《Undead Beast Master: Living Solely for My Desires》


 Chapter 1 Another One

    "Zaroth, please do not resist," a sick, malnourished woman spoke. Her calm voice, pleasant as a melody."I can''t! There is no way I am ever giving up, mother! I prefer to die here and right now!" her son snapped back, trying to suppress his tears.


    Due to the boy''s white hair, he had often been made fun of by the other kids¡­


    Not that he was a kid anymore. He had recently turned 18, making him an adult, but due to the lack of food, his body didn''t resemble that of an adult.


    "Our empire has lost the nearby battle, so as a result, the Crimson Sun Empire will soon invade these lands. I want you to surrender."


    "And what? Become a slave? Death seems like a better option!"


    "Zaroth!" the mother screamed, scaring the boy for a moment.


    "I¡­ I want you to live. I know it''s selfish, I couldn''t give you a good childhood or education. Still, I want proof¡­ proof that your father and I have lived in this world. You are that proof. I don''t want our bloodline to end."


    Zaroth couldn''t respond; all he could do was stare at his dying mother.


    "I know it would be hard, but I have faith that you will survive."


    "FAITH?" Zaroth snapped.


    "I had faith once too! When I awakened, I was supposed to be a Beast Master, but the gods had other plans for me! No one gave me their blessing. I couldn''t tame even the rats that were eating the last of our provisions! After the life I have lived¡­ how could I have faith?!"


    "What reason do I even have to live?!" Tears began to fall from his brown eyes.


    "I know, son." She put her trembling hand on his white hair.


    "I remember when your father died, when we had to eat rats so we wouldn''t die from starvation, how not a single god gave you their blessing."


    "But that''s why I have faith, because despite all that, you survived. You will live no matter what disaster strikes you."


    Her breathing was getting shallower, but she didn''t stop talking.


    "You want a reason to live? I will give you one." She turned his chin, forcing him to look into her crying eyes.


    "Prove them wrong. It has been taken from you for too long. It''s time you take back what is yours, and then more. Forget morals and any kind of lie the gods have fed us. Live for your desires."


    "I¡­" Zaroth couldn''t find the words to respond to his mother.


    "Promise me¡­ that you will live¡­ that you will not give up."


    Casting aside all doubts, he grasped the pale hand of his mother.


    "I swear it."


    Hearing him say that, her cracked mouth curved slightly into a smile¡ªthe most beautiful smile Zaroth had ever seen.


    "Thank you¡­ now go. Forget about me, you shall not be burdened by me any longer."


    "I love you." With these words, he parted with his mother, leaving the small hut they had been living in.


    "I love you too," were the last words he heard before he closed the door, never to see his mother again.


    Soon after, a horn was blown, announcing the arrival of the approaching army. Zaroth and the few dozen residents of the village came out and knelt on the ground with their hands on their heads, announcing their surrender.


    As the soldiers got closer, Zaroth was able to see their black armor decorated with red armaments.


    Soon after, he and the others were put in chains and escorted to a carriage, where they were being transported to some location¡ªmost likely to be sold off as slaves.


    "These bastards, I swear I will kill every single one of them," he muttered.


    The chains were too tight, pressing into his skin and causing him pain, but he was too angry to care. The only thing he was thinking about was his escape and his mother.


    "She is probably dead, isn''t she?"


    His mother had been sick for a few years with muscle rot disease, making her unable to walk¡­ A slave that is unable to move is useless, so¡­


    They probably got rid of her.


    "Live for my desires, huh?" he muttered under his breath.


    "If that is your wish, mother, then I have to grant it."


    A few hours passed, and his lips were starting to get dry. Of course, no one had given them any water. Why would they? They were just slaves now.


    Suddenly, the carriage stopped, and a rough-looking soldier entered.


    "Outside, now!" His voice was harsh and commanding. Left with no choice, the prisoners exited one by one.


    As Zaroth''s pupils adjusted to the difference in light, he saw that they were in some kind of camp¡­ the enemy war camp.


    If they were going to be sold as slaves, why were they here?


    Glancing around, his eyes caught a glimpse of something, and then he froze¡­


    In the middle of the camp, there was something dead¡­


    It had been there for a long time, so its flesh had long since fallen off. But looking at its bones and massive head¡­ it was clear.


    It was the corpse of a long-slain dragon.


    He was placed in a row of inmates facing the dragon. Before them stood a man with a massive build and red armor.


    "REJOICE, SCUM!" he shouted, making everyone freeze in place.


    "Today, your worthless lives have meaning! A decade ago, the great hero Starfyr slayed this magnificent creature!"


    "BUT!" He raised his voice and pointed to the ground. "Since then, the land around this area has been unable to grow any food. It must have been a curse cast by the dragon before he was slain."


    Unleashing his sword from its sheath, he continued, "So today, a brave individual will volunteer to sacrifice his life in the name of the gods, so they may lift this terrible curse! May the one who wishes to volunteer step forward!"


    Unsurprisingly, no one stepped forward.


    "I will be forced to pick someone if no one volunteers!" the man warned.


    Not wanting to be exposed to danger, the prisoners looked around until they saw a weak, malnourished boy with white hair. Without hesitation, they kicked Zaroth, making him stagger forward.


    "AH, YOU!" The soldier clad in red said with a smile, as he apprehended Zaroth. "Such a brave individual to sacrifice yourself in the name of the gods!"


    "No! This is a mistake!" Zaroth screamed.


    Ignoring him, the soldier picked up his weak body and threw him in front of the dragon.


    "Mistake? NO! The gods must have planned this; there can''t possibly be a mistake!"


    "You and your blind obsession with the useless gods!" Zaroth cried out.


    "Useless?!" The man shouted, offended by Zaroth''s words.


    He approached him in an instant and hit him in the stomach.


    "I can''t allow you to insult the gods on this holy land! You must repent!"


    Zaroth was taken aback by the hit and staggered to the ground.


    "I would never take back those words! You are all blind to¡ª"


    Not giving him time to continue, the soldier hit him again. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "REPENT!"


    Zaroth''s rib broke.


    "REPENT!"


    As did his arm.


    "REPENT!"


    And his other arm


    "REPENT!"


    ''Somehow¡­ there has to be a way to survive.'' He could barely think as he was losing too much blood.


    "REPENT!"


    He was hit again and sent flying, colliding with the head of the dragon.


    "Why must I have such shit luck? Why must I suffer so much?" He grunted as he stood up.


    "I even awakened as a Beast Tamer. It might not be the best class, but I thought I would be able to make some money and help my mother. But the gods!


    When I went to receive my blessing, not even one! Not a single one of the countless gods granted me their blessing!


    I wasn''t able to tame anything without a blessing!"


    He was using the head of the dragon as support, painting it with his blood.


    Upon seeing that, the soldier shouted, "Not only have you insulted the gods, but you''ve even dirtied the sacred bones! So be it! There will be no forgiveness for your sins!"


    Gripping his sword tighter, he approached Zaroth with the intention to kill.


    "Forgiveness?!" Zaroth shouted angrily at the man.


    "What have the gods done for me? They have taken everything I loved! They are the ones who should beg for my forgiveness!"


    "Shut your mouth, sinner!" The soldier screamed, getting closer.


    Seeing his inevitable death, Zaroth was terrified, but he didn''t stop shouting.


    "I will kill you!"


    The prisoners were looking at him with distant expressions. They were the ones who had put him in this situation. The ones he was supposed to relate to had doomed him from the start.


    "All of you¡­ I will kill all of you! Your army, your empire, your gods, I will massacre you like the dogs you all are!"


    As his blood spread around the skull of the dragon, he heard a voice.


    [Ah¡­ it''s not too late. There is another one¡­ so be it, you can have it.]


    [My blessing]


    Zaroth sensed a change within him, something he couldn''t quite explain.


    [Luna responds to your call]


    [Luna forms a pact with you]


    [You have formed a contract with Luna]


    [Protecting master]


    The soldier who was approaching Zaroth froze, as did everyone watching the spectacle. Not because Zaroth''s eyes shined green,


    but because the dragon''s skull shined as well and then¡­


    It moved.

 Chapter 2 Undead beast master

    As everybody watched in horror, the bones of the giant dragon suddenly rose. Its green eyes pierced their souls.The dragon shifted its gaze to the boy¡ªhis master¡ªawaiting orders.


    Zaroth was on the ground, clutching his chest with his hand. He was in intense pain; it felt like he was being torn apart from the inside.


    A mana scarcity ¡ªa phenomenon that occurs when a person uses all their mana and tries to surpass their limit.


    Zaroth had never experienced something like this because, up until now, he had never been able to use mana. Not to mention, supporting the body of a dragon was going to kill him soon enough.


    But pushing through the pain, he raised his head, locking eyes with the dragon.


    "Kill them all!" It was the only thing he could manage to say as blood began to spill from his mouth. He couldn''t sustain the creature much longer.


    The creature, receiving the order, stared at the red-clad soldier, who had pissed his pants from fear.


    The dragon opened its massive jaws, and a green flame shot out, immediately melting the soldier into nothingness.


    The flame didn''t stop there¡ªit surged past the man and reached the prisoners behind him.


    The carriages were melted, and the horses were immediately burned.


    The dragon began rotating its head in a circular motion, setting the camp ablaze.


    The armor of the soldiers, too slow to react, melted and sank into their flesh.


    Not even a minute had passed after the dragon had been raised from the dead, and the entire war camp was aflame. The only two survivors were Zaroth and the dragon above him, at the center of the camp.


    Despite the feeling that his soul was being destroyed, Zaroth smiled as he watched the destruction.


    The ones who had taken him from his home were here, too. So, if someone had killed his mother, that person would be here as well.


    The violent screams of people burning were like a pleasant melody to his ears.


    As he looked up, he saw the green eyes of the dragon staring at him. Despite being a mythical creature, currently composed only of bone, one that would send fear into the soul of any individual, Zaroth saw something different.


    "Beautiful," he muttered as he stared at the dragon.


    Exhaustion overwhelmed him, and with his final thoughts, he closed his eyes and fell into sleep.


    *****


    "Hmmm, hmmm, hmmm¡­"


    After some time, he was awoken by a pleasant humming. Despite having slept on the hard ground, he found his head resting on something incredibly soft. Someone was playing with his hair.


    Slowly opening his eyes, he saw a woman with white hair and green, cat-like eyes. He was lying on her lap as she playfully toyed with his hair.


    She was barely clothed, wearing only a black bra connected to a collar around her neck. It was hard to see much due to his blurry vision, but one thing was certain: he had never seen a more beautiful woman in his life.


    Noticing his gaze, her red lips curved into a breathtaking smile.


    "Oh, you''re awake, Master."


    "What happened?" he asked, trying to remember.


    "Well, seeing as I am your first," her smile widened slightly as she said that, "you must not be familiar with how this works. In short, once you touched me, you tried to form a pact with me. Once I judged your soul as worthy, I formed a contract with you."


    "A contract?" he asked, still confused.


    "Yes, you''ve formed a contract with a dragon... Not many can say that. Not only that, but I was the first creature you tamed, so we have a much deeper connection than any other creature you''ll tame in the future."


    "A connection?"


    "Yes, I''ve taken your hair, and you''ve taken my eyes."


    "So, I have green, cat-like eyes now?"


    "Yes, that''s correct!" She replied happily. "As expected, my master is quick-minded!"


    Slowly sitting up, he looked at the woman, and his heart skipped a beat. No, for a moment, it stopped altogether.


    Her figure was so enchanting that no one could possibly ignore her. Not only that, but her provocative outfit, which covered only her breasts, hands, and a little of her waist, fit her perfectly¡ªas if it had been made just for her.


    "Why am I so stunning, you might wonder?" she said in response to his gaze.


    "Earlier, when you looked at my dragon form, you said ''beautiful.'' Because I hadn''t yet assumed a human form, I became the most beautiful thing your mind could comprehend."


    He was still staring at her, caught in some sort of trance. This made her blush slightly, though she seemed content nonetheless.


    "In human form, I don''t require that much mana, so I assumed one as soon as you were safe from any danger."


    ''I want her,'' this was the only thought in his mind now. Remembering the words of his mother¡ª''Live for your desires.''


    He stretched his hand with the intention of touching her, only to collapse to his knees, his body screaming in pain.


    She managed to catch him before he could fall completely, as she did her breasts pressed against his chest.


    "Be more careful!" she commanded. "I''ve used my powers to heal as much as I could, but your mana core is beyond empty. You need to rest!"


    "What¡­ what is your name?" he grated between clenched teeth.


    Gently putting him back on her lap and patting his head, she answered, "Luna. But you should already know that."


    "What was that thing I heard before? And not only that, but I am not blessed, so I can''t tame beasts¡ªmuch less undead beasts."


    "You heard the system announcing your successful contract with me. So, congratulations, you''re officially a tamer¡ªan undead one. I knew from the moment you touched me that you weren''t blessed, but for some reason, a god decided to grant you their blessing."


    "Now that you mention it, I remember someone being surprised that there was another," Zaroth replied.


    "It''s possible it was a long-forgotten god," she mused. "Not that I''ve ever heard of a god being able to raise the dead."


    As Zaroth lay on her lap, he couldn''t control himself anymore. With a finger, he poked the side of her exposed breast. Her breasts were too large for the bra, causing the sides to spill out.


    Luna seemed surprised for a moment but didn''t object.


    "Aren''t you going to stop me? Zaroth asked.


    "Zaroth, I was dead, you know? There''s no fate worse than that. You''re the one who revived me; I owe everything to you. Why would I object?"


    "Doesn''t ''not objecting'' and ''liking'' mean two different things? So which one are you?"


    Smiling widely, she leaned toward his ear. Her breasts came dangerously close to his face as she whispered softly in his ear, "I don''t know, you tell me."


    Hearing that, something began to rise within Zaroth, but it was quickly halted as she straightened her back and traced her delicate finger to where his heart was located.


    "But we''re not doing anything with your heart being so weak right now. Its mana is barely able to sustain both of us, so you might actually die if we try anything... inappropriate right now."


    She blushed slightly as she said the last part.


    "So, what do I have to do?" Zaroth asked, clearly excited at the idea of doing something inappropriate with the woman in front of him.


    "You must strengthen your mana core. I think you humans have something specifically designed for that¡­ I believe you call it an academy."


    He sighed slightly. "Well, Mother always regretted not being able to send me to an academy, and I don''t think there''s a better motivation than the one you just gave me¡­ so, I guess it''s academy, then!"


    "I can''t wait for that moment, you know?" she said flirtatiously, playing with his hair. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "But I''m curious about something."


    "Hm? What is it?" Luna asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "You said you judged me. How did you do that? Why was I worthy?"


    Luna''s smile darkened, her eyes glowing with a dangerous intensity


    "Despite knowing you would die, you didn''t pray to the gods. On the contrary, you declared you would kill every single one of them like the dogs they are. In my life, you''re the only one who''s ever made such a declaration, so I couldn''t leave alone someone who shares my dream, you see."


    "Oh!" Suddenly, she was back to her usual playful self. "Of course, we''ll spare the one who blessed you and made my revival possible."

 Chapter 3 Motivation

    After enjoying the softness of Luna''s things for some time, Zaroth decided he had gotten enough rest and got up."So, what now?" she asked him.


    "Well, this depends on your answer to this question: can you assume dragon form, and for how long?"


    "Yes, I can, for about a minute. After that, your core would need to recharge, or I would risk your life. From what I''ve seen, your core would need about 10 hours to fully recharge. If you eat food, it should take less than that."


    "From what I know, I can desummon and summon you at will, right?"


    "Yes, by desummoning me, you are storing me in your soul, and your mana would refill faster. But it''s not recommended, because summoning takes time, and in an emergency, you might die before being able to summon me."


    "Because I am too weak?" Zaroth asked.


    "Tamers rely on their summons, so usually their physical and magical abilities aren''t as strong as their peers from different classes."


    "Could I change that? I don''t want to always be weak."


    "Of course you could." She smiled widely. "But it would take more time than the average person."


    Surveying the area around him, he couldn''t see much except the ash that had remained after the entire camp had been obliterated by Luna''s flame.


    Scanning the ground, he saw the trail that the carriage had left as it transported the prisoners.


    "This is where we would go," he said confidently.


    "From where you came?" Luna asked, intrigued.


    "Yes, I suspect we are in the Crimson Sun Empire, and I can''t speak their language, so going home is the better option."


    "If I''m not mistaken, in that direction is the Draconian Empire. So we''re going to a place where they worship dragons? I don''t object," Luna grinned when she heard the news.


    "But what is the plan exactly?" She couldn''t help but feel a bit curious.


    "Following the trail left by the carriage, we will arrive at my home. Once there, I will bury my mother''s body if it''s still there and then head to the capital of the Draconian Empire, where I''ll enter one of the many magic academies."


    He took a deep breath before adding, "To enter it, the most important thing I will need is money, which I plan to steal after killing the people we come across on our journey."


    Luna raised an eyebrow slightly. "Have you ever killed someone?"


    Zaroth shrugged. "Not really, but I don''t plan on letting morals stop me."


    Glancing at Luna''s tempting body, he added with a smile, "Plus, I''m too weak to kill anybody, so I''m sure my loyal dragon wouldn''t object to doing the deed for me."


    Deciding it''s better to walk rather than chat while standing still, they began following the trail, still engaged in their conversation.


    "But there is a problem," Zaroth admitted, looking at Luna.


    "Which is?" she asked, noticing his gaze on her body.


    "Frankly, you are too hot. Your body is too tempting. So many men would try their luck with you, which is something I don''t want happening."


    Luna grinned from ear to ear as she spoke. "So, what do you suggest then?"


    Zaroth stopped and removed the old coat he was wearing, then put it on Luna''s body, cursing himself inwardly that he wouldn''t be able to glance at her anymore.


    ''It''s for the greater good,'' he tried to convince himself with that thought.


    Something he had realized too late was that while he himself was around 170 centimeters, Luna was easily pushing 190 centimeters. So, the act of putting his coat on her not only brought his face closer to her breasts, which were at his eye level, but also it wouldn''t cover her completely, leaving her feet exposed a bit.


    "I like it; it smells like you!" Luna seemed to like it, though Zaroth didn''t pay it much attention.


    It was strangely calming as they walked together, following the trail. They were engaged in a pleasant chat, so time passed pretty quickly.


    After a few hours, Luna stopped, which made Zaroth follow her action.


    "People ahead."


    "How many?"


    "Three, they are pretty weak."


    Deciding, Zaroth wanted to approach them, he changed their course a bit, leaving the trail. After following the directions Luna gave, they finally arrived at the place where the humans were located.


    Three men sat around a fire and chattered happily, eating animal meat they had caught not too long ago. Looking at their armor, one could guess they were part of the Crimson Sun Empire. The reason they were here was simple: they had deserted the army.


    Taking a deep breath, Zaroth revealed himself from the shadows.


    Upon seeing him, the three men immediately stood up, grasping their swords tightly.


    "Hello, how far are we from reaching Draconian Empire land?" he asked with a smile.


    Two men muttered something, and then the one at the front spoke in a language Zaroth could understand.


    "You¡­ your eyes! You must be from the Draconian Empire!"


    "How far are we from reaching Draconian Empire land?" he asked again, but this time with a hint of aggression in his voice, a hint the men failed to pick up on.


    Instead of answering, the man in front spoke, "Die, scum!"


    "Luna, kill them¡­ but don''t melt them. We want their food and money, whole."


    Seeing a stranger emerge from the bushes, hidden by a black coat, the men hesitated. Then, the stranger swiftly removed his coat, revealing a breathtakingly beautiful woman. The men couldn''t appreciate her beauty, though, because in the next moment, she transformed into a giant dragon made entirely of bones.


    In an instant, the dragon slashed three times, killing the men by splitting them in half. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As Luna returned to her human form, she found Zaroth sitting on the ground, his forehead drenched in sweat.


    "Huh, it didn''t hurt much this time," he said weakly, offering a faint smile.


    "Of course I work fast."


    "It''s getting dark. Let''s spend the night here. Tomorrow, we should be able to reach my homeland."


    After he finished speaking, Zaroth checked the makeshift camp the three deserter soldiers had created and found a few gold coins.


    "This... this is so much money! This is going straight into my savings for the academy!" he exclaimed, happily.


    Luckily, the men had a lot of food prepared, so all Luna and Zaroth had to do was cook it over the fire.


    The night had long settled, so Zaroth''s vision was limited by the fire that lit the surroundings around him. As he ate his food, he secretly threw glances at Luna''s body. She had removed her coat since she didn''t need to hide in the dark. As a result, her almost naked body was being illuminated by the fire.


    Her flawless skin made Zaroth''s blood heat up.


    "Like the view?" Noticing his gaze, she grinned flirtatiously.


    Gulping loudly, he replied, "Very much so."


    "Do you want to see more?" she asked, pointing to her bra, clearly implying she might remove it if he asked.


    "Yes," instant answer, without hesitation.


    Luna placed a finger to her lips, making a humming sound as though she was thinking. After a moment, she said, "One hundred push-ups, pull-ups, and squats. If you can do them all without a break, I''ll take it off."


    The confusion on Zaroth''s face was clear, so Luna explained, "You wanted to get stronger, right? I''m giving you the motivation you need."


    "One hundred, huh¡­" Zaroth had trained before, so he knew how hard this request was.


    "But I''m your master. If I order you, wouldn''t you have to do it?" he asked.


    "Technically yes, but I know you wouldn''t," she replied quickly with a smirk.


    "Why are you so certain?"


    Leaning close, almost touch his ear, she whispered, "Because it''s not as fun getting the reward without the struggle."


    Getting back into position, she added, " Besides, who doesn''t like getting stronger?"


    With a sigh, he got up and began. After about 10 minutes, he was completely spent. Overall, he had managed to do 30 squats, 15 push-ups, and 3 pull-ups. It was clear his malnourished body was weak. Not only that, but these numbers were overall; he had to stop countless times to rest in between.


    "Hm¡­ I guess we also have to work on your stamina," Luna said, blushing slightly.


    Zaroth wanted to respond, but his body was too spent, and he drifted into sleep.


    Seeing him sleeping peacefully, Luna grinned.


    "Good night."


    The next morning, Zaroth was awoken by two soft things pressing tightly against his face.

 Chapter 4 Home

    The next morning, Zaroth was awoken by two soft things pressing tightly against his face.Grasping for air, due to the lack of oxygen, was not the ideal way to wake up. But considering the life he had lived up to this point, he could say he was used to things that would normally bother him.


    After finally getting some air and his vision becoming clearer, he saw that Luna was hugging him tightly, her breasts positioned exactly in front of his face.


    "Wake up!" he grunted between his teeth. Luna was pressing so tightly against him that it felt like he could snap in two any second.


    "Hm?" Slowly letting go, she got up, rubbing her eyes. Her hair was a little messy, which somehow made her look even more attractive.


    "Look, just because you''re gorgeous¡ª" Zaroth started, but stopped mid-sentence, staring at Luna''s body.


    "Where the hell did you get those clothes from?"


    Before, she had been barely clothed, but now she was wearing a black suit that covered almost her entire body, leaving only the top of her breasts exposed.


    "Hm? Oh, this?" She was still half asleep, but despite that, her voice was like music to his ears.


    "You slept for a long time. After eating all that food, your core recharged much faster than I expected. So, not wanting to miss the opportunity, I used some of your mana to create clothes for myself."


    As she said that, she struck various poses to show off her new outfit. "Pretty cool, right?"


    Zaroth was still staring at her, trying to formulate his thoughts.


    ''How the heck did she make herself look hotter with clothes?! This must be some kind of sorcery only dragons know about!''


    "It suits you, I guess," he replied, trying to appear calm.


    "Zaroth," Luna said, looking at him with a smirk. "Do you not remember? I told you we''re connected. I can more or less guess what you''re thinking."


    Trying to escape the situation, he replied, "I feel like you''re lying, but I don''t want to waste energy trying to figure it out. Let''s just follow the trail."


    Quickly taking the money and putting it in his pocket, he turned his back to her, internally screaming.


    ''FUUUUUU-''


    *****


    They had long ago returned to the trail and were back to following it. Soon after, Zaroth realized he found the scenery familiar, so he quickly picked up his pace, with Luna following closely.


    "I am almost there!"


    After a few minutes, he exited the forest and before him stood his village¡­ his home.


    Zaroth was trying to steel his resolve for what was about to come. He didn''t think he would return so soon, if ever.


    "Scared?" Luna asked him.


    "No," he replied firmly.


    "There''s no shame in showing weakness from time to time," Luna responded, clearly seeing through him.


    "There''s no shame, but there are consequences," he muttered under his breath.


    *****


    Walking through his home village was a surreal experience. It was a small place with no more than a hundred people, but now it was completely deserted.


    Watching quietly from the back, Luna observed him walking unbothered until he stopped in front of a small hut that was beginning to fall apart, showcasing its age.


    ''This must be his house,'' she thought.


    Quietly opening the door, he took a step forward, then suddenly stopped.


    Luna kept her distance, not wanting to disturb her master.


    Zaroth slowly tilted his head in her direction.


    "You can come in," he said emotionlessly.


    "Are you sure?" she asked. "Isn''t this something you don''t want anyone to see?"


    "The only... the only reason I''m alive right now is because of you... so I believe my mother would have wanted to see her son''s savior."


    Nodding, Luna entered the hut with Zaroth. The scent of medicine and death immediately reached her nostrils.


    Glancing around, she saw herbs scattered on the ground and on the cheap furniture, most likely used by Zaroth while trying to cure his mother.


    Seeing how he stood motionless, she followed his gaze, and her eyes landed on a woman...


    Or what once was a woman.


    In the bed lay a corpse. Her entire skin was gone, revealing the weak muscles underneath. Her left eye was gone, and her legs had begun to rot.


    She had suspicions when Zaroth explained his mother''s condition, and she was right.


    She had the muscle rot disease.


    It was a painful sight until she noticed something with her vision, which was much better than her master''s.


    "She''s breathing, she''s alive," she said.


    Upon hearing that, Zaroth broke out of his mental haze and ran straight to his mother.


    "MOTHER! I came back!"


    Upon hearing his voice, the woman''s head slowly moved, her breathing shallow.


    "Ah¡­ son? How¡­?" Her voice was weak, as she could barely speak.


    "I killed them all, mother!" he shouted, grasping her rotting hand. "The entire war camp! Everyone!"


    "Thank goodness¡­ you''re alive."


    Looking quietly at the scene, Luna wondered, ''How strong is that woman? She should have died a long time ago.''


    "I''m here, everything will be fine now, I swear!" Zaroth shouted, then turned to Luna.


    "You can help her, right? Like how you helped me before!"


    Approaching him, Luna put her hand on his shoulder.


    "I can only heal you since you''re my master."


    "Then I''m sure you know some combination of herbs that can help her, right?" Zaroth screamed, barely holding himself together.


    "Zaroth," Luna said gently, her grip on his shoulder tightening. "Do you know what she''s suffering from?"


    "Yes, I know it''s the muscle rot disease! You must know a way to help her!"


    "Zaroth¡­ this is not a disease... this is a curse cast by the gods¡­ there''s no way to help her."


    "Huh?" Zaroth couldn''t believe his ears. A curse? How was that possible?


    Suddenly, Zaroth''s mother let go of his hand and placed it on top of Luna''s hand.


    "You¡­ are you a dragon? What are you doing here?"


    The sudden movement of the sick woman startled Luna for a moment, but she didn''t move her hand.


    "I am a dragon, mas¡­ your son saved and tamed me."


    "He tamed a dragon?" Suddenly, the woman lifted her hand and placed it on Zaroth''s cheek.


    "See? I told you everything would be fine, didn''t I?"


    "Mother, I-"


    "Ah, finally," his mother interrupted him. "I can die at peace." She spoke, her hand falling lifeless to the side of the bed.


    "MOTHER?! MOTHER?!" Zaroth cried.


    All Luna could do was watch in silence.


    After a few minutes, Zaroth stood up silently, picking up a nearby shovel. Glancing at Luna, he spoke,


    "Come. We have a grave to dig." Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    *****


    Rain was falling, disturbing the silence.


    Both of them were quietly looking at the grave they had dug. His mother was buried in it, finally at peace.


    "Which one?" Zaroth asked.


    "Which god dared to curse my family?" His voice was irritated as he spoke.


    "I don''t know," she replied. "But I know one thing for certain: the other gods didn''t stop him."


    Taking a deep breath, Zaroth turned his face to Luna, tears flowing from his eyes.


    "Then¡­ every single one of them, I will slaughter every single one of them. This is my biggest desire."


    Looking at him for some reason made Luna cry. Placing her hand on his cold cheek, she looked into his emotionless eyes and smiled sadly.


    "This was the plan from the start, dummy."

 Chapter 5 Third member

    After they buried Zaroth''s mother, they left his home, going deeper into the empire.It would have been smarter to spend the approaching night there, but Zaroth didn''t want to remain in his home longer than necessary.


    "I need another one," Zaroth said.


    "Another beast? What, am I not enough for you?" Luna responded, feigning an offended tone.


    "It''s not that. Imagine we get to the academy, and I have to reveal I''ve tamed a mythical dragon that was once dead. They''d probably lock me up or kill me on the spot, fearing the damage I could cause. Even if I summoned you, my mana core is weak. After a few minutes, I wouldn''t be able to sustain you, leaving me defenseless."


    "So, in other words, you want to tame a second beast and present it as your primary one. Smart," Luna said, clearly pleased her master had a clever plan.


    "But I''m not sure how to do it. Do I just approach a dead beast and try to tame it? Or are there other conditions?"


    "There''s one thing I''m certain about: you can''t just revive and tame any dead creature. I suspect, for the revival to work, the beast must have a strong longing to return to the world, even after death¡ªlike in my case."


    "I guess so. Well, this is for tomorrow. It''s too dark already, so let''s spend the night here."


    After finding a comfortable spot surrounded by trees, Zaroth collected some branches and placed them in the center. Luna opened her mouth, releasing a green flame that ignited the wood, creating a pleasant heat.


    "So, you can breathe fire even in human form?" he asked, turning to Luna.


    "I can do pretty much everything in my human form that I can in my dragon form, but¡­" She placed her delicate finger on Zaroth''s chest, exactly where his heart was. The sudden gesture made his heart skip a beat.


    "How does your mana feel?" she asked.


    Focusing on his heart, he responded, "Like half of it is suddenly gone." S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Yes," she said with a dark smile. "As long as your mana core sustains me, I can do most things. Perhaps, in time, I''ll regain my original strength."


    "Wait, when you''re in your dragon form, aren''t you at your peak?"


    Hearing this, Luna burst into laughter. "Zaroth, if I were at my peak strength, your heart and mana core would have immediately burst, killing you on the spot. You didn''t think your mana core could support a dragon at full power, did you?"


    Normally, Zaroth would have retorted, but he was lost in thought.


    "So, you''re telling me you destroyed an entire enemy camp in less than a minute, and you''re not even close to your full power?"


    "Precisely." Luna smiled proudly.


    "Now, enough talking¡ªmore training!"


    Ten minutes later, Zaroth lay on the ground, drenched in sweat. He had removed his T-shirt, as the training had been too intense.


    "Oh, this feels good. Who knew exercise could be so enjoyable?"


    As he lay on his back, gazing at the sky, Luna suddenly sat on top of him. Her white hair, falling to the side, obscured his vision, leaving only her face in view.


    Her body pressed against his, greedily, almost as if she wanted to devour him.


    Her face was red, and her breathing was irregular.


    "Looking at you shirtless on the ground makes me want to do things to you that your heart wouldn''t survive," she whispered.


    She lowered her face until it was just a few centimeters from his and pressed her body harder against his.


    "So, get stronger for me¡ªfaster, okay? I''m not sure how long I can wait."


    As soon as she said that, she stood up as if nothing had happened.


    Zaroth lay on his back, trying to process what had just happened. His body felt as hot as a furnace.


    "I guess I just found more strength," he muttered quietly, resuming his training. It seemed Luna was excellent at providing motivation¡­


    *****


    The next day, they walked for hours but found nothing noteworthy.


    "How long until we reach the town where we can take a carriage to the capital?" Luna asked.


    "I''m not sure," Zaroth replied, glancing around. They had come across a few wolf corpses earlier, but Zaroth''s attempts to resurrect and tame them had been unsuccessful.


    "What is this system, anyway? Can''t you teach me how it works?" Zaroth asked, irritated.


    "I''m a dragon; you''re a human. The system works completely differently for different species. Your best bet is getting to that academy."


    "Oh, is that another pack?" Zaroth asked, noticing more wolf corpses up ahead. Judging by the wounds, it seemed they''d been attacked by a bear.


    Shifting his gaze over each of the wolves, Zaroth didn''t feel anything out of the ordinary.


    "No luck here either, huh?"


    He and Luna were about to move past the area when Zaroth''s gaze caught something. A bear with numerous wounds lay dead on the ground, and near it was the body of a wolf¡ªabout twice the size of the others.


    Following Zaroth''s gaze, Luna thought, ''This one must have been the leader of the pack. That would explain its size, but to be able to take down a bear? Impressive.''


    Luna continued forward until she realized her master was still staring at the corpses.


    "Is something the matter?" she asked.


    Without saying anything, Zaroth stretched out his hand and pointed at the wolf. "There''s some kind of energy in the wolf''s body," he said.


    Curiosity getting the better of him, Zaroth approached the wolf and placed his hand on the beast''s corpse.


    Suddenly, a voice rang in his head:


    [Greater Wolf judges your soul]


    [What is your purpose?]


    "My purpose?" he muttered under his breath, surprised by the sudden question. Taking a deep breath, he responded, "My purpose is to kill those who have wronged me and to live for my desires."


    After a moment, he added, "Would you accompany me on my journey?"


    [Greater Wolf responds to your call]


    [Greater Wolf forms a pact with you]


    [You have formed a contract with Greater Wolf]


    [Revenge]


    With that thought, the wolf''s body shuddered before it slowly stood up. Unlike Luna''s, the wolf hadn''t been dead for long, so its body still had flesh on its bones¡ªeven if it was slightly rotten.


    Zaroth turned his head to meet Luna''s gaze, a smile spreading across his face.


    "It seems we''ve got a third member!"

 Chapter 6 Civilization

    "It seems we''ve got a third member!" Zaroth said with a smile, then immediately collapsed onto his knees."What is this?" he grunted from his spot on the ground.


    The wolf that had just been suddenly revived tilted its head, looking at its master and wondering what was wrong with him.


    "Your mana core is overwhelmed," Luna responded. "It was barely able to support the two of us, and now that it sustains three organisms, it''s being stretched too thin."


    "So am I supposed to desummon one of you two?" Zaroth asked.


    "I would recommend against it," she said, sitting down on the ground and gently placing Zaroth''s head on her lap.


    "What you are feeling right now is pain."


    "Really? What gave you that idea?" Zaroth asked sarcastically, trying to suppress a scream. It felt like his very being was being torn apart.


    "I''m not sure how you humans train your mana cores," Luna continued, "but what you''re currently experiencing is your core growing stronger."


    "Stronger?" he asked, eyes narrowing in confusion.


    "Yes. A core has three main functions: how much mana it can contain, how quickly it regenerates said mana, and how much output it can provide at once." She paused briefly before continuing.


    "Imagine a cup. At the bottom of that cup, there''s a small hole. The water that flows out through that hole is like your mana output."


    "So how is this training?" he grunted.


    "You are outputting more mana than your core is designed for, so over time, that ''hole'' will expand, allowing you to channel more mana at once."


    Zaroth''s forehead was drenched in sweat, but he managed to stay quiet as he listened to her explanation.


    "Usually, a person is proficient in one of these three aspects. By observing you, I''ve concluded that your specialty is mana regeneration. So, the regeneration speed should roughly match the mana you''re using, but¡­"


    "But my output isn''t strong enough, so I''m suffering?" he interrupted.


    With a smile, she replied, "Precisely."


    "So, basically, tough it out in the name of strength?"


    "Yes, pretty much. But keep in mind, if you put too much stress on your mana core, it could lead to death. You have to find the right balance."


    As Zaroth lay on Luna''s thighs, he might have been embarrassed by the situation if he wasn''t so focused on his new companion.


    The wolf approached its master and licked his face.


    "Ah, stop!" Zaroth cried out, causing the wolf to stop immediately. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I suspected as much," he muttered. "Not every beast I tame can transform into a human form or communicate with me, right?"


    Luna grinned proudly before explaining, "Of course not! Few creatures are as strong or as smart as me!"


    As Zaroth began to adjust to the pain, he got up from Luna''s lap with a grunt and approached the wolf.


    "Hey, little buddy, what should I call you?"


    Calling the wolf "little buddy" felt strange, considering it was massive¡ªmuch larger than the other wolves Zaroth had encountered. There was a reason the system referred to it as a Great Wolf.


    The creature''s white fur was streaked with crimson blood, and its body bore numerous wounds. However, these injuries didn''t seem to bother it, likely because it had already died once.


    Despite its ferocious appearance, the wolf tilted its head, mimicking the behavior of a curious dog. That endearing action was why Zaroth decided to call it "little buddy."


    "You can think of a name for your pet later," Luna interjected. "For now, you need to desummon someone. Your core is getting unstable."


    "So soon?" he asked, frustrated.


    "Getting stronger is a slow process, Zaroth. To desummon someone, just focus, and it should happen."


    Feeling a little defeated by his weakness, he was about to desummon the wolf when Luna stopped him.


    "Wait, desummon me instead," she said.


    "But-


    "Now that this guy is here, I want to see the inside of your soul," she interrupted.


    "Okay, I guess," Zaroth said hesitantly.


    "It''s just a little regretful," she murmured, blushing slightly.


    "What is it?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.


    Approaching him quickly, she leaned close to his ear and whispered, "That I''m about to enter you. I''d prefer it the other way around."


    "What?" Zaroth stammered, but before he could react, Luna smiled and disappeared, entering his soul.


    "That woman!" he cried out loud.


    Now alone with the wolf, he decided to play catch with his new pet. After some time, his core stabilized, and he summoned Luna again. A few sparks appeared before she materialized from thin air.


    "It was surprisingly comfy in there," she said with a smile.


    "Cool. Now let''s go. We must be close to reaching the city."


    They were, in fact, not close. It took two more nights of traveling to approach it. During that time, Zaroth trained his mana core by day and his body by night.


    Seeing the city from afar, he remarked, "I guess the war hasn''t reached this far into the Draconian Empire''s territory. Alright, get ready, you two. I''m about to desummon you."


    "Hm?" Luna responded. "Jealous someone might like me and try to fight you for me?" she teased with a flirtatious grin.


    "Yeah, actually, so I''m not taking any unnecessary risks."


    "Alright, but summon me the moment you''re alone somewhere."


    "Sure, sure." Zaroth patted the wolf on the head and desummoned both of his companions. His core felt at peace without the constant strain.


    Approaching the massive city gates, he waited his turn in line before addressing the guards on duty.


    "Entry costs a silver coin," one of the knights said.


    ''A silver coin to enter? What a rip-off!'' he thought.


    Without saying anything, Zaroth pulled a gold coin from his pocket and handed it to the knight.


    The knight''s eyes widened briefly before he pocketed the gold coin and handed Zaroth nine silver coins in return. Moving aside to let him pass, the knight nodded.


    With a sigh, Zaroth stepped forward into the bustling city. Thousands of people filled the streets. While it might not be massive by the Empire''s standards, for Zaroth, this place was incredible. And the capital was supposed to be a hundred times bigger!


    With a smile, he walked through the streets, a thought echoing in his head:


    "Ah¡­ finally back to civilization."

 Chapter 7 Alone in a room

    The moment Zaroth entered, the sky was beginning to dim, signaling the approaching night."Better find a place to spend the night," he thought as he began walking through the city. The streets were bustling with all kinds of people¡ªhumans, elves, and even beastfolk could be seen from time to time.


    After some time, he stopped in front of a nice-looking tavern. Considering how long it had been since he''d spent a night in comfort, he decided he wasn''t going to spare any expense this time.


    Upon entering, an old, muscular man with a gray beard greeted him.


    "Kid, I won''t give you any money," the man said, looking Zaroth up and down.


    It wasn''t surprising; his clothes resembled rags, fit for a homeless person, and his malnourished frame made him look like a child despite being an adult.


    "I''m here to rent a room," Zaroth said, ignoring the insult.


    "Rent? Do you have the money?" The old man''s eyes filled with suspicion.


    Without answering, Zaroth pulled a silver coin from his pocket and handed it to the man.


    "The best room you have available. Oh, and keep the change."


    *****


    "Ah¡­ This is the best!" Zaroth exclaimed as he lay on the massive, soft bed.


    It might not be considered a luxury compared to the extravagant beds some royalty owned, but for Zaroth, it was pure bliss¡ªsomething he hadn''t felt in a long time.


    ¡­


    ''Well, I guess Luna''s thighs are more comfortable¡­'' he mused.


    With that thought, he summoned Luna. The room shimmered slightly as her beautiful figure materialized from thin air.


    "This is comfy!" she said, looking around the room, which was much larger than the humble hut Zaroth had previously lived in.


    Luna quickly approached the door and locked it with the key already in the keyhole. Then, without hesitation, she immediately placed herself on Zaroth''s lap, causing his face to flush.


    "Zaroth¡­" she said with a mischievous grin. "It''s night, and we''re alone in a room. Do you know what this means?"


    The sudden move startled Zaroth. Gulping, he asked, "No¡­ what does it mean?"


    Her smile widened.


    "The perfect time to continue your physical training!"


    Fifteen minutes later, Zaroth had managed a total of 60 squats and 30 push-ups. Unfortunately, there weren''t any branches in the room like in the forest, so pull-ups were out of the question.


    "I''ve gotten stronger," he said happily as he stood up.


    "And you still have a long way to go," Luna replied, stepping out of the bathroom. While he had been suffering, she had been enjoying a hot shower!


    Looking at her wet body wrapped in a thin towel, Zaroth felt his heartbeat quicken. Trying to hide his embarrassment, he stood up and approached her.


    "Are you finally done? I want to take a shower too."


    Once inside the bathroom, he realized there were no towels left.


    "Oh, it seems since you rented the room alone, they only left one towel, so¡­" Luna said, cracking the door open and handing him a semi-wet towel.


    "I guess you''ll have to use mine."


    With a sigh, he took it and had the most refreshing shower of his life.


    All the blood, mud, and pain he had experienced over the past week were being washed from his body and swirling down the drain.


    When he finished and exited the bathroom, he found Luna lying on the bed in her revealing outfit.


    Her hair, still slightly wet from the hot shower she had taken earlier, coupled with her outfit, made her look like some kind of divinity descended to the mortal realm. Looking at her, Zaroth found it hard to control himself.


    "Where''s the black outfit that covered your entire body?" he asked, trying not to show his excitement.


    Pointing at his clothes on the chair and the towel around his waist, she grinned.


    "Since you''re about to change, I thought I''d see how my current look affects you."


    ''I''m too tired for these stupid games,'' Zaroth thought as he began changing, keeping eye contact with Luna the entire time.


    ''If you think I''ll act embarrassed, you''re wrong!''


    Luna''s confident expression faltered, replaced by bewilderment. Then, her face adopted a peculiar look as her eyes scanned his body. She bit her lower lip slightly, leaving Zaroth confused.


    "So¡­ this is what we''re working with, huh?" she said slyly, glancing downward.


    Ignoring her, Zaroth finished dressing and lay on the bed beside her, closing his eyes. Before she could tease him again, he said,


    "Too tired to care. Just let me sleep."


    Luna relented, letting him rest.


    *****


    The next morning, Zaroth went to a clothing shop and bought a good-looking suit that was on sale. It was black, with a white shirt and a red tie.


    Now that he no longer looked homeless, he began searching for a carriage driver to take him to the capital.


    "Sir, this is a long journey, so it''ll cost two gold coins," the driver said.


    Zaroth checked his savings and saw that he had three gold coins left. Without hesitation, he handed them over.


    The driver''s eyes lit up. "Pleasure doing business with you, sir!"


    As the driver prepared to leave, Zaroth stopped him.


    "Is there a problem, sir?" the driver asked. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "If you hear me talking or hear multiple voices from the back of the carriage, you haven''t heard anything. Am I clear?"


    "Yes! Of course, sir!"


    Positioning himself comfortably in the carriage, Zaroth summoned Luna.


    "Finally going to the capital?" she asked excitedly.


    "Yes, finally. Although, I doubt one gold coin will be enough to join the academy, so I might have to steal some more money," he complained.


    "There''s no need for that anymore," she replied.


    "Huh? Why''s that?" Zaroth asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "From what I know, you only pay if you lack the ability to use your class," she explained, pointing at his chest. "But you''ve already tamed a wolf, so you shouldn''t need to pay for training."


    With a sigh of relief, Zaroth stretched.


    "That''s good. Ah¡­ I can finally relax."

 Chapter 8 Capital

    The journey was supposed to take around a week. Zaroth initially thought he was going to relax in the meantime, but it looked like he had been mistaken."Oh? Are you done already? But this was too fast¡­" Luna said, grinning while looking at the exhausted body of Zaroth, which was drenched in sweat.


