemage, a Custodian from a mercantile company is a nobody.”

‘Ah, this one has a glib tongue too.’

Custodians were the equivalent of team leaders or maybe department managers in a company — except in this case, the company was an intercontinental conglomerate that could affect which nation ruled Sentorale.

They were usually not related to the Star’s chairman in any way — people who rose to power instead of inheriting it.

And it seemed Thomund Valand was the type to flatter his surroundings and lower himself while constantly looking for a way to rise. Countless people probably fell for his act and were tripped up, and now, those people were nobodies with nothing of significance to their names.

Reivan ignored the praise and jerked his chin in the direction of the crates. “Can I ask what's in those crates, Mr. Valand?”

“It’s a company secret, Mr. Salwyn. I'm sure a smart man, like yourself, would understand.” Thomund answered immediately. “Why do you ask?”

“Just curious. Surely, you have spatial rings, no? You could just put them inside instead of leaving them out like this. They don't look too big either.”

Thomund hummed an agreeable tune before countering. “Well, my team wasn’t given many spatial rings, so we are forced to do this.”

{ [Lie Detection] has been activated! }

Reivan smirked. “I see. So someone as important as a Star of Fortune’s Custodian also suffers from lacking supply sometimes?”

“Yes. It’s not strange, mind you. These things happen from time to time.”

“Then that must mean these crates in particular are very important, seeing as the train and all its cargo were abandoned decisively but you all took the trouble to bring these here.”

“Oh, believe me, Mr. Salwyn. There were more back on the train. We simply took with us what we could carry, of course. If we could have, we would’ve brought everything with us while fleeing. It's a great shame. Truly.”

“That makes sense.”

“Why, that’s because it’s the truth.”

Thomund looked at him with a kind gaze but Reivan could feel the intent behind the man’s eyes: Stop asking questions.

Not wanting an escalated confrontation, Reivan shrugged and looked toward the mouth of the cave. “Sorry for being nosy. I was just wondering if those crates had something to do with why so many monsters attacked us.”

There was a short moment of stifling silence throughout the cave before Thomund chuckled and answered. “Of course not, Mr. Salwyn. I don’t know where you got that idea, but our cargo and the unfortunate event that has befallen us today are two completely separate issues.”

{ [Lie Detection] has been activated! }

“Then it’s as I thought,” Reivan said, turning back to show off a smile as if he believed them completely.

‘Well, now I don’t have to feel too bad about not resolving this issue.’

Whatever was in those crates, the monsters wanted it — in fact, they probably wanted it back.

They wanted it all back.

‘The thing about spatial storage artifacts was bogus. If it could be contained in an artifact, then the Star would have sent as many as needed to ensure profit could be obtained as cleanly as possible. I mean, a Custodian was literally sent here to oversee it personally, so it won't be a small matter.’

The bigger the organization, the more it hated uncertain factors in its plans. Even if it was slightly more costly or troublesome, they would take any chance to ensure that things were guaranteed to go smoothly.

The fact that those crates weren’t inside an artifact despite how important they apparently were, meant they couldn’t be stored inside one, not because there was a lack of artifacts.

As the de facto head of a criminal enterprise, he had some idea about what was in those crates.

‘Probably monster babies or something. I highly doubt it's plants of some kind.’

Seeing as the monsters didn't even resort to cannibalism despite the lack of prey in their original habitat, it was obvious that they valued their kin tremendously.

'Their aversion to cannibalism is enough proof.'

Their outward appearance as bunnies may give uninformed people the impression that the monsters were herbivores. But all monsters were carnivorous.

Every last one of them — without exception.

'I'm slowly starting to get the gist of things...'

The more he thought about it, the more things clicked into place in Reivan's head.

Valter had said that the Ascendant monster was nearby, observing him.

But Valter was wrong — the monster wasn’t observing the guardian knight who was the biggest threat in the area, but rather, the captured monster babies in the Star of Fortune’s possession who were also in the same city. If Valter wasn’t so focused on nearby Ascendants, perhaps he would have noticed the monster babies too. Or maybe the Star employed some unknown means to hide the creatures from an Ascendant's perception — which would then explain why the Ascendant monster hadn't made a move before Reivan and Valter arrived in the area.