    He had removed his suit, not wanting to ruin it, so now he was in his underwear.


    "I can''t go on!" he grunted between his teeth, his body suffering from exhaustion.


    "Come on! Just one more! Get it up once more!" Luna commanded.


    Grunting heavily, he strained his muscles and managed to do one more push-up before immediately collapsing on the hard floor of the carriage.


    "35 without stopping, great progress!" Luna exclaimed.


    "WUF! WUF!" Zaroth''s wolf agreed with her.


    Because Zaroth was traveling by carriage, he didn''t have much to do except train, so now he had summoned Luna and his wolf to train his core while also working on his physical body at the same time. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I guess this is it, I''m done for now," Zaroth said, happy that even if his core hurt like crazy, he could let his body rest for a few hours.


    Upon hearing that, Luna raised an eyebrow and asked, "Done? What about your pull-ups?"


    Irritated, Zaroth spat, "We are not in the forest, Luna! There aren''t any branches I could use in the carriage!"


    "But there is something you could use."


    "And what is it?!" Zaroth asked sarcastically. "There''s nothing in this carriage that can be used for doing pull-ups!"


    Without saying anything, Luna extended her hand to the side.


    Seeing that gesture made Zaroth''s eyes widen in surprise.


    "I don''t care how strong you are, there is no way your arms are so strong that I could just do pull-ups on them!" he cried.


    Grinning from ear to ear, she answered, "Why don''t you find out?"


    With a sigh, he stood up and approached Luna. She was taller than him by about 20 centimeters, so after placing his hands on her arms, he had to bend his knees backward to avoid hitting the ground.


    After that, he used his back muscles and pulled himself upward, noticing how Luna''s arm didn''t move even a centimeter.


    Unable to believe what he was seeing, he shifted his gaze to Luna and asked her,


    "How the hell are you so strong?"


    With a mischievous grin, she answered,


    "Less talking, more pulling!"


    Needless to say, the week they spent traveling was akin to torture. Zaroth''s mana core and body were stretched to their limits at the same time!


    But considering that it was all in pursuit of strength, Zaroth didn''t complain even once.


    During the whole journey, Zaroth felt weird calling his great wolf "little buddy," so after consulting with Luna for her opinion, his pet would be called Silverfang from now on. It was a fitting name, considering the color of his fur and fangs.


    On the last day of their journey, Zaroth stripped naked, and Luna examined his body. "Yes, the changes are obvious. You''ve definitely put on some muscle mass."


    It wasn''t surprising. One week of doing nothing but training nonstop would transform your body. But alas, he was still far from reaching his goal. He could now do 100 squats without a problem, but his push-ups were stuck at 50, and his pull-ups at 20.


    Luna reassured him that once he entered the academy, his progress would drastically increase.


    As the carriage came to a stop, Zaroth dismissed his companions, and then a voice was heard from the door,


    "Sir, we have arrived at the capital."


    Exiting, Zaroth put on a smile and thanked the man for the ride. The entire time, the man didn''t comment on how behind him there were a woman''s and a wolf''s voices, but it was only natural. He had promised that he would ignore every noise after all.


    After the man left, Zaroth glanced at the massive walls of the capital. They were close to fifty meters in height.


    He was mesmerized for some time until Luna broke him out of his haze.


    "I know it''s beautiful, but you don''t want to look like a country bumpkin, you know?"


    She was using a new method of communication that they had found during their travel to the capital.


    If Luna was dismissed, she could communicate with him using her thoughts. It was also possible if she was summoned, but it was much harder. He had also tested it on Silverfang and was able to send him some of his thoughts as well.


    As they approached the gates, Zaroth patiently waited his turn until a guard called him over.


    "Your name?" the knight asked.


    "Zaroth," Zaroth replied. The knight began writing something in his mysterious magical device.


    "Your cat-like eyes, are you related to the dragons'' descendants?"


    "Something like that," Zaroth answered with an innocent smile.


    "Reason for visiting?"


    "I plan to enter one of the magic academies."


    Raising an eyebrow, the knight responded, "You know how many people want to join every year, right? You don''t have a high chance unless you are gifted or of noble birth."


    With a smile, Zaroth responded confidently, "I''ll figure it out."


    "Well, if you are related to the dragon descendants, I guess you have a chance." Muttering under his breath, the knight raised his hand, signaling that Zaroth was allowed to pass.


    "All right, welcome to the capital of the Draconian Empire, boy."


    Advancing forward, Zaroth spoke with Luna in his head,


    "It''s a good thing you warned me about the eyes. Who knew these eyes were only meant for the dragon descendants?"


    "Yes, it''s better for them to think you''re related to the dragon descendants in some way in the Draconian Empire. That alone should earn you some respect."


    Entering the capital was like entering another world. The buildings, the people¡ªeverything was advanced, almost like Zaroth had entered a new era.


    He had energy. It was still morning, and he was dressed in the suit he had bought, meaning he was ready.


    "All right, it''s time I enter this academy."

 Chapter 9 Simple question

    The capital was much bigger than Zaroth had been accustomed to, so he had some trouble finding his way.''Did you get lost?'' Luna asked sarcastically, making Zaroth blush slightly.


    ''Of course not!'' he responded immediately.


    But after an hour of mindless walking, he had to admit defeat and ask a stranger for directions.


    "So, this is the academy, huh?"


    He was standing before a building of truly colossal scale. The building must have had dozens of floors. The walls were decorated with gold, and to reach the academy, he had to walk through the massive garden surrounding it.


    ''Are you sure you want to try for the most prestigious one?'' Luna asked.


    ''If a person wants to achieve great things, he has to aim high or whatever. Plus, even if they reject me, I''m sure I''ll have better luck with the other, less prestigious ones.''


    ''But from what they told us, this is the elite. Even the royals are apparently learning here.''


    ''I''m sure it will be fine. If not, we''ll just make it fine.''


    Zaroth entered the building and was now waiting in his seat for them to call his name. The room he was in was very big, and it currently held more than a hundred people close to his age, all waiting to take the same kind of test.


    Looking around, he saw that while some wore simple suits like him, others were dressed in clothes that only nobles, or maybe even royals, could afford.


    When he had bought the suit, he had thought he looked quite good, but his simple dress paled in comparison to theirs.


    Observing the surroundings, he saw that there were three big groups sticking together.


    The first group consisted of the incredibly well-dressed people, who were most likely nobles.


    The second group was the largest one; the people there were dressed modestly, like him, and were throwing hostile glances at the nobles.


    The third group was the smallest, and these people wore clothes that seemed to be picked from trash bins, or in other words, they were homeless. They were most likely here with the faint hope that they could turn their lives around.


    Deciding it was boring to just sit in his seat, he approached the second group with the intention of making small talk.


    "Hello, I''m Zaroth," he said as he approached a group of people.


    "Hello¡ª" The tall man with blonde hair was about to respond but stopped mid-sentence. As he gazed at Zaroth''s eyes, his own widened slightly.


    "Are you related to the dragons'' descendants?" the man asked. It was obvious from his tone that he was on guard.


    Zaroth had decided to pretend he was, otherwise, he would have to reveal that he had tamed a dragon, which wasn''t a smart decision right now.


    "Something like that," he said, trying to put on an innocent smile.


    "I''m sorry, but would you please not speak to us?" the girl standing close to the tall blonde man responded before he could.


    "Lily! We can''t speak with people like that!" he turned his face to hers.


    "Roran, you know how dangerous these people can be! We don''t want to be associated with them!" she said as she grasped the man''s hand and led him away from Zaroth.


    ''Luna¡­ didn''t you say that these eyes would earn me some respect?'' he asked, irritated. sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Well¡­'' Luna was going to blush if she wasn''t currently in Zaroth''s soul. ''I guess some things change, who knew?''


    With a sigh, he scraped the idea of making friends. It seemed that he wasn''t going to be able to communicate with the average people, and there was no way he was going to go and speak willingly to those rich fucks called ''nobles.''


    Thankfully, no one seemed to pay him any attention. Despite his white hair and green, cat-like eyes, most likely because everyone was stressed about the upcoming test.


    For Zaroth, there wasn''t really any pressure, as he didn''t particularly care if he joined the best academy in the empire or the worst one, since he already had a dragon at his disposal. But the others wouldn''t be able to say the same thing.


    Soon, the number on the door changed to the number of the paper Zaroth held in his hand, so he stood up and approached the door.


    Opening the door, Zaroth felt his whole body scream in fear, as if what was beyond it would spell his doom. But since he didn''t want to chicken out now that he had come so far, he pressed on anyway.


    Entering the room, he saw a table with five people sitting across from it. There was a woman with black hair and pupils sitting at the center.


    Despite how beautiful she seemed at first glance, her appearance made her look like an incarnation of death. Just staring at her made Zaroth feel as if he was about to die.


    ''This woman¡­ she is strong¡­ be careful,'' Luna commented.


    Zaroth wanted to ask if Luna could beat her, but the woman suddenly interrupted his line of thinking.


    "Hello¡­" She looked down at the paper in front of her before continuing. "Zaroth, you have been given a chance to enter our academy." Her voice was serious and stern, almost as if she were ready to kill him at any moment if he stepped out of line.


    "I am Elysia and the person in charge of this academy. I will observe the process of your examination without stepping in unless need arises."


    ''So, I meet the most powerful and influential person in the whole fucking empire from the start. What shitty luck I have!'' he cursed in his mind.


    "Young man, you are going to be tested to see if you are worthy of being accepted as a student of our academy. But don''t be nervous; I''m sure if you''ve done your homework, there''s nothing to worry about." An old man in his 80s spoke as he looked at Zaroth with a relaxed gaze.


    ''Homework?'' Zaroth thought, surprised. He wasn''t expecting anything like this.


    "First of all, answer the questions right if you want to proceed. Don''t worry, they are all formalities, so you won''t have a hard time answering them. Let''s begin with the easiest one:


    What is the name of this academy?"


    ''Crap.'' All Zaroth knew was that he was going to be tested for his class and how well he could use it, not answering some useless questions like he was on an actual written test!


    Zaroth was a person who only remembered information that concerned him, and the name of some academy wasn''t on that list!


    Taking a deep breath, he smiled innocently before answering.


    "I have absolutely no clue."

 Chapter 10 Lucky?

    ''What do you mean you don''t know?!'' Luna shouted in his head.''I really don''t!" Zaroth spat back. ''If it was such important information, I thought you would remember it!''


    ''Just because I live in your head doesn''t mean¡ª''


    "Excuse me, what did you just say?" The old man who had asked the question seemed shocked by Zaroth''s blunt response.


    ''Ah, I really screwed it up from the start, didn''t I?'' Zaroth cursed himself. ''Well, at this point, let''s just go with the flow. I doubt anything worse could happen.''


    "I mean exactly what I said. Why would I waste my time learning the name of some insignificant place?" Zaroth answered, making the old man darken his expression.


    The only person whose demeanor didn''t change was Elysia, who continued to look at him, emotionless as ever. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Insignificant place, you say?!" The old man''s voice rose. "How dare you speak like that about the most prestigious academy in the entire empire!"


    The teachers¡ªor so Zaroth presumed they were¡ªstared daggers at him. He quickly made a mental note, asking Luna for her opinion.


    ''With the exception of the woman at the center, I can kill everyone else in this room,'' Luna said confidently. Zaroth didn''t question her further.


    Having a dragon capable of protecting you seemed to make Zaroth much stronger mentally, as he didn''t feel any fear from the gazes of the teachers, who under normal circumstances could kill him with a single spell.


    "Again, why should I care?" Zaroth straightened his back as much as possible and raised his head high before answering.


    "All I''ve been told is that this is the best place to learn magic and attend classes. That alone is enough for me. I thought everyone was given a fair shot at the start, especially since I saw even homeless people participating in the selection."


    He took a deep breath before continuing.


    "The questions you''re asking are likely only known to nobles and people of higher birth. This test is just a formality to place those of lesser birth lower, isn''t it?"


    "How dare you accuse us of unfair¡ª"


    "I will continue the examination from now." Elysia''s commanding voice instantly silenced the old man.


    *****


    ''The plan we''ve been operating under until now is simple,'' Elysia thought. ''A person, likely stressed because of the examination, comes in. They see my appearance and instantly start shaking in their boots¡ªuntil the old man reassures them with a gentle smile that they have nothing to worry about.


    ''Then, we give them a question they''re bound to fail because the answer¡ªWhat is the name of this academy?¡ªis a trick. There are countless false names deliberately spread around, and only a few know the actual one.


    ''But this boy¡­ Zaroth. He met my gaze from the start and didn''t even flinch. There''s something special about him. Maybe he''s the perfect person I need for the job.''


    "We''ll stop with the questions here. Show us your class," Elysia said, her voice firm.


    The boy didn''t blink. With a sigh, he moved his arm slightly.


    Then something began to materialize from thin air. After about five seconds, a giant wolf manifested before them.


    It was obvious Zaroth was a tamer, but something was off. Why did his summoned beast look¡­ dead?


    "This is Silverfang, my first pet," Zaroth declared with a smile.


    "So, you''re a tamer. Was this the first beast you tamed?"


    ''If this is his first tame, it''s impressive,'' Elysia thought. ''The way we classify beasts is as follows:


    Mundane


    Lesser


    Uncommon


    Rare


    Epic


    Legendary


    Mythic


    ''The gray wolf he summoned is an Uncommon beast. I can see why he''s confident.''


    "Yes, I got lucky to have such a strong summon in my arsenal," Zaroth answered.


    For the first time, Elysia''s neutral expression shifted into a smile.


    Only Zaroth noticed her smile, and it visibly startled him. For a second, he wondered if he had done something wrong. But there was no way Zaroth could have known¡­


    Elysia always knew when someone was lying.


    "I see... do you possess stronger beasts in your soul?"


    "No, this is the only beast I currently possess."


    Elysia''s smile widened.


    ''Finally! I found him! This one is the last piece of my plan!''


    "One last question," Elysia said. "You seemed unaffected by my presence. Why?"


    This was the only thing that still concerned Elysia. Usually, a person coming for examination would be overwhelmed by the magical aura of those stronger than them. Yet, he looked her in the eyes as if it didn''t bother him¡­ almost as if he had faced something far more terrifying before.


    "Well¡­" Zaroth scratched the back of his head, unsure of how to answer. "I guess it''s because, unlike the old man, who looked like he was about to scam me, you don''t seem to have any ill intent. So¡­ you''re just easy on the eyes?"


    *****


    One week later, after the examination process was over, Zaroth stood in front of a giant billboard announcing the results.


    ''I totally bombed the examination. Is there any point in checking if I got in?'' Zaroth asked.


    ''Of course! Look on the bright side¡­ examining you must have been¡­ unique,'' Luna said, attempting to sound reassuring but failing miserably.


    With a sigh, Zaroth turned to the board. The classes were listed as A, B, C, D, E, and F.


    A-class was reserved for nobles and the best students, so Zaroth started scanning from the bottom up.


    He didn''t find his name in F, E, D, or C.


    ''Why do they have to make the text so small?! I can barely read these names!''


    After finishing B, he gave up hope. There was no way he was assigned to the top class.


    ''For fuck''s sake, Zaroth! Don''t be lazy¡ªread the whole list!'' Luna commanded.


    With a sigh, he turned his attention to the board. It was ridiculous. There was an easy way to see how wealthy a person was¡­


    It was their names.


    A-class was mostly filled with nobles, and some were wealthier than others. Some of the names were so long they looked like entire sentences!


    Scanning the names was more trouble than it was worth¡­ until Zaroth froze.


    Luna was grinning from ear to ear, though it wasn''t visible since she wasn''t summoned and was resting in Zaroth''s soul.


    "See?! What did I tell you?"


    Zaroth paid her no attention. He was finding it hard to believe, but there it was. His name was listed in A-class¡ªthe top of the top, the elite of the empire.


    He had been assigned to A-class.

 Chapter 11 Not so lucky

    Some students cried tears of joy, others of sorrow, while Zaroth stood frozen, struggling to believe what had just happened.''This doesn''t make any sense! It''s not like I told them I have a dragon at my disposal. They know I''m not some kind of rich noble¡ªso why the hell did they put me in A-Class?''


    ''Zaroth, this is the third time you''ve asked me the same question¡ª''


    "Attention, everyone!" a man in a red robe called out, stepping forward to address the students and interrupting Zaroth and Luna''s conversation.


    "To everyone who passed the test, please come here to receive your bracelet!"


    After waiting half an hour in line, Zaroth was handed a golden bracelet with a red gem embedded in it.


    "This bracelet will be the device teachers use to contact you, Mister Zaroth," said the person handing out the bracelets.


    Zaroth wasn''t sure how to use it, so he shamefully stole a glance at the other students. It seemed to activate by rotating the gem 90 degrees. When he did, a hologram appeared before him.


    It displayed three sections:


    -----


    Identity:


    Name: Zaroth


    Age: 18


    Class: A


    -----


    ''How do they know my age?'' he wondered. He had never disclosed that information. Was it just a guess? Or did they have some way of finding out everyone''s age?


    The second section was labeled Schedule, likely containing the classes he would take from now on. The last section was called Messages.


    "Hm?" Zaroth noticed a red dot on the Messages section. ''Have I already received one? so soon?''


    Opening it, he read:


    -----


    Sender: Chairwoman Elysia


    Once you see this message, report to my office immediately¡ªRoom 13/13. Failure to show up will result in severe sanctions.


    -----


    "What kind of mess have I gotten myself into now?" he muttered under his breath as he entered the colossal building known as the academy.


    *****


    ''13/13¡­ So does that mean the thirteenth floor, thirteenth room?'' Zaroth asked. He had never been inside a building this large and struggled to navigate the floors.


    ''Zaroth¡­ I''m a dragon. Do you really think I have a clue how humans live?'' Luna responded immediately.


    "Well, sure, the building is big, but how hard can it be to find a single room?" he muttered under his breath.


    Half an hour later, he was finally standing in front of the door.


    ''Idiot! What kind of idiot designed this building?! Why are there stairs that don''t lead to the top floor? Why are some sections accessible only through specific doorways?!''


    Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he knocked on the beautifully decorated door.


    "Come in," a stern voice responded immediately, as if waiting for him.


    Zaroth steeled his resolve and entered.


    ''Remember, Luna said she wouldn''t be able to defeat the Chairwoman, so I better behave.''


    Upon entering, Zaroth saw Elysia seated in a chair, a cup of coffee in her hand. Now that he wasnt under the stress of the exam, he could take a closer look at her.


    She appeared to be in her early thirties, wearing dark clothes that matched the color of her hair and pupils, which highlighted her pale, flawless skin. The fabric of her outfit seemed tight around her chest, and while Zaroth might have been tempted to steal a glance, he found himself captivated by her eyes instead.


    "Hello again," Zaroth said with a polite smile as he approached Elysia''s desk.


    "You can sit," she said, gesturing to the chair across from her. He complied, sitting down as instructed.


    She didn''t seem in any hurry, sipping her coffee leisurely until she suddenly locked eyes with Zaroth.


    "You must be wondering why you were assigned to A-Class," she began firmly.


    Zaroth didn''t dare interrupt and simply met her gaze.


    "In short, I judged you to have sufficient strength."


    "I''m honored you have such a high opinion of me, but what led you to believe I was worthy of studying with the elites? After all, I only have a single wolf as a summon."


    Upon hearing his question, Elysia set her coffee down and smiled, resting her chin on her hands. Zaroth felt like prey about to be devoured by a predator.


    ''Zaroth, this is bad!'' Luna cried out in his mind. Without changing his expression, he asked her,


    ''What is it?''


    ''I didn''t sense it before, but this woman¡­ she can tell when someone is lying!''


    Despite Zaroth''s efforts to remain calm, his face lost color.


    ''So you''re telling me she knows I lied about not having a second beast?!''


    ''Listen, you ha¡ª''


    "Let''s cut to the chase, shall we?" Elysia''s voice interrupted Luna.


    "The second beast under your possession... is it Rare?" S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Not daring to answer, he simply stared into her eyes.


    "Not answering, huh? Well, it''s surprising you figured it out so quickly..."


    ''Zaroth!'' Luna''s voice came again. ''When she asks if it''s Epic, twitch your eye a little as if she''s correct! We can''t let her know you have a Mythic creature!''


    "Is it Epic?"


    As instructed, Zaroth made his eye twitch slightly, as if affirming her guess.


    Seeing his reaction, Elysia''s eyes widened briefly, but her smile grew broader as she continued.


    "Is it Legendary?"


    Zaroth didn''t move, trying to appear as calm as possible.


    "Is it Mythic?"


    Zaroth tried to appear as calm as possible, despite panicking inside.


    After a moment of observation, Elysia leaned back in her chair, seemingly deep in thought.


    *****


    ''So¡­ he either has a beast of the Epic class¡­ or the Mythic class,'' Elysia thought.


    Her heart raced faster. She had suspected something from the moment she first saw him, but this¡­ this was far beyond her expectations.


    ''If it''s the former, he would be an invaluable ally to help me achieve my goals¡­''


    Her smile widened even more, though it was hidden behind her hand.


    ''And if it''s the latter¡­ if he truly commands a Mythic beast¡­ then he has the potential to shift the world''s power dynamics in any way he sees fit.''


    ''In other words¡­ I must have him at any cost!''


    Finishing her thoughts, Elysia looked back at Zaroth, who was clearly having a minor panic attack.


    With a pleasant smile, devoid of hostility, she spoke:


    "Mister Zaroth, I have an offer. Would you happen to be interested?"

 Chapter 12 Lucky!

    "An offer?" Zaroth asked, clearly on guard.Elysia leaned back in her chair and sighed. "Would you like to work for me?"


    "Work for you? What do you want me to do?"


    "It''s simple, really. Judging by the way you act and dress, I can guess you''ve spent your life in some village in the middle of nowhere, only to awaken an impressive talent and try your luck at the academy."


    With each word Elysia spoke, Zaroth''s hair stood on end. ''How the heck can she guess so accurately?'' he wondered.


    "So, you don''t have any connections to the world''s politics, and you despise the rich. I''ve placed you in A-Class¡ªa spot usually reserved for the children of the wealthiest families¡ªbecause I want you to cause chaos in this corrupt system. Considering your past, you must hate the rich as much as I do, if not more."


    ''She''s right... I do hate them. And it would be pretty satisfying to mess up their plans.''


    "What exactly do you want me to do?" he asked.


    Studying him for a moment, Elysia continued, "After your first lesson tomorrow, all the students in the academy will be summoned to the arena by the emperor. He''ll announce a tournament that will take place in a month, with the winner granted a wish by the emperor himself. S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But it''s just a pretext. The winner has already been decided. Their plan is for that person to use their wish to ask for the emperor''s daughter''s hand in marriage."


    "And¡­ my mission is?"


    "To win the tournament and prevent that marriage from happening."


    "But why would you want that?"


    "It would boost my influence and diminish the emperor''s. If you want more details, you''ll have to earn my trust by completing the task first."


    ''She wants me to win the tournament? That would mean beating every single person in the academy. Even with Luna''s help, could I achieve something that remarkable?''


    "And what would I gain in return?" Zaroth asked. If the task was this difficult, the reward had to be equally grand.


    "Aside from having your wish granted by the emperor, I''ll also grant you a wish. And believe me, just because he''s the emperor doesn''t mean I don''t have more influence than him in certain areas."


    ''That doesn''t sound like a bad deal¡­ though nothing even comes to mind for what I''d wish for.''


    "Oh, and also," she added, "agreeing to the offer means you''ll get my support. This won''t just make your life easier at the academy, but it''ll also come with significant financial benefits, plus¡ª"


    "I''m in," Zaroth interrupted, his instant answer surprising even himself. But it was expected. He was facing a great challenge ahead¡­ he was poor.


    He used the last of his money to rent a room for the week while waiting for the results. Being sponsored by the chairwoman would mean no longer worrying about money. And the most important part? He''d finally be able to buy as much food as he wanted.


    Elysia was startled by his quick response but smiled as she extended her hand, shaking his.


    "And one more thing," she added, placing a photo in front of him. It was of a girl with red eyes and hair, wearing tattered clothes, clearly homeless.


    "This girl is in C-Class. If given the chance, I want you to keep an eye on her, just in case."


    "So, get stronger to win the tournament and keep an eye on the girl?" he asked, wanting to confirm he''d understood everything.


    "Yes, pretty much. And if you can, anger the rich nobles as much as possible while being in A-Class. It''s not a priority, but it would be highly amusing for me."


    "I see." Zaroth stood up from his seat, intending to leave. ''I''m so tired. I just want to sleep.''


    As he moved, Elysia also stood. "For your accommodation, your bracelet should have received a map showing the location."


    "Got it. Thanks. Good evening," he said, turning his back to her¡ªonly to freeze in fear.


    Elysia was suddenly standing right in front of him. It looked like she''d moved so fast it was as if she''d teleported.


    ''What? When did she move? She was behind me a second ago, and now she''s centimeters away from my face!''


    Leaning close, her breasts brushed against his chest, and he was able feel her heartbeat. Elysia spoke, her deadly gaze locking with his, rendering him too scared to move.


    "Don''t forget, you work for me now. Not anyone else. Am I clear?"


    Her delicate hand had somehow found its way behind Zaroth''s neck, gently touching it. The message was clear, she could erase him in an instant, should she choose to.


    "Y-yes, ma''am," he responded, both scared and embarrassed.


    Seeing his reaction, Elysia smiled. "Good. Don''t forget it. Good evening."


    As Zaroth exited her office, he gasped for air. ''That was so scary!''


    ''Zaroth¡­'' Luna''s voice broke through his thoughts.


    ''What is it?'' he asked.


    ''If you''re scared¡­ why are you aroused?''


    ''Wha-''


    Zaroth wasn''t sure how or when this had happened, but it seemed he was discovering new things about himself every day.


    Certain thoughts flowed through his mind, imagining what he might use the wish granted by Elysia for...


    "Whatever, let''s just follow the map and find this place," he muttered.


    Thankfully, the map was easy to follow, so he didn''t get lost. He stopped in front of a large apartment building. ''It says mine is on the tenth floor. More climbing, huh?''


    Once he reached the apartment, he saw that the door didn''t have a knob. Unsure how to open it, he noticed his bracelet glowing along with the door. It opened automatically.


    Entering, he saw that the apartment was quite large, with a kitchen, a table big enough for eight people, and a double bed.


    "I like it here!" Luna said as she manifested into existence.


    Zaroth quickly went through his training routine, took a shower in the bathroom, and went to sleep. The bed was large and comfortable, and as soon as he lay down, he drifted off.


    He would need all the strength he could muster, because tomorrow, his life at the academy would begin.


    *****


    "That went better than expected," Elysia muttered, sitting comfortably in her chair.


    "Still¡­ it''s better if the fact that he can tame strong creatures remains a secret for now. After the incident with the lost continent, people have been quick to execute anyone showing promise as a tamer."


    She sighed, taking a sip of her coffee. It seemed another sleepless night awaited her.


    "Not that I can blame them," she added. "If a single legendary beast tamer could cause such devastation¡­ anyone would tremble at the chance of a mythical beast tamer appearing, and what they might do should they succumb to their beasts'' temptations.


    And for me to be the only one who noticed his potential... this boy seems to be quite lucky."

 Chapter 13 Commoner

    Zaroth was sleeping peacefully until he felt a cold finger gently poke his cheek. After several attempts, he grunted and opened his eyes."Good morning," Luna said with a smile.


    "Isn''t it too early to wake me up?" Zaroth asked, pulling his pillow over his head in an attempt to get more sleep.


    "It''s 7 o''clock right now. Yesterday, we checked your schedule, and it said your classes start at 8. So you''d better get up!" Luna said as she grasped his hand and lifted him effortlessly.


    ''I keep forgetting she''s a dragon. The strength she has despite being in human form is astonishing,'' he thought as he got to his feet, stretching his body.


    "Oh, also, there seemed to be clothes placed on the table. We didn''t even notice them yesterday," Luna added, pointing at the table.


    Walking over, Zaroth picked up an elegant suit woven with both red and white threads. "So they''re giving us uniforms. I guess that''s good¡ªI won''t stand out that way."


    After a quick breakfast, he put on the student uniform. At first, it was too large, but unexpectedly, the clothes glowed slightly and tightened around his body, adjusting to fit him perfectly.


    Luna whistled with a grin as she watched him. "This suits you pretty well."


    After checking that he had everything, he exited his room and summoned the map on his bracelet. As he walked toward his destination, he also opened his schedule. It was simple:


    -----


    8:00-9:30 ¨C Basics of Magic and Its Effect on Human Society


    9:45-11:15 ¨C Practical Use of Magical Abilities


    11:30-13:00 ¨C Physical Body Training


    14:00-15:30 ¨C Familiarization with Specific Classes


    15:30-17:00 ¨C Live Combat Practice


    -----


    It seemed he had fifteen minutes between classes to get around, with an hour for lunch between 13:00 and 14:00. The schedule also listed the rooms for each lecture.


    From what he could tell, there weren''t any breaks on the weekends¡ªbut that wasn''t surprising. There was a reason this academy was considered the most prestigious, after all.


    Exiting the apartment complex, Zaroth traversed the garden on the way to the academy. Along the way, he saw many people.


    Some seemed much better off than others¡ªjust the way their skin shone and their hair was styled made it clear who was noble and who was a lucky citizen accepted into this place.


    Finally entering the academy, Zaroth wandered around until he found himself in front of the door to his lecture room: 7/24.


    Taking a deep breath, Zaroth steeled his resolve. ''This room will be full of nobles¡ªmost likely the rich and arrogant kind¡ªand it will probably be obvious that I''m the only one of ''lower status.'' I need to be ready to face anything.''


    Placing his hand on the doorknob, he grinned, remembering Elysia''s words, ''And if you can, anger the rich nobles as much as possible while being in A-Class. It''s not a priority, but it would be highly amusing for me.''


    ''Oh¡­ believe me, I''ll anger them alright.''


    *****


    Zack was currently in conversation with one of the rich nobles in A-Class.


    Just looking at the fat man, sweat dripping from his forehead, filled Zack with disgust. But he didn''t have much choice¡ªthis guy was the son of an influential figure, so befriending him could be beneficial.


    "As I was saying!" the fat man¡ªwhose name Zack hadn''t bothered to remember¡ªcontinued,


    "I saw the announcement, and I''m sure there''s a mistake! There''s a person with just a single name appointed to A-Class! He doesn''t even have a family name! There''s no way they''d accept a poor street rat into the top of the academy, right?"


    "Well¡­" Zack began, "To be honest, I don''t really care about social standings. Look at it this way, if he was really accepted, it means his abilities are so unbelievably powerful they had no choice!"


    "Even if that''s the case!" the fat man¡ªkid? It was hard to tell; he looked more like a child despite supposedly being an adult¡ªsnapped. "We must not accept just anyone into our ranks! There are social hierarchies for a reason!"


    ''You''re one to talk,'' thought Zack. ''The only reason you''re here is because your father is stuffed with money.''


    Glancing at his expensive watch, Zack saw there were two minutes left until the lecture began. He glanced around, counting the students. There were 95 in the room, but the board listed 96 assigned to A-Class. It seemed they were one person short.


    The large doors at the front suddenly opened, and a man in his fifties walked in, stopping at the podium. Checking his watch, it seemed he was waiting for the clock to hit exactly 8:00.


    Zack returned to his seat. One minute left. ''It seems it was a mistake after all,'' he thought. ''And here I got my hopes up that they really had accepted someone of lower status in this class.''


    The room was dead silent, waiting for the professor to begin the lecture, when the knob on the back door suddenly turned. Because of the silence, everyone heard it and turned to see who was entering.


    A man on the shorter side, with white hair and green, cat-like eyes, entered. Scanning the room without hesitation, he seemed unfazed by the stares directed at him as he walked down the steps.


    Zack shuddered for a moment, looking into those eyes. It wasn''t because they marked him as dragon-descendant but for another reason. He knew those eyes from looking at his father and brothers.


    Those were the eyes of a killer¡ªcold and calculating.


    The white-haired man found an empty spot at the back and sat down, crossing one leg over the other just as the clock struck 8:00. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The professor opened his mouth to begin, but a sudden shout interrupted him. The fat noble stood up, his body shaking with exertion.


    "Disgrace! How can a mere commoner like you be accepted into the highest elite academy of the empire?!" His outburst forced him to pause and gasp for air several times.


    A few girls burst into laughter at the insult.


    Zack shifted his gaze to the white-haired commoner, who was smiling as though expecting this reaction. Without missing a beat, he responded in a voice cold and devoid of emotion.


    "If fat people like you, who can''t even stand or speak without gasping for air, are considered the elite, then our empire truly is on the brink of collapse."

 Chapter 14 Legendary beast master

    "If fat people like you, who can''t even stand or speak without gasping for air, are considered the elite, then our empire truly is on the brink of collapse." S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.It wasn''t a lie¡ªZaroth felt incredible, insulting a noble straight to his face. From another point of view, he had merely defended his honor against discrimination.


    "You!" the angry fat man continued. "You dare insult the son of a¡ª"


    "That''s enough!" the professor shouted, his voice cutting through the commotion. He stared directly at the noble, who nearly toppled over under the sudden pressure.


    "Not only did you interrupt my lecture, but you dare to speak of status, despite knowing it''s prohibited in this academy? See me after the lecture is over."


    "Y-yes, sir," the noble responded , quickly sitting on his seat.


    "And you!" The professor turned his gaze to Zaroth, who, unlike the noble, met his eyes without flinching. Zaroth interrupted before the professor could continue.


    "All I did was protect my honor¡­ or is that also prohibited?"


    Slightly surprised by the first-year commoner''s unwavering confidence, the professor sighed. "Refrain from speaking in my class."


    With that, the lecture began, and no one dared interrupt again unless it was to ask a question.


    "So, as you all know, there are countless classes in this world," the professor said, writing on the whiteboard,


    Knight


    Mage


    "We divide them into two broad categories. Knights focus on their physical prowess, using magic to enhance their abilities, while mages prioritize magical firepower, often at the expense of physical capabilities.


    This doesn''t mean you can''t become proficient in both areas, but some paths will be more challenging than others."


    He glanced around the room before continuing. "Now, can someone tell me why classes are useless on their own?"


    "Because without a blessing from the gods, we are just vessels, sir!" a timid-looking boy with glasses answered.


    "That''s correct. Without a blessing, your class is effectively worthless. The class determines your potential as a vessel, while the blessing grants you actual power.


    Depending on the god who blesses you, your abilities will differ. For example, a person with the Healer class might heal injuries if blessed by the God of Life. But if blessed by the God of Nature, they might heal plants instead."


    He raised his voice before continuing, "However, keep in mind this is only at the beginning. As you grow stronger, new opportunities will become available¡ªeven beyond the boundaries of your class. For example, a mage could train with a sword and develop knight-like abilities if they put in the effort!"


    ''Huh, neat,'' Zaroth thought. ''If I can learn any abilities, which should I choose? Taming mythical beasts would put me at the pinnacle of beast tamers¡­ but learning knight skills might cover my weaknesses.''


    "Now let''s talk about influential figures¡ªor what you might call heroes."


    The mood in the room lifted as the professor began recounting tales of legendary heroes and their deeds: a monk, an archer, a healer, an elementalist, and many others. Zaroth was surprised to learn about countless classes he hadn''t known existed.


    The professor''s face darkened for a moment before he added, "Of course, there have been others¡ªindividuals we don''t worship as heroes but rather the opposite. Take, for example, the Legendary Beast Master."


    At the mention of that name, the classroom fell into a heavy silence, the air growing tense and suffocating.


    Zaroth wanted to ask for an explanation but reconsidered, thinking it unwise to remind the professor of his presence after the earlier fiasco.


    "Could you remind us of the incident?" a boy with black hair and white eyes asked.


    "Sure, if you wish," the professor said, taking a deep breath before continuing.


    "We''re short on time, so I''ll summarize. A century ago, a man was discovered with an incredible gift¡ªthe ability to tame legendary creatures. As you all know, legendary beasts are among the strongest, surpassed only by mythical beasts.


    At first, everything was wonderful. He quickly became famous, earning glory and admiration. But as time passed, humanity discovered a horrifying truth about beast masters.


    A beast, once tamed, isn''t completely harmless¡ª specially toward its master. At lower levels, this might not pose a problem. But at higher levels, a beast, despite being tamed, gains a degree of consciousness and begins communicating with its master¡ªparticularly if the first beast they tame is of legendary rank.


    This communication slowly drove him insane. In the end, the Legendary Beast Master succumbed to the influence of his tamed beasts and went on a rampage, destroying an entire continent.


    Since then, anyone found taming a first creature stronger than Rare rank has been executed to prevent such an incident from happening again."


    Zaroth listened intently, his face growing grimmer with each word. If a Legendary Beast Master had succumbed to his tamed beasts, what about him¡ªsomeone capable of taming mythical beasts?


    He wanted to ask Luna for reassurance, to hear that she didn''t plan to corrupt him or manipulate him in any way. But in his mind, there was nothing.


    Luna was silent, and Zaroth was too afraid to ask.


    Trying to distract himself, a thought came to Zaroth''s mind¡ªthe chairwoman, Elysia. If she hadn''t figured out that he was a mythical beast master, she must be under the assumption that he had tamed at least an Epic beast, and yet she hadn''t executed him.


    Maybe he was truly lucky to have stumbled upon her first. Zaroth suddenly began to view Elysia in a new light¡ªa person he could trust. She had placed her faith in him¡­ and yet he was scared to ask his beast a simple question? Pathetic!


    ''Luna,'' Zaroth began a conversation through their mental connection.


    ''Yes?'' she responded, her tone as carefree as ever.


    ''Do you plan to manipulate me in any way?'' Before she could answer, he added, ''I order you to tell me only the truth from now on.''


    There was silence for a moment before she replied.


    ''Yes, I do. And I''ve already begun.''


    For some reason, Zaroth wasn''t surprised by her answer.


    ''Does it involve me getting stronger so we can kill the gods?'' he asked.


    ''Pretty much. But unlike that ''legendary beast master'' who tamed living beasts, you resurrected me from the dead. Considering that I''m forever indebted to you, I will never do anything that could cause you harm.''


    ''I see... well, I can''t blame you, and it''s not like I don''t share the same goal. But I''m curious¡ª''


    Luna interrupted him, answering his question before he could even ask it.


    ''No, Zaroth, I didn''t lie. If you want us to sleep together, your heart really needs to become stronger, or you''ll die.''


    "Damn it! I really wish you''d lied about that!" Zaroth muttered under his breath.


    As the lecture ended, Zaroth wondered, ''If that legendary beast master could destroy an entire continent, what would I be able to achieve at my peak?''


    ''You¡­ we would kill the gods, of course!'' Luna answered immediately, making him curve his lips into a pleasant smile.


    He got up from his seat, intending to leave. It wasn''t like any of the nobles would want to talk to a commoner like him¡­


    Or at least that''s what he thought, until¡ª


    "Hello."


    A male voice called out, drawing Zaroth''s attention. He turned his head to see the black-haired, white-eyed man who had asked the professor about the legendary beast master.


    The man extended his right hand for a handshake. "My name is Zack. What''s yours?"

 Chapter 15 Friendship?

    ''Zack?'' Zaroth was surprised¡ªnot only because a noble had gone out of his way to talk to him, but also because he had introduced himself as ''Zack.''''Considering he''s a noble, I would think his name would be something longer, like Zackariah Maximilian Theodore Augustus Montgomery Cunningham Worthington IV The Great. No¡­ considering the expensive watch on his hand, his name should be even longer!''


    With a confused look on his face, Zaroth returned the handshake.


    "Oh, are you surprised about my name? I do have a long name, but unlike the other nobles, I don''t enjoy wasting everyone''s time by saying it every single time I want to introduce myself."


    Zack smile before adding, "So, I just go by Zack."


    "I see... my name is Zaroth."


    "That''s a nice name. I just wanted us to get familiar with each other. Oh, and also, thank you for putting that noble in his place earlier, he really got on my nerves," Zack said as he released his hand.


    "No need to thank me. I just defended my honor, that''s all there was to it." Despite his words, Zaroth''s thoughts were completely different: ''Honor? Who gives a crap about that! It just felt good humiliating the rich!''


    "If you don''t have plans, what do you say we walk to the room where our next lecture will take place together?" Zack asked.


    Zaroth felt weird talking to a noble as if they were equals, but he didn''t really have any plans. Besides, if he followed Zack, he''d find the room faster.


    "Sure, lead the way," Zaroth said, trying to keep a friendly tone. It was at that moment he realized he lacked experience talking to people his age.


    Zaroth, with his white hair and green, cat-like eyes, and Zack, with his raven-black hair and white eyes, made quite the unexpected pair as they walked through the academy corridors.


    Zaroth wasn''t sure, but he felt he was being stared at more than usual. Most of these stares weren''t from men but from women. ''Are they staring at me or at him?'' he wondered. ''Or maybe we just make for a weird pair.''


    "I''m really glad, you know," Zack spoke, breaking Zaroth out of his thoughts.


    "Glad about what?" Zaroth asked.


    "Before I came here, I thought no one would have a high-tier blessing like me. Or if they did, they''d just be some arrogant rich kid¡­ Looking at you, I''m happy my assumptions were wrong."


    Zaroth couldn''t contain his curiosity and asked, "A¡­ high-tier blessing?"


    Zack''s eyes narrowed slightly before answering. "Oh, yeah. Considering you aren''t a noble, you wouldn''t know. This information isn''t shared with the public. You see, unlike what the masses have been told, there exist different tiers of blessings."


    Zaroth, hungry for information, didn''t interrupt Zack and tried to absorb as much as he could.


    "There are low-, mid-, and high-tier blessings. It depends on the god you are associated with. The higher the tier of the blessing, the more powerful your class becomes," Zack explained.


    "But¡­ why would you think I have a high-tier blessing?" Zaroth asked curiously.


    "Because my class and god''s blessing allow me to see it," Zack said, stopping and pointing at one of his white eyes.


    Strangely, now that Zaroth was able to take a closer look, Zack''s gaze was almost unsettling, as if he could peer into Zaroth''s very soul without issue.


    "Apart from me and Elysia, the chairwoman, I thought no one else was gifted with such strength until¡­" He shifted his gaze to Zaroth with a smile. "I met you. Now I see how a commoner could enter the academy as an A-class student, no less!"


    Zaroth had learned valuable information. Now he knew not only that he had a high-tier blessing but also that Elysia and Zack possessed one as well.


    But the ability to obtain that kind of information just by looking at someone? Zaroth couldn''t hold back his curiosity.


    "To be able to see so much... What is your class and god''s blessing?" Zaroth asked.


    Zack''s eyes narrowed slightly, and his smile disappeared. "I can''t blame you for asking, since you''re not a noble, but asking someone to disclose that information is very disrespectful. Knowing it would allow you to guess their weaknesses."


    This was news to Zaroth. ''So I guess I have to conceal that I''m a beast tamer, huh?''


    "Oh, I guess we''ve arrived," Zack said, stopping in front of a door.


    ''What? How did we get here so fast?'' Zaroth wondered. Activating his bracelet, which also included a time-telling function, he saw the time was 9:44¡ªone minute before the lecture was set to start.


    ''Did time speed up or something?'' he wondered.


    "Hey, what do you say we grab lunch later?" Zack asked, entering the room.


    "Sure, why not," Zaroth responded.


    "Sweet," Zack said as he went to the front to take a seat, while Zaroth found a spot near the back.


    ''Zaroth¡­ I can''t believe it!'' Luna''s voice resonated in his mind as he sat down, startling him for a moment.


    ''What? Is something the matter?''


    ''Yes! You, of all people, managed to make a friend!''


    *****


    The class passed without much trouble. The main topic of discussion was the ''system'' that they sometimes heard in their heads. The class was taught by an old woman in her 60s.


    In short, the system responded only when a person gained their blessing, used it in a unique way, or when the gods decided to communicate directly with an individual.


    The stronger a person was, the more often they could theoretically interact with the system.


    The woman also tried to explain how to use mana to cast spells, but it seemed Zaroth didn''t have much luck in that regard. sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    When the next lesson began¡ªthe Physical Body Training class¡ªZaroth found himself outside the academy on the training field. The A-class students had formed four lines, and somehow, Zaroth ended up at the front, with Zack on his right.


    In front of them stood a man with a large build who appeared to be in his mid-40s. He had a large scar over his left eye. Today, there weren''t any clouds in the sky, so the bald man''s head shone, reflecting the rays of the sun and illuminating the surrounding area.


    "Maggots!" the man shouted, pacing back and forth. "Even if you are A-class, here you are nothing! Today, you will witness what truly hard training is!"


    He extended his arm and pointed to the running field. "This running field has a 500-meter circumference. I want you to quickly warm up before we start our main training regime!"


    A menacing smile appeared on his face. "Let''s see¡­ since it''s your first day, I suppose I should go easy on you. Make fifty laps around the running field!"

 Chapter 16 Rival

    The entirety of the students moved, running through the field in the union, under the teacher''s watchful gaze. Zaroth was one hand''s distance from Zack, so he asked him,"So, other than how strong a blessing is, can you see something else about a person? For instance, their class or something similar?"


    Zack smiled, as though unbothered by the constant pressure of running, and answered, "Unfortunately, no, but maybe I will be able to in the future as I get stronger. Who knows?"


    ''Good, he won''t be able to see that I''m a Beast Tamer.''


    After they completed the first lap, the teacher shouted, "Alright, you can run as fast as you want from now on! The first twenty people that finish will get a reward!"


    Upon hearing that, about half of the students sped up, while the other half slowed their pace. The reason was clear, this exercise was about to test whether the class of an individual was in the knight or mage category.


    Zaroth, being a Beast Tamer, was also part of the mage category, but despite his peers, he didn''t slow down. No¡­ he sped up, matching Zack''s speed, who continued to look unbothered.


    ''Breathe in, breathe out,'' Zaroth was running with everything he had, trying to match Zack''s speed, and it showed, his breathing was irregular.


    Zack noticed the fact that Zaroth was trying to match his speed. With a smile, he said, "Let''s see if you can keep up," and then immediately sped up, placing himself at the front of the students. With a silent curse, Zaroth followed. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Luna was right, I really have neglected my stamina!''


    His muscles ached badly, but he continued regardless of that.


    Shifting his gaze to Zack, he thought, ''Considering the stamina he shows, his class must enhance his body, so he is of the knight category¡­ It''s stupid to compare myself to him, but for some reason, I don''t want to stay behind.''


    After the tenth lap, there was a clear order. At last place was a group of about 40 people clearly struggling with the challenge; they were of the mage category. Next was another group of around 40 people. These ones were much farther ahead and didn''t seem to be giving it their all.


    In fact, no one seemed to be giving it their all, with one exception¡­


    At the front of everyone were two men running. One was on the shorter side, with white hair and green cat-like eyes. It was clear that he was giving it his all. The way he moved seemed as though he was about to pass out, but he simply refused to fall behind.


    And at the very front, a tall man with raven-black hair and white eyes was running with a bored expression, clearly showing that he didn''t count this as an exercise at all.


    The only time his expression changed was when he would glance back to see that the white-haired boy continued to follow him, not wanting to give up.


    ''Don''t stop now! You wanted strength, didn''t you?! This is the perfect place for it! Now you are training the most important thing after your mana core, your stamina!'' Luna said in Zaroth''s head, trying to keep him motivated.


    ''I''ve run 25 laps already! Isn''t that enough?!'' Zaroth complained. His body was on the verge of shutting down.


    Glancing back, he saw that already dozens of students had given up and were resting on their backs while the teacher was looking at them with disappointment.


    ''Tell me, why would I need so much stamina?!'' Zaroth was becoming irritated, not only because he was exhausted, but because the entire time, Zack was in front of him, running. It looked like the man hadn''t even dropped a sweat, as if running this much was nothing to him.


    ''Zaroth¡­ you know I''m a greedy woman¡­'' Luna commented during their conversation. Zaroth was too exhausted to even communicate with her, but deciding it was better to distract himself somehow from the pain, he answered.


    ''What¡­ are you even saying?''


    ''What I''m saying, dummy, is that once your mana core becomes strong enough to allow us to sleep together, I don''t think your current stamina will be enough to satisfy me...''


    Zaroth''s face became red. He wasn''t sure if it was because of embarrassment, anger, or both. ''I''m going to kill the gods, aren''t I?! I will not let a measly half a marathon stop me!''


    A bit more than an hour after the running began, Zack finished in first place, and Zaroth not much behind in second place.


    Zaroth was now lying on his back, breathing heavily, while Zack stood tall next to him, seemingly unbothered by the physical energy they had just exerted, drinking from a bottle of water.


    "Thirsty¡­" Zaroth whispered slightly, watching Zack.


    "Hm?" Zack raised an eyebrow. "Do you want water?"


    Zaroth nodded slightly, but he was too tired to move. Seeing that, Zack picked a new bottle of water, unscrewed the cap, and poured the cold liquid over Zaroth''s head.


    "Ah, heaven!" Zaroth might have complained in another situation, but now most of the water was entering his mouth, while some of it was falling on his forehead, cooling it.


    Zack burst into laughter as soon as the water bottle ran out of liquid.


    "What is it?" Zaroth asked. He felt a bit better now that he had drunk something cold.


    "Nothing," Zack responded, still holding his stomach. "It''s just that it''s clear your class is of the mage category, yet you kept my pace." He continued as he held out his hand, intending to offer Zaroth support. "So I wonder how well you can use your mana, rival."


    Zaroth smiled slightly as he took his hand. "You haven''t seen even half of what I''m capable of¡­ rival."


    There were about thirty minutes until the end of the lesson, but the teacher decided to let them go so they could take a shower without having to sacrifice time from their lunch break.


    ''This is what I call a good teacher!'' Zaroth thought, seeing his teacher in a new light.


    Now the men were in the shower room, of course, separated from the women. Naturally, when you are about to shower, you had to take your own clothes off. Zaroth used that time to get a better representation of the fitness level of the students.


    ''So¡­ I was right¡­'' He had trained for some time, so he had some muscles, but there were some who had simply absorbed a level of musculature, and Zack was one of them. But one other notable thing was that Zaroth was the leanest.


    Which wasn''t surprising considering how much time he had spent without food, but he was so lean it was considered dangerous. His veins were visible on his abs.


    ''I guess I really need to bulk up¡­''


    *****


    After the shower, Zaroth and Zack went to the dining area. It was a huge place, but despite that, there weren''t almost any free tables. After finally finding a place, they sat down.


    Zaroth let out an exhausted sigh. His muscles'' soreness was just starting to hit him, but despite that, he was smiling because the reward for finishing second in the race was in front of him¡­ a steak!


    Zaroth had never seen, much less eaten, something that was supposed to be reserved only for the richest. He was about to dig in until a male voice came from his side.


    "Hello, is that seat available? If it''s okay with you, can I sit here?"


    Zaroth shifted his gaze to the tall man. He had a handsome face with blonde hair and blue eyes... ''Wait, haven''t I seen him somewhere?'' he wondered until he remembered.


    ''Wait, isn''t that the guy I approached on the day of the test? How was he called¡­ Roran?''


    Before he could respond, a voice came behind him.


    "It''s available¡­ you can sit here." It was Zack.


    With a nod, Roran pulled the chair back and sat at their table, while Zack watched him with a smile, his white eyes shining with a dangerous intensity.


    "To think¡­ there was a third one¡­" he muttered under his breath.

 Chapter 17 New goal

    "Hm?" Zaroth raised an eyebrow. "A third one¡­ wait, don''t tell me that guy also has a high-tier blessing!" he said, turning his head to Zack."Yeah, I didn''t know there would be another one in our year¡­ much less one that isn''t in A-class. You are?" Zack asked, turning to Roran, who was looking at them with an unreadable expression.


    "From B-class. And what was that you said about blessings?" Roran responded.


    Zack quickly explained to him how blessings were actually divided into tiers. Surprisingly, at the end of the explanation, Roran didn''t look too surprised.


    "You¡­ don''t look too surprised," Zaroth remarked, glancing at Roran.


    At the question, Roran awkwardly scratched the back of his head before answering. "Well¡­ I''ve suspected that I''m different from the others¡­" His blue eyes shone slightly, emitting a menacing glow.


    "After all, most of my peers are too weak."


    While Zack and Roran chatted happily, Zaroth didn''t miss the chance to enjoy every second of his steak.


    ''Man! To think some people eat something like this every day! If I succeed in accomplishing my mission and gaining Elysia''s support, would I be able to eat something like this every day too?''


    While the trio chatted happily, a thought came into Zaroth''s mind.


    ''I, a person able to control a mythical dragon, have a high-tier blessing¡­ if these two also have blessings of similar power, how strong are they really?''


    He wanted to ask until his bracelet activated. In fact, glancing around, it seemed the bracelets of every student had activated.


    A message appeared before Zaroth''s eyes,


    [Announcement] S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [To every student in every academy, from the first to the last year: All are to appear in the grand arena by 14:30, where the Emperor will make a grand announcement.]


    ''So it has begun¡­'' Zaroth thought, seeing the message.


    "Ah, thank goodness!" Roran sighed, stretching his arms over his head. "This means the other classes for the day have been canceled."


    "Guys, you know what this means, right?" Zack said, clearly excited.


    "What?" Zaroth asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "If the Emperor is making an announcement, his whole family will be there! Including his daughters! So we must be at the top of our game!" Zack proclaimed, standing up. "We need to get dressed up!"


    "I don''t really care about that. I have Lily," Roran yawned as he got up.


    ''Lily? Oh, the girl that was staying close to Roran before the start of the exam,'' Zaroth remembered. "Where is she?" he asked curiously. They looked close, so it was weird that they weren''t together.


    "She went to make friends, and I didn''t want to bother her," Roran responded.


    "Listen, I don''t care about that. We three need to make the best impression possible," Zack said, placing his hand on Roran''s shoulder.


    "So what do you think we should do to achieve that?" Zaroth asked curiously. There was about an hour left before the meeting¡ªwhat could they possibly change in that amount of time?


    Zack smiled, and his white eyes seemed to become even brighter. "Oh¡­ you''ll see. I know a place¡­"


    *****


    At the arena, thousands of students were already seated. Curiously, the seats at the very front were left empty out of respect for the Emperor and his family.


    The belief was that their family was so pure that even standing close to them¡ªeven by occupying the row of seats nearest to theirs¡ªwould be disrespectful.


    All around, students were engaged in conversations, speculating about the grand announcement.


    Despite the large crowd, they had managed to organize themselves¡ªfirst by the academy they attended, and then by class and year.


    The more experienced students and those from higher-ranking classes sat closer to the front, while others were positioned farther back.


    It wasn''t a requirement to wear the student uniform, but almost everyone did. It was a way to showcase one''s status by academy, class, and year.


    The noble world operated in a way that didn''t rely on written rules, what mattered most was what was left unspoken.


    Even the few citizens and commoners who had managed to enter the academies quickly picked up on this from their very first day, obediently following the unspoken norms¡­


    Of course, there were always exceptions¡­


    "Who are those three sitting at the very front?" asked an irritated third-year male student.


    "I don''t know. They aren''t wearing the uniforms provided by the academies, so we can''t tell," a fourth-year student replied.


    "But aren''t they hot?" a third-year female student asked, blushing slightly as she watched them.


    "Yeah, especially that one with the white hair! Gosh, he''s so cute!" a second-year female student added, clearly fond of cute things.


    *****


    ''How the hell did it come to this?'' Zaroth wondered. He, Zack, and Roran were the only ones sitting at the very front of the arena. To add insult to injury, they were the only ones not wearing their uniforms!


    ''Though, seeing the amount of hostile gazes from male students and questionable stares from women, I guess we''ve managed to attract attention. Though, I wonder if this is what Zack wanted.''


    Shifting his gaze, Zaroth saw Zack sitting calmly, almost like a statue. ''Is this guy trying to appear mysterious or something?!''


    Deciding to shift his focus, Zaroth glanced at Roran, who was resting his head on his hand.


    "After this, I''m taking you two to a bar. We''re getting blackout drunk so we can forget this ever happened. Understood?"


    Zaroth was surprised that someone who looked like a stereotypical hero from a heroic tale would want to get blackout drunk at a bar. He was about to respond when¡ª


    "Hello, students and future of our mighty empire," the Emperor began his speech, and the entire stadium fell silent to avoid disturbing him.


    Even though Zaroth and his friends were in the front row, the center of the arena separated them from the Emperor and his family. Still, he was able to see the Emperor''s daughters. Suddenly, Zack''s earlier comments about the women began to make sense.


    Each of them was breathtakingly beautiful.


    ''So I have to prevent one of these women from getting married?'' Zaroth wondered. Why didn''t Elysia give him more information? Maybe it was her way of testing him...


    Shifting his gaze to Zack, Zaroth almost burst out laughing. Zack had become even more motionless, practically a statue, staring at the Emperor''s daughters.


    ''This guy really wants to appear mysterious!''


    Roran, on the other hand, looked bored out of his mind.


    Zaroth was once again looking at the princesses, trying to determine which one was most likely to be asked for her hand, until his gaze froze¡ªhis body and breath along with it.


    His heart skipped a beat when he noticed one of the women sitting close to the Emperor.


    "Is that one of the queens?" he muttered under his breath.


    ''Zaroth,'' Luna suddenly spoke in his mind. ''Seeing your attraction to me and Elysia, it''s clear you have a thing for more mature women, but please don''t get any crazy id¡ª''


    ''Too late,'' he responded, a smile spreading across his face.


    ''I guess coming here and trying to stand out was worth it after all.''


    It seemed Zaroth had found one more person he desired...


    The Queen.

 Chapter 18 Chat

    ''I, Emperor Draconis VII, love our empire and, above all, our people! Because of the worsening relationships with our neighbor, I am sure many of you fear the potential war. But! With this tournament, I want to¡ª"Zaroth found it hard to pay much attention to the emperor''s speech as he was too mesmerized by the appearance of the queen. There was something that seemed familiar to him¡­ something that reminded him of home¡­


    Even though the woman tried to hide her appearance with a lot of clothes and was hidden by her family, Zaroth instantly knew the moment he laid his eyes upon her.


    She, just like his mother, was also cursed by the muscle-rot curse.


    Was this the reason he felt immediate attraction to her? Because she reminded him of his mother? He didn''t know.


    Suddenly, in front of his eyes, a message appeared. It seemed the bracelet had notified him about a message. It read:


    [Roran has sent you a friend request and invited you to a chat room. Do you accept?]


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow but, curious to see what would happen, accepted.


    Another window appeared before him. It was a white window, and on the right side was written:


    [Current members: Zaroth (You), Zack, Roran.]


    Roran: This speech is so boring.


    Zaroth, surprised by the message, used his mind to try to respond. Surprisingly, it worked. It seemed the bracelet was indeed connected to his consciousness.


    Zaroth: What is this?


    Roran: A chat room. It would be rude to speak during the speech, but I have no intention of listening to this man for the next four hours.


    Zack: Holy shit! The princesses looks even better than I remember.


    Zaroth glanced around and saw that both Zack and Roran had neutral expressions, not showing that they were currently having a conversation.


    Zaroth: How did you invite us here?


    Roran: There are two ways you can send a friend request or, in other words, chat if you''re near the person, like in our case, or if they have written to you in the past.


    Curious to see if this would work, he checked the message sent by Elysia and saw that he could send her a friend request.


    ''Sending a friend request to the chairwoman can''t be a bad thing, right?'' Zaroth wondered. ''Eh, what''s the worst thing that could happen?'' he thought as he sent her a friend request and went back to the chat with the boys.


    Now that he was bored, he asked,


    Zaroth: Yo Zack, now that you''re ogling the princesses, is there someone to your fancy?


    Zack: Fuck yeah, you see that one to the left? That''s the one.


    Zaroth shifted his gaze, focusing on the individual Zack was talking about.


    Roran: Isn''t she a bit too old for you? You''re what? 18, and she looks at least 25.


    Zack: Man, shut up! You don''t have good taste!


    Roran: The fuck do you mean I don''t have taste?! I have Lily. You talk like that ''cause you haven''t seen her.


    Zack: Whatever. What about you, Zaroth? Is there someone that caught your eye?


    Zaroth: Yeah, you see that woman in the back that looks almost like she''s trying to stay hidden?


    As Roran and Zack shifted their gazes searching for the woman, after finding her, their eyes involuntarily narrowed, and their mouths opened slightly in shock.


    Zack: Dude, isn''t that one of the Queens? You want one of the Emperor''s wives?


    Roran: Plus, isn''t she in her early forties? Isn''t she too old for you?


    Zaroth: Old? We''re both adults. You just can''t recognize true beauty.


    Zack: Hey man, you gotta dream big.


    Roran: I really need a drink after this¡­


    Zack: What, can''t we talk a bit about romance?


    Roran: Romance?! Mate, you dressed us in some expensive suits that I have no idea where you found, and then dragged us to this mess RIGHT at the front of the seats where WE are the only ones here.


    Roran: And now one of you is trying to get the attention of the princesses by staying completely still like a dumbass, while the other has already begun his master plan to fuck the Queen. So, considering the situation, I REALLY want to get hammered tonight. I want to forget today even happened.


    Zack: Well¡­ if you put it like that¡­


    The next four hours were long and boring. Zaroth wasn''t sure why they spent so much time explaining so little information. Basically, after a month, a tournament would take place, lasting a quarter of a year. The winner would get their wish granted by the emperor''s family.


    Zaroth spent this time chatting with Roran and Zack about nothing in particular, while the rest of the time was spent admiring the queen''s beauty from afar.


    He wasn''t sure, but it felt like, for some time, the queen returned his gaze. Though it was hard to tell, considering the distance between them.


    After the whole announcement was made, the three quickly and masterfully evaded all the older students that no doubt wanted to put them in their place for daring to sit at the front.


    "How long until we reach the bar?" Zaroth asked.


    "Not much¡­ oh, do you have credits? Don''t think this is a threat."


    "Credits?"


    "Yes, check your bracelet. It has a tab showing the amount of money in it."


    Zaroth did just that and saw that he possessed 0 credits.


    ''Shit¡­ what do I do now?'' He was about to ask for some from Zack until he saw he had a notification.


    [Elysia has accepted a friend request and started a chat]


    Elysia: Very few dare to message me privately, is something the matter?


    Zaroth: Not really, just thought it would be a more convenient form of communication.


    Elysia: I see. By the way, good job handling that noble in your first lecture. It was a great pleasure to announce to his parents that he had been expelled from the academy for breaking the rules about talking about status during class.


    ''He got expelled just like that? Man, Elysia truly is scary¡­''


    Seeing that she had so much power, Zaroth felt a bit stupid for what he was about to ask, but¡­


    Zaroth: Um¡­ these things, credits? Is there a way to transfer me some? S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Elysia: Sure, for what?


    Zaroth: ¡­ I need it for a bar.


    Elysia: WHAT? It''s the first day and you''re already planning on getting drunk?


    Zaroth: NO, no, it''s not like that! I''m making friends that could help me in my mission, so I thought it would be a good idea¡­


    There was silence for some time until.


    [You have received a transfer of 100 credits]


    Elysia: Don''t overdrink, and don''t spend it all on alcohol.


    Zaroth: Thanks!


    As soon as his chat was done, Roran said, "We''re here!"


    They were standing in front of a building made of wood, with a large cup above the front door.


    Zaroth felt excited, despite being an adult, he had never drunk alcohol before because he was too poor, and in the place where he lived, there wasn''t even people who produced it.


    "Well, how bad could it be?" he muttered under his breath as he approached the building.


    *****


    ''Zaroth, Zaroth!''


    ''Ah, my head¡­''


    ''ZAROTH!'' Hearing Luna shout in his head, Zaroth immediately woke up.


    "Where am I? Ah, my head!" He grabbed his head with both hands.


    "Why am I so cold?" he muttered under his breath as he looked down only to see he was in his underwear.


    "WHAT?" In confusion, he observed his surroundings only to see Roran and Zack in the same state as him, lying on the cold concrete.


    "Where the fuck am I?" he asked, trying to stand up while being assaulted by a terrible hangover.


    ''You are on the roof of the academy,'' Luna responded.


    "WHAT? WHY?" he shouted, finding it hard to believe.


    ''The three of you thought it would be funny¡­ oh, by the way, there''s only an hour until the start of your first lecture, so¡­ good luck!''


    Glancing around at his body and then at the bodies of his companions, who were still out cold with bottles of liquor in their hands, a single word escaped Zaroth''s mouth.


    "FUCK!"

 Chapter 19 Last night

    Zaroth''s head felt like it was going to explode, but considering the situation he found himself in, he was too angry to care."RORAN!" he approached Roran, who was peacefully sleeping in his underwear with a bottle of liquor in his hand. "Wake the fuck up!"


    "Hmmmm, Lily, one more minute, please," Roran muttered under his breath, trying to roll away from Zaroth.


    "I am not your fucking Lily! Get the fuck up!"


    "Ah¡­ Zaroth¡­ why are you in your underwear?" Roran said as he slowly sat up, glancing down. His eyes narrowed slightly. "Why the fuck am I in my underwear?"


    "I don''t know! It was your idea to get hammered! Now we''re on the roof of the academy, and the lecture starts in an hour!"


    Zack, who had also woken up from Zaroth''s shouting, began laughing hysterically, holding his stomach with one hand. "Oh gods, I can''t! This is too funny!"


    "What did we even do last night?" Zaroth muttered under his breath.


    Zack was too busy dying of laughter, so after groaning and standing up, Roran responded.


    "We went to a bar, got drunk, then they kicked us out. We decided we hadn''t had enough, so we went to a store to buy more liquor. After that, we thought it would be funny to sneak into the academy and go to the roof¡­ so we did."


    "Why are we in underwear then? Where are those ridiculously expensive suits Zack got us?" Zaroth asked, clearly frustrated.


    "I think we burned them," Zack answered after finally calming his laughter.


    "We burned them? Why?" Roran asked, frowning at Zack.


    "I probably thought it would be funny to burn something that expensive."


    "All right, I get it¡­ but right now, the three of us are practically naked on the roof of the academy, and classes start in an hour. What the fuck are we supposed to do?" Zaroth asked with a sigh.


    After brainstorming some ideas, they came up with this: Roran would write a message to Lily, asking her to bring three male suits to the roof of the academy.


    While they waited, Zaroth''s face suddenly lost color as he quickly opened his chat messages.


    ''Please! Tell me I didn''t write something stupid to Elysia while I was drunk.''


    Upon opening the chat with Elysia, Zaroth shuddered as his worst fears came true.


    -----


    Zaroth: Elysia, I want to say you terrify me¡­


    Elysia: Zaroth, are you alright?


    Zaroth: But I find this incredibly hot¡­ Tell me¡­ are you single?


    Elysia: Great¡­ so you got drunk on your first day at the academy.


    Zaroth: Forget about that! Answer my question!


    Elysia: After you sober up, I want you in my office.


    -----


    After that, Elysia stopped responding.


    Zaroth was resting his head on his hand, which was currently pulsating with pain.


    "Ah¡­ I really fucked this up, didn''t I?" he muttered under his breath.


    "What, you sent an idiotic message to a woman?" Zack asked, smirking at Zaroth.


    "Something like that, I guess¡­"


    "Oh fuck, I still remember how we made fools of ourselves in front of the whole stadium of students!" Roran cried, smacking his forehead. "And now Lily is going to nag me about this for the next week!"


    Just as he said that, the door to the roof opened, and a woman appeared carrying three student uniforms.


    Zaroth had seen her before when they were waiting for the exam, but considering how little time they had spent together, he hadn''t registered her well.


    Now that he had time to look, he understood why Roran spoke so highly of Lily. Her golden hair and eyes gave her an appearance so striking it could easily rival the princess.


    "Lily! Thank you!" Roran said as he got up and approached her.


    "Roran, you stink of booze!" she said, looking at him, clearly frustrated. "I should have known from the first day when you made a fool of yourself in front of every student here!"


    She shifted her gaze toward Zaroth and pointed a finger at him. "Didn''t I tell you people like him¡ªthose dragon descendants¡ªbring trouble?" Then she turned to Zack. "And this one is some rich noble, isn''t he?! Why did you get involved with them when we were supposed to stay low?"


    "Now, now, you don''t need to talk about my friends like that," Roran responded, approaching Lily.


    "Friends?! You''ve known these people for only about a day! What makes them your friends?!"


    "Well¡­" Roran smiled as his eyes shone with dangerous intensity. "I found them, Lily¡ªpeople with the potential to get as strong as me¡­"


    *****


    After thirty minutes of nagging from Lily, she finally handed them their clothes.


    Zaroth was supposed to start his classes, but it turned out that every student had been summoned to the auditorium for an announcement. Zaroth and Zack quickly reached the auditorium and sat side by side, while Roran and Lily, who were from B-class, were seated in a different section.


    Of course, they received a lot of stares, probably due to the fiasco at the announcement of the tournament, but they tried to pay it no mind.


    "Hello, students," Elysia said, capturing the attention of everyone in the auditorium. "I''m sure you are all aware of the tournament that has been announced by the Emperor."


    She glanced at the students until her gaze landed on Zaroth. For a brief moment, their eyes met, and he felt a murderous intent directed his way. Even in that fleeting moment, he understood what she wanted to convey,


    ''After this, meet me in my office.''


    Returning to her speech as if nothing had happened, she continued, S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "However, there are tens of thousands of students across the Empire. We can''t allow everyone to participate in the tournament. Therefore, in a week, we will begin a hunting competition where you will need to hunt beasts and monsters.


    Those who bring back the strongest foes will be granted the privilege of entering the tournament."


    ''I see¡­ so I really need to get stronger, faster,'' Zaroth thought, shifting his gaze around the auditorium. There were probably a few thousand students here alone.


    He would need to surpass them all, even the older ones with more experience, like the third- and fourth-years.


    "You may participate solo or in a team when you hunt¡ªit''s entirely up to you."


    With that, Elysia''s speech ended. Now that Zaroth had time, he had no choice but to head to the chairwoman''s office.


    Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door.


    "Enter," came a menacing voice from the other side. Steeling his resolve, Zaroth opened the door and stepped inside.


    The murderous aura directed at him almost made him pass out the moment he stepped into the room.


    Elysia sat calmly in her chair, her head resting on her delicate hands. Just one look into her black eyes made it abundantly clear¡ªshe was beyond angry.


    "Sit," she commanded. "We have a lot to discuss."

 Chapter 20 Stupid question

    ''She looks pissed,'' Zaroth cursed himself in his mind as he sat down in the chair. ''Whatever, I''ll just bullshit my way out of this¡­ hopefully unscratched.''Sitting down in the chair, he looked at Elysia, who had comfortably leaned back, her eyes closed, most likely thinking about how to approach the situation.


    "Zaroth," she said, looking him in the eyes. It seemed she was done thinking.


    "Yes?" he replied awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head.


    "So, may I know why you got drunk on the first day of the academy?" she asked, her eyes becoming darker, clearly not pleased with his actions.


    ''Okay, think about this rationally. She can sense when a person is lying, so the best way to get out of this situation is probably to tell the truth, but change it a little.''


    "It was necessary for completing the mission you gave me," he said, straightening his back and meeting her gaze. Despite being scared out of his wits, he tried to appear calm and composed.


    Seeing that he had indeed not lied, Elysia raised an eyebrow before saying, "Explain."


    "Well, I have to win that tournament, right? But to do that, I need information. As I''m sure you already know, I didn''t have the most normal childhood, so as a result, I''m missing some basic knowledge. On my first day, I met two individuals who have the potential to reach incredible power, and I thought the best course of action would be to befriend them."


    After he finished speaking, he gulped loudly, waiting to see his fate.


    "So let me get this straight," Elysia said, placing both of her hands on the desk and leaning forward.


    "To befriend these individuals, you first attracted the attention of everyone present in the stadium, including the emperor''s family, by not following the unwritten rules, and that same day, you went and got drunk with them?"


    He gulped again before answering, "Yeah, pretty much."


    Elysia sighed before answering, "I see¡­ well, if you judge these two people worthy, then I guess it was worth it. Just don''t lose sight of the original goal, you have to win the tournament and prevent that marriage from happening."


    "Um, about that¡­" he began. "Between who should I prevent the marriage? Yesterday, I learned that the emperor has multiple daughters, not to mention there are thousands of students who will try their luck in the tournament."


    "You don''t have to worry about that," she stood up, most likely getting ready to escort him out. "There will be a lot of enemies, but if you just win the tournament, you will have prevented what I don''t want to happen."


    Seeing that he was free to go, he stood up as well, intending to leave, until he stopped. He wanted to ask a question but was wondering if it was a smart idea.


    ''No,'' Luna''s voice immediately answered for him. ''You''ve been forgiven, so don''t jinx it by asking THAT question again.''


    ''She is absolutely right,'' he thought. It was a stupid thing to ask¡­ but he was leaving for a stupid reason to begin with¡ªhis desires, so¡­


    Turning around, he met the gaze of Elysia, who seemed to have sensed that he was about to ask something.


    "Can you answer my question?"


    "What question?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "You know, the one that I wrote to you when I was drunk."


    Her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to remember what he was talking about until she remembered.


    ''But I find this incredibly hot¡­ Tell me¡­ are you single?''


    "Are you serious?" she asked him, her anger seemingly reappearing.


    "Absolutely." He responded instantly, almost surprising Zaroth himself.


    After reconsidering whether she should answer or not, she sighed and said,


    "Zaroth, do you have any idea how many hours I work every single day? Even if there was someone that I liked or who dared to approach me, I simply don''t have time for such things."


    "I see," he said as he exited the room. Soon after, the door closed behind him, a cheerful voice was heard screaming in the hallway. Elysia heard it clearly, of course, though it wasn''t because of her enhanced hearing¡ªit was just that Zaroth was so excited, his scream was hard to miss.


    "FUCK YEAAAAA¡ª"


    *****


    ''Pay more attention,'' Luna said to Zaroth, who was currently comfortably sitting in his seat, lost in thought.


    ''Don''t wanna,'' he answered. ''This is beyond boring.''


    After the talk with Elysia, he had gone to the rest of the classes but was suffering from something terrible¡ªboredom.


    ''The professors simply don''t know how to teach! Something that could be explained in a sentence, they take more than 20 minutes to discuss!'' he complained. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    With no other option, he had to endure what seemed like an endless torture.


    After the lecture was done, the next class was physical training. Unlike the lecture, Zaroth waited it with excitement.


    The bald instructor again made them run fifty laps around the track.


    "Do you know why the only thing you''re doing in my classes is running, maggots?!" the bald man shouted at the running students.


    "Sir! No, sir!" they answered in unison.


    "Because stamina is most important to survive! No matter how strong, if you can''t fight for a long time, you die. No matter how fast, if you can''t run for a long time, you die!"


    "So you better be grateful, maggots!"


    "Sir! We are grateful, sir!"


    After the running was done, everyone was too exhausted to continue, and they went to shower. Afterward, Zaroth and Zack met up with Roran for lunch, where they talked about nothing in particular.


    "Now, Zaroth was excited because he was going to have a class he hadn''t managed to attend on the first day."


    This was, personally, the class that interested him the most¡ªFamiliarization with Specific Classes.


    Here, he would not only be able to learn more about his own class as a Beast Tamer, but he would also learn a lot about the other classes, which should come in handy when battling against other students.


    As he sat at the back and patiently waited, a short woman with glasses entered the room. She was clearly the teacher, though it was surprising because she might be the youngest teacher Zaroth had seen at this academy.


    "Hello, students," she said, gaining the attention of everyone in the room.


    "Due to the sudden announcement, yesterday''s classes were canceled, so we have some material we need to catch up on."


    She said as she placed her book on her desk.


    "So, without further ado, let the Familiarization with Specific Classes begin!"

 Chapter 21 Specific Classes

    Zaroth''s head still hurt because of the hangover, but despite that, he focused as much as he could, trying to absorb as much information as possible.Thankfully, unlike the other teachers, this one seemed to be able to convey information quite effectively and didn''t need to waste an hour explaining basic things over and over again.


    "So, in summary," she said, raising her voice enough so even the people in the back, like Zaroth, could hear. She continued.


    "There are thousands of known classes and hundreds of known gods, so predicting the abilities of a person just by knowing one of them is almost impossible."


    She adjusted her glasses before continuing. "For instance, you know the class Bard, right? Many would assume it''s a weak class that uses music to boost morale or buff allies, and you would be correct¡­ if you don''t take the gods'' blessings into account."


    Her eyes darkened for a moment, almost like recalling a horrific memory.


    "The Bards make use of music to produce their abilities. Do you know why this could be extremely dangerous?" she asked. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    After a moment of silence, a timid-looking boy with glasses stood up, trying to answer.


    "Because potential attacks are hard to dodge?"


    The teacher smiled before replying, "No, because unless you have a special combination of class and a god''s blessing, it''s impossible to dodge.


    Music travels through the air, right? And we all breathe air to survive¡­ Imagine an enemy that, just by playing a flute, makes every single one of your friends¡­ loved ones¡­ collapse on the ground, lifeless¡­ dead¡­ without any explanation or reason.


    This is what happens when you underestimate an individual."


    The atmosphere of the room became dark and grim, but Zaroth, unaware¡ªor just not caring¡ªraised his voice, asking,


    "So you''ve fought a battle against such an individual?"


    The short woman, surprised by the question, met his gaze, unmoving, neither denying nor confirming his guess.


    And yet, he asked, "How did you win such a battle?"


    Some students turned back to see who asked the question, only to be irritated when they saw the white-haired man with green cat-like eyes. But probably because everyone present in the lesson was curious, everyone held their breath, awaiting the answer of their teacher.


    "What is your name, student?" she asked.


    "Zaroth," he answered immediately.


    Unseen by anyone, Zack, who was sitting in the front, smiled slightly at the question his friend had asked.


    The woman sighed before answering.


    "Zaroth¡­ all of you, this is the most important lesson you will learn today¡­ maybe in your entire lives."


    She said, her gaze turning from a friendly teacher to one that looked like a seasoned fighter, ready to kill the foe before her.


    "There are battles you cannot win. In that case, you have to run, sacrificing everything dear to your heart, with only one thing in your mind¡ªthe most important thing you should cherish before all else,


    Your life."


    *****


    Zaroth was not disappointed in the class. No, he was even impressed. He had learned a lot about how deadly the right combination of class and a god''s blessing could be.


    He was even surprised to learn that, depending on the blessing, a healer could turn into a deadly foe. Instead of using holy light to heal the wounded, they could use some kind of menacing energy to make their enemy''s skin and muscles rot.


    "Huh¡­ this sounds like the god that put a curse on my mother," he muttered under his breath.


    "Did you say something?" Zack asked, he was currently standing close to Zaroth because he had an unexpected problem...


    Yesterday, he ran 25 kilometers, and today he did the same, so after sitting in his seat for more than an hour, he could barely move his legs.


    "Yeah, how the heck am I supposed to participate in the live combat practice now?" he asked.


    Zack raised an eyebrow. "Why don''t you just go to a healer who can heal your fatigue and hangover?"


    "YOU CAN DO THAT?" Zaroth shouted in surprise. "Why the heck didn''t you say so earlier?!"


    Zack scratched the back of his head before answering with a smile, "Because you didn''t ask?"


    "OH FOR FU¡ª just lead the way!" Zaroth cried, using Zack for support.


    "Sure, sure."


    Soon after, Zaroth found himself in a dimly lit room that smelled like nicotine.


    "Who are you, and why are you here?" a blonde woman with dark circles under her eyes, probably due to overworking, asked, holding a lit cigarette in her left hand.


    "My legs are sore from overtraining¡­ and I have a hangover."


    Upon hearing that, the woman burst into laughter. "Oh gods! You got drunk on your first day in the academy?"


    After she calmed down, she stood up from her seat. "Seeing your uniform, I can guess you''re from A-class. So you have the right to up to three healings a month. After that, you''ll have to pay five credits every time you want to be healed."


    After she finished speaking, a flower began to grow exponentially quickly behind him. It was made of some kind of green energy and was glowing. After a second, spores began to fall from it down to Zaroth''s body.


    In the next second, it was gone, and Zaroth felt like he had slept nine hours the previous night.


    "Wow, thanks! You guys are really lifesavers," Zaroth said with a smile as he stood up, stretching his legs and finding it hard to believe the pain was gone so quickly.


    The woman smiled before replying, "Finally, someone who recognizes the value of healers!"


    Now that he could walk again, he and Zack went to the training room where they were supposed to take part in the Live Combat Practice. Being a little late, they managed to enter without attracting attention.


    Only to be surprised to see that they weren''t the only class there; there was a portion of B-class as well.


    Zaroth scanned the room of students until his eyes stopped on a couple that was standing a bit behind the rest¡ªLily and Roran.


    He smiled as he looked at them and shifted his gaze to Zack, who was smiling as well. They were most likely thinking the same thing.


    ''Today, I get to see how strong these two really are!''

 Chapter 22 Duel

    "Hello, class. I am Roderic, your teacher for this course."The tall man with brown hair and green eyes spoke, his commanding voice capturing everyone''s attention.


    "As you might have noticed, this is a joint class between A-Class and the first part of B-Class."


    Zaroth turned to Zack and whispered low enough not to be heard by the instructor, who, despite looking quite young, also had the aura of a seasoned veteran¡ªprobably more powerful than any instructor here, excluding Elysia.


    "What''s this about the first part of B-Class?"


    "Unlike A-Class, the other class has too many students, so they''re split into parts. The first part consists of the most promising students of B-Class." Zack explained quietly enough so the instructor wouldn''t notice their talking... or maybe he did and just didn''t care.


    Nodding slightly, Zaroth returned his attention to the instructor.


    "You are not stupid¡­ well, most of you aren''t stupid, so you should know this is the most important class of all," Roderic began, his tone calm as he paced, looking at the students in front of him.


    "I''m not saying this because I teach it or because I''m biased. Everything you learn here¡ªhow to control your powers, how to control your bodies¡ªis to prepare you for combat."


    Suddenly, he stopped and raised his voice, startling most of the students.


    "Before me stands the most promising individuals of this year! But don''t think this will be easy. There''s a reason 30% of students drop out in the first year¡ªit''s simply because they don''t have what it takes."


    Some students glanced around nervously but remained silent.


    "From you, I will require complete discipline, unwavering focus, and indomitable spirit. If you give me that, I promise you¡ª"


    His eyes glowed faintly, and a menacing aura began to surround him.


    "You will become one of the strongest in this empire."


    "That''s not enough," Zaroth muttered under his breath. "One of the strongest is not enough¡­ I will become the strongest." S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    If Luna had been summoned, she would have grinned from ear to ear, listening to her master.


    After his speech, Roderic announced that, to understand what kind of people he would be teaching, he wanted everyone to pair up with whomever they wished and fight as they saw fit.


    Naturally, Zaroth and Zack immediately approached Lily and Roran.


    "So, are you up for the challenge?" Zaroth asked with a smile.


    "You bet," Roran responded immediately, returning the smile.


    "Even if Roran says you are strong, I still need to see it for myself," Lily said, her tone as cold as ever.


    "Then I shall be your opponent," Zack replied, meeting her coldness with a smile of his own.


    Because this was the most prestigious academy and the participants were among the most promising students of the year, being in A and B-Class, Roderic assigned them a private training room. Any group of more than two students was granted their own space.


    "Wow," Zaroth muttered involuntarily as they entered the room. Weapons of all kinds were displayed, ready to be used, short and long swords, shields, bows, hammers, axes, daggers, whips, spears, and more.


    As they entered the room, Lily was the first to break the silence.


    "Before we begin, let''s say the oath."


    "The oath?" Zaroth asked.


    "Yes," Zack immediately answered. "Knowing someone''s abilities can also reveal their weaknesses, right? So, in duels like this, we swear on the god who blessed us that we won''t use the information we gain today against them."


    "I see¡­" Zaroth wasn''t entirely sure he understood.


    Seeing his confusion, Lily commanded, "Just do as I do and repeat after me."


    Lily placed both hands on her chest, and the others followed suit. Together, they spoke in unison,


    "In the name of the god who bestowed power upon me, I hereby declare that any information I learn here and now shall never be shared, neither with a foe nor an ally."


    Once the oath was complete, they split the room into two sections, one for Zaroth and Roran''s duel, and another for Zack and Lily''s.


    "So, what weapon do you use?" Roran asked, approaching the weapons on display and picking up a sword.


    "To be honest, I don''t really have much experience with weapons. I guess I can use pretty much anything," Zaroth replied, grabbing a similar sword.


    ''If he chose it, then I guess it''s good, right? Though I thought this was training¡ªwhy are these weapons sharp metal instead of wood?'' he thought. Deciding it didn''t matter, he straightened his back and faced Roran.


    Suddenly, a fireball erupted to his right. Turning, Zaroth saw that Lily and Zack had already begun their fight.


    "You can use pretty much anything?" Roran''s sudden question snapped Zaroth''s attention back to him.


    "I see¡­" Roran smiled, his eyes shining with dangerous intensity.


    ''Aside from hiding Luna, I don''t think I can afford to hold back,'' Zaroth thought, studying his opponent.


    "Well, Zaroth, you see¡­" A menacing smile spread across Roran''s face. "I use everything."


    Roran dug his foot into the wooden floor and launched himself at Zaroth¡ªbut he wasn''t alone. Several weapons on display suddenly shook and flew toward Zaroth, a sword, a spear, and an axe.


    ''Is he using some kind of telekinesis?'' Zaroth wondered, his face mirroring Roran''s menacing grin.


    "This is going to be fun," he muttered, running toward Roran while also trying to avoid the flying weapons.


    "Come, Silverfang." A light appeared beside Zaroth, and a giant silver wolf with numerous scars materialized.


    The next second, their swords collided, sending shockwaves through their bodies. It was clear that Roran possessed the advantage when it came to sword fighting, as the shockwave Zaroth felt was much stronger than the one Roran experienced.


    In the next moment, Roran found himself with a wolf biting his left arm, but it wasn''t all good news for Zaroth, as he himself found that the flying sword had pierced his leg.


    Not even a second had passed since the start of the battle, yet both men, injured heavily, were smiling like maniacs.


    Their thoughts perfectly mirrored one another,


    ''This is going to be fun!''

 Chapter 23 The room

    Zaroth and Roran were currently close to each other, which wasn''t good news for Zaroth, as he had the weaker physique. In an attempt to create some distance between them, he raised his foot and kicked Roran in the chest.The action created some space, but Zaroth couldn''t relax because, in the next moment, he had to duck to avoid having his head cut off by the floating axe.


    With no time to rest, the spear that Roran was also controlling appeared near Zaroth, leaving him with no choice but to try to parry it with his sword. His movements were slow because of the sword that pierced his leg, but with no other option, he had to focus.


    Because he had to deal with the flying¡ªno, floating¡ªweapons, Zaroth had turned his back to his opponent. Usually, Roran would have used such an opportunity to attack immediately, but he was locked in place with a giant wolf, weighing around 75 kilograms, biting his arm.


    "Try biting that!" Roran muttered under his breath as he brought his sword down, piercing the wolf''s belly.


    The wolf grunted and let go, but without showing any signs of slowing down, it jumped at Roran''s neck, ready to kill if necessary.


    ''What kind of beast is that?!'' Roran wondered. He had managed to deal a devastating blow to Zaroth''s summon, yet it showed no signs of slowing down, as if it couldn''t feel pain¡ªas if it wasn''t alive.


    "Don''t forget about me!" Zaroth''s sudden reappearance forced Roran to split his attention.


    ''How the hell did he deal with the weapons?!'' Roran wondered, only to get his answer the moment he set his eyes on Zaroth.


    The sword was still stuck in his leg, a spear had pierced his thigh, and an axe was buried in his shoulder. Blood poured from the three wounds, yet Zaroth acted as if it didn''t matter.


    ''This guy tanked the hits?!'' Roran was given no time to be surprised as he had to defend himself from Zaroth''s slash.


    Blocking the attack, Roran smirked. ''Just as I thought, he''s weaker than me and doesn''t seem to know how to use a sword properly. He shouldn''t be a problem¡­ however,'' his gaze shifted to the wolf, which was about to attack his blind spot. ''His beast¡­ it must be at least uncommon. This will be tricky.''


    Roran managed to duck below the wolf''s charge, only to be attacked again by Zaroth. This time, however, he had a plan¡ªone that required him to take a hit for it to work.


    Dodging Zaroth''s attack by sidestepping, Roran grabbed his opponent''s sword with his bare hand to stop the next strike. The feeling of his skin being cut wasn''t pleasant, but knowing that he had stopped Zaroth''s sword, he used the chance to slash.


    Raising his sword, Roran created a beautiful arc in the air and inflicted a deep wound on Zaroth''s chest.


    Zaroth, unaccustomed to pain, let go of his sword and collapsed to his knees, his hands trying to cover the deep wound.


    Seeing his actions, Roran raised an eyebrow and said, "Hey¡­ don''t tell me¡­"


    *****


    ''Shit! This hurts!'' Zaroth cursed. He had somehow managed to ignore the three shallow wounds he had received before, but the last one was a deep wound on his chest.


    ''How the hell is this training?! I feel like I''m going to die!'' Zaroth was panicking, and for good reason. With the amount of blood he was losing, death didn''t seem out of reach.


    Roran''s sudden voice broke Zaroth''s frantic thoughts. "Hey¡­ don''t tell me¡­" sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "What?" Zaroth managed to ask, though his voice was weak, and it felt like he might pass out at any moment.


    "Did you enter combat without knowing how this room works?" Roran asked, crossing his arms. "Considering you haven''t lived in the big cities, I guess that''s not too surprising¡­"


    ''What is he talking about?'' Zaroth thought, his vision blurring. ''I''m about to die, and he''s lecturing me?!''


    "You won''t die," Roran interrupted, sitting on the ground and smiling faintly.