This also meant that Valter wasn’t the monster’s goal at all, and likely wouldn’t follow Valter to where the knight wanted to shepherd it. The only way the monster could be led away was to threaten it by getting close and pushing it in the optimal direction.

Seeing as its goal was to get back what the Star stole from it, it would obviously resist.

And Valter wouldn’t know the true circumstances, so he wouldn't back down, forcing the Ascendant rabbit away with violence just to follow Reivan's orders.

‘This attack by the rest of its kin was probably made in response to the big one being forced away…’

As for the Ascendant that the Star of Fortune should have sent, that person was likely saving their strength and waiting for the strongest bunny to appear, not knowing that it was currently occupied by Valter. They likely wouldn’t help the mortals who were troubled over here.

Especially since the “cargo” wasn’t perishable. They could just be recaptured after the strongest of the rabbits was dealt with.

In fact, the entire species could be recaptured by a single Ascendant from the Star of Fortune at that point.

‘Son of a bitch… Everything's a mess!'

His and Valter's actions were serving to complicate things, but at the same time, it wasn't as if they expected to be caught in such a mess too, so he couldn't really blame his current situation on his and Valter's intervention. They simply had their own plans and made moves to push toward it, unaware that the threads of fate were steadily becoming more entangled.

'Damn, I thought I was on some kind of lucky streak lately, but then I go ahead and get caught up in this clown fiesta…’

He didn’t know the exact reason why the rabbits were being poached — it could be to sell them as pets or the babies might be used for breeding purposes — but this entire issue was of no relevance to Reivan or his plans.

Yet here he was, knee-deep in someone else’s shit.

'I wanna go home...'

Not even a month into the mission and Reivan missed his peaceful life already.

Arc#4 Chapter 26: Horny Problems

'They haven't had them for too long, but they have already made so many modifications... Or maybe they just made new train cars from scratch?'

Reivan leaned into the soft velvet cushion of his seat, scanning the interior of the train car they were assigned — which was apparently one of the train cars reserved for VIP passengers.

Despite how spacious it was inside, the furnishing was actually minimal and meant to be occupied by just a handful of people. Instead of being stuffed with countless front-facing two-seater chairs like the passenger cars Reivan had ridden plenty of times these past few days, tables laden with delicious food and bottles of expensive wine filled the space that wasn't already taken up by opulent decorations.

Reivan had to admit that the gaudiness was a bit over the top, but he actually felt at home in this kind of environment. Sadly, Clover Salwyn wasn't supposed to, so he had to curiously scan his surroundings while maintaining a somewhat stony expression — conveying his unease to anyone watching.

It was a good thing that nobody was around to notice his faulty acting except for Maya.

"This is pretty nice, isn't it, Clover?" she asked with slightly rosy cheeks as she walked toward him, a wine-filled glass resting precariously in her hand. Some of it threatened to spill out due to the train’s shaking.

“What’s nice?” Reivan raised an eyebrow at her. “If you were talking about the booze, then I can tell how good it is from how much you’ve drunk in such a short span of time.”

“That too, but that wasn’t what I meant. This train. We save money and we even get to live it up for a few hours. This is way better than getting crammed in a train car with dozens of people.”

Maya — who also seemed quite comfortable in their current environment — had obviously been sampling the goods available to them.

“I suppose that’s true.” Reivan shrugged, reaching for a piece of fruit from a nearby bowl.

“And we have so many guards too! We’re definitely safe.”

‘Don’t raise flags, you idiot.’

He grimaced at her before taking a satisfying bite of fruit, holding back a smile when sweet juice burst into his mouth. Reivan then turned his gaze outside, enjoying the fruits of nature while admiring the view outside.

But since the train tracks cut right across a forest, there wasn’t much of a view to speak of — just trees, trees, trees, and, right behind some trees, were even more trees.

As for the guards that Maya was so happy about, much to Reivan’s dismay, there weren’t any Ascendants included in the train’s guard detail.