    "What¡­ how can you be so sure?" Zaroth asked between shallow breaths.


    Instead of answering, Roran pointed to the ceiling. Zaroth followed his gaze and squinted at something faintly glowing above him¡ªa rune. His eyes widened slightly. ''What is that?'' he wondered.


    A moment later, a strange green light materialized above his head. Warmth enveloped him, and he felt his wounds begin to close at an unnaturally fast rate. Glancing at Roran, he noticed the same light surrounding him, healing his injuries as well.


    After a few minutes, both of them were healed, looking like nothing had happened.


    Zaroth was too bewildered to move, he just stared at his chest, which had been gushing like a fountain not too long ago.


    Seeing his confusion, Roran smiled as he explained,


    "This is Live Combat Practice, right? We can''t exactly use wooden swords because it wouldn''t count as real practice. The only option left is to use real weapons."


    He pointed at the sharp tip of his blade. "But real weapons are dangerous. They can kill someone, right? That''s why we''re in this room. I''m not sure exactly how it works, but it heals all injuries you receive during the duel, patches you up, and lets you fight again."


    "This¡­ isn''t what I expected," Zaroth admitted, still in shock. His words earned a wider smile from Roran.


    "Yeah, it takes some getting used to," Roran said. "But look at the bright side. Here, you gain experience that''s basically the same as real combat, and you also train your pain tolerance."


    "So, you are telling me that everyone in our class would be training the same way?" Zaroth asked, beginning to look at his peers with more respect.


    Only for Roran to crush that respect in an instant, he scratched the back of his head awkwardly before answering,


    "Not really. While the room is intended to be used in that way, most students would chicken out and half-ass their training, most likely because they are scared of the pain."


    Now that he was done explaining, Roran''s eyes suddenly shone brighter blue as he asked Zaroth a question.


    "So, tell me, are you going to chicken out as well? Or¡­"


    "Roran," Zaroth interrupted Roran with a smile, "This class is what? An hour and a half¡­ and not more than five minutes have passed¡­ do you know what this means?"


    Roran raised an eyebrow, "What?"


    Standing with a grunt, Zaroth''s eyes seemed to narrow as a menacing smile appeared on his face. Getting into position, he answered.


    "That you are about to feel a lot of pain."

 Chapter 24 Friendly Duel

    Slash be slashed.Cut be cut. sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Give pain, receive pain.


    Roran and Zaroth were locked in combat. Sometimes, Zaroth fell down, overwhelmed by the increasing amount of weapons Roran made to levitate and shoot towards him.


    Sometimes Roran fell by the increasingly better coordination between Zaroth and his beast, which later Roran learned was named Silverfang.


    It was strangely peaceful, usually in combat, you have to protect yourself with the fear of not being injured¡­ but here?


    You can forget all about it. All the pain is meaningless if the wounds you receive heal immediately after the short exchange of blows.


    So, the participants of the duel could focus on getting stronger, forgetting everything else.


    "Try me!" Roran screamed. The next moment, Zaroth was running towards him for the countless time. He was about to be pierced by the dagger that Roran was controlling until¡­


    He spun his body and grabbed it by the wooden handle, effectively making it his own weapon. Without hesitation, he threw it at Roran with dazzling speed, without stopping his charge at full speed.


    Roran blocked the dagger but saw Zaroth''s sword, which he had already raised, ready to strike.


    Left with no other option, Roran used his arm as a shield. The sword cut through his arm but stopped at the bone. Trying to ignore the pain, he immediately thrust his sword into Zaroth''s stomach.


    Only to feel Silverfang on his back the next second, trying to bite off his neck


    At the end, both of them fell to the ground, blood spraying from them like a fountain. This time, the duel was even


    After enduring the agonizing pain for a few minutes, the room healed them, and they stood up.


    "Let''s see..." Roran said with a smile, as if they hadn''t just tried their best to kill each other. "I have 22 wins, you have 14 wins, and there''s 1 even?"


    Zaroth furrowed his eyebrows. "No, it''s 21 wins for you, 14 wins for me, and there are 2 evens."


    "So you call that one even?" Roran asked with a smile.


    "Of course it was even!" Zaroth spat back, irritated.


    "Hey," a voice interrupted their conversation, it was Lily''s. "Let''s switch."


    "Switch?" Zaroth asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "Yes," she said, pointing at Zack, who was lying on the ground. His face was burned, so he had to wait to be healed.


    "I''ve pretty much grasped the extent of his strength, so that leaves only you," said Lily, turning to Zaroth.


    ''Should I feel flattered or offended?'' Zaroth wondered, "It will be my pleasure."


    "No¡­ the pleasure is all mine," said Lily, grinning.


    The next second, there was a fireball a meter before reaching Zaroth''s face.


    "Wow, already?" he muttered under his breath as he dug his foot into the floor and ran toward her location, Silverfang not far behind.


    ''She''s using some kind of spells¡­ so she should be weak against close attacks!'' With that thought, he approached her, raising his sword, ready to deliver a vertical strike.


    Only for her to dodge it by sidestepping and following it with a punch to his stomach. Zaroth had fought against Roran for an hour already and had even had his stomach pierced once by a sword¡­ so he thought he had become somewhat accustomed to pain.


    But now, as he took Lily''s hit, he coughed up blood and was sent back.


    Lily immediately turned, forming some kind of ice sculpture with a sharp tip, which she sent toward the charging Silverfang, effectively stopping his charge.


    "How the fuck?! Does she also have a high-tier blessing? Or is she just that experienced?" he grunted as he stood up. "Whatever the case, I''m not going down without a fight!"


    *****


    "Disappointing¡­" Roderic muttered under his breath as he walked slowly down the hallway.


    "I''ve already checked the situation with this year''s students¡­ and it''s not good¡­" he cursed silently.


    "No one, even in A-class, showed promise or fighting spirit today¡­ All of the students were too cautious of one another and too afraid to get scratched by their opponents¡­ At this rate, we might really lose our status as the most prestigious academy¡­"


    Looking at the time, he saw that it was 17:10, 10 minutes after the end of the lesson.


    "Now that I think about it, wasn''t there one more group?"


    There was one group he had yet to check up on, but considering that it included the three fools who had disrespected the emperor, he didn''t have high hopes for them.


    "Well, better check on them¡­ though I won''t be surprised if they''ve already left."


    Walking toward their assigned room, he stopped in pleasant surprise, as he could still hear the sounds of combat from the other side.


    "So they still haven''t left yet¡­ that''s good."


    Placing both of his hands on his chest, he spoke,


    "In the name of the god who bestowed power upon me, I hereby declare that any information I learn here and now shall never be shared, neither with a foe nor an ally."


    It was a stupid formality to swear an oath, but the noble families required it, so he had little choice.


    With a sigh, he opened the door. Immediately, the smell of blood reached his nostrils.


    "Is that all you''ve got?!" spat a woman whose golden hair and eyes gave her an appearance similar to a princess.


    "You''re the one bleeding from your wrist, Lily! Not me!" shouted a white-haired man with green, cat-like eyes.


    In response, the woman sent a fireball, hitting him in the face. The man, ignoring the pain as he felt his face burn, grinned and charged toward the woman with a giant wolf at his side.


    "What is that ability?" shouted a tall man with blonde hair and blue eyes. It looked like there were multiple floating weapons around him, most likely using them as shields.


    "You''re the one to talk!" spat back a man with raven-black hair and white eyes. He had received multiple wounds, and yet he didn''t seem to bleed. What''s more, he was holding a sword that seemed to be made out of blood.


    Watching the fight before him, Roderic couldn''t help but smile in awe. "This! We might have some students that have what it takes to make it after all!"


    Not wishing to disrupt the focused students, he sat in an empty chair, observing the brutal fight before him.


    With a smile, he said softly, trying not to disturb them, "Let''s see how long they last."

 Chapter 25 Second day

    Elysia was sitting in her chair, having already finished her second coffee of the day. She was now waiting for someone."He''s late¡­" she sighed as she leaned back, glancing at the clock.


    19:35


    "He''s late by a lot¡­ did something happen?" she muttered under her breath, using her golden bracelet to send a message.


    -----


    Elysia: You''re late by about an hour. Did something happen?


    Roderic: Yes, I''m witnessing the birth of something incredible.


    Elysia: What? Did your wife go into labor so soon?!


    Roderic: No


    Elysia: Then what is it? You know I value my time, so this better not be a waste.


    Roderic: I think it''s better if you come here and see for yourself.


    Elysia: This better be worth it.


    -----


    "He wants me to go to the Live Combat Practice room? Why? Usually, at this hour, all facilities are locked."


    With a sigh, she stood up and left her office.


    "This better not waste my time," she muttered under her breath, walking through the academy until she finally reached the Live Combat Practice facility.


    -----


    Elysia: I''m here. Where are you?


    Roderic: Room 72


    -----


    "What''s he doing in the room for team duels?" she cursed softly. "Has the man finally gone insane?"


    Walking through the hallways, she arrived at the door of the room. Across from it, the sound of battle was raging.


    Without hesitation, Elysia turned the knob and entered.


    Her eyes narrowed in shock as she took in the scene before her.


    Roderic, one of the most influential instructors in the academy, was sitting on a chair near the entrance, completely silent and mesmerized by the sight before him.


    A loud, menacing laugh echoed through the room.


    "Is that all you''ve got?!" shouted Zaroth, who was missing his left eye.


    "I''m just warming up!" Zack spat back. His left arm had endured so many attacks that most of the flesh had fallen away, leaving only bone, rendering it useless.


    "Take this seriously, for fuck''s sake!" Lily commanded, standing in front of Roran with a deep wound on her head.


    He smiled faintly before replying, "But I am taking you seriously."


    His answer only irritated the girl further. "Don''t you start lying to me! I know if you were taking this seriously, you would''ve beaten me in mere seconds!"


    Elysia shifted her gaze to Roderic, who was still fixated on the fight. Her voice, dark and threatening, cut through the chaos.


    "What the fuck is this?"


    Finally realizing that the chairwoman had entered, Roderic met her gaze with a smile. "The birth of new geniuses!"


    His answer only worsened her mood.


    Looking at the brutal scene before her, Elysia saw only one thing: four people on the verge of killing one another, even with the healing provided by the room.


    "STOP THIS NONSENSE AT ONCE!" Elysia shouted, her voice cutting through the chaos and finally snapping the four youngsters out of their frenzy as they turned to face her.


    "Did¡­ did we do something wrong?" Lily asked, stuttering. Just looking at Elysia¡ªthe chairwoman and one of the strongest people in the empire¡ªfilled her with dread.


    Elysia shifted her gaze to the timid girl before replying, "Have you done something wrong, you ask?!" Her voice grew angrier with every word.


    "Come. Stand by my side."


    Lily was startled by the sudden request, but with no choice, she obeyed. She took a step forward.


    Then a second.


    On the third step, Lily collapsed, unable to move.


    "Lily!" Roran screamed, rushing to her side¡­ only to collapse after his third step as well.


    "What is going on?" Zaroth muttered, before collapsing, unable to move. Zack followed immediately after.


    Elysia took a deep breath, trying to calm herself before explaining.


    "You fools! The room may heal your injuries, but not your exhaustion! If you had gone any longer, you would have died from sheer overexertion!"


    Zaroth, now lying on the floor, realized that he not only felt physical pain but also a sharp ache in his chest¡ªit was as if his mana core was on the verge of cracking. Without hesitation, he desummoned Silverfang.


    Trying to make sense of the situation, he muttered under his tired breath, "This doesn''t make sense¡­ I was just fighting a moment ago, and now I can''t even move?!"


    Elysia shifted her gaze to him before answering,


    "Yes, because you were all fighting for your lives. You must have been running on adrenaline alone, but even that has its limits! Try standing up."


    The four bodies lying on the floor didn''t move. A terrified voice broke the silence¡ªLily''s.


    "I¡­ I can''t move a muscle," she whispered.


    "There''s a reason this lecture is usually only an hour and a half," Elysia said as she glanced at the current time¡ª20:12.


    "When did you start this class?" Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "15:30, ma''am," Roran replied weakly.


    "Five hours¡­ It''s a miracle you''re still alive," Elysia muttered under her breath. She turned her piercing gaze toward Roderic.


    "You¡­ after I deal with them, I want you in my office."


    Trying to hide the fact that he was sweating bullets, he replied timidly,


    "Yes, ma''am."


    With a sigh, Elysia flicked her finger, and the four students were lifted into the air.


    It was a strange experience for Zaroth. It felt as though he was frozen in time¡ªhe couldn''t even open his mouth to speak. All he could do was observe.


    ''Luna¡­'' he began hesitantly in his mind.


    ''No, it wasn''t wrong. I am proud,'' she replied immediately, cutting off his question.


    ''Proud?'' He would have raised an eyebrow if he wasn''t frozen.


    ''Yes. You must increase your strength faster¡ªmuch faster than everyone else here. Today, not only did you push past the limitations of your physical body, but your coordination with Silverfang also improved, strengthening your core.''


    ''Then¡­''


    ''No, you are still far too weak to handle me,'' Luna answered his unspoken question.


    ''Curses,'' Zaroth thought bitterly.


    *****


    Smoking her cigarette, Sylvia savored the rare moment of peace she had as a healer.


    Until the doors to her room suddenly burst open.


    Shifting her gaze, she saw Elysia enter, bearing a menacing expression.


    "Boss, what''s wrong?" Sylvia asked, cursing internally. ''Shit, she''s not here to scold me for smoking in the infirmary, right?''


    She prepared for anything¡ªor so she thought¡ªuntil four floating bodies entered behind Elysia.


    No, they weren''t corpses. It was just that the sheer amount of dried blood on their bodies and the rips in their clothes easily made them look like ones.


    "What happened? Were we attacked?!" Sylvia shouted, rushing to tend to the wounds of the four students.


    "Yes, we were," Elysia replied instantly, "Attacked by idiocy."


    After placing the four students on the empty beds, Elysia turned her back to leave, but then she suddenly stopped.


    "Sylvia," she said coldly.


    "Y-yes?" Sylvia replied timidly.


    "If I catch you smoking in the infirmary again, you will have a problem."


    "I see. I''ll keep that in mind," Sylvia muttered nervously.


    As Elysia left, Sylvia sighed.


    "How the hell did these four end up so beaten up?"


    Zaroth, too tired to care or think about anything, drifted into sleep.


    This marked the end of his second day at the academy¡ªfrom waking up naked on its roof, to running half a marathon, to fighting for his life, to peacefully sleeping in the infirmary¡ªall in a single day.

 Chapter 26 Team of Four

    The feeling of lying and sleeping on a bed while your body slowly but surely recovers is one of the biggest pleasures in life. Zaroth was enjoying this rare moment of peace and harmony.Until he felt a cold finger poke his cheek.


    "Wake up," a tired woman''s voice spoke.


    In response, he grunted and tried to rotate his body to the other side but was too exhausted to manage it.


    "Wake up," she repeated, this time her voice more irritated than tired.


    Left with no other choice, he sighed and slowly opened his eyes.


    The first thing he saw was a blonde woman who clearly hadn''t gotten enough sleep, judging by the dark circles under her eyes. She was the same woman Zaroth had gone to earlier to heal his hangover. It suddenly dawned on him that he didn''t even bother to learn her name...


    "Good morning, ma''am¡­"


    "Sylvia," she replied. Seeing that Zaroth was awake, she took a step back and sat comfortably in her chair. She made a gesture as if she was about to pull out a cigarette, only to stop, seemingly remembering something, and clicked her tongue in annoyance.


    Zaroth, his vision still blurry, glanced around, trying to make sense of his surroundings.


    "Am I in the infirmary?" he muttered under his breath.


    "Yep," a familiar voice came from his right. Shifting his gaze, Zaroth realized it was Zack.


    "What happened?" Zaroth asked.


    "I guess we might have overdone it a little..." This time, the voice came from his left. Turning, Zaroth saw Lily lying on another bed. Not much farther away was Roran.


    "A little?!" Sylvia suddenly shot up from her chair. The tone of her voice made it clear she was angry.


    "You idiots! When I saw you, you looked like survivors of a war! Do you have any idea how much time I spent healing your bodies just so you wouldn''t die?!"


    "We appreciate that, ma''am," Roran replied, trying to calm her down.


    Zaroth wasn''t sure, but for a moment, he thought he heard Roran mutter, "Man, I really need a drink." S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "And you!" Sylvia said, pointing a finger at Zaroth. "You seriously have to have some guts and no brains to appear in my infirmary twice in a single day!"


    All he could do was offer an awkward smile at the accusation.


    "Forget about it," Sylvia muttered as she got up. "You have an hour until your lectures start, so you''d better not linger here much longer... Otherwise, I might get angry."


    With that, she left. It didn''t take a genius to guess she was going for a smoke.


    Suddenly, an awkward silence filled the room.


    Until Zaroth decided to speak. "That was pretty fun, huh?"


    "My only regret is that the chairwoman stopped the duel before I could win it," Zack replied with a weak smile.


    "You? I was going to be the winner of the duel. Your hand was pretty much useless," Zaroth said, irritated.


    "And your eye was gone too," Zack said, meeting Zaroth''s menacing gaze with one of his own.


    "So what do you think? They''re strong, right?" Roran asked, turning his head to Lily.


    "...I guess... They at least get a passing grade," she replied, a bit embarrassed. "But I still think you''re stronger than them."


    He sighed before replying, "Lily, I don''t think anyone was giving it their all in yesterday''s duel... We all have our trump cards that we keep hidden as a last resort."


    ¡­..


    "Well, anyway," Zaroth began, having finished his argument with Zack. He now addressed the entire group.


    "That tournament... I''m going to sign up, and I''m going to win. But before that, we have the hunting competition, where we can participate as a team or solo. I originally thought I''d go solo, but now..."


    "Sure, count me in," Zack interrupted, sensing the question Zaroth was about to ask. "BUT! Do not be mistaken¡ªthe one who will win the tournament is me!"


    "What do you think?" Lily shifted her gaze to Roran, who was still deep in thought.


    "Why are you asking me? Considering our status, you''re the one who should order me around," he said with a faint smile.


    She sighed as she explained, "I don''t care about that anymore... and you know it. Plus, you''re the one who¡ª"


    Roran smiled as he glanced at Zaroth, cutting Lily off before she said something she shouldn''t.


    "We''re in, too."


    And with that, their team of four was formed.


    *****


    After that, they lazed around some more until Sylvia returned and kicked them out.


    Now, Zaroth and Zack were in class. The former, as always, sat in the back, while the latter sat in the front.


    Due to the upcoming hunting competition, the professor was explaining how humans ranked beasts in terms of strength and the danger they posed,


    Mundane ¨C A single weak individual


    Lesser ¨C A small group of people


    Uncommon ¨C A larger group of people


    Rare ¨C A small city or a very large group


    Epic ¨C A country


    Legendary ¨C A continent


    Mythic ¨C The entire world order


    It seemed that in the beginning, a jump in rank didn''t increase the strength of a creature too much. However, anything Rare and above was exponentially stronger.


    ''Hey, Luna,'' Zaroth began. ''You''re a Mythic beast, right?''


    ''Yes? What about it?''


    ''Considering that you''re now limited by the strength of my core, how much can you do right now on the scale the professor provided?''


    ''Well, I''d probably be able to defeat a single Epic beast in combat, but anything beyond that would be pushing it.''


    ''I see¡­''


    ''What, are you disappointed?''


    ''No... I''m excited. If you''re this strong already, I can only imagine how strong you''ll get in the future.''


    With that, he went back to listening to the professor.


    *****


    The air was heavy with the smell of blood.


    Dozens of bodies lay on the ground¡ªsome with crushed heads, others split in two, and others so mutilated that they no longer resembled humans.


    An injured man was desperately trying to stop the bleeding from his stomach with his right hand. He would have used his left hand too¡­ if it were still attached to his body.


    "How¡­? How did this happen?"


    They had been a large group of experienced warriors. Not the best, of course, but their numbers were strong¡ªdozens of seasoned fighters and one veteran, himself!


    "And yet¡­ how were we so quickly wiped out? So close to the capital of the empire, at that?"


    The heavy, thunderous steps of a creature answered his question for him.


    Looming larger than a house, a three-headed beast devoured the corpses of his comrades. It was an epic beast.


    And it wasn''t alone.


    A giant, bird-like creature with metallic feathers glided close to the ground. Another epic beast.


    Why? Why were these creatures of immense strength cooperating with each other? The injured veteran asked himself, until his gaze fell upon a man slowly walking forward.


    The man''s skin was dry and cracked. Foam dripped from the corners of his mouth, his eyes wide and unfocused. Placing a hand on the three-headed beast, he spoke, "Ah¡­ you want more? Sure¡­ The capital is vast. There will be plenty of humans for you to feast upon."


    "No¡­ NO! There''s no way! An epic beast master who has succumbed to his beasts'' desires?!"


    The injured veteran''s mind screamed at him to move. He had to warn the capital! If he didn''t, tens of thousands, maybe even more would die at the hands of these monsters!


    That was what he thought until the bird-like creature landed close to him and poked him with its beak, killing him on the spot.

 Chapter 27 Plan

    After the first two lessons were over, it was time for Physical Body Training. This time, however, the bald teacher decided to be extra hard on them. Or maybe he had just been going easy until now?Nevertheless, after the usual half marathon, in which both Zaroth and Zack struggled as their bodies were too exhausted from yesterday''s duels, they were made to do push-ups and pull-ups.


    ''I''m getting closer to 100,'' Zaroth thought as he diligently did his reps.


    Looking around, it seemed most of the students in A-class had finally begun to give it their all. Of course, Zaroth didn''t compare himself to them, as some of them were knights, so their physical bodies were stronger than his own.


    The only person he compared himself to was Zack, which was foolish in its own way, considering Zack was extraordinary even among the knight category.


    After their training was finally over, the students took a quick shower and went to get lunch.


    "So, do we have a plan?" Zaroth asked, currently sitting at a table with Zack, Roran, and Lily.


    "Well, considering our abilities, I think we can push ourselves a little and try to hunt a Rare beast," Lily responded while drinking her coffee.


    "I''m not sure¡­" Roran joined in. "It might be pushing it a little too much¡­"


    "Well, maybe, but considering that second, third, and fourth-year students will be participating as well, I think we have to do at least this much to stand out," Zack said, crossing his arms and furrowing his brows, deep in thought.


    "Considering that one Rare beast might not even be enough, we may have to hunt two or three," Lily agreed with him.


    "Well, you might say that," Zaroth began, "but aren''t beasts ranked higher than Uncommon hard to find? From what I remember in our lectures, the stronger the beast of a rank, the harder it is to find. Do we even know if the forest we''re going to has Rare beasts?"


    "Hm? You haven''t heard the rumors?" Zack raised an eyebrow.


    "What rumors?" Zaroth asked.


    "Well," Zack began, "there''s a rumor that the whole reason they''re holding this hunting competition is because the beasts in the forest near the capital are acting strangely and threatening the city."


    "So what you''re saying is that they''ll use the students'' power to get rid of the upcoming danger by using the hunting competition as a pretext?" Zaroth asked.


    "Pretty much."


    "But why are they acting strange in the first place?"


    "Well," Lily joined in, "the rumor is that there''s something stronger deep in the forest, getting closer to the capital. As a result, it''s scaring the weaker creatures towards the capital."


    "Yeah, apparently the empire even sent a small army of seasoned fighters with a veteran as their leader, but they suddenly lost contact with them," Zack added.


    Roran also seemed a bit surprised, likely because he didn''t bother to listen to mindless rumors.


    Shifting his gaze to Lily, he spoke coldly, "When the hunting begins, I want you to always be in my line of sight."


    "Yeah, yeah," Lily replied casually, clearly unfazed by Roran''s overprotective nature.


    *****


    After lunch, they went their separate ways to attend classes. After the Familiarization with Specific Classes, where Zaroth learned a few things, they were supposed to attend Live Combat Practice. But upon arriving, Roderic said to them,


    "Due to the amount of overexertion you did yesterday, you will be forbidden from attending today''s class."


    So now, Zaroth was walking through the academy''s facilities, thinking about what to do next. In the end, he decided to visit the library.


    After spending about half an hour there, he picked up a few books,


    Strengthening Your Body Using Martial Arts


    The Art of Wielding a Sword


    Magic Spells Explained for Dummies


    After checking them out at the counter, he returned to his assigned apartment.


    "Oh¡­ How have I missed walking around freely!" Luna, who had spent more than 50 hours in Zaroth''s soul, was now enjoying the ability to walk around, as he had summoned her.


    Zaroth had decided to try reading the books, even though the academy was helpful. He wanted to learn skills and abilities outside of his own class. The more options he had, the better his position would be.


    He usually didn''t have a problem concentrating, but right now¡­


    "Oh, how good it is to be alive!" Luna proclaimed happily, stretching her leg. She balanced effortlessly on one leg while stretching the other high overhead. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Just looking at her made Zaroth''s body heat up, and he couldn''t for the life of him break his gaze from her.


    "Will you stop, please?! Someone''s trying to concentrate here!" he cried, irritated, not shifting his gaze.


    Placing her hand over her mouth, which had turned into a grin, she replied, "Oh? Does my body distract you?"


    "Yes, very much so!"


    "But¡­ all I''m doing is stretching¡­ It just seems your mind is that perverted, not allowing you to focus," she said, getting into a middle split.


    Zaroth took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He turned his back to her, attempting to read in peace.


    His actions made Luna burst into laughter. He would have been angry if her laugh didn''t sound as alluring as it did.


    "This woman!" he cursed silently as he focused on the book.


    ''How does one strengthen their own body? Many would say that they have to train their muscles, and that is somewhat correct, but there is one thing that many people neglect.


    There are situations where a person is able to achieve something they previously thought wasn''t possible, like when you perform a spell more advanced than your current level or when you manage to create beautiful music using an instrument you haven''t mastered yet.


    In that moment, the individual has reached what we call their peak. The question is, can a person enter such a state at will, and for how long?


    By the end of this book, you, the reader, will be able to enter this state anytime you wish, for as long as you wish.''


    With Zaroth''s interest piqued and no longer having any problem with concentration, he read further.

 Chapter 28 Book

    With Zaroth''s interest piqued and no longer having any problem with concentration, he read further.''First, one would be mistaken to separate the body, mind, and mana core. These are the three essential components that enable you to reach a state where you can perform at your peak at will. To achieve this, you must master all three.


    In this book, we will focus primarily on the body and touch briefly on the mind. The mana core, being unique to every individual, requires a personal approach to strengthening your connection to it.''


    "Hey, Zaroth¡­" Luna said, leaning back in her chair.


    "¡­What?" he replied, shifting his gaze from the book.


    "I''m bored."


    "So?" He raised an eyebrow. "What do you want me to do about it?"


    "Summon Silverfang. I want to play with him. Plus, it''ll give you a chance to train your mana core a bit too."


    With a sigh, Zaroth did as she asked. Silverfang materialized and immediately went to Luna.


    "Oh! Look at you! Who''s a good boy? Who''s a good boy?" Luna said as she stroked his silver fur.


    ''This guy acts more like a dog than a wolf most of the time,'' Zaroth thought, returning his attention to the book.


    Maintaining focus became more challenging as he sustained his two summons, but he saw it as an excellent opportunity to strengthen his mana core.


    ''The key to achieving that state is absolute focus. When I say focus, I mean complete and perfect concentration¡ªforgetting your past, your surroundings, and everything except your goal.


    In that state, you don''t control your body consciously. It becomes an extension of your soul, acting on instinct without wasting precious time on thought.'' Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    After about an hour, Zaroth felt he had absorbed enough information. He closed the book and leaned his back against the wall.


    "Focus¡­" he muttered. "I need to focus on something."


    "Luna," he turned his head toward her, "give me an idea of what I can focus on."


    She stopped rubbing Silverfang''s belly for a moment and looked at him thoughtfully. "Hmm¡­ Probably your mana core? You picked up a book on spells, right? Just go ahead and read that."


    "But isn''t it a bad idea to mix books? They teach vastly different content."


    "Not necessarily. Maybe you''ll be able to combine the knowledge in a unique way."


    "Huh, that actually makes sense¡­" he muttered as he picked up Magic Spells Explained for Dummies.


    Opening the book, he flipped to the first page and began reading.


    ''Magic! Everyone wants to use magic, but some have a harder time than others¡ªespecially those in the knight category. This book will explain things in the simplest terms so you can finally learn it.


    First, to even think about using magic spells, you need to strengthen your mana core. Some say this is an individual process, but I, the author, disagree.


    Strengthening your mana core is straightforward. There are three aspects, output, regeneration, and capacity. To improve each, you simply need to use it more often.


    Now, onto the next part.''


    "Wait, that''s it?" Zaroth muttered in irritation. "How is this explained for dummies? They basically skipped the most important part¡ªhow to actually use it!"


    Hearing him complain, Luna grinned and teased, "Maybe explanations for dummies are still too hard for you?"


    With a sigh, he returned to the book.


    ''Once you learn a spell, you''ll ask yourself how to increase its strength.''


    "Again, they skip the important part! How the hell do you learn a spell in the first place?!"


    ''It''s simple, you use the mana core as your central source of power and try to connect it to the small sparks of energy dispersed throughout your body. The more sparks you connect to your core, the stronger your spells will become.


    If we use the beast-ranking system, it would look something like this,''


    Mundane - 100 sparks


    Lesser - 500 sparks


    Uncommon - 5,000 sparks


    Rare - 25,000 sparks


    Epic - 800,000 sparks


    Legendary - No record


    Mythic - No record


    Zaroth closed the book, irritated. "This book is a scam," he grumbled as he stood and sat on the table next to Luna.


    "So? How did it go?" she asked, sipping water from her cup.


    "Bad. I think the book was a scam," he muttered.


    "Don''t be so certain," she replied immediately.


    He raised an eyebrow. "Why?"


    "Mages are weird people, and everyone perceives things in a different way. You can try to improve your mana core using the information in the book as a stepping stone to build your base on."


    "So how do I do that?"


    "I''m a dragon. How should I know? You said you needed to focus on something, so try meditation, I guess? I''ve heard mages often use it."


    Seeing no harm in trying, Zaroth sat on the ground, closed his eyes, and crossed his legs. Taking a deep breath, he focused.


    He found himself in an empty space, with the only exception being a big green orb in the midst of nothingness, shining like a sun.


    ''Is that supposed to be my core?'' he wondered. ''So the book said I have to connect it to something? But I don''t feel anything.''


    He focused on his body, but aside from the mana core, there wasn''t anything else.


    His heart began to ache.


    ''Again¡­ I must have reached my limit. I''ll have to desummon Silverfang,'' he thought.


    He was about to do so when he felt something.


    His mana core was becoming unstable, likely due to the pressure of supporting his two summons, but something in the midst of nothingness shined for a second.


    ''Huh? What is that?'' he wondered. Too curious to let it go, he concentrated on it. There was a spark glowing weakly. The more his mana core became exhausted and its light dimmed, the more Zaroth noticed the spark of light shining in him.


    ''So I''m supposed to connect this to the core?''


    He tried to connect them, and it somehow worked. It was as if his body was responding to his mind.


    The spark of light connected to his mana core with a line of strange glowing energy.


    For a moment, it felt like the little spark of light was consuming mana from his mana core.


    "Zaroth!" Hearing the panicked voice of Luna, he opened his eyes.


    "Desummon Silverfang now!"


    Without questioning her, he did as she suggested and immediately collapsed on his back, clutching his chest.


    "What happened?" he asked through gritted teeth.


    "You kept him summoned for hours! Your mana core was about to crack!"


    ''No, I just meditated for a few minutes¡­'' Zaroth thought, glancing toward the window to see that night had long arrived.


    "How long have I been meditating?" Despite the pain, he managed to ask.


    "About four hours," Luna said, standing up and walking toward him with the intention to comfort him.


    "Did you learn something?" she asked.


    "Yeah." He smiled weakly. "I figured out how magic works."

 Chapter 29 Stubborn

    "You figured out how magic works?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. She had a hard time believing him¡ªnot that Zaroth could blame her."Well¡­ more or less. From what I felt, the mana core is like a sun in my soul. The more I use it, the dimmer it gets. After a certain point, I''m able to sense a spark of energy, and I connect it to my mana core," he explained, using Luna''s hand for support as he stood up.


    "So how does that allow you to use magic?"


    "Not sure, but it''s supposed to help strengthen it and my mana core, so I guess it can''t be bad?"


    Zaroth was exhausted, so after a quick shower, he went to sleep.


    *****


    The next day, after a quick breakfast, he found himself in class, listening to the professor''s lecture.


    "As you all know, we humans primarily live on these three continents," the professor said, pointing to three continents on the world map he had brought out.


    "These two," he continued, pointing to the continents in close proximity to theirs, "are where most of the elf population resides."


    His voice darkened as he continued, "This one, the central continent, is the one we recently lost due to the actions of the legendary beast master. It was the central hub where most races, including humans and elves, lived in peace¡­ until the tragedy happened."


    The room''s atmosphere grew heavy.


    "Seizing the opportunity, the demons took their chance and captured the continent. This means they now control more land than any other race, holding four continents."


    ''Demons¡­'' Zaroth thought. ''Luna, what do you know about demons?''


    ''Not much. I''ve met a few, but most of them didn''t possess the ability to communicate¡ªthey only wanted to destroy,'' Luna replied.


    ''Demons are the enemies of the gods, right? Shouldn''t that mean they could be considered our friends? We have a common enemy, after all.'' S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Maybe, if we could get them to listen. But intelligent demons are hard to find,'' she said.


    Raising an eyebrow, he asked, ''But considering you''re a mythical beast, you must have met some, right?''


    ''Yeah¡­ I''ve met a few vampires, but let''s just say vampires and dragons don''t get along.''


    ''Vampires¡­'' Zaroth had heard of them before. They were said to appear similar to humans or elves, but unlike them, they didn''t get their powers from blessings. Vampires were also rumored to feed on the blood of the blessed and could somehow turn humans into vampires.


    "You!" the professor suddenly called out, pointing at Zaroth and breaking him from his thoughts. "Are you paying attention?"


    Startled by the sudden question, Zaroth stammered, "Y-yes!"


    "Then tell me¡ªhow does one defeat an intelligent demon?"


    ''What kind of question is that?!'' Zaroth wondered.


    "You make him think you''re on his side and manage to outwit him?"


    "Wrong! Completely the opposite! You can''t outwit demons¡ªthey are cunning and smart! They''ve mastered manipulation to get what they want from humans! You would know this if you paid at least a little attention in my classes!"


    A few students laughed at the fact that Zaroth had gotten such a basic question wrong.


    ''I would''ve paid attention if you knew how to teach, you old fool!'' Zaroth cursed silently, before getting an idea.


    "Speak for yourself! I can outsmart any demon I wish to!" he proclaimed confidently.


    The professor grimaced at his statement and, with a sigh, said, "That''s how you get yourself killed, kid."


    *****


    The next lesson, Zaroth was fully focused on the teacher''s explanation of how to use magic.


    "Once you have a stable connection with your core, you can begin using spells. Usually, the more you understand a subject, the easier it will be to recreate it using magic," she explained.


    Taking a deep breath, she continued, "For first-timers who haven''t used spells before, I recommend starting with something you have a good understanding of¡ªlike the elements, for instance."


    ''The elements, huh? There are four¡­ so which one should I pick?'' Zaroth wondered.


    ''Fire,'' Luna answered immediately.


    He raised an eyebrow. ''Fire? Why?''


    ''I''m a dragon, and we''re connected, so your understanding of fire should be much higher compared to the average person,'' Luna explained.


    "You have to close your eyes, and using your core, imagine what you want to create and what you want this creation to do. For instance, create fire and send it shooting forward to form the spell, fireball," the teacher continued.


    ''Fireball¡­ this will be the thing I focus on from now on,'' Zaroth decided.


    *****


    The rest of the classes went well, and now Zaroth was in the duel room with Zack, Roran, and Lily.


    "So, who''s going to battle who¡ª" Roran began, only to be cut off by Zaroth.


    "Lily, do you want to be my opponent?" Zaroth interrupted.


    "Why? Wouldn''t it be more beneficial for you to battle someone who specializes in close-quarters combat?" Lily asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "Usually, yes, but I''m trying to learn how to use spells. Who could be a better opponent than a spell user?" Zaroth replied with a smile.


    "Are you sure? Considering the wolf you''re able to summon, you''re a beast master. They usually save their mana for their summons," she pointed out.


    "That may be true, but I figured it wouldn''t hurt to be able to use a spell or two," he said.


    Lily agreed, and they began their fight. Zaroth asked her to use exclusively fire attacks so he could get a better grasp of how fire worked. She agreed, on the condition that Zaroth wouldn''t use his wolf in the fight.


    ''Roderic probably got a lot of scolding from Elysia, so he won''t let us duel as long as last time¡­ I have an hour and a half at most to figure this out,'' Zaroth thought.


    Half an hour had passed, and Zaroth wasn''t making any progress, which left him feeling irritated. Seeing this, Lily tried to encourage him.


    "Don''t expect to learn it in a few hours. Learning a spell outside of your class typically takes a long time."


    ''Even so¡­ I want to get stronger, faster!'' Zaroth suppressed a scream as he slowly stood up. His face had been burned multiple times by Lily''s fire magic. He was starting to get used to the pain, so he didn''t even wait for the room to fully heal him before charging at Lily again.


    An hour had passed since the start of the duel.


    "Why? Why can''t I figure it out?!" Zaroth muttered under his tired breath.


    ''Lily makes it look so easy! She just stretches out her arm with her palm open, and in the next second, there''s a giant fireball ready to fire! I know she must be some kind of magician, but still!''


    Taking yet another spell to his chest, he was sent flying back, landing hard on his back.


    Seeing this, Lily sighed and spoke. "Listen, we''ve been going at it for an hour already. It''s already enough. You''re a beast master, unlike me, so don''t expect to get it immediately."


    Roran and Zack, despite being engaged in their own duel, glanced at Zaroth from time to time, wondering how his progress was going.


    "A beast master?" he muttered under his breath. A grin appeared on his burnt face before he burst into laughter. His unexpected reaction earned strange stares from everyone in the room.


    ''Yes¡­ have I forgotten? Above all, I''m a beast master. And the first beast I tamed¡­ was Luna¡­ a dragon.''


    "Hey, man, I know you want to learn how to use spells as soon as possible, but I think you should take a break. Getting burned endlessly could mess with your mental state," Zack said. He and Roran were taking a quick break, looking at Zaroth with concerned gazes.


    But Zaroth didn''t hear him, he was far too gone. His eyes shone green as he felt a major change within himself.


    What he did next made Lily gasp in surprise.

 Chapter 30 Fireball

    Spells, magic, blessings, mana core, the gods, their system¡ªhow were all of these connected? It didn''t matter. Zaroth wasn''t thinking... or, more accurately, it felt like he wasn''t thinking.He was in an empty space, the only thing within him being his mana core and the single spark he had connected earlier.


    His mana core was glowing much dimmer than before. ''Why?'' He wondered.


    He hadn''t managed to use any kind of magic... or maybe his failed attempts had consumed some mana?


    ''Isn''t this dangerous?'' he thought. From what he felt, it was like his mana core was seconds away from cracking¡­


    But his thought quickly disappeared as he felt something shine within him. Focusing on the feeling, he noticed several sparks glowing weakly inside, almost impossible to notice.


    Instinctively, he made them connect to his mana core.


    ''Yes... have I forgotten? Above all, I''m a beast master. And the first beast I tamed¡­ was Luna¡­ a dragon.''


    His thoughts shifted again.


    ''What''s the difference between the beast master class and every other class? The answer is simple... I am able to tame beasts. This isn''t a skill that can be learned from other classes. In a way, this is my exclusive skill.''


    ''Connection...'' He remembered one of the first things Luna said to him upon assuming her human form,


    "I was the first creature you tamed, so we have a much deeper connection than any other creatures you''ll tame in the future."


    ''Connection? What connection? How are we connected?'' Zaroth''s mind was working at full speed. It felt like he was just a few pieces short of solving a puzzle.


    ''Fire... I want to create a fireball, but what is fire?'' He asked himself.


    It was a simple question, yet an important one. What did fire mean to him?


    ''Fire...'' The first thing he remembered when thinking about the element was when he was seconds away from dying, when he managed to tame Luna.


    How her beautiful green flames destroyed the camp and burned everybody in it. He remembered the joy he felt in that moment.


    ...Was fire equal to destruction?


    Maybe or maybe not, but it didn''t matter. All that mattered was that Zaroth understood something.


    ''Fire, destruction, dragon... Yes, I am a beast tamer, so I shouldn''t try to copy how others do it.''


    ''What if I don''t copy other people? What if I copy the beasts I possess instead?''


    Suddenly, the newly connected sparks to his mana core shone, as did his eyes.


    ''But I am a human, not a dragon. How can I copy her? Unless... she said it herself. We have a deep connection. So what if I just used that connection?''


    Zaroth gasped as he raised his trembling right hand. sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Alright, that''s enough! Zaroth, rest for a bit!" Roran commanded, getting closer to him.


    But Zaroth didn''t hear him. He was completely and utterly focused... In that moment, he had achieved his peak.


    ''My right hand, if it acts the same as the jaws of a dragon...''


    He closed his hand into a fist.


    ''Now the jaws are closed.''


    His eyes began shining like stars. Slowly opening his palm, a menacing green flame began forming in it.


    ''And now the jaws are open.''


    Seeing the green flame coming out of Zaroth''s palm, Lily gasped in surprise.


    "I understand it now," he muttered under his breath, not missing the voice that suddenly rang in his head.


    [You have learned a new spell]


    [Fireball]


    Letting out a shaky, tired breath, he relaxed his body. Then a menacing green fireball shot toward Lily with dazzling speed.


    In an instant, she created two ice walls between herself and the fireball. The fireball melted and pushed past the first wall but stopped at the second.


    A silence fell over the room.


    Roran, Zack, and Lily were staring with wide eyes at Zaroth, who had started to bleed from his eyes due to his mana scarcity.


    "Did he just... learn a spell outside his class in a single day?" Lily muttered, unbelieving.


    Zaroth slowly looked at his palm, processing what had just happened¡ªwhat he had finally managed to achieve¡ªand then...


    "FUCK YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA¡ª" he screamed at the top of his lungs in happiness before immediately collapsing due to exhaustion.


    *****


    Zaroth felt his exhausted core and the few sparks that he had connected to it. It was strange¡ªboth empowering him and, at the same time, exhausting him.


    ''Did I really do it?'' he wondered. After being granted the Beast Master class, he thought he''d never be able to use spells. So, in a way, he had accomplished something he once thought impossible.


    ''So this is how it feels, to reach your peak,'' Zaroth thought, remembering the book and its content he had read before.


    ''Can I do it again?'' he wondered.


    ''Good job,'' he heard, the voice of Luna.


    ''What? I can speak to you even if I''m passed out?'' he asked.


    ''You used our connection, deepening it in the process. So yes, now you can,'' Luna explained.


    He was about to ask something else when he felt a shadow looming over him. So he opened his eyes.


    Only to see Sylvia standing over him, her expression irritated.


    "Kid," she spoke, "this is the third time you''ve visited the infirmary. From now until the end of the month, you''ll have to pay."


    She stepped back, giving him some room.


    ''I''m in the infirmary?'' he grunted as he sat up, supporting his head with his right hand.


    As his vision cleared, he saw Zack, Roran, and Lily staring at him with bewildered eyes.


    Without hesitation, Lily asked, "How did you do it? How did you learn a spell outside your class in a single day?"


    ''Wow, harsh. She didn''t even ask if I''m okay first. Shouldn''t I feel offended? It''s not like I can tell her I tamed a dragon and used our connection to learn the skill...''


    Zaroth scratched the back of his head awkwardly as he answered, "I guess I''m just that good?"

 Chapter 31 Anticipation

    Lily wasn''t satisfied with that answer, but in the end, she let it go, seeing that Zaroth was reluctant to share.After making sure he was fine, Sylvia let him go to his apartment, where he was now sitting on his bed, reading the books he had gotten from the library.


    "These things actually work," he muttered under his breath.


    "What did I tell you?" Luna responded with a smirk.


    ''She was right. I can combine the information in these books in a coherent way and apply it to my class,'' Zaroth thought.


    "By the way¡­" Luna began, which made Zaroth shift his attention from the book.


    "What?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "I think I''m able to come outside now."


    "What do you mean?"


    "I mean that if other people see me, they won''t recognize that I''m a dragon. They''ll just think I''m an incredibly strong, beautiful human."


    Zaroth, not expecting this information, put his book down and focused on Luna. "How did you learn that?"


    "What? Did you think I was merely playing all this time when I was outside your soul? No, I was trying to control my aura so it looks human. I guess I just succeeded," she said with a hint of pride.


    ''This¡­ is unexpected, but a welcome surprise nonetheless,'' Zaroth thought, returning to the books.


    As the night set, his fourth day at the academy came to an end, and he went to sleep.


    *****


    The next few days were quite normal. Zaroth attended his lectures, trained his body''s muscles and stamina, had lunch with his friends, practiced in the Live Combat room with them¡ªrefining his mastery over several melee weapons and the spell Fireball¡ªthen went home and read books until he fell asleep.


    Of course, Zaroth, Zack, Roran, and Lily had notified a teacher that they would be participating in the upcoming hunting competition as a team.


    On the seventh day, he woke up, stripped off his clothes, and approached a full-body mirror to inspect himself.


    A grin found its way onto his face. He no longer looked like a malnourished child. He had gained a good amount of muscle and a little bit of fat, giving him an athletic appearance.


    Grinning as he inspected his body, he felt proud of himself. He still had a long way to go, but it was clear his training was bearing fruit.


    Suddenly, he was caught in the embrace of a woman over twenty centimeters taller than him. She pressed him hard against her body, letting out a quiet, almost moaning sound.


    Placing her mouth dangerously close to his ear, Luna whispered,


    "Get stronger, faster, okay? I''m not sure how much longer I can contain myself."


    Zaroth didn''t particularly mind the situation, so he didn''t move. He could feel Luna''s heartbeat through the thin fabric of her clothes.


    ''This is like heaven,'' he thought, until his golden bracelet shone, displaying an announcement.


    -----


    [Announcement]


    To every student,


    Today we head toward the forest near the capital for the hunting competition challenge. There will be a camp where you''ll have time to prepare with your team before searching for prey.


    The hunting competition will last fourteen days. During this time, you are to hunt as many powerful beasts as you can to earn a higher score, increasing your chance to participate in the tournament.


    I, along with other teachers, will be spread around the forest, while some will remain at the camp in case of emergencies.


    IMPORTANT,


    Requesting rescue for yourself or a member of your squad will result in disqualification for you and your entire team.


    Happy hunting!


    From, Elysia.


    -----


    "So, it''s starting, huh?" Zaroth muttered under his breath. Getting out of Luna''s embrace, he got dressed, had breakfast, and headed to the auditorium where everyone was supposed to gather.


    ***** S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Zaroth was waiting patiently for his friends before going in.


    "Where the hell are they?!" he muttered irritably. Usually, he was the one who was late, so having to wait felt quite unpleasant.


    Finally, after some time, he saw Lily and Roran walking toward him.


    Weirdly enough, Lily seemed to be in quite a good mood, even though her hair looked a bit messy¡ªlike she had styled it quickly after waking up. Meanwhile, Roran looked tired and exhausted, as if he had just run a marathon that morning.


    "Yo, guys! Why are you so late, and why do you look so different?" Zaroth asked, raising an eyebrow.


    Lily crossed her arms, but her tone was surprisingly pleasant, which was unexpected since she was often cold. "What? Can''t I be in a good mood for once?"


    Not buying it, Zaroth shifted his gaze to Roran, silently waiting for an explanation.


    Roran threw an irritated look at Lily before explaining, "Well¡­ someone woke up today and didn''t let me leave until she''d had ''enough.'' I''ll let you interpret that however you like."


    "I see," Zaroth scratched his cheek awkwardly, thinking inwardly,


    ''So, they were fucking.''


    ''Fucking indeed,'' Luna immediately agreed.


    ''Lucky bastard,'' Zaroth thought, feeling quite frustrated by Luna''s actions earlier that morning. ''It must be nice to do it whenever they want... SHIT! I have to get stronger, faster!''


    A few minutes later, Zack finally showed up. He was bleeding a little from his left palm, which was surprising since he almost never did. Naturally, they asked him what had happened.


    "Let''s just say it was a complicated family matter," he said, heading into the auditorium, clearly unwilling to explain further.


    Now the four of them stood amidst the thousands of students at the academy. Maybe because it was so packed, or because everyone was too nervous about the upcoming competition, no one bothered with their usual hostile gazes.


    When Elysia stepped onto the podium, her cold and harsh voice silenced the auditorium instantly, drawing everyone''s attention.


    "You already know the rules, so without further ado, get ready to be teleported," she announced.


    ''Teleported?'' Zaroth was surprised. He had never experienced teleportation before, and he''d heard that the first time could make you dizzy.


    "Don''t worry about it," Zack said, noticing Zaroth''s unease. "As long as you don''t move, you should be fine."


    The next moment, the entire auditorium shone brightly as the teleportation magic activated. Zaroth held his breath in anticipation.


    ''So it''s really starting¡­ the hunting competition.''

 Chapter 32 The Start

    In one moment, Zaroth was standing in the auditorium, and in the next, he found himself in a vast field. Looking down, he noticed some kind of circle¡ªwas it a rune? It was beginning to disappear. It was probably the residual effect of the teleportation magic."Who is strong enough to transport so many people just like that?" he wondered. It wasn''t Elysia because it didn''t look like she did anything, so it must mean there was another powerful teacher in the academy, or maybe there was something else that Zaroth was yet unable to grasp...


    The students began chatting with one another. Some were excited,


    "I can''t wait! I''m telling you, I''ll catch an Uncommon beast all by myself!" said the clearly excited man.


    "I doubt it, mate," his friend immediately replied, doubting his friend''s words.


    Others were exhausted and anxious,


    "We''re first years! How the hell are we supposed to compete against the third and fourth years? They''re on another level!" cried a first-year woman.


    "I know, right?! Especially the Princess and her entire team. I heard each of her party members is strong enough to kill a Rare beast all by themselves!" her friend agreed on the spot.


    "How the hell do you compete against that?"


    It wasn''t an understatement to say the chatter was growing quite loud.


    "SILENCE!"


    With a single word from Elysia, everyone fell quiet in the blink of an eye.


    "This is where the camp is," she began. "I know you were expecting more, but this is all you get. Everyone will be provided with tents, but you''ll have to build them yourselves. Whether you choose to build them here at the camp or somewhere in the forest, that''s up to you."


    She turned and pointed at a few large tents that had already been set up.


    "This is where you''ll find me and the other teachers, should the need for help arise. This is also where the infirmary is located. If you get injured, you can come here for treatment¡ªthough it will cost you credits, and the price will be twice the usual amount. That is all."


    There was a moment of silence until a woman, who seemed slightly older than most of the other students¡ªlikely a fourth-year¡ªspoke up.


    "What about food, water, and other basic necessities, ma''am?"


    Elysia shifted her gaze to the girl, smiling as she replied,


    "Ah, Princess, this is a hunting competition, you know? ''Hunting.'' So, you''ll act like real hunters and acquire those necessities for yourselves."


    She then added, "Of course, you can request such things from us, but doing so will disqualify your team. Do with that information what you will."


    With that, the chairwoman turned her back on the students, leaving them to fend for themselves.


    *****


    Elysia was sitting in her chair, lost in thought, sipping coffee.


    Suddenly, the delicate cup cracked and exploded.


    "That fucking bastard!" she muttered under her breath. "I knew the emperor was insane, but to try to deal with the problem by using the students¡ªfucking pathetic."


    She threw the broken cup aside and grabbed some documents, beginning to read through the information on her students. Her gaze stopped on a few individuals.


    One of these individuals was one of the princesses studying at their academy, along with the members of her team. They were probably going to get the highest score in this competition.


    Her gaze then moved to a few other teams. It seemed everyone considered extraordinary had decided to take the challenge as a team¡ªespecially¡­


    Her gaze stopped on a certain document for a special team: Zaroth, Zack, Roran, and Lily.


    "These three are the ones that battled for quite some time with Zaroth in the duel room¡­ curious¡­ we are missing a lot of information. Not just Zaroth, who came from outside the capital¡­ these three as well¡­ especially the girl¡ªwhy does she look so familiar? Have I seen her somewhere?"


    Sensing a shadow waiting at the entrance of her tent, she stored the documents and spoke coldly, S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Enter."


    A tall man with brown hair and green eyes entered and bowed slightly.


    "Roderic, how did the mission go?" Elysia asked him with cold eyes. She was still irritated by how he had let the students get so close to death during their duel.


    "I dug up some information and¡­ the news is not pleasant," he spoke, his voice tired, as were his eyes. "There have already been three teams sent into the forest. All of them have disappeared, lost contact¡ªno one knows what happened to them."


    Elysia''s eyes became even colder. "I see. You can take a rest."


    Roderic bowed again before exiting.


    "Just you wait¡­" Elysia gritted her teeth. "Soon, the time to answer for your crimes will come, emperor!"


    *****


    A man with dry, cracked skin was sitting on the ground, gently massaging the back fur of his three-headed beast as it tore through the corpses of the next unfortunate victims who dared to cross its path.


    "Are they getting desperate? They''re sending stronger and stronger warriors to stop us, yet all have failed." Foam dripped from the corners of his mouth as he spoke, his eyes wide and unfocused.


    Suddenly, the beast stopped eating, raising its three heads and looking into the distance as blood from its victims fell from its mouth to the ground.


    A giant, bird-like creature with metallic feathers¡ªpainted red by the blood of its enemies¡ªlanded close to them, also staring into the distance.


    "Hm? You say that you feel a few thousand people have appeared on the other side of the forest, as if they got teleported?"


    The beast grunted as if agreeing.


    "I see¡­ so you want to devour them next? Sure, if that''s what you wish for."


    A tired laugh escaped the mouth of the man as he began walking forward, stepping over the mutilated bodies of his enemies. "If that''s your wish, we will massacre them all!"


    The beast grunted as it began walking forward, while the bird-like creature produced clicking noises as it flapped its massive wings, taking flight into the sky.


    "We will kill them all. We will not spare a single one!"

 Chapter 33 Discussion

    The teachers had made multiple lines, where the students were now waiting for their turn to take their assigned tents. From the looks of it, depending on the number of people in a party, the bigger the tent they would receive.So, while the people who had decided to challenge the competition solo were given smaller tents, the ones with large teams¡ªsome with more than eight people¡ªwere given gigantic tents that required multiple people to carry.


    Currently, Zaroth and his squad were waiting for their turn to be given their tent.


    "So, what do you think?" Zaroth asked, turning to his friends.


    "While it may be good to set up our tent here in the assigned zone¡ªclose to the teachers and the infirmary¡ªit would be disadvantageous, as there will be too many people here," Zack began.


    "Yet going deep into the forest could bring unforeseen challenges that we haven''t accounted for¡­" Roran spoke firmly.


    "But we have to take some risks if we actually want a shot at being chosen to participate in the tournament. Plus," Lily said, her face turning grim as she shifted her gaze to a breathtaking woman with blue hair and eyes that radiated an aura of mysterious strength.


    "We have an actual princess participating in the competition. She, along with the other fourth-year students, would be a challenge to surpass in achievements."


    "I agree," Zaroth spoke firmly. "I think we should risk it and go deep into the forest, where there would be fewer students to take our prey."


    "I see. Then, I guess going deep into the forest it is," Roran said with a sigh. It seemed he was the only one worried about the beasts roaming the forest.


    "Still," he shifted his gaze to Lily, speaking coldly, almost like a command, "I want you always in my line of sight."


    After waiting for almost half an hour, their turn finally came.


    "Okay, here is your tent. I just need the signature of your leader confirming that you have received it," the teacher said.


    ''Leader?'' Zaroth thought. They hadn''t discussed anything like this, so he turned to his companions, only to see all of them staring at him.


    Raising an eyebrow, he asked, "What?"


    "You''re the leader," Zack said with a smile on his face.


    "Why me?" Zaroth asked.


    "You were the one who suggested we team up in the first place. Don''t get cold feet now¡ªaccept the role!" Lily commanded.


    Glancing back, Zaroth noticed that many of the students waiting in line looked irritated as they waited for their turn. Seeing that it wasn''t a good idea to hold up the line, Zaroth sighed and signed the form.


    "As leader, you will be responsible for your team''s safety and condition should anything happen to them," the teacher explained as he handed them the tent.


    ''Great. Responsibility I didn''t ask for,'' Zaroth cursed inwardly as he took the tent from the teacher''s hands.


    After checking if everyone had gathered what they needed, including weapons and other necessities, Zaroth sighed in relief and spoke,


    "All right, deep into the forest it is."


    He and his party headed towards the forest in search of a place to set up camp.


    *****


    "Hey, carry the tent," Zaroth said, turning his head to Zack.


    "Eh? Why me?" Zack asked, not wanting to deal with the trouble.


    "First, because I''m sure you''re of the knight category, making you physically stronger than me. And second, because I''m now the leader, and I said so," Zaroth replied with a grin.


    "Sure, we have a tyrant on our hands now¡­" Zack muttered as he took the tent from Zaroth''s hands. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Hey! I heard that," Zaroth cried, staring daggers at Zack.


    In response, the man smiled widely.


    "I know. I said it just loud enough so you could hear," Zack said.


    As they slowly entered the forest, the loud chatter of the students became distant, fading away as they pushed further and further into the woods.


    "So, where should we set up our tent?" Zaroth asked, turning to his companions to hear their opinions.


    "First and foremost, the most important thing is water. We won''t last if we die of thirst in the middle of the competition," Roran replied firmly. It seemed he had thought this through before.


    "So, near a river would be the best choice."


    "But there is one thing we have to consider," Lily said, her face darkening.


    "In the forest, we aren''t constantly protected by the teachers... So, there''s not only a chance we''ll be attacked by beasts while we sleep but also¡­"


    "By humans as well," Zack said, his eyes narrowing as he quickly caught on to what she was hinting at.


    "Yes. Considering we''re first years¡ªand the fact that you three made fools of yourselves at the announcement of the tournament¡ªit''s almost guaranteed someone will try to bother us," Lily continued.


    "So, the camp should be somewhere where we have easy access to water but are also well hidden from both beasts and other participants," Zaroth muttered, deep in thought.


    "Well, I''m sure we''ll find a place like that. First things first, we need to go deeper into the forest," Roran chimed in.


    "Yeah, but the question is, how deep do we go?" Zack asked as he shifted the tent to his other shoulder. It seemed carrying it wasn''t a problem for him.


    "From what I know, the forest is truly vast, spanning dozens of kilometers. So I believe it would be smart to walk at least a few hours away from the camp," Roran added.


    "I''ve been wondering¡­" Zaroth said, frowning. "How do the teachers plan to ensure there aren''t any accidents? If the forest is so vast, someone''s bound to get lost."


    "This is just speculation, but¡­" Lily said, raising her right hand and pointing to her golden bracelet with her other hand. "I think these things might point to our location."


    "That''s smart¡­" Zaroth muttered under his breath.


    They had walked for a few hours already, far enough from the camp that they shouldn''t encounter other students¡ªhopefully. As the sun began to set, Zaroth spoke.


    "I think we can camp here for the night."


    Zack was about to say something¡ªprobably complaining about setting up the tent only to have to move it the next day¡ªbut he stopped abruptly, his attention drawn to a rustling noise in the nearby bushes.


    Dropping the tent, he grabbed the sword from his back. Zaroth and Roran followed suit, while Lily stepped back, ready to fire a spell or two if the need arose.


    "A beast on the first night? All right, let''s see it!" Zaroth proclaimed, tightening his grip on his sword. But his eyes narrowed in the next second.


    "This is certainly something I didn''t expect," he muttered to himself.

 Chapter 34 Unexpected Encounter

    As the rustle of the bushes got louder, Zaroth held his breath.Only for his eyes to widen in surprise the next second.


    From the bushes, a lone woman with red eyes and hair appeared, looking at them with an unreadable expression.


    ''Wait, isn''t she the one that Elysia said to keep an eye on?! I didn''t meet her in the academy even once, so what''s the chance of meeting her in this vast forest?'' Zaroth thought.


    His teammates were also lost in thought, but for a different reasons.


    ''She has gone so far from the camp on the first day while being alone. Is she crazy¡­ or maybe that much more powerful?'' Lily wondered.


    ''There is no way that they have discovered us, right?! I made sure to kill everyone that knew about our identities,'' thought Roran as he grasped his sword tighter, wondering if he should go for the kill.


    ''Did these bastards actually do it?!'' Zack cursed silently. ''I thought they weren''t serious, but if they really have sent so¡ª''


    Everyone''s thoughts were interrupted as Zaroth spoke in a relaxed voice, lowering his weapon.


    "Hello, nice to meet you. What are the chances of encountering someone so far from the camp, huh?"


    The woman silently looked at him as if assessing something.


    ''Zaroth,'' Luna sent him a mental comment, ''Be careful around her. There is something wrong with her, but I can''t pinpoint what.''


    Making note of the advice, Zaroth smiled wider, trying to appear as friendly as possible.


    The mysterious woman studied Zaroth''s team for a moment. After what felt like an eternity, she replied,


    "Nice to meet you too." Her face remained emotionless and unchanging¡ªalmost to an uncanny level.


    With that, the woman seemed to have lost interest and turned her back to them, seemingly in search of something, until Zaroth''s voice stopped her.


    "I never got your name," he said with an awkward smile. ''If I have to keep eyes on her, that''s the least I should know. Damn it, Elysia, why didn''t you just tell me her name?!''


    The woman studied the man for a moment before replying.


    "Midnight," she replied, her voice stoic yet carrying unexplainable beauty. "Midnight Bloodrose."


    Zaroth was stunned for a moment but replied quickly, "Zaroth."


    The woman nodded before continuing her search.


    "Wow," Zaroth muttered under his breath. Speaking to that woman was strange. He felt a pressure he was unable to explain. Almost like he was prey in the eyes of a hungry beast.


    ''I see now why Elysia wanted me to keep my eyes on her.''


    Lily grinned before teasing, "Oh? Nice to meet you, eh? Don''t tell me¡­ did you fall for her at first sight or something?"


    Zaroth felt offended at the words for a moment and quickly denied it but felt for a second that she was right to feel this way, as unknown to her, he was already in love with a mythical dragon, a chairwoman considered one of the strongest humans in existence and one of the queens of the empire.


    "Well great, she saw us, so we have to camp somewhere far from here if we want to remain hidden," Zack complained, irritated by the fact that he had to carry the damned tent for longer.


    *****


    "Finally!" Zack said with a sigh of relief as he dropped the tent to the ground, but before relaxing, he turned his gaze to his party.


    "Just so you know, you are building this thing yourself! From now on, I am not going to lift a finger!" he proclaimed as he sat on the soft ground.


    No one complained, as it must have been tiring to carry the tent for so long, so they began assembling it.


    But before that, Zaroth''s eyes shined green, a few sparks of light appeared, and then a giant wolf materialized from nothingness.


    He had summoned Silverfang.


    "No matter how many times I see it, it''s still amazing," Lily commented while looking at the beast.


    "Isn''t it risky to summon it if we are not in crisis?" Roran asked, raising his eyebrow.


    "Well, we are in one," Zaroth began to explain. "We''re hungry, and it''s already dark, and we''re all exhausted from walking so much, so I was planning to release this guy in the hope he manages to hunt something for us."


    But in truth, this wasn''t the only reason. He himself was familiar with hunger and didn''t mind it, but he felt that this was the perfect time to see what his beast would do once given a command and far away from his master.


    Rubbing the silver fur of the creature, Zaroth smiled as he spoke. He could have sent a mental command to the beast, but he didn''t want to reveal all his abilities to his companions just yet.


    "Catch us something to eat, alright?"


    Silverfang licked the hand of its master before barking happily and disappearing into the vast darkness that had fallen on the forest.


    "Will he be alright?" Zack asked, resting his back comfortably against a tree as he watched his friend build the tent he had carried for so long.


    "Of course. He''s an Uncommon beast, after all," Zaroth explained, part of the reason why he was so confident.


    ''Plus, the wolf is already dead, so what''s the worst that can happen to him that hasn''t happened already?'' With these thoughts, he shifted his attention to the tent.


    After an hour of trying to follow the goddamn instructions that didn''t make much sense, they finally built the tent. Now they sat around a fire that they had lit using Lily''s magic.


    It was true that the fire could reveal their position, but it was surprisingly cold in the forest, plus¡­


    "Are you sure he''ll be fine?" Zack asked, not shifting his gaze from the fire. It seemed he had gotten hungry.


    "Yes, just wait a bit longer," Zaroth responded with a relaxed tone.


    He was quietly focusing on the weird feeling. This was the first time he had sent his beast far away, so he wasn''t sure if the connection between them would remain.


    But to his surprise, he was still able to vaguely feel Silverfang''s emotions and state.


    If he was not mistaken, his wolf should have caught a large rabbit and should reach them right about¡­


    Now.


    Hearing the rustling of the bushes, everyone turned their gaze to the sound, readying themselves for battle, while Zaroth remained relaxed.


    The next moment, a giant wolf with silver fur and a rabbit in its mouth exited the bushes.


    Upon looking at the beast, one would wonder how the creature was alive, as it bore multiple fatal wounds on its body. But that was just the way Silverfang was¡ªbeing undead and all.


    Seeing the giant rabbit in its mouth, Lily immediately stood up as she approached the wolf with a smile.


    "Who''s a good boy?! You!" she said as she patted the beast on its head.


    Surprisingly enough, Silverfang seemed to enjoy the pats from her gentle hand, so he didn''t move.


    And with that, their dinner for the night had been secured.


    S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 35 Dinner

    It seemed that Roran was skilled in handling beast corpses, so they left it to him.Using his dagger, he masterfully cut the skin from the rabbit''s body and removed its organs.


    After separating it into five pieces, each one for a member of the party, plus one for Silverfang, who seemed to look at the rabbit with excited eyes.


    Roran pierced the meat with sticks and positioned them above the fire, rotating them from time to time, not letting the meat get too burned.


    Soon after, the pleasant smell of meat began to spread through the air. Everyone was waiting with anticipation, watching the master chef at his work.


    Unsurprisingly, the most excited one was Silverfang, as saliva formed from his mouth while wagging his tail in excitement.


    ''Does this guy even need to eat, being undead and all?'' Zaroth wondered, but didn''t object to giving meat to his beast as he felt Silverfang deserved it.


    Soon after, the meat was ready, and everyone began to eat with smiles on their faces.


    "This is good!" Zaroth muttered as he ate, almost choking multiple times, and it seemed that Zack agreed with him.


    Lily was eating pretty elegantly, as if she had been accustomed to the cooking skills of her lover.


    While Roran smiled faintly as he thanked them for the compliments.


    After they were finished, Zaroth asked Roran how he was so good at this, only to get a reply like, "Just sort of figured it out along the way."


    Zack sighed, leaning back with a satisfied smile on his face. "I can''t imagine how this can get better!" he proclaimed.


    Roran suddenly smiled as he reached into the bag he was carrying. Everyone had taken some things with them to make the journey easier, not only weapons but also other necessities.


    Zaroth wondered for a moment what Roran had been carrying all this time. Considering his composed and intelligent nature, it must have been something he had thoughtfully brought with him!


    "There''s a way!" Roran proclaimed as he took something from his bag, grinning like a child.


    Zaroth''s expectations were shattered in an instant. True, he hadn''t thought about bringing something like this¡­


    With a satisfied grin, Roran put a bottle of strong liquor on the ground, earning him strange stares from his companions.


    "What? There''s no way we go to sleep without having a bit of fun first!" he proclaimed proudly.


    No one felt sleepy yet, so they began passing around the bottle as they talked about all sorts of stuff around the fire.


    After some time, Zaroth felt his cheeks burning. Glancing around, he saw that they had almost finished half of the bottle.


    "Heey¡­ Roran, how much alcohol did you say this thing has?" Despite stumbling over his words, Zaroth managed to ask.


    Looking at him with tired eyes, Roran took a moment to respond. "Ah¡­ something like 43%? I''m not sure¡­"


    Zaroth wasn''t an expert, but that did sound like quite a lot¡­


    Shifting his gaze, he saw that Zack had drifted to sleep. He tried to wake him up but it was useless, he was out cold.


    "I can''t anymore!" Lily suddenly cried as she got up.


    Her face was red, and her hair was messy. She shifted her gaze to Zaroth, who seemed to be able to handle the alcohol the best. Maybe it was because he drank in smaller sips compared to the others?


    "Zaroth!" Lily shouted, as she barely managed to get on her feet. "Either drink the bottle and go to sleep or go for a walk for about an hour!"


    "Why?" Zaroth asked, raising his eyebrow.


    "Because!" Lily started walking towards Roran and then sat¡ªno, fell¡ªon his lap, grasping his red head with her delicate hands. "He and I are going to¡­ you know."


    Zaroth''s eyes narrowed, but not as much as Roran''s, who wasn''t expecting that. Though looking at how he grabbed her, it seemed he didn''t object. S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    With a sigh, Zaroth stood up and began distancing himself from the camp while muttering to himself, "Man¡­ some fresh air sure sounds nice¡­"


    The next moment, he leaned to one side and began puking.


    "Never! I am never getting drunk again!" Zaroth proclaimed as he puked up his dinner.


    "Ah¡­ this feels better," he sighed with relief as he took a relaxed walk through the forest.


    Silverfang was with him, keeping him company.


    Suddenly, Zaroth began laughing. "Who would''ve thought? About a month before, I was fighting for my life, and now I''m getting drunk with my friends at a camp¡­"


    His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a scream in the distance, that immediately broke Zaroth out of his trance.


    "What was that?" he muttered. He was considering running back to warn his friends, but given their current condition, they''d be next to useless in combat¡­


    Plus, he felt curious to see what the scream was all about, so he took a deep breath, trying to ignore the alcohol running through his system, and began walking toward the place from where he had heard the scream.


    "This is stupid! Why am I doing this?! It must be because I''m drunk!" He had walked for quite a while and wasn''t even sure if he would be able to return to the camp. But his curiosity pushed him forward.


    Just when he was about to turn back, he saw something that made his eyes narrow in shock.


    A man wearing the uniform of a student was lying on the ground, dead, his face deathly pale. Standing close to the body was a deadly pale woman with red hair and pupils.


    She had two large fangs protruding from her mouth that seemed to have appeared from thin air, with a bit of blood still dripping from them.


    Her nails seemed to have gotten longer as well, almost as long as her fingers, and ended in sharp tips, almost like they were swords.


    She didn''t look uncanny anymore, now she radiated a deadly beauty that made Zaroth''s eyes hurt just by looking at her. It was like the sun¡ªno matter how beautiful, if you stare at it for too long, it would hurt you in return.


    It was a Midnight Bloodrose¡­ it turned out she had been a demon¡­ more specifically, a vampire¡­


    And that vampire had now fixed her sights directly on Zaroth.


    He gulped loudly as a single word escaped his mouth, "Shit¡­"

 Chapter 36 A Deal

    Zaroth''s heart stopped for a moment, as did his breath.Looking at the beautiful vampire, hundreds of different questions flooded his mind.


    But in the end, he managed to filter them out, leaving only two remaining.


    First, Luna should have seen everything, yet she hadn''t told him that she was weaker. If the worst happened, Zaroth could summon his dragon as a last resort.


    But this would be the worst-case scenario. The moment Luna turned into a dragon, there was a very high chance someone would notice her menacing aura and begin an investigation. That meant a confrontation with the vampire was the worst thing that could happen.


    The second thought in his mind was that he had found a demon. He wasn''t sure how strong she was compared to other demons, but if he applied the logic ''the enemy of my enemy is my friend,'' befriending her might not be a bad idea.


    Having made up his mind, he began raising his arm.


    "Lis¡ª"


    Not waiting for him to finish speaking, Midnight Bloodrose charged at him without changing her expression.


    She suddenly appeared an arm''s length away from Zaroth, her mouth open and ready to sink her fangs into his neck. Her movements were too fast for Zaroth to follow, giving neither him nor Silverfang any time to react.


    In response, the only thing Zaroth managed to do was raise his left arm. As a result, Midnight Bloodrose''s fangs sank into his arm rather than his neck.


    The next instant, he felt his blood being sucked away. The most disturbing thing was that he didn''t feel pain¡ªsomehow, it was a strangely pleasant experience.


    He wasn''t an expert, but from what he remembered about vampires, when they bite their victims and start drinking their blood, they release a hormone that numbs the victim''s senses, making it harder for them to react.


    Midnight drank his blood, and unexpectedly, for the first time, her face showed emotion. Suddenly, her eyes narrowed, and she took a few steps back as she began coughing violently. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    She couldn''t help but mutter,


    "What the fuck is wrong with your blood?"


    "My blood?" Zaroth felt dazed for a moment, trying to understand her reaction, until his eyes lit up.


    "Wait! Is it possible the alcohol in my system made her reluctant to drink it? I really have to thank Roran later," he thought.


    "No matter," Midnight muttered as she stretched her fingers, ready to attack.


    "If I can''t drink your blood, then I''ll have to eliminate the witness by other means."


    Zaroth''s mind was working overtime, trying to think of a way to come out of the situation unscathed. As Midnight moved into position to rip him to shreds, his eyes suddenly lit up.


    "A deal!" he shouted, which made Midnight flinch for a moment and stop in her tracks. "You''re a demon, right?! From what I know, you love making deals with humans, so how about it?"


    Zaroth tried to appear composed, but the truth was, he was anything but calm.


    Hearing his offer, Midnight Bloodrose returned to her natural expression and straightened her back as she gazed at Zaroth, clearly considering the offer.


    "A deal?" she began, raising an eyebrow. "You wish to make a deal with a demon? One who has just killed your peer in cold blood?"


    It seemed she was testing him.


    "Why would I care about someone I don''t even know?" Zaroth countered, raising his own eyebrow, trying to appear unfazed.


    Inwardly recalling the words of his professor about how you shouldn''t try to outwit a demon, he thought, ''Well, I don''t have much of a choice now, do I?''


    Midnight was silent for a moment before responding. "You want a deal? Why? And what kind of deal are you proposing?"


    He met her terrifying gaze and answered, "Truthfully, it''s because our enemies align. So, ''the enemy of my enemy is my friend'' kind of situation. Plus, it wouldn''t hurt to befriend a demon. As for the deal..."


    His gaze shifted to the student lying dead on the ground, likely drained of all his blood.


    "We keep what happened here a secret and don''t share what we learned today with anyone. How about it?"


    Midnight studied him for a moment before replying in her usual stoic voice, "No. The deal is too one-sided. You know something about me that is a grave secret, yet I know nothing about you."


    ''Too one-sided?'' Zaroth cursed inwardly. ''Why do deals with demons work differently than I imagined?''


    ''Yes, they do,'' Luna''s voice suddenly chimed in, explaining, ''If the deal is too one-sided for the human''s benefit, the demon won''t agree to it.''


    Zaroth was lost in thought for a moment before deciding, ''Well, I guess I just have to risk it all.''


    "So, if I reveal an important secret about myself, will you agree to the deal?" he asked.


    "If your secret is as important as mine, then sure," Midnight responded in her eerily emotionless voice.


    Zaroth took a deep breath before speaking. "I am a Beast Master."


    Midnight raised an eyebrow and replied, "I know. I can see the wolf behind you. This isn''t enough of a se¡ª"


    She suddenly stopped mid-sentence as light began to form beside Zaroth. In the next moment, a tall woman with white hair and green cat-like eyes appeared, glaring daggers at Midnight.


    "Nice to meet you," the woman said in a pleasant voice. "I hear you''ve attacked my master?"


    Despite speaking in a pleasant voice, her eyes and body radiated such a powerful and violent aura that Midnight took a few steps back, her composure completely shattered as she took deep breaths, trying to compose herself.


    Seeing the sudden change in Midnight''s expression, Zaroth smiled and added,


    "This is one of my beasts. I''m sure you can feel how strong she is. Keeping in mind that no one knows about her, how about that deal now?"


    Midnight was still taking irregular breaths. Just being stared at by the woman Zaroth had summoned made her skin crawl and her instincts scream to flee. After taking a few moments to compose herself, she spoke,


    "I... I accept the deal," she began, but then pointed at the body near her feet.


    "But on one condition, if you see me feeding, you are not to intervene or disclose that information to anyone."


    Zaroth shifted his gaze to the body, considering for a moment, then responded, "Only if the person you''re preying on isn''t connected to me in any way."


    Seemingly satisfied, Midnight began walking toward Zaroth, startling him for a moment.


    "Relax," she said. Her voice no longer carried its usual threatening edge, likely due to her fear of Luna, who was still watching her silently.


    The unspoken message was clear, ''Don''t try anything stupid.''


    Zaroth found himself standing an arm''s length away from Midnight Bloodrose. Her crimson eyes glowed like the color of blood, and her perfectly pale face might have drawn him in if he weren''t on guard.


    Without saying anything, Midnight used her nails to make a wound on her palm. Sensing he should do the same, Zaroth used the sword on his back to cut his hand.


    Midnight reached out with her hand for a handshake.


    ''Luna hasn''t warned me, so I guess it''s fine?'' he thought as he grasped her hand.


    "I accept the terms of the deal," she said, looking directly at him. Zaroth repeated her words.


    Then a small crimson symbol appeared on the back of his right hand, only to disappear moments later.


    "That''s it," Midnight said. "If you speak of this to anyone, your heart will burst, killing you instantly. The same applies to me."


    With that, she disappeared, muttering, "I hope we don''t see each other too often."


    Zaroth was left standing, staring at his hand, lost in thought.


    ''Huh, so I made a deal with a demon.''

 Chapter 37 First Prey

    "Luna," Zaroth spoke, his head a little dizzy, "I am still drunk, so I can''t really think straight. The fact that you didn''t stop me makes me believe I made the correct decision."Luna didn''t hurry in her reply as she enjoyed walking through the woods. After Zaroth had reached the capital, he only summoned her in his room, so it was a pleasant change of pace.


    "Whatever. If that was the correct decision, time will tell. All I can say is I don''t think you got screwed in the deal you just made," she spoke firmly.


    "You think so?"


    "Yeah. The moment you summoned me, that girl Midnight Bloodrose understood the deal wasn''t for your peace of mind but for hers, as I could have killed her easily."


    "I see¡­ I will have to de-summon you now."


    Zaroth''s voice displayed a hint of sadness, but there was no choice. He was getting close to his camp, and there was always the danger of his companions seeing his dragon.


    Luna sighed with regret as she nodded. The next moment, Zaroth was left alone with Silverfang, who was happily walking beside him, wagging his tail.


    Finally reaching their camp, Zaroth saw Zack passed out in the spot he was before, and a bit further away, Roran and Lily were sleeping while hugging each other. It seemed they were done with their deed.


    Glancing at the tent, Zaroth muttered, "What was the point of carrying this thing if no one is going to use it?"


    Not looking where he was walking, Zaroth tripped and collapsed on the ground. He tried to get up and enter the tent, but alas, his body was too exhausted. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The last thing he remembered was how Silverfang licked his face.


    ''This guy would be the one to watch the camp overnight, I guess,'' he thought before drifting into sleep.


    *****


    The birds sang happily as the sun shone brightly.


    Slowly opening his eyes, Zaroth saw the sun high up in the sky.


    It seemed half of the next day was already over.


    Grunting as he got up, he placed a hand on his head, cursing silently.


    "Shit, the hangover is no joke. I am really never getting drunk again!"


    Observing his surroundings, he saw that he was the first one to wake up.


    With a sigh, he got up and approached Lily and Roran.


    He placed his hands on them as he shook them gently.


    "Wake up, lovebirds! We have a whole day ahead of us."


    Roran muttered something about ''just a few minutes,'' while Lily immediately opened her eyes.


    Shifting her gaze to Zaroth''s as her vision became less blurry, remembering the previous night, her face started to get red from the embarrassment.


    Before she could say something, Zaroth spoke,


    "I will try to forget what you did yesterday. Just wake the log you are currently hugging."


    Then he got up and went to wake up Zack, muttering,


    "Dammit, why am I always the first one to get up?"


    *****


    Some struggling later, everyone was up, and they disassembled the tent as they continued their walk deeper into the forest.


    "Why am I always the one to carry the tent?" Zack muttered.


    Ignoring his complaining, Zaroth turned his head toward Roran. "From now on, drinking is prohibited."


    Roran scoffed but didn''t say anything, while Lily was still red. Noticing this, Zack commented,


    "Um, Lily, is something wrong?"


    He had been knocked out at the time, so he wouldn''t know what they did while he was sleeping¡ªonly Zaroth did.


    Lily began stuttering, and seeing that, Zaroth spoke, "Not really."


    Roran suddenly chimed in, "Yeah, last night someone seemed to not have gotten enough."


    "You jerk!" Lily said, looking irritated at Roran.


    "What? It''s the truth! When you get drunk, you become a different type of beast!"


    Zack, most likely understanding what Roran meant and not wanting to get in the way of their lovers'' quarrel, didn''t comment and continued walking forward.


    "Wait! Do you hear that?" Zaroth spoke, which led everyone to stop in their tracks and listen.


    "Is that¡ª?" Lily''s eyes narrowed.


    "Water?" Roran continued.


    It was a river! Quickening their steps, they followed the noise and reached a small river.


    Dropping the tent, Zack proclaimed, "This is the spot where we set our camp! I am not carrying the tent anymore!"


    Zaroth observed his surroundings and pointed with his finger toward a spot close to the mountain.


    "Why don''t we set our camp there? The cliff of the mountain would hide us well and make it so we can''t be attacked from every direction at once."


    Everyone agreed, so they set up their tent quickly¡ªmuch faster than their first time.


    Seeing that there was still time before the end of their second day, they decided to use the time wisely and go for a hunt.


    They didn''t meet any beasts on the way to the deeper forest for two reasons,


    First, the beasts close to the edge of the forest were few and far between. Now, being deeper in the territory, it should be much easier to find something.


    Second, when they saw tracks or possible signs of beasts nearby, they avoided them, as they weren''t ready for battle just yet.


    It didn''t take long. Soon Zaroth saw something and pointed at it.


    "Is that¡ª?"


    Everyone shifted their gaze to what he was pointing at.


    "Bear tracks," Roran spoke.


    Cracking his neck, Zack spoke with a smile, "So, we have our first prey?"


    "Not so fast," Roran cut him off. Zack gave him a look as if asking why.


    Seeing the confusion on his face, Lily explained,


    "According to the report¡ªwhich I hope you read before entering the forest¡ªthere are multiple types of bears. While some are ranked Uncommon, others are ranked Rare. If this one is ranked Rare, it could prove too much for us to handle."


    Zaroth and Zack looked at each other, having a silent conversation,


    ''What report is she talking about?''


    ''I have no idea! This is the first time I''ve ever heard of such a thing.''


    Zaroth shook his head as he spoke,


    "Okay, our enemy may be Rare, but that doesn''t change anything. We will still hunt it, we''ll just be more cautious."


    As he was the leader, his opinion held most of the weight¡ªor maybe his friends trusted him that much?


    No one complained as they quickly and quietly followed the tracks the bear had left.


    Soon, they heard the sounds of bestial grunts not too far away. Nodding silently, they pushed forward.


    Zaroth, being in the front, raised his hand, prompting everyone to stop in their tracks.


    He was currently looking at a bear. It had brown fur, four eyes, and a gem in the middle of its forehead.


    Zaroth didn''t need to be an expert in aura theory or beast biology to instinctively know that the creature before him was of the Rare rank.


    He unsheathed the sword from his back and summoned Silverfang. An excited grin appeared on his face as he muttered,


    "Let the hunt begin."

 Chapter 38 First Hunt

    Blood death destruction. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.Inferno raining down from the reality-splitting fight in the sky.


    The forsaken child holds its head, looking death straight into its eyes.


    The cursed knight, blinded by rage and vengeance.


    The anomaly laughing like a maniac while sacrificing his body.


    Demon slowly feeding, slowly growing stronger.


    Corpses of humans raining down from the sky.


    River of blood forming due to the mountain of corpses.


    Someone sitting on a throne watching the spectacle silently, judging.


    A lone woman standing alone amidst the never-ending darkness.


    "Ve-!"


    Blood death destruction.


    The end is coming, no one can stop it.


    "-ra!"


    The gods are shivering.


    Their end was coming.


    And no one was coming to save them.


    "VERA!"


    Waking up, gasping for air, the first thing Vera saw was her own reflection on the armor of her companion.


    She had shoulder-length blonde hair, and her face was hidden behind her white mask.


    "Are you alright?!"


    Shifting her gaze, Vera saw a woman. Her deep blue eyes and hair made her impossible to not recognize at first glance.


    It was Sofia, one of the princesses of the empire and her best friend.


    Using her thin arms, Vera weakly sat up, as she replied while looking into Sofia''s eyes,


    "Yes, I am fine¡­ just had the usual world-ending vision."


    "Listen," Sofia spoke, trying to reassure her,


    "We know that your visions don''t always come true, so all we can do is move forward and try to prevent anything like this happening."


    Vera slightly nodded at Sofia while muttering quietly so that just she could hear.


    "Thank you."


    *****


    Taking a deep breath, Zaroth concentrated, extending his arm forward as he closed his fist.


    "A dragon," he muttered as he slowly opened his palm.


    Slowly, green flames began to appear, ready to be fired.


    Zaroth had trained this skill for some time now, plus when he got the time, he meditated with the hope of increasing the number of sparks he had connected to his mana core.


    As a result of his hard work, he currently had just a bit less than a hundred sparks, which was a big improvement compared to a week before.


    So, as a result, his fireball now should pack more of a punch.


    As the green fireball shot forward, it was accompanied by a bolt of lightning that Lily had shot, both of them were aiming at the body of the large bear.


    The two spells connected and the body of the bear shuddered as it let out a pained roar.


    The majority of the damage was done by Lily''s spell, while Zaroth only managed to scratch it, but he didn''t expect much to begin with.


    As the bear shifted its gaze, searching for the individuals responsible for its pain, it met the eyes of Silverfang, who was running at the bear with full force.


    Not far behind him was Zack, with a sword which looked like it was made from blood.


    And to his side was Roran, with a few weapons hovering around him with their sharp tips pointed at the bear.


    Seeing the danger approaching, the bear rotated its body against the threat and digging its back feet into the ground, it propelled toward their direction.


    Raising its left palm, the bear slashed against the wolf, creating a deep injury, but to the bear''s surprise, the wolf didn''t seem to bleed nor did it seem to care about the pain.


    As Silverfang jumped to the palm of the bear and bit it with full force, clearly reluctant to let go.


    The next moment, a dagger that was hovering around Roran shot forward and pierced one of the four eyes of the bear.


    Zack, being the fastest, managed to position himself close to one of the bear''s back legs and slashed with his sword, creating a deep wound, preventing the creature from moving.


    Zaroth, who had already positioned himself to the right of the center of the battle, raised his hand again and fired another spell.


    Lily, who was positioned on the left side, also did the same.


    The bear, not expecting such coordinated attacks, quickly moved its head with its jaws opened toward Roran, while the gem in its forehead shined and sent a lightning bolt toward Silverfang.


    Roran just barely managed to dodge the jaws of the bear as he raised his sword and managed to scratch its head.


    Silverfang, who had taken the spell attack, couldn''t keep his jaws closed and let go of the bear''s left paw, freeing it.


    Trying to make use of it, the bear tried to attack Roran again, but its body suddenly collapsed on the ground as Zack had managed to slash at its other back leg, making it much harder to move.


    Before the bear could react, it felt the sword of Zaroth, who had decided to attack from up close, piercing its side.


    And at the same time, Roran used his sword to dig deep into the creature''s skull, effectively killing it on the spot.


    Everyone collapsed on their knees, exhausted, but with smiles on their faces.


    It looked like their hunt had been a success.


    *****


    Zaroth sighed of relief, they had managed to defeat a Rare monster pretty much unscathed.


    While it would be considered impressive for first-year students to accomplish such a task, it was still far from what Zaroth was planning to achieve in the future.


    Getting up, he approached the head of the bear where everyone was gathered.


    Silverfang was the only one that had been damaged, but considering his nature, it couldn''t even be counted as an injury as it didn''t seem to bother the wolf much.


    Still, Zaroth felt that it was probably time to desummon him and let him rest in his soul.


    "Not bad," Roran spoke, clearly impressed by their well-thought-out coordinated attack.


    "This is one down, but if we can do it, others would probably be able to do it too¡­ so we must not get comfortable and aim to get as high a score as possible," Zaroth commented.


    "Hey, I''ve been wondering," Lily spoke as she used her dagger to get the gem from the bear''s forehead for proof that they had killed it.


    "Why do you seem so obsessed with joining and winning the tournament? Even if you have a high-tier blessing, what makes you so confident that you will win, and what would you wish for if you do?"


    ''I can''t tell them that I possess a dragon, nor can I tell them that if I win, Elysia would grant one of my wishes¡­ which is quite literally the only reason I accepted the mission to begin with,''


    Zaroth thought as he crossed his arms, lost in thought.


    At the end, he shrugged as he answered, "Just a feeling, I guess."

 Chapter 39 The Emperor

    "Hum?" Lily raised her eyebrow as she turned back."Why are you not coming with us?" she asked, glancing at Zaroth.


    Scratching the back of his head awkwardly, he spoke, S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "You go ahead of me. I will catch up with you in a minute."


    Lily stared at him in confusion, while Zack''s eyes widened in realization. ''Oh, he has to take a dump!''


    "All right, let''s go," Zack said as he pointed toward their camp.


    Roran followed, keeping quiet, and with him, so did Lily.


    Now Zaroth was left alone with the body of the dead bear.


    Shifting his gaze to the creature, he felt energy¡­ the same type as when he revived and tamed Silverfang.


    "Let''s see if this works," he muttered as he placed his hand on the corpse of the creature. Suddenly, a voice rang out in his head,


    [Greater Bear judges your soul.]


    [Greater Bear doesn''t respond to your call.]


    [It''s looking at you with the wish for vengeance.]


    With a sigh, Zaroth removed his hand.


    "I didn''t expect it to let me tame it, as I am the reason it died in the first place. But still, I wanted to make sure," he spoke as he followed after his friends.


    After catching up with them, they returned to their camp. Afterward, they had dinner and, after chatting for some time, went to sleep.


    All four of them were now inside the tent. Despite it being big, it seemed a bit cramped.


    First, there was Lily on the left, who had turned her body sideways, hugging Roran, who was doing the same.


    Then, it was Zaroth, who was laying on his back, trying to fall asleep


    And finally, Zack on the right, who had turned his back to Zaroth.


    To be honest, all of them were uncomfortably close to each other, but outside was too cold to sleep, so it wasn''t like they had much of a choice.


    "It was so easy to go to sleep when we were drunk last night," Roran muttered.


    "Doubt it. It''s just that you enjoyed something last night, that''s why you want to get drunk again," Lily teased.


    "For fuck''s sake, shut up and go to sleep," Zaroth muttered under his breath, becoming irritated as he heard Zack''s breathing slow down, indicating that he had fallen asleep.


    "But I can''t," Lily spoke. "Not when I''m pressed so tightly against Roran."


    "I agree," Roran spoke, despite being half-asleep already.


    "There is no way in the whole universe to explain how little of a fuck I give, so just force yourself to sleep," Zaroth spoke, massaging his eyebrows.


    With that, their second day ended.


    *****


    Steeling his resolve, a servant knocked on the giant door made from the most premium wood that existed in the world.


    Or rather, he was about to knock until a voice across the door interrupted him.


    "You may enter," the voice was cold and emotionless.


    ''He sensed me beyond the door?''


    The servant asked himself, but without letting it show on his face, he slowly opened the door.


    Inside the grand room, a throne made of pure gold with red fabric draped around it stood proudly.


    Sitting in it was a man in a golden outfit with a crown on his head, appearing completely unbothered.


    "Your Imperial Majesty," the servant spoke as he dropped to both knees, glancing at the ground.


    He didn''t dare to meet his master''s gaze, knowing that doing so would probably doom him instantly.


    "I am listening," the emperor spoke as he read from his book, not even sparing a glance at his servant.


    "The fourth expedition we sent¡­ has been lost," the servant said, taking shallow breaths as he forced himself not to collapse under the sheer pressure of his master.


    "Some say that whatever killed them may go after the students participating in the hunting competition."


    "Don''t tell me that all you have to report is the loss of some useless fools." The emperor closed his book loudly, his tone growing more menacing.


    The servant gulped audibly.


    "We have also managed to capture the princess of the Crimson Sun Empire, although we lost a few thousand men in the process," he added quickly.


    The emperor stood up with a smile on his face as he approached his servant.


    "Finally, good news! You are free to go!"


    "Thank you, Your Imperial Majesty," the servant spoke, bowing deeply as he rose and approached the door, inwardly thinking,


    ''This person doesn''t care about the lives that were lost, does he? Why did I have to be sent here of all places?!''


    "Wait."


    Hearing the sudden command, the servant froze in place.


    "Did you just criticize me?" the emperor asked, his tone so menacing that the servant began to sweat.


    "I-I am so sorry, Your Imperial Majesty! It will not happen again!" the servant stuttered, thinking inwardly,


    ''What''s this?! He can read thoughts now?''


    "You are right¡­ It will not happen again," the emperor said as he calmly sat back in his chair, returning his attention to the book.


    "Daughter, come," he spoke, and in the next instant, the doors opened. A beautiful woman with golden hair and pupils identical to her father''s entered the room.


    Her gaze briefly stopped on the corpse of the servant, whose body had been cut in two.


    The man didn''t have a scared expression, the kill had happened so fast that he hadn''t even sensed it.


    Not only that, but there was no blood. The body just lay there, as if it had never even been alive.


    "Yes, Father?" she asked as she met his gaze.


    "Take out the trash, will you?"


    "Understood," she replied with a slight bow.


    With a snap of her fingers, a black shadow appeared below the body and consumed it in an instant.


    "If that is all, I will take my leave," she said, exiting the room.


    Meanwhile, the emperor paid her no attention, completely engrossed in his book.


    Suddenly, his lips curved into a menacing smile as he spoke,


    "Oh? Another anomaly has appeared? Interesting¡­"

 Chapter 40 Ambush

    With a yawn, Zaroth slowly opened his eyes.He placed his right hand on his forehead and gently massaged it.


    "Fuck, I can''t sleep," he muttered as he quietly exited the tent.


    Surprisingly, the sun was already up.


    "It seems I managed to get some sleep after all," he muttered as he began his training regime.


    By the end, he had done 180 squats, 80 push-ups, and 30 pull-ups. It seemed he was slowly progressing and getting stronger.


    Once he was done, he sat on the ground with his legs crossed, focusing on his mana core.


    In the end, he managed to connect about 10 sparks to it.


    "I wish my progress was faster," he admitted as he quickly undressed and entered the river for a quick bath.


    ''Zaroth, progress isn''t linear. There are times when you feel like you aren''t progressing, until suddenly, you begin succeeding seemingly overnight,'' Luna tried to encourage him.


    ''Even if that is the case, isn''t my progress too slow?'' he asked.


    ''No, you are progressing abnormally fast,'' Luna replied.


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow but didn''t continue the conversation further.


    After finishing his bath, he dressed and began playing fetch with Silverfang.


    At that time, the others slowly began to rise. The first was Lily, still with droopy eyes and messy hair. She turned to him as she exited the tent.


    "Good morning," Zaroth spoke.


    "Good morning. How long have you been up?" she asked, massaging her eyes.


    "Not long," he replied, getting up. "Let''s wake the others first."


    After getting up, everyone prepared and set out to explore the forest again in search of their next prey.


    They didn''t have much luck, which was surprising, as usually, the wildlife concentrated around water sources, and their camp was currently positioned near one.


    Left with no choice, they pushed further and further in search of their prey.


    "Oh, my feet hurt!" Zack cried out.


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow. "From here, you are the one of the knight category, so you should be the last to complain."


    "All right, I''m just bored," Zack admitted.


    "Well, don''t," Roran interjected. "In places like these, once you drop your guard, that''s when shit usually goes down."


    "You''re too rigid. You need to be more flexible, man. Relax for a moment," Zack said.


    "I can''t," Roran replied quickly, throwing a glance at Zaroth. "It has been forbidden for me to drink."


    "What, you can''t relax without alcohol?" Zack asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "I can," Roran quickly glanced at Lily. "But now is not the time."


    With a sigh, Zack continued forward.


    Everything was fine until the sound of a branch breaking was heard. Everyone turned their heads in the direction of the sound, but it was already too late. sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A wounded black hyena was already leaping into the air, moments before crushing Lily''s neck.


    The next instant, a sword that looked like it was made of gold materialized out of thin air and slashed through the hyena''s body so hard it split in two.


    "Ambush!" Roran called out.


    Immediately, they were surrounded by more than a dozen hyenas.


    All of them had black fur stained with red, most likely dried blood from recent battles.


    Zaroth knew about these beasts. While they weren''t strong individually, their strength lay in numbers.


    He unsheathed the sword from his back and gave Silverfang, whom he had kept summoned, the command to attack and go for the kill.


    Lily stretched out her hands, and two spells began to appear simultaneously.


    Zack dug his foot deep into the ground as he exploded toward the hyenas.


    Roran stayed close to Lily. Conveniently, the golden sword that had appeared earlier was nowhere to be seen, but nobody paid attention to that.


    Zaroth cursed as multiple hyenas attacked him. Right now, it was every man for himself.


    He slashed with his sword but missed the hyena that charged forward and sank its fangs into his leg.


    Gritting his teeth, he brought down his sword, killing the hyena.


    Stretching out his hand, he concentrated and sent a green fireball toward the next nearest hyena.


    Suddenly, one approached that he had missed and was about to leap into the air with the intention of biting his neck.


    But before it could, Silverfang appeared and stopped it, using his massive weight to overpower the creature and crush its neck in an instant.


    "Fuck, how did we not sense them?!"


    Zaroth muttered as he raised his sword to slash at another enemy while simultaneously trying to fire another fireball.


    ''No, in the first place, why did they attack us?! From what I know, these creatures go for easy kills, and four people with a wolf by their side doesn''t sound easy¡­''


    With these thoughts, he decapitated the head of another hyena, shutting his gaze and searching for his next target, only to realize that there were none.


    He observed his surroundings.


    There were about a dozen hyena bodies around, but not enough.


    Just a moment ago, they had been surrounded, but now there were no more enemies.


    Had the others escaped, seeing that it was not worth the trouble?


    Zaroth glanced around, meeting the gazes of his companions.


    They were painted in red from the blood of the hyenas but otherwise were fine.


    All of them bore the same expression,


    ''No idea what happened.''


    With the exception of Roran, who was staring at the ground, lost in thought, gears slowly turning in his head.


    "Attack¡­ ambush¡­ they were injured¡­ quick retreat," Roran suddenly muttered. His eyes narrowed as he shouted,


    "It''s not over!"


    Hearing him, everyone put their guard back up, quickly scanning the area for nearby danger.


    "Wait, is it possible they weren''t attacking but running from something instead?" Zaroth commented, his eyes narrowing.


    The next moment, a few trees fell down as a green snake, about 15 meters long, appeared. Its red eyes fixed on Zaroth''s squad with hunger and menace.


    "It''s a Rare!" Zack cried out as the snake suddenly swung its tail and hit him with all its might.


    Even from a distance, Zaroth heard Zack''s bones crack as he was sent flying.


    "ZACK!" Zaroth screamed, which made the snake fix its eyes on him next.


    Gulping audibly, he spoke as he tightened his grip on his bloody sword.


    "Shit."

 Chapter 41 Overestimated?

    The snake used its massive body to propel itself forward, its mouth open, getting ready to swallow Zaroth.He just barely managed to dodge by jumping to the side.


    Silverfang immediately jumped the snake with no hesitation.


    Lily extended her arms forward as ice began to cover the body of the snake, limiting its movement.


    A few swords floating around Roran immediately shot forward, attacking the head of the snake.


    With a curse, Zaroth stretched out his hand, and the next moment, a green fireball appeared, ready to be fired.


    Lily and Zaroth''s magic, Silverfang''s claws, and Roran''s swords attacked the snake violently with no hesitation.


    Yet the creature remained perfectly fine as all of their attacks were useless against its thick scales.


    "What now?" Zaroth asked himself, observing the surroundings, trying to find something that he could use to his advantage.


    "Where is Zack?!" he muttered. He wasn''t sure, but the way his neck bent when he took the hit from the snake, he was almost certainly paralyzed¡ªif not that, he was at least bleeding internally, so he was useless in combat.


    Still, Zaroth couldn''t help himself but search for him. He was supposed to be someone on the ground, slowly bleeding, so where the hell was he?


    Why couldn''t Zaroth find him?


    The snake, getting annoyed by the attacks, produced an ear-piercing screech.


    Zaroth had no choice but to put his hands on his ears in an attempt to prevent his eardrums from exploding.


    After the snake had finished its screech, Zaroth''s party was dazed, and they couldn''t move for a moment.


    Seizing the opportunity, the snake propelled its body towards Roran.


    "Hey." A voice suddenly called out. It somehow carried an emotion that Zaroth hadn''t seen before, it was hard to explain.


    But one thing was certain, the voice was firm, almost like a command.


    "Where do you think you''re going?"


    Zaroth shifted his gaze to the person that was talking, and his eyes narrowed in shock. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Zack?" Zaroth muttered.


    Zack was supposed to be on the ground, bleeding slowly and paralyzed, yet he stood like he hadn''t just taken a frontal attack directly to his neck.


    "That hit was pretty good, you know? So I''m sure you wouldn''t mind if I returned the gesture, right?"


    Zack spoke as a menacing smile appeared on his face.


    It seemed the snake recognized him as the biggest current threat, so it shifted its body to face him.


    The next instant, Zack exploded towards the snake with dazzling speed, almost like an arrow¡ªno, he was faster than an arrow.


    He extended his arm, and a sword made from blood appeared.


    But unlike before, this sword was different. It was bigger, much bigger¡ªat least two meters¡ªand it somehow appeared more menacing, more lethal.


    As Zack reached the snake, he slashed.


    And made a deep wound on its side.


    The snake, overwhelmed by the pain, screamed in anger as it moved its head with the intention to devour Zack, only to be stopped by Silverfang, who had thrown its body against the snake.


    Lily and Zaroth immediately fired their spells at the wounds that Zack had created.


    "I am not done yet!" Zack proclaimed as he jumped high into the sky and slashed again, injuring the snake''s left eye.


    Zaroth narrowed his eyes in shock, because Zack''s sword seemed to grow.


    "Is¡­ is his sword absorbing the blood of the snake?" Zaroth muttered under his breath as he tightened the grip on his sword and charged towards the snake.


    Roran did the same as he also directed his sword to strike at the wounded eye of the snake.


    Overwhelmed by the coordinated attacks, the snake screamed again. This time, its roar wasn''t menacing or hostile, it was more of a cry for help.


    It moved its tail again, getting ready to hit Roran, but before it could, Zack jumped again, and as he landed on the snake''s head, he smiled as he brought his sword down, piercing the snake''s skull and brain, killing it in an instant.


    The body of the snake shuddered and fell to the ground, dead.


    Everyone was exhausted and even wounded, but they were alive, which was the most important thing.


    Zaroth collapsed to his knees, greedily breathing the air, and his companions did the same. Everyone was tired.


    A Rare beast had ambushed them and almost killed them. Maybe they were really too overconfident that they could take on a Rare beast as they pleased.


    Zaroth shifted his gaze to Zack.


    ''How is he fine after that attack? At least he should have been paralyzed. At worst, he should have died.''


    He then shifted his gaze to Roran.


    ''What was that giant golden sword that appeared, splitting the hyena in two just before it reached Lily?''


    Zaroth smiled menacingly as he muttered,


    "It seems I am not the only one that hides my real strength here."


    Everyone was exhausted and in a bad mood, so after taking proof of having slain the snake, they decided to head back to their camp.


    Zaroth didn''t try to resurrect the snake as this time he didn''t feel the energy that came from Silverfang and the bear.


    It took them about an hour to return to the camp, and now everyone was sitting around the fire, deep in thought.


    Zaroth glanced at his leg, which he had patched with some herbs. During the time he was taking care of his mother, he had learned a thing or two, so he knew what was good to patch injuries.


    He did the same for Roran and Lily, while Zack¡­


    Despite being the person who should have been the most injured, he was spotless, with not a single injury on his body.


    After the awkward silence between the four continued for some time, Zaroth sighed as he spoke.


    Being the leader and all, he had to play his role.


    "We must admit the truth, it''s that we most likely overestimated our abilities."


    Everyone shifted their gazes to him, but no one interrupted.


    "Just from the ambush of one Rare beast, we almost died. If it had been more¡ªor, in case a pack of Rare monsters, like the pack of hyenas that attacked us before¡ªwe would have been doomed."


    "So, do you think we should head back to the main camp?" Zack asked, leaning back.


    "True, we have the proof of killing two Rare beasts, and that should, technically, put us above the competition¡­ but we still have twelve days remaining, so this is what I suggest."


    He leaned forward, getting a bit closer to the fire.


    "We stop searching for Rare beasts and focus on weaker enemies until the end of the hunting competition."


    In the end, no one objected, so after having a quiet dinner, they all went to sleep.


    *****


    Sofia cleaned her sword with her sleeve while muttering,


    "Second day, and we''ve already slain 12 Rare beasts¡­ not bad."


    Suddenly, the sound of a staff being dropped to the ground made her shift her attention to her friend.


    "Vera? Is something wrong?"


    Without saying anything, the weak girl slowly stretched her trembling hand forward, pointing with her finger.


    Sofia glanced in the direction she was pointing but didn''t see anything, so she raised an eyebrow as she asked,


    "What''s there?"


    Vera took a shaky breath before she spoke, her voice trembling.


    "Epic beasts¡­ they''re coming."

 Chapter 42 Sudden Appearance

    Today Zack was teaching Zaroth how to wield a sword properly."Your stance is too weak!" Zack spoke as he poked with the sword, making Zaroth lose his balance.


    Zaroth grunted as he got back into position.


    "I think that is enough for today," Zack spoke as he sheathed his blade.


    "Shouldn''t we practice more?" Zaroth asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "It''s enough for now. Let''s see what the others are doing," Zack replied.


    Zaroth shifted his gaze to Lily, who was playing with Silverfang like he was some kind of dog,


    while Roran was nowhere to be seen.


    "That''s weird," Zaroth muttered as he began to search around the camp.


    ''He better not be drinking!''


    After some searching, Zaroth found Roran, who was sitting cross-legged, with one leg over the other as if he were meditating, staring at the distance


    "Is something the matter?" Zaroth spoke as he approached him.


    Roran slowly shifted his gaze to Zaroth as he spoke,


    "I have a bad feeling. I think we should return to the main camp already with the teachers," he said with a bit of wariness in his voice.


    Zaroth sat near him, staring at the distance like Roran.


    "Why? True, today marks the end of the first week of the competition, but we have one more, don''t we? Why don''t we use the time to catch more Uncommon beasts to increase our scores?"


    Roran stretched out his hand and pulled up his sleeve.


    "Look," he spoke.


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow.


    "You have goosebumps?"


    "Yes," Roran replied, pulling down his sleeve.


    "This only happens when something bad is approaching."


    Zaroth took a deep breath, thinking about how he should approach this.


    ''Luna, do you feel like something is amiss?'' he asked her, just to make sure.


    ''Not really, but keep in mind that as I am in your soul, my senses are dulled. So if there really is something dangerous that could hide its presence well, I won''t be able to sense it.''


    Zaroth sighed as he spoke,


    "Roran¡­ are you sure? Is it possible that it''s all in your head?"


    It was quite rude to ask such a question, but considering there were more people than just the two of them, they couldn''t just act on a whim.


    ''Wait¡­'' Zaroth''s eyes narrowed for a moment. ''Since when have I cared about being rude to someone?''


    ''It''s because he, as well as your squad, are your friends. Though I''m not surprised you aren''t used to having any,'' Luna teased.


    "I am," Roran spoke without hesitation as he shifted his gaze back to Zaroth.


    "I think we need to get out of here immediately."


    Zaroth closed his eyes for a moment as he took another deep breath.


    "Alright, it''s been pretty boring here recently anyway, so let''s change the scenery a bit."


    Roran smiled as he stood up.


    Then he froze.


    Zaroth stood up as well, looking at the weird reaction that Roran had. He shifted his gaze to the direction his friend was looking.


    Then Zaroth froze as well.


    A breathtaking woman with blue hair and eyes that radiated an aura of mysterious strength was walking slowly towards them.


    Her armor was torn and bloodied, and she was bleeding from one eye.


    ''Isn''t that the princess?'' Zaroth asked himself as he shifted his gaze to the girl she was carrying.


    The girl was weak and fragile-looking with shoulder-length blonde hair, and her face was hidden behind a white mask that had cracked violently.


    Hesitation for a moment, Zaroth stepped forward. "What happened?"


    The princess continued to walk slowly towards them, and then¡ª


    "I am sorry¡­ I am so sorry. I don''t have a choice," she spoke. Her voice was weak and fragile, not one that a person would expect from a member of the royal family.


    Suddenly, the princess dug her foot deep into the ground and dashed forward, running past Roran and Zaroth.


    She moved so fast that they couldn''t even sense her movements.


    Suddenly, Zaroth got goosebumps as well.


    ''She is a fourth-year student and a member of the royal family¡­ So why was she so beaten up¡­ and was she carrying only one member of her squad? Where are the rest?''


    As the gears in Zaroth''s head began to turn, he locked gazes with Roran.


    In that instant, they agreed on something as both of their thoughts mirrored each other.


    ''We run.''


    Without hesitation, they dashed toward their camp, exchanging no words with one another.


    Lily was currently rubbing the back of Silverfang as she enjoyed his company immensely.


    Zack had his back against a tree, trying to get some sleep.


    Suddenly, Silverfang moved, startling Lily for a moment.


    The wolf began to bark at her, which made Zack open his eyes, muttering.


    "What is it now?" he spoke as he massaged his forehead.


    Suddenly, from the bushes, Zaroth and Roran appeared, looking like they were having a panic attack.


    "We get the fuck out of here now!"


    "What¡ª"


    Lily didn''t have any time to be surprised as Roran, without saying anything, grabbed her and started running away.


    "What about the tent?!" she screamed as the panic started to slowly set in.


    "Too late for that," Roran muttered as he continued running.


    "What the fuck is going on?!" Zack shouted, half irritated, half wary, seeing his comrades act in such a way as he stood up.


    Zaroth met his gaze for a moment before shouting, "Nothing good, run!"


    Despite being curious, Zack didn''t ask anything as he immediately dashed away, following the advice of his friend.


    ''Zaroth,'' Luna suddenly spoke in his mind, ''I just felt it, get the hell out of here now!''


    Zaroth didn''t slow down his sprint as he muttered, "You don''t have to tell me twice."


    ***** Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A man with dry, cracked skin exited the bushes as he put his hand on the abandoned tent.


    "Ah¡­ how cruel, that girl¡­ did they call her princess? To use these poor souls for bait as she gets away¡­"


    Foam dripped from the corners of his mouth as he spoke, his eyes wide and unfocused.


    "Well, no matter. In the end, everyone here would die anyway¡­"


    He began to calmly walk toward his next prey, humming along the way as he did.

 Chapter 43 Meeting

    Sofia was running with everything she had. Her chest was falling quickly up and down as she breathed the air.Her muscles ached with each step she took, but she forced her body to continue running nonstop.


    Ignoring her bleeding eye, she briefly shifted her gaze to Vera, whom she was carrying in her arms.


    Her friend had passed out, so she was currently helpless. The mask that covered her face had been violently cracked, allowing a glimpse of her flawless skin.


    "I am sorry," Sofia muttered, not slowing down her step.


    She knew that she had doomed these first-year students, but there was not much of a choice.


    It was either her and her friend or these strangers.


    So the choice was more than obvious.


    What had been done had been done, and there was no going back.


    There was only one thing Sofia could do, reach the main camp and inform Elysia, the chairwoman, that an Epic beast tamer, who had succumbed to his beast''s temptations, had suddenly appeared and begun attacking the students.


    Sofia gritted her teeth in frustration.


    The only two that had survived from her squad were she herself and Vera, whom she had miraculously managed to save from the jaws of the Epic beast the man had.


    Her arms trembled slightly as she remembered the sight of the two great monsters and how fast they disintegrated her teammates.


    Most of them she wasn''t in a great relationship with, but still, her failure was more than evident.


    How was she going to face her father, the emperor, now?


    With such an evident failure, it was clear she was going to fall even more in his eyes.


    Sofia gritted her teeth as she muttered,


    "Stop distracting yourself. Focus on the current issue at hand¡ªreaching the camp alive and alerting the teachers."


    Elysia was currently there too, so no doubt she would be able to get rid of the two Epic beasts once she heard the news.


    But the question remained, until Sofia managed to reach the camp, how many would die?


    One thing was for certain, though, these first years she had used as bait were as good as dead.


    So all Sofia could do now was run as fast as possible to make sure their deaths weren''t meaningless.


    *****


    "Why am I trembling?" Lily asked as she was currently being carried by Roran.


    She knew Roran''s strength, as it was more efficient for him to run while carrying her.


    That was the reason why Lily didn''t protest or try to get out of his embrace.


    She shifted her gaze to him before she spoke,


    "What''s happening?"


    His expression didn''t change, nor did he shift his attention from running at full speed.


    When he spoke, his voice was cold and emotionless.


    "We saw the princess, bloodied and clearly beat up. She was running away from something," he took a breath before continuing,


    "So, whatever this is, it will most likely focus its attention on us now."


    Lily was quiet, deep in thought.


    ''The princess was bloodied? She was running away from something? But she is not only royalty but also a fourth-year student from the most prestigious academy in the empire. What could possibly injure her to that extent?''


    Suddenly, Lily shivered at the thought, realizing the gravity of the unexpected situation.


    Not far behind was Zack, who was running full speed ahead. Glancing at his arm, he muttered,


    "I''m shivering? Me, of all people? This only happens when I''m in the presence of my family¡­ If something of similar power is chasing us, things will get really ugly."


    And last was Zaroth. After seeing that his comrades were much faster than him, he realized that he would soon lose them.


    He did the next best thing, he mounted Silverfang and commanded him to run full speed ahead.


    ''Luna!'' he spoke in his mind.


    ''That thing that''s chasing us, where¡ª'' sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''It''s slowly getting closer,'' Luna interrupted him. ''This time, you might be forced to summon me.''


    Zaroth gritted his teeth. Summoning Luna now would announce to his comrades that he possessed a mythical dragon.


    Unlike the vampire he had encountered before, they would not be forced to keep that information a secret.


    So the question was, could he trust them with that information?


    No, he couldn''t.


    He knew that, just like him, Zack and Roran were concealing their true power, reluctant to reveal it to anybody else.


    "Summoning you would be our last resort," Zaroth muttered under his breath as he commanded Silverfang to go faster.


    ''Focus,'' Zaroth thought as he closed his eyes, beginning to feel his mana core.


    He had gotten significantly stronger after the start of the hunting competition.


    His skills with the fireball and his ability to wield a sword had increased dramatically.


    The only thing he could do now was try to reach his peak for the inevitable battle that was approaching them.


    After his squad increased their speed, he asked Luna again, ''What about now?''


    ''It''s still getting closer. It seems the thing that''s chasing you is not willing to let you go,'' Luna replied.


    Zaroth gritted his teeth in frustration.


    Suddenly, a roar was heard in front of them. Shifting his glance, Zaroth saw a great bear¡ªa Rare beast¡ªstanding before them with the intent to attack.


    The next second, the pupils of the bear widened in horror. It turned and fled in fear, as if it sensed the thing chasing Zaroth''s squad.


    "This is bad," Zaroth muttered.


    They were running with everything they had and still not getting farther away from the enemy.


    This meant that sooner or later, they would be forced to stop due to exhaustion and fight while already overexerted.


    The most logical thing was to fight now, while still at full strength.


    Having made up his mind, Zaroth shouted,


    "The thing chasing us is still behind us! At this rate, we''ll be forced to stop and fight it exhausted, so I suggest we stop and fight it now, while we''re still at full strength!"


    His comrades heard him and began thinking of a possible way to avoid the fight, but they failed to find any solution.


    "Lily," Roran spoke coldly as he set her down, looking into her eyes. "I might be forced to use that, so if that happens, you know what to do, right?"


    Lily, trembling, could only slightly nod.


    Zack stopped, his face grimacing as he thought,


    ''In the worst-case scenario, I''ll have to use it¡ªeven if it means revealing it to my teammates. Whatever happens, I''ll deal with the fallout after this mess is over.''


    Zaroth commanded Silverfang to stop. Dismounting, he looked into the distance, where the danger was approaching.


    As everyone got ready for battle, an uncomfortable silence fell over the field.


    Then, the bushes rustled, and a man emerged from them.


    His skin was dry and cracked, his eyes unfocused. He gazed at Zaroth''s group before speaking casually with a menacing smile.


    "Hello, nice to meet you."

 Chapter 44 Obliterated

    "Report," Elysia spoke harshly.Roderic shuddered slightly, reluctant to meet her gaze as he began to speak.


    "We have found multiple bodies of students, with most of their blood missing."


    Elysia grimaced, and suddenly Roderic shouted,


    "That''s enough! We have to stop the hunting competition!"


    "We can''t," Elysia replied, her voice clearly frustrated.


    "Emperor''s orders. Unless we find evidence that a monster is the cause and not fights between the students, we can''t stop it."


    Roderic shouted again, no longer caring about appearances.


    "So what, the emperor doesn''t care about the lives of the students?"


    Elysia couldn''t respond immediately, lost in thought.


    Roderic clenched his fist as he spoke, "Can''t we just stop him? All we have to do is kill him."


    Elysia leaned back in her chair. "Not yet. It still isn''t the moment to strike."


    "So¡­ we''re forced to just wait?"


    "Pretty much¡­" Elysia replied as her gaze shifted to a specific student''s file¡ªZaroth.


    "But not for much longer," she added as she took a sip of her coffee.


    *****


    "Hello, nice to meet you." The voice of the man was menacing, and just hearing him talk made everyone tremble slightly in fear.


    Zaroth thought inwardly, ''We were running from a human? Not a monster?''


    He had many questions but was reluctant to ask any, as just by feeling the aura of the man, he had trouble breathing.


    The next moment, the eyes of the man widened slightly in shock as he gazed at Silverfang and then at Zaroth.


    "You! You are a beast tamer like me? Ah, it''s not every day that I get to meet someone who has the same class as me, you know? We are mostly extinct."


    Zaroth''s eyes widened as his heart rate increased even more.


    ''He is a beast master like me?'' Zaroth thought inwardly as the gears in his head started to turn rapidly.


    He remembered his class and the story of the legendary beast master who had succumbed to his beast''s desires and destroyed an entire continent as a result.


    And seeing the strange appearance of the man, it was almost like a puzzle had formed in Zaroth''s mind.


    ''Is¡­ has he succumbed to his beast''s desires? That would explain why the princess ran away from him, bloodied¡­''


    His eyes widened in horror as realization struck him.


    For the princess to be in that pitiful state, it must mean the man in front of him was no ordinary beast master.


    He most likely had beasts of at least Epic rank.


    He remembered his conversation with Luna¡ªhow, despite being mythical rank, she was currently limited by the strength of his own mana core.


    At most, she would be able to defeat a single Epic beast in battle.


    But what if the man in front of Zaroth had multiple Epic beasts?


    He shuddered at the thought. It would mean that Luna would not be able to keep him safe.


    Suddenly, he felt something he hadn''t felt in a long time,


    True fear.


    It seemed he had grown arrogant, always having Luna by his side.


    For the first time, he was facing a danger where he could very likely end up dead.


    Not wanting to appear fazed, Zaroth spoke, trying to hide the fear in his voice,


    "Can I ask why you are following us, good sir?"


    Behind him, Roran had already made his swords float around him, Zack had summoned his blood sword, and Lily had extended both of her arms, ready to fire a spell at a moment''s notice.


    Silverfang was showing his teeth, and Zaroth had tightened his grip on his sword as much as he could.


    Everyone was nervous and scared of the man in front of them. sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Well¡­ you see, as you are a beast master, you might understand¡ªunlike the others¡­" the man began as he raised his arms to the side.


    As he spoke, his voice carried a dangerous edge.


    "I had a gift. I was able to tame Epic beasts¡­ but once the word got around, they tried to execute me. Do you know why? Because they thought I would bring danger to the people!"


    The man was clearly frustrated as he spoke.


    "They didn''t even want to give me a chance! Everyone was scared that I would succumb to my beast''s desires, which wasn''t going to happen! There was no way I was going to lose to them that easily...


    But you see¡­"


    The smile faded from his face.


    "Even my parents¡ªthe people who are supposed to support you in the loneliest times¡ªlooked at me like I was a monster. And in that moment, my thoughts aligned perfectly with my beasts... I really wanted to kill them."


    He shouted as a massive grin appeared on his face.


    "I killed them all! I wouldn''t have done it if they had given me a chance! But they didn''t, and now they''re dead. Oh, the feeling of killing them was unlike anything I had ever experienced! Such pleasure is impossible to describe."


    Zaroth cursed inwardly, ''Fuck! He has killed his own parents?! This psycho is beyond help!''


    The man gaze returned to Zaroth''s group.


    "I am chasing that feeling again. So I wonder, if I kill you, will I feel it again?"


    Everyone shuddered and began to move, but it was too late.


    Suddenly, a great beast, larger than any house and with three heads, appeared. It slashed so fast it was impossible to see with the naked eye.


    In a split second, Zack was beheaded.


    But the beast didn''t stop there. Its tail moved, hitting Roran straight in the chest.


    Roran moved the swords floating around him as well as his arms, trying to block the attack, but as the swords and his arms broke. He was sent flying, coughing blood violently.


    A gigantic bird-like creature with metallic feathers materialized as it flew with staggering speed and pierced Lily''s abdomen with its giant beak. The wind it created with its wings sent Silverfang flying to the side.


    And then, the man himself suddenly moved so fast it looked like he teleported.


    One moment he was far away, the next, he appeared right before Zaroth and used his fist to hit him with devastating power.


    Zaroth''s ribs broke, with some of them piercing his organs. He was sent flying through the air, only to collide with a nearby tree, breaking even more bones on impact.


    He collapsed on the ground, unable to breathe, bleeding from every possible hole he could have.


    And just like that, in the span of a split second, Zaroth''s squad was completely and utterly obliterated.

 Chapter 45 Eryndor

    "I am sorry to say, but your class is a Beast Master." Immediately, the excitement that Eryndor felt was gone, as it was replaced by dread."Beast Master?" His voice carried a hint of disbelief.


    "Please, you have to check again! There is no way I am a Beast Master!"


    "Eryndor," the man clad in black robe spoke as he took the orb out of Eryndor''s hands.


    "There are no mistakes in the test, you have awakened the Beast Master class."


    All Eryndor could do now was grit his teeth in frustration, cursing inwardly.


    ''Why? Why did it have to be the most cursed class of them all?'' S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Knowing that there was a line behind him waiting to enter the room and be tested for their classes, all Eryndor could do was bow slightly and exit the room.


    "Hey man, what class did you get?" His best friend asked, clearly in a good mood.


    "Truth be told, I''m a Paladin! Can you imagine me as a Paladin? I can''t wait, I heard in the future I''ll be able to subjugate demons with ease!"


    His friend turned his head, looking at Eryndor. "So what did you get?"


    Eryndor awkwardly scratched the back of his head as he answered, "You know it''s not polite to ask such questions. Besides, this information is supposed to be secret¡­"


    "Oh, come on!" his friend lightly tapped him on the shoulder. "You can be honest with me. I swear I won''t tell anyone."


    ''We''ve been friends since we were children¡­ so maybe it''s fine to tell him, right?''


    "A Beast Master, my class is a Beast Master," Eryndor spoke awkwardly as he thought inwardly.


    ''Sure, it may be the most despised class, but so what? I will prove everybody wrong! Just because of my class doesn''t mean I''ll become some kind of cold-blooded killer!''


    Eryndor''s friend''s eyes widened slightly. "I-I see, well, not much we can do about it, right?"


    A fake smile appeared on his face.


    "Hey, I was wondering if we were going to the ca-"


    "Sorry," his friend interrupted him as he scratched the back of his head awkwardly.


    "I just remembered I have something to do¡­ maybe next time?"


    Eryndor laughed awkwardly, "Sure, next time."


    This was the last time Eryndor saw his best friend.


    *****


    A table flew across the room as it shattered into multiple pieces.


    "WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU ARE A BEAST TAMER?" His father''s furious shout made Eryndor tremble slightly in fear.


    "Father, li-"


    "Is that why I have looked after you for almost two decades? To return to me as a Beast Master?!" His father interrupted him, his voice growing angrier and angrier.


    "Honey!" His mother calmed down his father. "It''s fine, he will just not tame beasts, alright?"


    Suddenly, Eryndor''s mother shifted her gaze to him, but her eyes weren''t loving or gentle as usual, this time, they bore wariness, almost fear.


    "Eryndor¡­ you will not tame anything, right?"


    "Y-yes, Mother," under her piercing gaze, all he could do was stutter as he answered.


    "But," Eryndor''s father put a hand on his head.


    "Being a Beast Master, he is essentially useless! How is he going to make money? We''re so close to being thrown out onto the streets as we struggle with our debt!"


    "It''s alright, honey, we will find a way."


    This was how the talk with his parents about his class went.


    "I will show you," Eryndor muttered under his breath.


    Wanting to hide that he was a beast tamer, he took a jobs anonymously and solo them with the intention to earn money and improve his family situation.


    Pretty quickly, he saw that he had a talent, as it turned out, the blessing he had received from his god was quite powerful.


    He tamed multiple Rare beasts and quickly earned money as he completed the jobs.


    At first, his parents questioned how he got so much money, but as they were in desperate need of it, they didn''t object and accepted it.


    One day, Eryndor was in the forest when he saw the corpses of dozens of Rare beasts lying on the ground.


    He fell to his knees, only to see a three-headed beast bigger than a house glaring at him with hungry eyes.


    ''This is the moment I will die,'' he thought¡­ but something unexpected happened¡ªhe tamed the beast.


    He managed to tame an Epic beast!


    ''Finally, my countless hours of practice have been rewarded!'' he thought as he returned home.


    ''Now there is no way they won''t recognize me!'' he thought with a smile.


    Since taming the beast, he had begun to hear some strange voices in his head, but he easily ignored them.


    He was looking forward to seeing how proud his parents would be.


    "Ple-ase get out," his mother stuttered, her pupils widening in horror.


    "Mother, I-"


    "Please leave us alone¡­" his father interjected.


    "But I did it for y-"


    "We don''t have a son anymore! Please leave!" his mother screamed.


    At their words, all he could do was exit the room in silence, but not before putting his savings on the table.


    ''They need it more than me¡­ they are just confused at the moment. I am sure, with time, they will see reason,'' he thought.


    The next day, Eryndor was surrounded by warriors and mages.


    "Sir Eryndor! It is suspected that you have tamed an Epic beast¡ªan act strictly forbidden by the law. As such, your execution will be carried out at once!"


    ''How? Who ratted me out?'' Eryndor thought. He hadn''t spoken about his beast to anyone¡­ except¡­


    Shifting his gaze, he saw his parents looking from the distance.


    ''My parents ratted me out? Even after all I have done for them?''


    After that, everything was a blur.


    When Eryndor came back to his senses, the whole city was in ruins, and he was standing over his parents'' corpses with a smile on his face.


    He let out a sigh as he muttered, "Then so be it. I will become exactly what you were afraid of."


    Eryndor went on a rampage, destroying numerous cities on his path as he headed toward the capital of the empire.


    He even managed to tame a second Epic beast along the way.


    And now he was standing above a man with white hair and green, cat-like eyes.


    "My name is Eryndor¡­ what is yours?" he asked.


    The white-haired man, though he could hardly breathe, replied,


    "Why would you care?"


    "Because I respect other Beast Masters. I want to at least remember your name before I kill you."


    The white-haired man chuckled weakly before answering,


    "It''s Zaroth¡­ but you''re wrong, Eryndor. Today isn''t the day I die¡ªit''s the day you meet your end."

 Chapter 46 Fear

    ''Isn''t this situation completely ridiculous?'' Zaroth thought bitterly.''I could have summoned Luna before the man approached, seeing her, Eryndor would have been more hesitant to attack, and this wouldn''t have happened.''


    Zaroth slowly observed his surroundings.


    Zack was laying on the ground, beheaded, dead. Strangely enough, he wasn''t bleeding at all.


    Roran, despite blood leaking from his eyes and mouth, had somehow managed to reach Lily''s body.


    Despite his current state, he was muttering something as his bloody tears fell onto her quickly dying body.


    "I was hesitating... hesitating to reveal my powers to my comrades... and this is the result of my foolish actions."


    He gritted his teeth. "Completely and utterly failing as a leader of the squad."


    Eryndor was silently gazing at Zaroth, lost in thought. It seemed that seeing another Beast Master had made him hesitate to go immediately for the kill.


    Was it because Eryndor felt something as ridiculous as they were similar in nature?


    No one could tell, nor did anyone truly care.


    Eryndor''s beasts were currently standing by.


    The three-headed beast was looking at its palm in confusion, wondering why there wasn''t any blood on it despite having beheaded Zack just a second ago. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The bird-like creature with metallic feathers tilted its head in confusion as it gazed at Roran, crying over Lily''s body.


    Silverfang was slowly trying to get on his feet, but it seemed a lot of his bones were broken, so he was having trouble.


    Honestly, it was hard to imagine a situation where they were more screwed than this one.


    "Why?" Zaroth asked in frustration.


    "Why did you succumb to your beasts?! Are you that weak mentally to not be able to resist the temptations of your beasts?!"


    Eryndor''s eyebrows furrowed for a moment, not expecting the sudden question.


    "You are a Beast Master like me, so I think you would be able to understand," his voice was menacing, yet carried a hint of regret.


    "Just because in the past one legendary Beast Master went on a rampage, destroying an entire continent, now everyone looks at us with suspicion!"


    Eryndor shifted his gaze to Zaroth''s companions.


    "You might have told a few close friends your class, but you haven''t told anybody else, right?! It''s because you know that if you do, you will be made a public enemy, as in their eyes, there is always the possibility of you going insane."


    Eryndor stretched his arms to the side as he glanced at the sky.


    "So I thought, fuck it! If they fear me so much, then I will give them a legitimate reason!"


    "So your plan is to go around killing people as much as you please?" Zaroth spoke as he used his arm to grab a tree for support, slowly standing up.


    "Yes. Don''t tell me you have a problem with that?" Eryndor raised an eyebrow.


    "No," Zaroth answered instantly.


    "Whatever you kill, a hundred or a million people, is not something that concerns me at all, but¡­"


    Zaroth''s gaze shifted to his comrades.


    "I finally found people that I connected to on some level¡­ and you dare to hurt them? You dare try to steal something from me?"


    Zaroth spat as his voice became more menacing with each word he spoke.


    "For the sin of trying to stand against me and trying to steal what''s mine, I will kill you. I will tear you to shreds!"


    Eryndor burst into laughter as he heard Zaroth''s declaration,


    "And how the hell do you plan to do that?! When you are completely alone? Against me and my Epic beasts?!"


    "I am not alone¡­ not anymore," Zaroth spoke coldly as he returned Eryndor''s menacing gaze with one of his own.


    Eryndor was about to respond until something caught his attention.


    The blood below Zaroth was moving in a certain direction.


    Somewhere behind him.


    Eryndor turned around, searching for the reason.


    Before him stood a headless body, towering, the severed head clutched tightly in its right hand.


    It was Zack.


    He slowly raised his head as he put it back into place, his white pupils seemed unfocused as he muttered.


    "I will not die... not until I have killed them for what they did."


    Suddenly, the blood on the ground surged toward him, and a menacing armor, giving off a threatening presence, formed from the blood that was beginning to harden around Zack''s body.


    A giant sword, more than two meters long, appeared in his right hand, slowly growing with each second.


    "Forbidden act... blood manipulation."


    "Wha¡ª" Eryndor was stunned for a moment until he felt a menacing presence to his side.


    He turned, his heart stopped for a second as he met Roran''s gaze¡ªeyes dripping with blood, an expression filled with a wish for vengeance.


    "I swore an oath... I will not fail again."


    Suddenly, dozens of two-meter-long golden swords manifested from thin air, each one sharp enough as if ready to tear reality apart.


    "These swords¡ª all of them seem worthy to be held by a king, and he commands dozens of them?" Eryndor muttered, a chill running down his spine.


    Roran spoke, clutching Lily''s bleeding body in his arms, his voice burning with raw rage.


    "I''ll mangle you,"


    Eryndor''s mind raced¡ªhad they been hiding their true power all along? A cold sweat broke out across his forehead. This wasn''t a situation he had taken into account.


    Then, a cold, distant voice sliced through the tension.


    Zaroth.


    Eryndor''s heart dropped as he felt a menacing presence behind him. His blood froze solid, and for the first time, he felt like he wasn''t in control.


    He was a Beast Master who commanded two Epic beasts, capable of easily destroying a country given the right circumstances, but in that moment, he didn''t feel like a hunter anymore.


    He felt like prey.


    "Luna... come forth."


    A tall woman with white hair and green cat-like eyes suddenly materialized in front of Zaroth, her gaze sharp as she glanced at the enemies in front of her, her expression one of utter indifference.


    Eryndor''s body shivered, as did the bodies of his beasts.


    For the first time in a long while, something cold, something he hadn''t felt in years, twisted in his chest as his heart raced uncontrollably and his breathing turned ragged.


    The most primal feeling of all.


    Fear.

 Chapter 47 The Battle Has Begun

    Eryndor and his two Epic beasts were surrounded.On one side was Zack, a knight capable of manipulating blood.


    On another was Roran, who seemed to command dozens of deadly, heavenly-like swords.


    And then there was Zaroth... and his summon, Luna.


    Just from her presence alone, anyone could tell she was the biggest threat.


    There was no need to even look at her¡ªjust the atmosphere around her seemed to bend and change, as if struggling to exist near such an unbelievably strong entity.


    It felt as if the world stopped for a moment. The wind died down, and the trees stopped swaying.


    All life forms in the vicinity had long since fled, sensing the scale of the battle that was about to erupt.


    Then, the ground shook.


    Luna immediately transformed into a giant dragon made of bone, her menacing green eyes glowing as she launched herself toward a bird-like creature with terrifying speed, ready to tear it apart.


    Zack dug his foot into the ground with such force that he cracked it, then exploded forward toward the three-headed beast.


    With each step, the ground beneath him shattered into dozens of pieces, debris scattering in every direction just from the sheer force of his movements.


    At the same time, dozens of swords flew toward the three-headed beast.


    Their speed surpassed that of arrows, and their sharp tips seemed capable of slicing the atmosphere itself.


    Finally, Zaroth, gripping his sword tightly, took a deep breath and dashed toward Eryndor¡ªthe only enemy left for him.


    Silverfang finally managed to rise to his four feet, grunting as he lunged at Eryndor from behind, supporting Zaroth.


    Zaroth''s core burned as he felt his mana draining at an alarming rate. Keeping Luna in her dragon form was a monumental task, not to mention the additional strain of keeping his wolf summoned.


    On top of it all, he was pushing his body even after it had reached its limits, exhausted and broken.


    Ignoring the pain, he gritted his teeth, tasting iron, as he was no doubt bleeding internally.


    "Eryndor! You are mine!" he shouted.


    This was the only thought keeping him going, helping him push past the unbearable pain.


    Killing that son of a bitch.


    Zaroth knew he had little chance of defeating Eryndor under normal circumstances. Despite being a Beast Master like him, Eryndor seemed to possess some kind of blessing that allowed him to move like a knight.


    But that was only if they fought one-on-one.


    Silverfang, being faster than Zaroth, reached Eryndor first.


    He opened his massive jaws, saliva dripping from them, and brought them down onto Eryndor''s leg, closing his mouth with enough force to shatter his bones.


    "You fucking dog!" Eryndor muttered as the bone in his leg cracked. S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But he didn''t have much time to cry out, as the next second Zaroth was already upon him, slashing with his sword as his eyes shone with menacing green color.


    He looked like a hunter about to devour his prey.


    Eryndor, seeing that his two beasts were locked in combat of their own, gritted his teeth.


    Then he smiled, using his arm to tap the sword Zaroth was swinging, making it miss him by the width of a hair''s breath.


    "Let''s see you try! Let''s see who is the more worthy Beast Master to live!" Eryndor shouted, clenching his palm into a fist before punching toward Zaroth.


    The punch moved with inhuman speed¡ªit was evident that Eryndor''s blessing seemed to enhance his physical capabilities.


    Naturally, Zaroth wasn''t able to see it coming¡­


    Or, he should have been, but without panicking, he moved his head just enough to the side so the punch missed him by a centimeter.


    "What¡ª" Eryndor seemed surprised that the opponent who was supposed to have inferior physical abilities had managed to dodge his punch.


    But Zaroth didn''t seem surprised by his own achievements. It looked like he was lost in thought.


    Because in that moment, as he approached Eryndor, there was nothing else in his mind¡ªnot the dragon fighting a giant bird-like beast in the sky, nor the fact that his two friends were fighting a massive three-headed beast.


    All he could sense¡­ perceive, was just him and his enemy.


    At that moment in time, Zaroth had managed to do it again, he replicated the thing he had been trying to achieve for two weeks now.


    He had reached his peak.


    *****


    An earth-shattering roar erupted from Luna''s massive jaws as she fired a deadly inferno of green flames aimed at the giant bird-like beast.


    Without hesitation, the giant bird used its metal feathers and passed right through the deadly flame.


    It only took a second, but it seemed the feathers were able to withstand the terrible heat Luna was producing with her breath¡­


    For now.


    As the deadly inferno Luna had unleashed landed on the ground, it ignited in flames.


    Zack dashed with staggering speed, reaching the leg of the three-headed beast. Raising his sword, he slashed, splitting the air in two.


    The beast sensed that being cut by the sword was bad news and instinctively moved its body, just barely dodging to the side.


    Then it felt an unbearable pain in its side. Shifting its gaze, it saw Roran carrying Lily''s injured body, as dozens of golden swords rained down toward it.


    Not only that, but due to the fight happening in the sky, it seemed as if the sky itself was beginning to go into flames.


    Suddenly, the third head of the beast¡ªthe one closest to Roran¡ªgrunted.


    It seemed to have gotten an idea for how to deal with the deadly threat.


    The beast opened its jaws wide, sucking in a staggering amount of air in an instant.


    No, not just air, but the green flames in the sky as well.


    Ignoring the fact that the inside of its mouth was burning, the beast''s eyes shone as it took aim and redirected the inferno toward Roran.


    At the same time, it bent its tail at an unnatural angle, aiming for Roran again.


    No, not Roran, but the person he was carrying.


    It seemed that the three-headed beast had decided to first kill the current weakest member of the enemy''s squad,


    Lily.

 Chapter 48 Slowly Melting

    The tail of the monster cut through the air, accompanied by the deadly inferno.Both of them moved with staggering speed, targeting Lily.


    "Oh no, you fucking don''t," Roran spat as he managed to twist his body at an unnatural angle to dodge the tail of the three-headed beast.


    At the same time, he commanded three of his swords to stand between him and the deadly inferno, effectively creating a shield.


    Roran took a step back, with Lily safely in his arms. He was trying to put some distance between himself and the beast.


    Growling, the beast moved its three heads, glaring at Roran, unwilling to let him go.


    But in doing so, it seemed to forget the enemy already within arm''s reach.


    Zack, after missing his initial attack, dashed forward, closing the distance to mere inches from the beast, and slashed horizontally.


    His sword tore through the monster''s tendons and muscles, making a shallow wound.


    But that was enough.


    Suddenly, the crimson blood of the monster began to slowly move in the direction of Zack''s sword, making his sword expand and grow larger.


    Another ear-piercing roar echoed from the sky.


    Luna, using her massive wings, flew even higher, making it easier to strike the giant bird.


    Her dragon form was entirely made of bones, including her wings. Normally, she shouldn''t have been able to fly¡­


    And yet, she did. Despite being weakened to the level of an Epic beast, she was a mythical creature at heart, meaning her will was enough to bend the laws of the world.


    Opening her jaws again, the inside of her mouth shone, and a second later, another inferno was fired at the bird-like creature.


    The beast responded with a roar of its own as it flapped its wings harder, increasing its speed even more.


    Thanks to its bird-like body and giant structure, just a flap of its wings seemed to shake the nearby trees, as if they were about to be blown away by the sheer force.


    Using its momentum, the beast passed through Luna''s flames, getting ready to attack with its beak.


    Luna responded in kind, slashing forward, preparing to intercept the attack.


    Most creatures would feel threatened seeing a giant dragon slashing with its massive claws, but the beast did not.


    It seemed confident that its body, made of metallic feathers, would be able to withstand the attack.


    The next second a large, tunning sound was heard as Luna''s attack connected with the beast, it seemed she wasn''t able to pierce its metallic body just yet. S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The bird got closer and managed to strike the Luna''s skull¡ªor more accurately, her eye.


    It probably thought that piercing the eye of the dragon with its beak would effectively kill it, and it would have been correct in normal circumstances¡­


    But it seemed that the beast had missed one little detail.


    Luna would have smiled if she were in her human form.


    ''I am already dead, you fool!'' she thought to herself as she moved her claws, catching the bird that had its beak stuck in her eye.


    After securing it in her claws, she moved her head and opened her jaws.


    ''You might be able to take my breath from afar¡­''


    Suddenly, the body of the bird beast shuddered as it sensed the incoming danger.


    ''But what about an attack from close up?''


    As the inferno attack left Luna''s mouth, it collided with the bird at close range. Perhaps its feathers would have held up in normal circumstances,


    But Luna''s breath didn''t stop as she didn''t let up with her attack. It was like her mouth was an abyss, capable of firing an infinite amount of fire attacks at no cost at all.


    Having to bear the attack for so long and at such close distance, the feathers of the bird beast slowly began to heat up.


    First, their tips became a lighter shade of red,and then, slowly, the red became more intense as the heat spread throughout the base of the feathers.


    They were slowly melting.


    *****


    "What is the matter, Zaroth? You don''t look so well!" Eryndor spoke, having managed to free himself from Silverfang''s jaws.


    He had taken a step back, placing both Zaroth and Silverfang in his line of sight.


    His leg was broken, so his movements were limited, yet he smiled as he looked at Zaroth.


    Despite looking like he wasn''t feeling anything, his face had become red, most likely due to the fatigue he was feeling.


    ''He must be using an absurd amount of mana to support the body of that dragon. He will soon run out, and then he''ll be left without a beast.''


    Eryndor was already making plans to celebrate his victory until he shifted his gaze upward, and his eyes widened in horror.


    His Epic beast had been caught in Zaroth''s dragon''s embrace and was currently being melted by its breath.


    "Fuck, don''t you dare die!" Eryndor cursed as he sent a mental command to his three-headed beast.


    The creature, as soon as it received the command, changed its movements, seemingly unbothered by the brutal assault on its body by Zack and Roran.


    It grabbed the largest tree on the ground with its three mouths and tore it from the earth.


    The next second, it threw the tree, targeting Luna.


    Being hit from the side by a thrown tree wasn''t something that Luna had expected, so she accidentally let go of the beast she was holding.


    She would have cursed under normal circumstances, but seeing the body of the bird beast, all she could feel was a smile¡­ well, she would have if she were in her human form.


    The bird beast had clearly distanced itself from her, as most of its feathers seemed to have melted all over its body, causing liquefied metal to spread across its form, no doubt filling the creature with pain.


    Yet rather than showing any signs of pain, it locked eyes with Luna as its gaze seemed to shine with malice.


    It looked like the bird creature had come up with a plan to defeat Luna.


    Sensing that as a challenge, Luna thought mockingly, ''Let''s see what you got!'' as she fired another breath at the beast.


    The bird beast took the flames, but rather than quickly getting out of them, it seemed to stay in position¡­


    And then it turned, rotating its body dozens¡­ hundreds of times in a second.


    The action seemed to have moved the air enough to change the direction of the flames, and in the next moment, a giant tornado formed over the forest from the menacing green inferno of Luna.

 Chapter 49 Tornado

    As the tornado suddenly appeared in the sky, illuminating the battlefield that was currently happening on the ground, it seemed as if the world had come to an end.A violent sound was heard as the tail of the three-headed beast moved again, colliding with Zack''s body and sending him flying.


    His body collided and broke multiple trees, and yet his armor remained whole.


    His current condition was hard to see due to the menacing armor he was clad in, but if someone were to look behind Zack''s helmet, they would be able to see that his eyes and their white glow had dimmed just slightly.


    It seemed he wasn''t done just yet.


    He dashed towards the beast again, shattering the ground below his feet as he did and raised his sword, preparing for an attack.


    Before his sword was about two meters long, but after successfully wounding the three-headed beast, it seemed as if his sword had begun to absorb the beast''s blood, and as a result, it had become close to three meters long.


    Usually, a person would have a problem wielding such a big sword successfully, as when a sword becomes longer, its center of gravity shifts, and its weight starts to become a problem as well.


    And yet Zack seemed unbothered by the change in his sword as he didn''t have a problem using it to attack the beast.


    The three-headed creature, seemingly giving up on killing Lily as she was protected by Roran, decided to focus on the next best thing.


    The being closest to it, Zack.


    Rotating its body, while dodging the swords that Roran was raining down on him, the beast slashed.


    The attack successfully landed on Zack''s side, and it tore through his armor, muscles, and finally his bones as it tore his arm completely.


    Zack was again sent to the ground. The wound that he had received didn''t seem to bleed, nor did the arm that had been cut off.


    Without showing any emotion, he quickly reached for his arm and using the other, put it back into position.


    Then the sword in his right hand seemed to decrease in size and lose its form for a moment.


    The next second, Zack was standing seemingly perfectly fine with two blood swords, one in each hand.


    The most accurate description of the scene would be to say that he looked like a blood knight.


    *****


    Zaroth''s breathing was ragged, and his mana core felt like it was on the verge of cracking. Every time Luna used her fiery breath to attack, it took a substantial amount of mana from him. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It seemed that she had to use it for a longer period of time too, which was the conclusion Zaroth came to as he shifted his gaze for a moment, only to see a tornado of menacing green flames high in the sky.


    Deciding it was better to preserve his mana for Luna, he dismissed Silverfang.


    That action, while necessary so he didn''t die as his mana core cracked, was also painful because it meant he was now facing Eryndor one-on-one again.


    But he pressed on relentlessly, attacking Eryndor with everything he had.


    ''Can I win?'' he asked himself for a moment, and the next, he disregarded the thought completely. Only losers thought like that.


    ''I will win,'' he wholeheartedly made himself believe this thought as he pressed on even more relentlessly than before.


    He could forget everything else, all that mattered now was his enemy, Eryndor.


    "Fuck it!" Eryndor spat, irritated as he saw that he was having trouble taking Zaroth down despite the fact that his physical strength was superior.


    He didn''t have a weapon¡­ or at least that was how he wanted to appear to potential enemies.


    He reached under his back and drew a menacing dagger with a sharp tip. Without hesitating, he slashed, and Zaroth''s green eyes widened for a moment as the dagger came close to his face.


    It seemed as if the world slowed down as his thinking sped up even more, analyzing the situation.


    ''Should I dodge?... No, I don''t want to lose this chance,'' he thought as he pushed forward, tilting his head just slightly.


    The dagger passed through the air, and its tip grazed Zaroth''s cheek, making a shallow cut.


    Not paying attention to the wound he had received, Zaroth slashed with his sword.


    He managed to inflict a small cut on Eryndor''s shoulder, which irritated him even more.


    "If only your pest hadn''t broken my leg, you would have already been dead meat!" he spat, getting ready to counterattack.


    Both Zaroth and Eryndor''s lungs were on fire¡ªnot metaphorically, literally.


    The battle between Luna and the bird beast seemed to be nearing its end, but the tornado of flames seemed to remain.


    As the forest below caught on fire, ash rose into the air, making it poisonous to breathe, poisoning the people who were currently locked in battle.


    Zaroth''s muscles tensed as he met Eryndor''s dagger with his sword.


    It was surprising that he was able to fight on more or less equal ground with his enemy.


    But there was a limit to how much a person could and should push their body.


    As Zaroth''s movements seemed to slow, Eryndor seized the opportunity, gathering strength in his fingers.


    He gripped the wooden handle of the dagger so hard that his fingers lost color, then slashed vertically.


    The dagger cut through the air with dazzling speed, colliding with Zaroth''s forearm as it severed tendons, muscles, and finally the bone. Eryndor grinned menacingly as he spat,


    "Oh, looks like I cut off your arm. What are you gonna do now?"


    Seeing that the end was near, Zaroth abandoned all precaution as he shifted his weight forward, slashing with his sword.


    He was going for the kill, his eyes glowing with a green, menacing light.


    But at that moment, his eyes weren''t the only ones glowing.


    Because all this time, seemingly too hurt to move, Lily had been preparing a spell.


    And now, as the time had come, she was going to use her strongest attack.

 Chapter 50 Help on the way

    "Elysia? What are you doing here?" Roderic asked with a hint of concern, which was understandable.She usually spent her time in her tent reading documents, but not once had she come out to observe her students.


    Elysia was gazing at them as they moved around, attending to their business.


    "I''m not sure," Elysia admitted as she scanned her students one by one.


    "It just feels like I''m missing something." She spoke without averting her gaze from the students, deep in thought.


    ''We''ve had surprisingly good results so far. Some students have returned with proof of killing multiple Rare beasts. It''s quite impressive.''


    "Missing something?" Roderic asked, his eyes widening for a second.


    "Ah, I see. You''re worried about the students we found with their blood drained, aren''t you? I understand your concern, but just as you said, since we don''t have any solid proof that this was the work of a monster, we can''t halt the hunting competition." Roderic sighed as he spoke.


    "I doubt it''s a monster," Elysia said.


    "So what is it?" Roderic raised an eyebrow.


    "A demon, most likely."


    "A de¡ª" Roderic''s eyes widened in disbelief.


    "You think a demon has infiltrated our academy?"


    "I''m certain, Roderic," Elysia replied, turning her gaze to meet his.


    "But that''s not what I''m most worried about."


    Unwilling to meet her gaze, Roderic shifted his eyes to the side and asked, "Then what is it?"


    Elysia frowned as she thought inwardly.


    ''Ever since the competition began, I haven''t seen Zaroth and his squad, nor have I seen the Princess''s squad¡­''


    She tightened her palm in frustration.


    ''I understand that these individuals want to achieve high scores, but I''d prefer to keep my tools to me in case I need them.''


    But this wasn''t something she was going to admit to Roderic. She wasn''t about to confess that she was using the students to achieve her goals, so she lied.


    "I''m not sure. I''m trying to figure that out myself."


    Suddenly, a high-pitched scream rang out.


    Elysia instantly directed her gaze toward the scream, only to see a few girls with worried expressions on their faces.


    "Is it a monster attack?!" Elysia muttered as she shifted her gaze.


    Until she saw Sofia, the princess, and her bloodied body. She was carrying a student with a cracked white mask on her face.


    In one moment, Elysia was standing on the hill overseeing the camp, and the next, she was by the princess''s side.


    "What happened?" she asked, taking a closer look at Sofia''s injuries.


    ''She''s royalty and a fourth-year student. What the hell happened to her? And where is her squad?''


    "Elysia!" Sofia cried, no longer caring about maintaining appearances.


    "They''re dead! I doomed them!"


    Elysia took the injured student from Sofia''s hands as she looked her in the eyes and asked,


    "What happened?"


    "I¡­ we¡­ we were hunting until we suddenly got attacked by two Epic beasts at the same time! My squad was obliterated in an instant. I barely managed to escape with my and Vera''s life."


    She collapsed to her knees as the exhaustion finally overcame her. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Later, I realized they were controlled by a Beast Master who had succumbed to his beasts'' desires. We fled with everything I had, but as I ran, I passed by a group of students. Most likely, that psycho got to them."


    Elysia placed Vera gently on the ground and then gripped Sofia''s shoulders firmly.


    "What did these students look like?"


    "I''m not sure, but I think one of them had white hair and green eyes."


    "What''s happening?"


    Roderic finally caught up with Elysia, arriving at the scene with the camp healer not far behind him.


    Elysia turned her gaze to him, her black pupils radiating an aura of death itself. Her voice was cold and devoid of emotion as she spoke.


    "You take care of things here."


    In the next moment, she was gone, dashing toward the direction Sofia had come from.


    "Fuck! FUCK!" It was rare for Elysia to lose her composure, but what were the chances that just as she had found a useful tool, it was on the verge of being destroyed?


    "Don''t you dare die, Zaroth!" Elysia muttered under her breath.


    "At least not until you do what I need you to."


    *****


    Controlling even one of these heavenly swords was a tall task for any individual¡­


    And Roran was currently controlling dozens of them.


    While Zack kept the three-headed beast busy, he rained down blows on the creature''s body with his swords, creating countless wounds.


    Of course, using such immense power came with a hefty price.


    He was bleeding from his eyes and ears, his head pounding profoundly, and his thoughts barely coherent.


    There was currently only one thing on his mind, protecting Lily at all costs.


    And currently, the three-headed beast was the biggest threat to her existence.


    So all he had to do was eliminate it at any cost.


    The three-headed beast, covered in countless injuries, suddenly changed its movements.


    It went from targeting Zack to targeting Roran instead.


    No one was able to see the sudden change in behavior in time as the beast bent its tail at an unnatural angle and attacked Roran, aiming to tear off his head.


    Roran, seeing the current danger but not being able to move fast enough to dodge, all he could do was move his head slightly.


    As a result, when the tail of the monster hit him, it didn''t tear off his head.


    But it did tear off his lower jaw.


    Missing his lower jaw, Roran went from looking like a model to a monster from some kind of fairy tale.


    Yet he barely seemed to register that he had taken damage as even more swords began to materialize from existence, raining down on the beast, piercing it countless times.


    As the beast lost dozens of liters of blood, it seemed that Zack was absorbing it, and his sword and armor were growing stronger as a result.


    And amid all that was Lily. She, having her abdomen pierced, was dazed and could barely think straight.


    But something caught her attention.


    Zaroth, that was currently fighting against Eryndor. And it looked like Zaroth was going to lose.


    So, trying to offer all the support she could, Lily focused her remaining power as her eyes shined.


    And in the next moment, something appeared right behind Eryndor.


    It seemed to be some kind of figure that was made out of ice.


    She had done something that she hated to do.


    She had requested the help of a spirit.

 Chapter 51 Over

    ''Is that all you have?!'' Luna thought as she soared through the skies against the bird-like beast.It seemed that the beast thought that if it could neutralize Luna''s flames, she wasn''t going to be able to harm it.


    While it was able to redirect her flames by using wind rotation hundreds of times and creating a deadly tornado as a result, it seemed that it had made a grave mistake.


    It had underestimated Luna.


    Soaring through the sky with dazzling speed, she suddenly appeared by the metal bird-like creature.


    And not being able to get out of the way in time, Luna opened her massive jaws.


    She bit down on the body of the beast, feeling the liquefied metal all around its body.


    Usually, it would have been impossible to pierce its body, as the metal feathers were protecting it.


    But thanks to the constant exposure to her flames, its feathers had all melted.


    And while it was true that liquid metal was a danger, as it had the same temperature as lava,


    Luna didn''t need to worry about that, as she was undead.


    Grasping the bird-like creature in her jaws, she closed them with devastating power.


    The body of the bird shivered violently, reluctant to give up.


    But in the next moment, as Luna forced her jaws to close with even more force, she took a massive bite out of the beast.


    Having more than a third of its body in her mouth, the bird-like creature''s eyes widened in horror.


    And then they grew dark as the bird began to fall to the ground, dead.


    A deafening ear-piercing roar was heard across the field as the three-headed beast tried to harm Zack with the best of its ability, but no matter how hard the beast hit him.


    He just got back up as if he hadn''t taken any damage.


    And all this time, the creature was being assaulted by the swords of Roran.


    So, after one last attempt to split Zack''s body in two, the beast grunted.


    And then it fell to the ground, shaking as it did.


    Its eyes grew cold and distant as a fountain of blood poured from its countless wounds.


    It was dead.


    "Give up! There is no way you can win against me!" Eryndor spat as he faced Zaroth.


    Eryndor was too preoccupied with the fight to realize that his two beasts were now dead.


    He was just frustrated that he wasn''t able to kill Zaroth.


    He had managed to cut one of his arms, but Zaroth seemed to attack as if it didn''t have any self-preservation.


    "You are insane!" Eryndor shouted, irritated.


    At the words, Zaroth could only laugh as he took a step forward, he just saw a chance to end the fight.


    Eryndor sensed that Zaroth had decided to gamble it all in one last desperate move, so he took a step back, thinking inwardly.


    ''Fool, after this you will be exposed.''


    Only for Eryndor''s eyes to widen in fear as he realized he could not take a step back.


    Shifting his gaze, he realized that his legs were frozen and that there was an ice figure behind his back.


    ''Is that a spirit?!'' he cursed inwardly.


    The most likely explanation was that this spell had been cast by the girl who had been injured by his bird-beast earlier.


    Eryndor shifted his gaze away from the fight, searching for the girl.


    Only for his face to lose color and his blood to turn cold.


    His three-headed beast was lying on the ground, dead.


    And his bird beast was falling soon to hit the ground, also dead.


    "How¡ª" he couldn''t comprehend it¡­


    His beasts had lost? Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But he couldn''t worry about that fact, as he sensed danger ahead.


    Raising his head to Zaroth, who looked like he was smiling, Zaroth slashed with his sword, clearly aiming to behead Eryndor.


    Time seemed to slow down for Eryndor as he looked at the sword that was about to pierce his neck.


    He was trying to come up with some kind of solution on how to deal with the issue.


    But his legs were frozen, and behind him was an ice figure that prevented him from taking a step back.


    Meaning¡­


    "I will di¡ª"


    He couldn''t finish the thought as Zaroth''s sword reached his neck and pierced it.


    Creating a beautiful arc in the air, Zaroth managed to behead Eryndor with one swift motion, killing him on the spot.


    And despite that one of his arms was missing and that he was bleeding internally, Zaroth smiled in happiness.


    And then he laughed. His laughter echoing over the field.


    *****


    "Is that the smell of fire?" Elysia thought as she quickened her steps even more.


    Her eyes darkened even more as she saw a large amount of smoke rising in the sky.


    It seemed that the forest had caught on fire.


    What could be the reason for that?


    She didn''t waste time thinking about that as she focused on running with everything she had.


    A maniacal laugh reached her ears, and in the next moment, as she reached her destination, her pupils widened in shock.


    There was a large green fire obliterating anything in its surroundings.


    Roran, with his lower jaw missing, was clutching Lily''s dying body as he cried bloody tears.


    Not far away was Zack, who was white as a ghost, looking like he wasn''t breathing at all.


    They were close to the body of a three-headed beast that had fallen to the ground, clearly dead.


    There was a body of a giant bird with liquefied metal on it, also lying on the ground not far away.


    Also dead.


    Both of these monsters were of the Epic class.


    And then there was Zaroth.


    Who was missing his left arm and was clutching with his right hand the severed head of a man.


    Most likely the Epic Beast Master.


    Zaroth was looking at the sky as he laughed like some kind of maniac.


    It seemed that the battle was already over.

 Chapter 52 Priceless Ally

    Roran was bleeding as his lower jaw was missing.Lily, bleeding, her abdomen pried open, was most likely seconds away from dying.


    Zaroth, with his left hand missing and bleeding from every hole in his face, laughed maniacally as he clutched the severed head of his opponent.


    And Zack, who was seemingly unscathed, currently looked the worst, as his face was so white and his eyes so unfocused, like he was already dead.


    Everyone was moments away from dying, and usually, there would be no way to save them¡­


    But Elysia was here. Without wasting any time, she flicked her finger, and the four students were lifted into the air, seemingly frozen and unable to move.


    The blood that was falling from them froze as well.


    Elysia flicked her fingers again, and the inferno that was quickly destroying the forest ceased in an instant.


    A deadly stillness fell upon the burned forest as the ash rose into the sky and dissolved, making the air breathable again.


    Elysia was supposed to go to the medical team as soon as possible to get her students treated, but since they were now frozen in time, there was no point in rushing.


    Instead, she took a step forward, admiring the two defeated beasts.


    The three-headed beast was a large creature.


    It could surely destroy a city, even a country, should there not be people capable of matching its strength¡­


    And yet it lay on the ground, dead, bleeding a ridiculous amount of blood.


    It had two kinds of wounds¡ªones that were small but deep, like the kind of wound arrows leave, but the injuries were too wide for the arrow to be the reason.


    "So it''s left by a sword?" Elysia muttered, observing the wounds.


    If it was indeed made by a sword, it would mean someone had thrust their sword thousands of times into the creature''s body.


    "¡­Or someone is capable of controlling dozens of swords at a time," she spoke, her eyes darkening slightly as her interest peaked.


    The second type of wounds were left by a slashing weapon, most likely also a sword.


    "But for the wounds to be this wide, it would mean the sword used would be at least 3 meters long, if not more¡­"


    Elysia walked toward the dead bird-beast.


    Its metal feathers had been melted, most likely by an incredibly deadly inferno, and about a third of the bird''s body was missing, almost as if something had bitten it off.


    This, coupled with the fact that the forest was on fire, led her to wonder.


    "It''s almost like the bird fought against another beast¡­"


    The question was, what kind?


    "It can''t be a phoenix, as it wouldn''t be able to take such a big bite out of the bird creature¡­"


    Suddenly, Elysia''s lips curved into a smile, her voice excited as she spoke.


    "¡­Was it a dragon? But the only way a dragon could have appeared here and disappeared so quickly without anyone noticing would mean that someone summoned it¡­"


    But being able to summon a mythical beast? That would be ridiculous¡ªthere isn''t even anyone capable of summoning beasts, he¡ª


    Elysia''s gaze shifted to Zaroth, who stood proudly, clutching the beheaded head of a man with a smile on his face.


    Walking slowly, she stopped before him, her eyes darkening with dangerous intensity.


    "So it wasn''t Epic, but Mythic after all¡­" she spoke, placing her finger on Zaroth''s bloodied lip.


    "Ah¡­ it seems I have gained a priceless ally¡­ my gut was correct," Elysia spoke, her lips curving into a deadly smile as she looked at Zaroth.


    Moving her face close to his ear, she whispered, though Zaroth, frozen in time, wasn''t able to hear her.


    "Alright, let''s get you patched up."


    *****


    "Princess, step back!" Roderic spoke as he gazed into the girl''s eyes.


    After Sofia had come with the dire news that an Epic beast master had arrived, the teachers had immediately stopped the hunting competition and teleported the students away for safety reasons.


    The only one they didn''t manage to transport was Sofia, as according to her words, she wanted to stay and fight with the intention of avenging her squad.


    "There is no need for that. Elysia has gone there herself, so she would surely handle it," Roderic tried to convince her. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Then why are you armed and ready for combat?" she asked, pointing to the teachers.


    True, while Elysia was strong, there were two Epic beasts running wild, so no one wanted to take any chances.


    As a result, all the teachers at the academy who were present at the hunting competition¡ª87 exactly¡ªhad now armed themselves, looking at the woods.


    Waiting to see if their boss would return alive or if they would have to venture into the wild to try to put down the beasts.


    "It''s just for safety precautions," Roderic answered.


    "Then I am going to stay here for safety precautions too. I am royalty, and a four-year student, I can be useful too!" Sofia said, unwilling to back down.


    "This kid¡­" Roderic sighed as he shifted his gaze back to the woods.


    ''It''s been a few hours since Elysia entered the forest. Is she fine? I doubt that she would lose¡­ but she may need reinforcements.''


    Roderic''s thoughts were cut short as the nearby bushes suddenly rustled.


    Everyone got on their guard as they tightened their grip on their weapons, preparing for battle.


    Would an enemy show itself, or would it be their boss?


    Everyone sighed in relief as they saw Elysia exit the bushes, looking spotless.


    ''She''s gotten rid of them without even looking exhausted?'' Roderic''s eyes widened in disbelief. He knew his boss was strong, but to that extent¡­


    "Boss, you''ve returned. I presume you''ve defeated the Epic beasts?" Roderic was the first one to dare ask Elysia as he took a step forward.


    "No, I haven''t done a thing," Elysia replied instantly.


    "Huh? But are the Epic beasts dead?" Roderic asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "Yes, they are," Elysia said, beginning to walk forward, and behind her, four frozen bodies floating in the air came into view.


    One had his lower jaw torn off and was crying blood as he looked at the girl''s body in his embrace.


    One was as white as a ghost, seemingly dead, but seeing that Elysia had used her powers on him, he was most likely still alive, even if just barely.


    And finally¡­


    A white-haired young man, his left hand missing, clutched a severed head in his right hand. His arms were outstretched to the side as he gazed at the sky with a maniacal smile.


    "These four did all the work, not me," Elysia spoke coldly, shifting her gaze to Sylvia, one of the healers who had gone on the expedition.


    "What are you waiting for? Heal them!"

 Chapter 53 Friends

    Why did Zaroth laugh like a maniac when Elysia found him?True, he was happy he had managed to kill the son of a bitch, even if he had to rely on Lily''s help in the end.


    But he was still moments away from dying, so what could have led him to laugh so much?


    After Zaroth managed to kill Eryndor, he saw something he wasn''t expecting.


    The two dead beasts of the bastard were glowing with energy¡ªthe kind that indicated they could potentially be resurrected and tamed.


    He may have killed their master, so the chances of taming them were low, but he still decided it wouldn''t hurt to try.


    But the message he saw next was something he certainly didn''t expect.


    [Cerberus judges your soul.]


    [Cerberus doesn''t respond to your call.]


    [Cerberus trembles in your presence and that of your beast, Luna.]


    The same went for the bird.


    [Aetherion judges your soul.]


    [Aetherion doesn''t respond to your call.]


    [Aetherion trembles in your presence and that of your beast, Luna.]


    These mighty beings were scared of him and Luna.


    How could he not laugh at that?


    When had he become so strong that Epic beasts trembled in his presence?


    Well, that didn''t matter now, as there was a problem.


    Zack, Roran, and Lily now knew he had tamed a dragon.


    This could be disastrous if they decided to spread the information.


    But Zaroth certainly didn''t expect his friends to hide so much power of their own.


    He suspected they were strong, but certainly not to this extent.


    Zaroth didn''t have more time to ponder these matters as he felt sunlight illuminating his closed eyes.


    With a grunt, he slowly opened them.


    It took a second or two until his eyes adjusted to his surroundings.


    When they did, he observed his surroundings,


    He was in a spacious white room, lying on a bed.


    In the same room as him were Zack, Roran, and Lily.


    It seemed they were in a hospital room.


    "Why do I have d¨¦j¨¤ vu?" he muttered under his breath as he attempted to get up, but his aching muscles stopped him.


    Suddenly, his eyes widened as he shifted his gaze to his left arm.


    Letting out a sigh of relief, he muttered, "It''s there."


    It seemed that the academy''s healers were certainly skilled enough to reattach his arm.


    Or maybe they didn''t reattach it and simply had a way to make it grow back?


    Seeing as he was too exhausted to move a muscle, he sent a mental message to Luna.


    ''How are things going?''


    ''Great, actually,'' she replied instantly.


    It seemed that, at least, his beast was in a good mood¡ªunlike him.


    ''How so?'' he asked, raising an eyebrow.


    ''During the fight, I used my fire breath repeatedly. As a result, your mana core has expanded.''


    ''How much?''


    ''I can''t say for certain, but the amount of mana you can store, how quickly it regenerates, and how much output it can provide at once have all increased significantly.''


    Zaroth closed his eyes for a moment, appreciating the fact that he was alive¡ªand stronger.


    ''So¡­ does that mean it''s strong enough to¡­ you know.''


    Unlike usual, Luna took some time to respond.


    Typically, she would immediately reject the idea under the pretext that his mana core was still too weak.


    Could that change today?


    Luna sighed¡ªor at least Zaroth thought she did¡ªbefore answering.


    ''It has certainly become stronger, but it''s not enough.''


    "Figures," he muttered, frustrated.


    His thoughts were quickly interrupted as he heard movement next to him.


    Everyone was waking up.


    ''This is going to be awkward,'' Zaroth thought, not looking forward to the incoming conversation.


    After everyone had woken up, no one said a thing as they sat up, resting their backs against the bed frames.


    No doubt everyone was thinking the same thing,


    ''Would they be able to hide my secret, or would I have to kill them right here and now?''


    Not liking the tension in the air, Zaroth decided to be the one to break the ice.


    Taking a deep breath, he spoke.


    "I guess you can say we all have our secrets."


    Everyone shifted their gaze to him, listening without interrupting.


    "I assume none of you want this information to get out. So, let''s make a deal, we won''t speak of this to anyone, nor will we reveal what each of us is capable of."


    Silence fell over the room until Zack spoke.


    "Seeing as we''re here, they no doubt know we defeated two Epic beasts along with their master."


    "And they''re most likely going to question us about how we managed it," Roran finished Zack''s thought.


    "We need to get our stories straight so we don''t raise any suspicions," Lily interjected.


    "Any ideas?" Zack asked.


    "Yes," Zaroth suggested. "I recommend we keep it as short as possible. That way, it''ll be harder to spot any inconsistencies."


    "We could say the battle is blurry in our minds and we can''t remember exactly what happened," Roran added.


    "But they''ll still want an explanation about how we managed to win, right?" Zack countered.


    "We can say their master had already gone insane and wasn''t thinking clearly about how to use his beasts," Lily spoke. "On top of that, he likely underestimated us."


    With their plan finalized, another awkward silence fell over the room.


    "I want to say¡­" Zaroth was surprised at himself for speaking up, but he found he was feeling something unfamiliar¡ªsomething he had never felt in his life until now.


    "I¡­ am glad you guys are alive."


    Zack laughed. "I''m hard to kill, you know."


    "There are still things I need to do," Roran said with a firm nod of agreement. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I''m not ready to die yet," Lily added, a soft smile forming on her lips.


    With the ice broken between them, they began chatting about nothing in particular¡ªlike friends were supposed to.


    Of course, as the volume of their conversation rose, a knock on the door silenced them.


    The door creaked open, revealing a tall, breathtaking woman with dark pupils and hair, her presence like the incarnation of death itself.


    Elysia gazed at the four students resting on the beds, with a menacing smile spreading across her face.


    "Good morning,"

 Chapter 54 Famous

    "Good morning."Despite seeing the chairwoman, a person that should have brought them comfort, everyone felt the opposite as they held their breaths, waiting to see what she was going to tell them.


    Zaroth also held his breath, but for a very different reason.


    Looking at Elysia, he couldn''t help but notice the two buttons she had left undone on her suit, leaving part of her chest partially visible.


    Coupled with the fact that he was currently lying half-naked on a bed, Zaroth felt his blood rush to a certain place¡ªsomething he preferred not to happen, especially in his current situation.


    "You don''t have to worry about anything," Elysia spoke with a gentle voice, yet one that carried a certain edge.


    She closed the door behind her, picked up a chair, placed it where she had a clear view of everyone, and sat down, crossing one leg over the other.


    "Let''s cut to the chase. How did you do it?" Elysia asked, her sharp gaze shifting between the students.


    "How did you manage to defeat two Epic beasts and their master?"


    Her gaze lingered on Zaroth for a moment longer.


    Taking a deep breath, he responded, trying to match her smile.


    "Well, to be honest, the fight was a blur¡ª"


    "No one here remembers anything, and the reason you won was probably that the Epic beast master underestimated you, right?" Elysia cut off Zaroth in an instant.


    ''How the hell did she know?!'' Zaroth asked himself.


    He hadn''t even finished explaining yet, so she couldn''t have seen through his lie yet.


    Elysia leaned back in her chair, which caused her chest to shift slightly.


    Zaroth felt the heat rise within him but didn''t avert his gaze¡ªconsidering it a rare opportunity.


    "Isn''t it convenient," she continued, her voice changing from gentle to indifferent, "that none of you remember anything?"


    "I at least hoped you would tell the truth to the chairwoman of the academy. You do know that lying to me could get you expelled, right?"


    Everyone gulped audibly¡ªthough Zaroth''s reaction had more to do with her provocative presence than fear of expulsion.


    "Relax," Elysia suddenly said in a carefree tone, almost startling them.


    ''Just how fast is this woman able to switch her mood?'' Zaroth asked himself.


    "If you don''t want to tell me, then don''t. Everyone has something they would prefer to keep secret, after all," she said as she shifted her gaze to Roran and Lily.


    "But you two will be entering A-class from now on. There is no way you can survive an encounter with two Epic beasts and not be promoted to the highest class."


    After this, Elysia stood up, returned the chair to its original position, and opened the door, clearly intending to head out.


    "Oh, I almost forgot," she said without turning back.


    "Zaroth, when you''re feeling better, I want you in my office."


    With that, she exited the room.


    "It looks like you got promoted!" Zack said with a smile, shifting his gaze to them.


    "Congrats," Zaroth muttered, his body still uncomfortably hot.


    Roran and Lily, looking a bit stunned, nodded hastily as a way to say thank you.


    *****


    Soon after, Sylvia entered the room, ensuring they were fine and letting them go.


    It turned out the room they were in was in the academy, which was convenient as they had lectures soon.


    "What about the scores?" Zaroth asked, suddenly remembering that they had been technically rescued.


    "They wouldn''t fail us for that, right?" he muttered under his breath.


    "I think we can see the results right there!" Zack pointed at a large group of students gathered around a board that looked like it was used for announcements.


    The four of them stepped toward the board, their ears picking up conversations all around them.


    "How the hell?"


    "There''s no way!"


    "There has to be a mistake!"


    "Who the hell is Zaroth, and where is his team?!"


    Raising an eyebrow, Zaroth finally reached the board and took a glance at it.


    The damned text was still small and hard to see as always.


    He was surprised for a second, it seemed that the results weren''t just from their academy but from the academies across the entire empire.


    ''It makes sense actually,'' he thought.


    ''The other academies probably held similar competitions, and now the ones with the highest scores from all the academies will be chosen to participate in the tournament.''


    "Where are we?" he muttered as he scanned the board.


    He, of course, began from the bottom up.


    It was surprising to see that there were so many academies in the empire, but he didn''t ponder on the issue as his eyes reached the top three places and froze for a second.


    ¡ªThird place¡ª


    Grace''s squad - 73,700 points


    ¡ªSecond place¡ª


    David''s squad - 95,400 points


    ¡ªFirst place¡ª


    Zaroth''s squad - 1,002,900 points


    This was no doubt plastered not only all around the academy but the empire as a whole.


    It seemed that the Epic beasts his squad had killed had most likely added a large amount of points to their side.


    Zaroth honestly didn''t know how to feel, as the situation was unfamiliar to him, so all he could do was mutter in bewilderment,


    "Huh¡­ I guess I''m famous."


    Not wanting to draw attention, he quickly got out of the crowd and headed for Elysia''s office, thinking it was better to deal with the issue as soon as possible.


    Reaching the door, room 13/13, he knocked.


    "Enter," he immediately heard Elysia''s voice, so he did just that.


    Entering, he wasn''t surprised to see that the office was still exactly the same as before¡ªelegant and professional.


    Elysia was sitting across from her desk with a cup of coffee by her side.


    "Sit," she spoke, gesturing with her hand towards the seat across from her.


    Taking a deep breath, he did, looking her in her beautiful black eyes and asking,


    "Why am I here?" It was a natural question, he was wondering if the plan for winning the tournament had changed, or maybe she wanted him to try and get his friends on her side.


    Putting the cup close to her lips, she took a sip as she leaned back in her chair.


    With a menacing smile¡ªone that Zaroth, for some ungodly reason, found alluring¡ªshe spoke,


    "Why else? Summon it."


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow.


    "Summon what?"


    "Your dragon, of course." S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 55 Two Beauties

    Zaroth held his breath, as his face lost color."I am sorry? A dragon? You think I have tamed a dragon?" he asked, trying to appear calm, but his trembling voice and hands made it clear that he had been busted.


    He cursed inwardly, ''How the actually fuck did she figure it out?!''


    "Yes, I do believe you have a dragon in your possession. This is the conclusion I came to after seeing the aftermath of the fight."


    She tapped with her finger on the desk.


    "Zack and Roran managed to defeat the three-headed beast, you defeated the beast master¡­ the question is, who dealt with the metallic bird beast?" S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Seeing that the secret was out and not wanting to make the situation worse than it already was, Zaroth knew there was nothing left to do but stay silent.


    "Something managed to defeat the Epic beast, that something also managed to take a bite of a third of the creature''s massive body, and lastly, that something had enough firepower to melt the metallic feathers of the bird and almost burn the whole forest¡­"


    "So isn''t it natural that the conclusion I came to is that you possess a dragon?"


    "But¡­ but¡­" Zaroth was stuttering, clearly struggling. He wasn''t able to find a way out.


    "Of course, this is just my theory¡­ so tell me, do you have a dragon in your soul?"


    At this moment, he knew there was no saving it.


    Elysia seemed to be able to tell when a person was lying, so there wasn''t much Zaroth could do at this point.


    "¡­ I do."


    Seeing that Zaroth was telling the truth, Elysia sighed in satisfaction as she leaned back against her chair.


    "Good. Now summon it. I want to see it."


    "But it will not fit in t¡ª"


    "Do you think I am a fool?" Elysia interrupted him.


    "I know strong beasts of Legendary rank can take the appearance of a human, so it''s only natural that Mythical beasts could do the same, isn''t it?"


    Zaroth hesitated until he heard Luna''s voice in his mind.


    ''The cat is out of the bag at this point. It is better to summon me.''


    With regret in his eyes, Zaroth summoned Luna.


    White sparks began to materialize, and a few seconds later, a tall woman with white hair and green cat-like eyes appeared in front of Zaroth as she stared at Elysia with indifference.


    Elysia''s eyes widened in awe for a moment. As she stood up, she extended her arm forward.


    "Nice to meet you, miss¡­?"


    "Luna," she replied, returning the handshake with a smile.


    Looking at the two beauties as they stared at each other, no doubt assessing if they could kill the person before them, Zaroth sighed inwardly.


    ''I really have a strange taste in women.''


    Suddenly, he remembered Roran and Zack.


    ''I think I wouldn''t mind another night where we get blackout drunk.''


    After the introductions, Luna seated herself at Zaroth''s side, not shifting her gaze from Elysia.


    "So now that you know my master has a Mythical beast under his command, what are you going to do about it?" Luna asked, putting one leg over the other.


    "Nothing much, at least not yet. I will just expect your master to win the tournament with certainty from now on," Elysia replied with a menacing smile.


    Not wanting to be left a spectator, Zaroth spoke up,


    "I will join and win the tournament for my own accord. There is something I want, after all."


    His interjection was met by the stares of the two women.


    Being stared at by them, Zaroth''s body shivered slightly as blood began to flow to a certain body part.


    "So now you know what you''re going to use your wish for?" Elysia asked, raising an eyebrow.


    ''You are also going to grant me a wish, aren''t you? Your one is much more valuable than the emperor''s.''


    But Zaroth certainly wasn''t planning to share the information that he was planning to use the wish to sleep with¡ªor at least try to sleep with¡ªElysia, so he twisted the truth a bit.


    "Yes, you can say that."


    Luna, no doubt knowing Zaroth''s inner motives, smirked but didn''t say anything.


    "But I have to ask," he added.


    "Isn''t there a law that if anyone is able to tame a strong creature, they''re to be executed on the spot? Why are you letting me go? Isn''t that against the word of the emperor?"


    Raising from her seat with a sigh, Elysia spoke.


    "First, even if you go rogue, no matter how many beasts you''ve tamed, I''m certain I will be able to stop you before you do any real damage,"


    She began as she walked to the side of the desk.


    "Second, no one would ever expect you to have tamed a dragon. That makes you... more valuable."


    Approaching his seat, she raised her foot, placing it between his legs, the high heel burying itself deep into the leather of the seat.


    "And third," she spoke coldly as she placed her left hand on his cheek, bringing her face closer to his.


    "You know you work for me, so why would I execute my own subordinate? Those who belong to me know better than to defy me."


    Unable to tear his gaze away from her piercing eyes, Zaroth sent a mental message to Luna.


    ''Hey, aren''t you going to react in any way?!''


    Luna sighed, her voice dripping with amusement as she responded in their shared connection.


    ''Why would I interrupt? You seem to be enjoying it, after all.''


    ''I am not!''


    ''Then why do I feel excitement coming from you?''


    At her words, Zaroth was left speechless.


    Looking as if Zaroth was frozen, maybe from fear? Seeing his hesitation, Elysia, spoke once more.


    "So, does that answer your question?"


    "Yes, but now another question suddenly arose."


    Elysia, not moving her leg nor her arm, raised an eyebrow and asked,


    "What is it?"


    "After today''s lectures, if you''re free, would you like to join me for dinner?"

 Chapter 56 Useful

    "What?" Elysia spoke coldly as she moved away her hand and leg."Are you serious?" she asked, looking him into his eyes.


    Zaroth, not flinching at all, replied instantly, "Yes, why not? Earlier, you said that you don''t have much free time, so it wouldn''t hurt to have some rest, right?"


    Elysia raised an eyebrow. "But with you? Are you asking me on a date?"


    "Yes," he answered, trying to appear composed.


    Elysia grabbed her stomach as she laughed at the unexpected offer.


    "I am sorry, but you are a bit too young for me."


    Now it was Zaroth''s turn to raise his eyebrow. "What are you talking about? Both of us are adults, right? So there shouldn''t be a problem."


    Seeing that he was serious, Elysia''s laughter quickly died down.


    "Still, you are a bit too young for my taste," Elysia spoke as she sat back in her chair.


    "Well, you can think about it," Zaroth said with a warm smile as he got up, desummoned Luna, and exited the room.


    Elysia, now alone in her office, sighed with amusement.


    "To think that young boy is brave enough to ask me out¡­" she muttered as she remembered the dragon the Zaroth possessed. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Her lips curved into a smile as her dark eyes seemed to shine darker from the excitement.


    "He will be useful indeed."


    *****


    ''To be honest, it kind of surprised me. Why did you suddenly decided to ask her out on a date?'' Luna, now back in Zaroth''s soul, asked him.


    "Well, there are two reasons. First, it was kind of pathetic to find her attractive without expressing it, and second, when she came in so close, there was no way I wasn''t going to try and seize the chance!" he proclaimed as he headed for the upcoming lecture.


    "Now this will be interesting," Zaroth muttered under his breath as he opened the door to the lecture room.


    There was some noise in the room, but it immediately died down as he entered.


    Trying to ignore the piercing eyes of everybody, he sat in his usual seat in the back, only to be surprised that Zack was next to him.


    "W-what are you doing here?"


    Zack grinned before answering, "After the fiasco with the scoreboard, everybody quickly learned who was in your squad. As a result, everybody stares at me daggers. If that''s the case, I thought I might as well move next to you."


    "Plus," he added, pointing to the two empty seats next to Zaroth, "We have to give Roran and Lily a warm welcome."


    It was clear that the students in A-class didn''t like Zaroth or his group, so some of them looked like they were about to summon the courage to talk to him, but they were interrupted as the doors at the front of the room burst open.


    The professor walked forward, accompanied by two students behind him.


    One was a man with blonde hair and blue eyes, while the other was a woman with golden hair and eyes.


    Roran and Lily.


    "Attention!" the professor spoke loudly, making everybody turn their attention to him.


    "We have new students joining our class today!"


    "Hello, I am Roran," he spoke coldly, meeting the gaze of everybody in the class with utter indifference.


    "Lily, nice to meet you," while Lily smiled warmly at everybody in the room.


    "You can take the seats you like," the professor spoke as he headed for the desk, getting ready to begin the lesson.


    Roran and Lily scanned the room until their gazes fell on Zaroth and Zack.


    They smiled slightly as they approached them.


    "Congrats," Zack grinned as he looked at them.


    Lily sat next to Zaroth and Roran next to her, getting the seat next to the stairs.


    It seemed he was so focused on protecting her that he even chose the seats where she was the most protected.


    "As you all know, we rank beasts based on strength. We do the same with demons using a different scale of power,"


    The professor began to write on the board, and Zaroth copied the information into his textbook:


    Minor


    Lesser


    Intermediate


    Greater


    Overlord


    Archdemon


    Primordial


    Making note that the strength of demons was ranked in a different way compared to the beasts, he wrote it all down.


    He couldn''t help but steal a glance at Lily''s textbook, only to gasp in awe the next second.


    "How does your writing look so neat?" he asked her quietly so the professor didn''t hear them.


    She shrugged as she answered, "I''m not sure, I just like pretty things, I guess."


    Shifting his gaze to Roran, he saw that he was writing in bold but easy-to-understand handwriting¡­


    Then he glanced at Zack,


    "Mate, what the hell have you written? I can''t read a single word of it."


    In turn, Zack glanced at Zaroth''s textbook,


    "And what about you? Have you invented a new language?"


    Shifting his gaze to see what he had written so far, Zaroth raised an eyebrow as he muttered,


    "No, really, what have I written?"


    He couldn''t make sense of it.


    After the lectures were over, it was time for Physical Body Training, and now that Lily and Roran were in Class-A, he was curious to see how they would hold up.


    The bald instructor, making note of the two new students, had them run laps around the running field as always. After a light stretching session, everyone got into position.


    Zaroth threw a quick glance at Roran, who had gotten into position.


    Smirking slightly, he muttered,


    "I''ll finish it before you."


    "I would like to see you try," Roran immediately responded.


    "I don''t know about you two mages, but I am definitely finishing first," Zack butted in.


    "Now, now, there is always the chance for something unexpected to happen," Lily countered.


    On the signal of the bald instructor, everybody shot forward, the four of them running with everything they had.


    At the end, Zack finished first in the whole class, then it was Roran a bit after, and then Zaroth and Lily.


    After the running was over, the instructor made them do push-ups, pull-ups, and squats until they felt like passing out.


    In the end, feeling tired, everybody headed for the shower room.


    Lily, being a woman, naturally wasn''t with them as she was in the women''s shower room.


    Zaroth, after stripping down to his underwear, approached a full-sized body mirror, appreciating the muscles he had built so far.


    At least he did, until he heard a voice behind him.


    "Hey, you and your disgusting white hair, you must be Zaroth, correct?"


    Zaroth sighed. It seemed that the time had come. It wasn''t surprising after making a bad first impression on the first day by not wearing the proper clothes and sitting in the front while the Emperor was announcing the tournament.


    And his team, who had managed to get a higher score than everyone else in the empire, despite their leader being of a ''lesser birth'' it was time for some arrogant bastard to try and approach him.


    Turning sharply, he tried to make his voice as menacing as possible before he spat.


    "And who the fuck are you supposed to be?"

 Chapter 57 Fist Fight

    Turning around, Zaroth saw a man with an average build, accompanied by two others¡ªone shorter and the other chubby.''How the hell are these three allowed in A-class?'' Zaroth asked himself.


    "Who am I? I''ll tell you¡ªI''m not some street rat who somehow got accepted into A-class without a good reason, like you."


    "It''s better to be a rat than a parasite like you. Judging by your performance during training earlier, you were probably worse than average," Zaroth retorted.


    "The fuck did you just say? Are you begging for a fight?"


    "Yeah, sure, why not? Unlike you, I can fight. My score was the highest in the entire empire. Where was yours?" Zaroth''s voice was filled with sarcasm and mockery.


    "Oh, that''s right, I wouldn''t know because I don''t even know your name. That''s how insignificant you are."


    "Insignificant, huh? But we''re three against one," the shorter boy interjected, trying to back up his friend, who was struggling to keep up.


    Zaroth laughed and spat on the ground. "You''re pathetic ones, waiting until we were in the shower room to confront me. What? Too scared to get expelled like that fat fuck on the first day?"


    "It seems you really are asking for a beating," the chubbier man growled, stepping forward.


    Zaroth matched his step. "I''ll make you taste blood."


    "You''ve started to get too arrogant," murmured a few nobles nearby who decided to join forces against Zaroth.


    "What''s this? You''ve got three men already, and now you need even more?" He chuckled darkly, pointing at the shorter noble. "Afraid to act alone? Can you even call yourself a man?"


    The short noble lunged toward him, but a loud noise startled him.


    He turned to see Zack standing there, his fist embedded in the metallic locker, leaving a gaping hole.


    "What''s this? A fight?" Zack asked coldly.


    "How pathetic¡ªso many against one," Roran added, massaging his right shoulder as he stepped into the room.


    "Oh, have you called your boyfriends for backup now?" the chubby one sneered mockingly at Zaroth.


    "Oh, punk¡­ you''re going to regret those words," Zaroth growled, cracking his knuckles.


    *****


    "How much longer are they going to take?!" the bald instructor muttered impatiently, waiting outside the shower rooms.


    Typically, no one was allowed to spend more than 15 minutes in there, but this time they were taking their sweet time¡­


    "They''re breaking my rules already?!" The instructor could feel his blood boiling with rage.


    Approaching the door, he slammed it with his fist, causing it to burst into pieces. Entering, he shouted in fury,


    "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?"


    Inside, the room was chaos. Several people lay on the ground, bruises covering their bodies, and some were bleeding from their faces.


    One particularly chubby man seemed to have taken the worst of it, his right arm clearly broken.


    In the end, since the academy couldn''t hold anyone accountable for what had occurred in the shower room, everyone involved was let off with a warning.


    *****


    "Ah, that was fun!" Zack praised as he massaged his left fist.


    "Alright, I have to agree," Roran nodded with a smile.


    "Ah, whatever. At least that should make them think twice before bothering us," Zaroth said with a sigh.


    "Hey," he added, "after the academy, want to go to that bar again? My treat."


    Roran suddenly grinned like a child in a candy store, while Zack raised an eyebrow. "Where did this come from?"


    "Think of it as a thank you for helping me in the fight," Zaroth spoke, slightly embarrassed.


    "No problem!" Roran approached him with a smile, putting his arm over Zaroth''s shoulder.


    "What took you so long?" Lily had wasted precious minutes waiting for them, but her eyes widened slightly when she saw the state the three were in.


    "What happened?"


    "A small fight broke out in the shower room," Roran responded with a warm smile.


    "Are you guys alright?"


    "Yeah, you should have seen the others," Zack replied.


    The clock was ticking, so everyone headed to the cafeteria.


    Of course, due to Zaroth''s unique look, he was recognized almost immediately, and as a result, there were a lot of eyes on him and his friends. But they tried to pay no mind to the hostility as they sat at a table and began eating.


    Meanwhile, Zaroth used his bracelet to check his balance.


    [54 credits in possession]


    ''The only time I spent credits was when I went drinking with Roran and Zack, and it seems that time I used 46. This means it won''t be enough to treat everyone today.''


    Left with no choice, he messaged Elysia.


    -----


    Zaroth: Could you send me some more credits?


    Elysia: Getting drunk again?


    Zaroth: I prefer to call it team building.


    Elysia: Before that, I heard there was a fight in the shower rooms, and that you were involved.


    Zaroth: Is there a problem?


    Elysia: Did you kill somebody?


    Zaroth: No, just broke the arm of one guy who annoyed me and roughed up a few others.


    Elysia: Then there is no problem.


    -----


    [You have received a transfer of 500 credits.]


    Seeing the generous amount, Zaroth couldn''t help but grin.


    "Hey, I''m not sure¡ªhow much is a credit worth? Before coming here, I only knew how coins exchange worked."


    "Well, seeing as you''re familiar with coins," Lily began to explain, "think of it as one credit being worth one silver coin."


    ''Wait¡­ this means that when we went out before, I used 46 silver coins on alcohol alone?''


    Zaroth suddenly placed a hand over his stomach.


    That was an amount he would never have been able to save, even if he worked his whole life. And now he was able to spend so much on alcohol alone?


    "The capital sure is different from where I grew up in ," he muttered under his breath, both frustrated and in awe.


    After their lunch was finished, it was time for more lectures, and then the Live Combat Practice class was about to begin.


    Roderic, the instructor of the class, threw a glance at Zaroth, no doubt remembering the way he had seen him before¡ªsmiling with one hand cut off while holding a severed head in the other.


    But Roderic didn''t show any change in his behavior so the class proceeded as usual. sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Finally," Zaroth sighed as he entered the combat room.


    During his previous fight with Eryndor, he was pretty sure he''d learned how to enter peak flow state on command.


    Now, he was eager to test it.

 Chapter 58 Nice to meet you

    Zack raised an eyebrow before asking,"Are you sure?"


    "Yes," Zaroth immediately replied, gripping his sword harder.


    He had asked Zack for a spar, but without him holding back,


    Seeing that he was the best melee fighter among their group, he was the best one to ask to be a training partner.


    "Aren''t you going to summon Silverfang?"


    "No, the idea is to fight on my own."


    While it was true that Zaroth was at heart a Beast Master, and he was supposed to rely on his summon when a dire situation came, he still wanted to get stronger himself.


    There wasn''t any shame in trying to gain more strength, or at least that''s how Zaroth felt.


    Not that he was able to feel anything similar to shame, of course.


    "Alright, here I come," Zack muttered under his breath.


    The next second, he was already in front of Zaroth with his sword raised high in the air.


    Zaroth wasn''t able to react in time and was slashed in the shoulder with devastating weight.


    He grunted in pain and took a few steps back as blood began to fall from the wound.


    Taking a deep breath, trying to ignore the pain, he waited for the wound to heal.


    "Are you alright?" Zack asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "I''m fine," Zaroth answered as he tightened his grip on his sword.


    "Again!"


    Taking a deep breath, Zaroth concentrated on his enemy¡ªZack.


    There was nothing else that mattered, it was just him and his enemy.


    Zack sighed and then dashed. His movements appeared as a blur.


    But this time, Zaroth was actually able to see them.


    ''Left shoulder,'' he saw the upcoming attack and managed to deflect it with his sword.


    A metallic clinging sound echoed across the room.


    Zack, of course, didn''t wait a second as he attacked again.


    ''Right leg,'' using every muscle in his body, Zaroth moved his sword just in time to stop the thrust from Zack once again.


    Then Zack attacked again, and again, and again.


    In the span of a few seconds, dozens of blows were exchanged.


    During the whole time, Zack was always attacking, while Zaroth was always defending.


    Each time Zack attacked, his sword moved just a bit faster, while Zaroth''s moved a bit slower.


    Eventually, Zack''s attacks overwhelmed Zaroth, wounding him and leaving a large injury on his arm.


    Taking a step back, Zaroth gritted his teeth, waiting for the room to heal his injury.


    "Not bad," a voice behind him caught his attention.


    Turning around, he saw Roderic, the instructor of the class, had decided to come pay them a visit.


    Seeing that Zaroth was now staring at him, Roderic reasured.


    "Don''t worry about me. I''m here to see the progress you''re all making and to point you in the right direction should the need arise."


    Nodding slowly, Zaroth watched his wound heal and then charged at Zack again.


    There was about an hour left until the class ended, so Zaroth planned to use the time to gain as much experience in sword fighting as possible.


    Roran and Lily were engrossed in their own sparring while Roderic came from time to time to check on their progress.


    At the end of the lesson, Zaroth was left exhausted but also proud of himself.


    Even though it was still a bit hard, he was able to enter his peak flow state and use the sword kind of proficiently now.


    He was about to head out until Roderic stopped him, requesting that they have a talk.


    Making plans with his friends to meet at the bar at 20:00, he went to talk with the instructor.


    "Did I do something?" Zaroth asked.


    "No, not really," Roderic began, "I just wanted to ask you something."


    "Ask me something? What is it?"


    "Why are you trying to learn how to use a sword? Isn''t it better to use spells, since you''re in the mage category?"


    The reason was that learning spells was almost useless, as Zaroth preferred preserving his mana to give his beasts more freedom when in battle, especially Luna, who was a mythical creature that required a lot of mana to keep her form.


    But that wasn''t something Roderic needed to know, so¡­


    "It''s just, I kind of prefer being up close to my enemy."


    "I see¡­ but then why a sword? Why not a spear or something similar?"


    Zaroth was about to speak, but suddenly a realization hit him.


    ''No, really, why do I use only a sword?''


    "Umm¡­ maybe because my friends know how to use one, so they can teach me."


    Roderic raised an eyebrow. "You don''t seem very sure in your answer."


    Zaroth didn''t know how to respond.


    "Well, don''t take it too hard," Roderic spoke as he patted Zaroth on the shoulder.


    "Just think about mixing things a bit. Why don''t you try other weapons? A spear, for instance."


    *****


    After the talk with the professor, Zaroth was left thinking about why he chose to learn how to fight with a sword over any other weapon.


    Seeing that there was still time until he was supposed to meet his friends at the bar, he decided to head to the library.


    He was sure he could find a book that talks about the superior weapon in close combat.


    Taking a long look around, he found a few books that seemed promising, so he picked them up. But feeling lazy to go all the way to his assigned apartment, he decided to read them right there in the library.


    Entering the section meant for reading, he glanced around only to see that all the tables were already occupied.


    So he either had to go and sit at a table with someone he didn''t know, or he would have to go all the way to his apartment.


    With a sigh, he was about to head out until his gaze fell on a certain woman who was currently reading The Great Fall of Human Society (1134-1216).


    Approaching the table, he quietly placed down the books and sat across from her.


    When she sensed that someone had sat at her table, she turned her head.


    Her crimson eyes fell upon Zaroth as her crimson hair moved slightly from the sudden movement.


    With a grimace, she spoke,


    "What are you doing here?"


    Zaroth smiled warmly before speaking,


    "Nice to meet you too."


    It was Midnight Bloodrose. He often wondered why he didn''t see her anywhere in the academy, but it seemed that she had most likely spent her time here learning about humans in great detail.


    And Zaroth was certainly not going to pass up the opportunity to speak to a vampire.


    Now that no one was busy hiding, unlike last time, he wanted them to have a chat. S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 59 Conversation

    "You didn''t answer my question," Midnight spoke coldly as she leaned back in her chair and put the book aside."I just really wanted to talk with you," Zaroth responded.


    "Didn''t I tell you that I would prefer it if you didn''t bother me again?"


    "Don''t be so cold," he spoke as he placed his right hand on the table close to hers.


    "How could I not want to talk with you when we now share a connection?"


    He was, of course, referring to the time he had made a deal with the demon about keeping quiet about their abilities.


    At the time, Zaroth was drunk, so he almost didn''t notice, but for a moment, there appeared some kind of symbol on the back of his right hand. So in a way, he shared a connection with Midnight.


    With a sigh, she spoke, "Okay, what do you want to talk about?"


    "Well," pointing to the book she was currently reading, he answered,


    "I want to know why you are here and what your goal is."


    Midnight scoffed at his words, "What makes you think I will tell you that?"


    Zaroth, searching for a way to make her talk, was lost for a moment.


    "I''m not sure how you function¡­" he was referring to how demons function in their society but didn''t say it out loud, as there were students in the room who could potentially overhear.


    "But I''m guessing that you''re alone, right? Wouldn''t it be nice to share that information with somebody? Especially¡­" he pointed at his hand,


    "¡­when you know I can''t reveal that information to anybody else?"


    Midnight sighed as her eyebrows furrowed, clearly deep in thought.


    "Alright, for every question you ask, I will do the same. And do not lie."


    "Deal," he agreed in an instant. "Then I will begin. Why are you here?"


    "To get stronger," she immediately replied.


    "My turn¡ªwhy are you trying to get close to me?"


    "Because it will be beneficial."


    Midnight grimaced, "Your answer was too vague."


    Zaroth smiled as he crossed one leg over the other, "So was yours. Alright, next question, How do you get stronger?"


    "By stealing strength from others. Why would befriending me be beneficial?"


    "Because I believe we have a common enemy," Zaroth sighed, glancing around, thinking about how to word the next question.


    "What would make you want to team up with me?"


    "By bringing me a strong human." Midnight also took a moment to ask her next question.


    "And what is that common enemy?"


    Zaroth smiled darkly, "The gods." And then he added, "Would the emperor suffice?"


    Midnight, clearly not expecting such a question, narrowed her eyes in surprise for a moment.


    "Your enemy is the gods? Is that true?" she asked, her gaze seeming to brighten, almost as if checking if what he was saying was the truth.


    Not flinching, he brought his head closer. "Yep, I want to kill them all¡­ okay, maybe leave one alive, depending on the circumstances."


    Seeing that he was telling the truth, Midnight again got lost in thought, only to ask him a moment later,


    "Why did you ask if the emperor would suffice?"


    Zaroth smiled as he placed a hand on the book, opening it.


    "Let''s say I can bring him to you, so I''m asking if he would be strong enough."


    The reason Zaroth made that offer was because he wasn''t dumb¡­ okay, he wasn''t that dumb. By watching Elysia and her actions, it was crystal clear that the emperor was her enemy.


    So, in the future, he would most likely witness Elysia getting rid of the emperor , so why couldn''t Zaroth make use of the body?


    And also, if there wasn''t the matter with Elysia and her plan that she seemed reluctant to share yet, Zaroth still hadn''t forgotten the queen and the way she had made him feel.


    Remembering how far she was sitting when the emperor was giving his speech, it was clear that they weren''t in great rapport. But even so, she was married¡­ So if he wanted her, it was obvious that he was going to have to get rid of her husband eventually.


    So, he might as well offer the body of the emperor, with the hope that this could be the start of a beneficial relationship.


    "Yes, he would suffice," Midnight answered, clearly wondering if Zaroth was right in the head or not.


    "I see, thanks for the info. That''s all I wanted to know," he said as he scanned the first book, beginning to search if there was something as the most superior weapon.


    Seeing that he was reluctant to talk anymore, Midnight sighed and returned to reading her book as well.


    *****


    "Ah¡­" Zaroth was walking in the streets heading toward the bar.


    He was remembering the things he read in the books.


    "In short, there is no superior weapon. It all depends on the person who uses them," he muttered under his breath. He was honestly kind of disappointed, but at the same time, he was not.


    It meant that no matter what weapon he chose to master, he would be able to become one of the best if he trained hard enough.


    "But Roderic was right, I should switch things up a bit¡­" Remembering how his instructor had mentioned that Zaroth could use a spear, not once but twice, he decided to give it a try the next day when he trained with his friends.


    Walking in the streets at night was quite peaceful. He was enjoying the air, even if it wasn''t as clean as it was in the forest.


    And after a few minutes of walking,


    "I''m here," he spoke, looking at the time. S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    19:59.


    He was even on time. Messaging his friends, he learned that they had already seated inside. So, with a sigh, he opened the door.


    The laughter and conversation of the drunk people in the bar instantly reached his ears.


    Not paying them attention, he looked around until he saw a table where Zack and Roran were seated.


    "Where is Lily?" he asked as he took his seat.


    "She doesn''t like to drink in public spaces because she doesn''t want to embarrass herself," Roran said, looking at the menu.


    With a grin, he asked Zaroth just to make sure, "So, your treat?"


    "Yep," Zaroth replied, opening the menu as well.


    The night party had begun.

 Chapter 60 In a cave

    "These things look good," Zaroth spoke as he glanced at the menu.The menu was of high quality, as there were even pictures to show how the dishes would look.


    Knowing that this night he would spend an ungodly amount of credits, he decided to let loose.


    A cute waitress approached their table, asking if they had chosen what they wanted.


    "Yes, a Lobster, Beef, and Tortilla," he said. These were among the most expensive dishes on the menu, so Zaroth wanted to try them all out.


    He didn''t order any alcohol, leaving it to the expert¡ªin other words, Roran.


    After the order was placed, Zaroth began to glance around, noticing how happy everyone seemed.


    "People sure do change when they drink, huh," he muttered under his breath.


    Thinking it was time to ask, his gaze shifted to his friend. "Hey Roran, why are you so obsessed with protecting Lily?" Zaroth asked.


    He was really curious about the matter, so he just had to know. It was possible that Roran loved her that much, but at the same time, it felt like there was something more to it.


    Roran''s eyes seemed to change for a moment before he responded with a smile.


    "I''ll tell you if you can outdrink me," he challenged.


    Zaroth glanced at Zack for a second, who was silently telling him to do it. He wondered if it was a good idea¡­ but he was living for his desires after all, and he didn''t want to pass on a challenge.


    With a sigh, he spoke, "Alright, the challenge is on!"


    A Few Hours Later¡­


    "CHUG! CHUG! CHUG!" Everyone in the bar was hopelessly drunk as they danced in unison.


    Unlike last time, there weren''t any fights anywhere, as everyone was having a good time.


    "CHUG! CHUG! CHUG!" Slamming the giant cup hard on the table, Zaroth sighed.


    "Oh, I can''t anymore. You win." It seemed he couldn''t outdrink Roran no matter how hard he tried.


    In the end, everybody got pretty drunk, but it wasn''t as wild as last time. Zaroth somehow managed to get to his apartment, collapsing on the bed as soon as he arrived.


    *****


    The Next Morning he expectedly woke up with a hangover and barely managed to get out of bed, cursing as he did.


    "Never again! I''m never getting drunk again!"


    This time, he meant it. He wouldn''t go back on his word¡­ probably.


    "I give you two days until you go back on your word," Luna teased, walking around the apartment.


    She seemed to be getting more comfortable in her human form as she had managed to brew herself some coffee.


    "Give me more credit, will you?" Zaroth spat back, frustrated¡ªbecause he knew she was most likely right.


    Placing the cup on the table, Luna sat down, crossing one leg over the other.


    "So, there''s about a week until that tournament starts?"


    "Pretty much," he answered as he began changing into his academy uniform.


    "Do you have any plans until then?" she asked.


    "The only thing left is to try and get stronger, there''s not much to it."


    "But¡­" he added, "when the tournament begins, I don''t think I''ll be able to use you. I can''t come up with a way to hide you in the middle of the arena. So before the tournament starts, I''ll either have to tame a beast I can use publicly aside from Silverfang or learn a spell or two more."


    Noticing the time and that his lectures were about to start, Zaroth desummoned Luna, making her a bit upset as she wasn''t done drinking her coffee.


    "I''m off," he muttered quickly as he exited the apartment.


    *****


    The surroundings were deadly quiet. The only sound present was the faint echoes of the footsteps of four men in the cave.


    "How¡­ how did we get into this situation?" one of them asked, keeping his voice low, trying not to attract attention.


    "We¡­ we have probably angered the gods. We should pray for forgiveness," the oldest one answered.


    "Don''t be stupid!" the man in the center hissed angrily. "The gods will not help you with what''s coming next!"


    "Captain¡­ I can feel it in my bones. We must not venture deeper," one of the soldiers warned hesitantly.


    "You know we can''t just leave¡ªnot when a whole damn city and its inhabitants disappeared! Do you want to be executed for cowardice when we return?!" the captain barked.


    "Can''t we¡­ just say we reached the end of the cave and found nothing?" another asked nervously.


    The captain hesitated for a moment. ''True¡­ maybe we could do just that. The fault is in the commander, after all, for sending four soldiers into such a large cave to begin with.''


    He was about to issue his next command when a sudden smell in the air stopped him.


    "There''s blood ahead," he grimaced, tightening his grip on his spear. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Even though they were in a cave, it was wide enough to comfortably use a spear, which was why the captain had chosen it as his primary weapon.


    Everyone held their breath as they moved forward.


    What they saw next made them freeze.


    In a large cavern, hundreds¡ªno, thousands¡ªof bodies were piled one over the other.


    The smell was so unbearable that a few of the men gagged.


    Trying to keep his composure, the captain asked, "Jeremy, do you sense something?"


    Part of the reason the captain was so calm was because he had Jeremy in his team.


    Jeremy had an uncanny ability to detect danger before it struck, so the captain trusted that if Jeremy hadn''t warned them yet, they were safe for now.


    "Jeremy?" he asked again when there was no response.


    Turning around, his eyes widened in a flash.


    "Where is Jeremy?"


    His two subordinates glanced around in panic as they realized their comrade was missing.


    "Huh? He was here just a second ago, I swear!"


    Their panic was cut short as they heard footsteps coming from the entrance¡ªwhere they had just passed.


    "Jeremy? Is that you?" the captain asked cautiously.


    There was silence for a moment until¡­


    "Not enough¡­ it''s too weak¡­"


    The voice didn''t sound human.


    The three soldiers immediately raised their weapons, ready to attack.


    "Stay calm, alright? Just like we practiced," the captain instructed, trying to steady his subordinates.


    "Guys?" he asked again after hearing no reply.


    Turning around, his face drained of color as he realized he was now alone.


    "Shit!" he muttered, pressing his back against the wall of the cave.


    "How? When?" Questions raced through his mind, but there was no one to answer them.


    But the most important question remained


    How had his comrades disappeared without him noticing?


    Suddenly, his eyes widened as realization hit him.


    He shifted his gaze upwards¡ª


    But it was too late.


    Some kind of dark matter fell from the ceiling, hitting him square in the face.


    "HUM! HUM!" He tried to struggle with everything he had, but it was useless.


    The dark matter, like a liquid, forced its way into his body through his mouth and nostrils.


    Collapsing to the ground, the man began to shiver violently in pain. He opened his mouth to scream, only to realize, in horror, that he couldn''t.


    After a few seconds of violent struggle, his body grew cold and stopped moving.


    Slowly, he got back on his feet. His right hand twitched unnaturally as he cracked his fingers.


    "It''s not perfect," he muttered, a small smile spreading across his face.


    "But this will suffice for now."

 Chapter 61 Roran

    "No, move! I have to move!" he muttered under his breath.Seeing the person he was supposed to protect lying dead on the ground, Roran felt rage and a wish for vengeance, but he was bound¡ªhe couldn''t move.


    After all, he had been given one last objective.


    Feeling tears fall upon the hand he was using to keep Lily silent, he gritted his teeth in frustration.


    "It''s alright, I am here," he whispered quietly, only for the two of them to hear.


    ''Never in a million years would I have thought something like this would happen,'' Roran, trying to keep himself occupied to forget the rage, tried to keep himself busy with his thoughts.


    If he were just a bit stronger¡­ if he were born just a bit earlier¡­ he might have been able to prevent this from happening.


    He was shown such hospitality, and how did he thank them? How did he repay them?


    He failed to do the one thing he was supposed to.


    Did he even have a reason to go on anymore?


    Was he supposed to seek revenge against these monsters in human skin now?


    Was there even a point in his existence?


    Lily, not wishing to look at the scene anymore, turned around as she took Roran into her embrace, holding him as tightly as she could, unwilling to let him go.


    ''I am all she has left,'' he thought as he returned her embrace.


    "It''s alright, I will not leave you."


    Hearing him say that, Lily''s shaking body seemed to have calmed down a little.


    Roran was glad that she had hugged him¡­ it''s not because he liked her at the moment.


    It was just that¡­


    She wouldn''t be able to see the ugly tears he was crying in frustration.


    "Ro¡ª"


    Seeing the crimson blood of the people he called family spread around the floor.


    Feeling their only descendant embrace him tightly in fear.


    "¡ªan?"


    "I swear, you will not meet the same fate," he muttered quickly, so that even Lily wasn''t able to hear.


    At that moment, he had made up his mind¡­ no, he had made up his mind long ago.


    No matter what.


    No matter the cost.


    She would live.


    "Roran?"


    Hearing his name being called out by a gentle voice, and feeling his body being shaken slightly, he grunted as he opened his eyes.


    It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to his surroundings. When they did, he caught a glance of a breathtaking woman with golden hair and eyes.


    When he glanced at Lily, he felt so many things.


    Happiness, gratefulness¡­ shame, regret, guilt, the need to atone.


    "Yes?" he answered as he sat up slowly.


    "Are you¡­ alright?" Lily asked, clearly concerned.


    Roran scoffed, "Of course. When have I not been alright?"


    "No¡­ it''s just that you were crying in your sleep, so I felt it was better to wake you up."


    Placing his right hand to his cheek, Roran saw that he was indeed crying.


    He couldn''t help but curse in his mind.


    ''Pathetic,''


    "Oh, I see¡­ thanks for waking me up," he spoke, forcing a smile to appear on his face.


    "You didn''t overdo it last night at the bar, right?"


    "Of course I didn''t. I got home myself, after all."


    Hesitating for a moment, Lily said gently, "You know you can talk about anything with me, right? If you need anything, you can just ask."


    Roran''s eyes narrowed for a moment. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Stretching out his hands, he took her in his embrace.


    "You are enough. I don''t need anything, Lily," he spoke warmly, trying to hide his eyes from her, thinking inwardly,


    ''No matter the cost.''


    "Are you trying to appear romantic?" Lily spoke as she exited his embrace.


    "If you are alright, then go take a bath. You stink of alcohol."


    "Okay, okay," Roran shrugged as he entered the bathroom.


    Feeling the hot water hit his body, he couldn''t help but grit his teeth.


    He had drunk so much alcohol¡­ and yet he still remembered?


    Was he destined to have these nightmares for the rest of his life?


    "No, it''s alright," he reassured himself as he placed a trembling hand over his tired eyes.


    "As long as I haven''t failed, it''s all good. Everything else is irrelevant."


    After the shower, he dried himself and put on his clothes.


    "Ha, would you look at that? Now you look like a respectable person and not some drunkard from a bar," Lily teased as she took a sip of her coffee.


    "You better appreciate this look, it''s all for you," Roran retorted as he sat in his chair.


    His eyes widened briefly as he saw that Lily had prepared breakfast.


    "Oh? You''re cooking? What''s the occasion?" he teased.


    Lily grimaced, "What, can''t I learn to cook too? I feel weird leaving so many things to you."


    "I told you it''s fine," he replied as he used the fork to pick up the pancake and brought it to his mouth.


    Seeing him take a bite, Lily raised an eyebrow. "So? How is it?"


    Acting as if he was thinking, Roran rolled his eyes. "Not bad, I guess¡­"


    "Not bad? Is that it?"


    "Okay, okay, I admit your cooking has indeed gotten better,"


    After giving a moment of satisfaction for Lily, he added with a smirk, "But it''s still inferior to my cooking in every single aspect."


    *****


    Getting ready, they headed to the academy and walked through their usual route.


    They got stared at as usual. Before, most people would look at them most likely because both of them ¡ª Roran and Lily ¡ª were good looking, but now there were also other gazes mixed in.


    As it was now widely known that they were part of Zaroth''s squad.


    "Zaroth¡­" Roran muttered under his breath.


    Entering the lecture room and getting on their seats, they waited.


    Zack arrived, and as usual, Zaroth arrived about a minute before the start of the lecture.


    ''Zaroth¡­'' Roran threw a glance at the man, deep in thought.


    Roran had always been calm, not because he had control over his emotions, but because he thought he was strong enough to destroy any problem should the need arise.


    But after the fight in the forest, he realized something.


    He couldn''t win against Zaroth, not if he used his dragon.


    How could he have tamed a dragon?


    Why was his dragon made entirely of bone, like it was dead?


    Roran had many questions in his mind, but it wasn''t like he could ask, as he himself had many secrets that he was reluctant to share.


    Not to mention, Zack was also formidable in his own right.


    How do you even defeat him? He was able to pick up his decapitated head and place it back like it was nothing.


    Was he immortal or something?


    He sighed as he opened his textbook.


    ''I guess it''s good I have a strong friends that I can rely on at least.''

 Chapter 62 Zack

    Taking a deep breath, Zack opened the envelope.As he took out the letter, he carefully scanned what was written in it.


    "These bastards!" he muttered as he crushed the piece of paper in frustration.


    It seemed that he was invited.


    To see his family again.


    *****


    Walking slowly, he tried to force his wildly beating heart to calm down.


    "No matter how many times I pass by here, it is still disturbing," he spoke in frustration.


    To reach their family house, he first had to walk past the large garden they had.


    There were about a dozen servants currently out, diligently doing their duties of maintaining the garden.


    But as Zack passed, he felt multiple gazes fixed upon him.


    Were these gazes filled with happiness? Or were they filled with anger and disappointment?


    Zack didn''t know and honestly could care less.


    Finally reaching the large gates of the mansion, he steeled his resolve and knocked.


    There was silence for a moment until the doors opened.


    An old man, close to his 70s, was waiting. It was Sebastian, the butler of the head of the clan.


    "Follow me," the servant spoke as he began to walk away.


    ''Not even a greeting?'' Zack grimaced for a moment, only to return to his natural expression.


    Walking through the large mansion, he couldn''t help but appreciate its beauty.


    ''All of this was supposed to be mine, and yet!''


    Taking a deep breath, he gained control over himself.


    ''No, focus.''


    Reaching the room they were supposed to, Sebastian knocked on the door three times.


    "Enter," a cold voice was heard from the other side of the room.


    Sebastian opened the room and gestured with his hand for Zack to enter.


    The gaze of the old man was clear.


    ''Don''t try anything stupid.''


    Taking a step forward, he first took note of the classical music playing in the room.


    No¡­ it wasn''t a recording. There was a pianist performing live.


    And of course, his performance was phenomenal. Usually, the person would perform in a stadium full of thousands of people¡­ S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Yet, he was performing in a room where just a few people were having dinner.


    Shifting his gaze to the table, Zack''s eyes widened for a moment as he saw how much food there was on it.


    It was probably enough to feed more than a dozen people.


    Yet, at the table, just five people were eating, no doubt planning to throw away the leftovers.


    Zack stopped in front of the table as his gaze fell on the man at the center¡ªhis uncle.


    "I have been informed that the head of the clan requires my presence," he spoke coldly, trying to appear emotionless.


    The man, not paying him any attention, continued to eat his food silently.


    The woman next to him suddenly barked,


    "You are speaking to the head of the clan himself. Why is your head so high?"


    She was obviously telling him to kneel.


    Zack, not saying anything, shifted his piercing gaze to her eyes, showing that he wasn''t planning to kneel in front of these traitors.


    "It''s fine, I don''t expect the pest to know how to follow the rules," the man seemed to finally acknowledge Zack''s existence as he shifted his gaze to him.


    "I heard there was a big fight in the forest when the hunting competition had been held."


    "It was just a small scuffle, nothing to worry the clan," Zack immediately answered, showing no signs of fear.


    "I was told that two Epic beasts had been slain. Did you take part in that fight?"


    Zack didn''t answer as he continued to stare at the man emotionlessly.


    Then the next second, he felt blood pouring from the side of his cheek.


    This was his blood yet he couldn''t control it.


    "First it was your hand, then your cheek, next it may be your neck. So tell me¡­" the man spoke as he put his fork to the side.


    "Did you fight?"


    "Yes, I did, but I was quickly knocked out and couldn''t do much in the first place."


    The man shifted his gaze to a girl who had been eating up until now, almost as if there wasn''t a conversation going on.


    "When they saw him, he had been white as a ghost, almost dead. I think he''s telling the truth."


    "I see," the man spoke again, shifting his attention back to his plate.


    "Are you planning to join the tournament?"


    "Is there a problem?"


    "No, just don''t use your disgusting powers, that''s all," the man gestured with his hand as if signaling the conversation was done.


    So, Zack quickly exited the room.


    "That punk, he''s just as annoying as his father¡­ maybe I just have to get rid of him as well," Zack''s uncle muttered as he began to eat again.


    *****


    "Spear? Really? What made you have a change of heart?" Zack raised an eyebrow as he glanced at Zaroth.


    "I think it will be beneficial to master more than one weapon," Zaroth replied, getting into position.


    "If you say so."


    Instantly, Zack made his blood run hotter and appeared right next to Zaroth.


    Taking a deep wound on his chest, Zaroth staggered back, gritting his teeth, trying not to scream in pain as he waited for the room to heal him.


    ''Fascinating¡­'' Zack couldn''t help but be impressed.


    He knew that his friend had somehow managed to tame a dragon, but rather than most people who would abuse this power, he was limiting himself to using melee weapons even though he was of the mage category and wasn''t originally meant for that.


    ''And all of this in the pursuit of strength¡­''


    It was weird. When Zack was in the presence of his three friends, he felt at peace.


    He didn''t have to think about how to kill the damned traitors that were supposed to be his family.


    He knew all of his friends were unbelievably strong, but so was he.


    They didn''t pressure him about his powers, and nor did he question theirs.


    When he was in their presence, it just felt right¡­


    Like he could be himself and not worry about anything.


    Seeing Zaroth slowly recover from the wound he had received, Zack smirked.


    "Come on! Is that all you have? You''re embarrassing yourself!"


    Zaroth smiled darkly before replying, "I will make you eat these words!"


    "Let''s see you try!"


    And they fought, they trained, without a care in the world.


    All in pursuit of greater strength.

 Chapter 63 I Will Win

    "So, are we close enough?" Sofia asked, shifting her gaze to Vera."Yes, I think I''ll be able to get a good grasp of their strength," Vera replied, though her tone carried hesitation.


    "What is it?" Sofia raised an eyebrow.


    They had finally managed to get a table close enough to Zaroth''s squad, which had been difficult considering the cafeteria was always full.


    "I¡­ I''m not sure this is a good idea," Vera admitted.


    "Vera," Sofia said, crossing her legs.


    "We know they somehow managed to defeat two Epic Beasts and their master, right? Not only that, but this kid¡ªZaroth¡ªwhen I saw him after being rescued by Elysia, he was half-dead and yet had a smile on his face as he carried the beheaded head of a man."


    Her voice grew more firm. "So, we have to know what they''re capable of, especially considering we might face them in the approaching Tournament."


    With a sigh, Vera nodded slightly, reluctantly agreeing with her friend. She shifted her gaze toward the group of four.


    Her eyes shined brightly, though the effect was hidden beneath the white mask that obscured most of her face.


    Suddenly, she gasped involuntarily.


    Hearing that, Sofia immediately asked, "What is it? Did you see something?"


    "¡­ Well, our suspicions were correct. Three of them have high-tier blessings," Vera replied cautiously.


    "What about the girl with them¡ªthe one they call Lily?"


    "I¡­ I''m honestly not sure. I feel like I can''t see her, even though I can."


    "What''s that supposed to mean?"


    "How the heck should I know?" Vera replied, frustrated.


    With a grunt, Sofia pressed on. "Alright, leave the girl for now. What about the three men with her?"


    Vera focused first on the one with blue eyes and blonde hair.


    "This one¡­ I feel like I want to kneel just by looking at him. He has the ability to command something¡ªI can''t tell what or to what extent, but it''s strong."


    Sofia nodded slowly, urging her friend to continue.


    Next, Vera focused on the one with white eyes and raven-black hair.


    "Looking at him makes my blood run cold¡­ probably his abilities are somehow connected to blood."


    "I see. And what about the shorter one?"


    Sofia, of course, was talking about Zaroth, the leader of the group.


    If his commanders were this strong, how powerful was the man himself?


    Shifting her gaze, Vera concentrated.


    Then her hands began to tremble as she gasped for air.


    Unable to look for too long, she quickly averted her gaze.


    "What is it?" Sofia asked, concerned as she noticed her friend''s panicked reaction.


    "... Looking at him made me feel weird. It was like I was staring at the Chairwoman herself."


    Seeing the confusion on Sofia''s face, Vera explained further.


    "It''s like the Chairwoman, but while she gave the feeling of death itself... it felt like, even if only partially...


    He is able to manipulate death."


    *****


    "So, it''s time¡­" Zaroth muttered under his breath.


    A moment ago, he had been concerned. Luna had warned him that someone was watching him with ill intent, but that worry vanished the instant a message appeared.


    Not just for him¡ªbut for everyone in the cafeteria. No, for every student across the Empire.


    -----


    [Announcement]


    To every chosen student in every academy, from the first to the final year: Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    All students are required to appear in the Grand Arena by 14:30, where the Emperor will officially announce the commencement of the Grand Tournament, set to last a quarter of the year.


    Rules:


    The tournament will be split into multiple rounds. To move on to the next round, each participant must win their match.


    In the beginning, the matches will take place in smaller arenas scattered throughout the Empire.


    However, starting from Round 10, all battles will be held in the Grand Arena, where the Emperor himself will be watching.


    Current statistics:


    65,536 participants


    Rounds:


    Round 1: 65,536 participants ¡ú 32,768 matches


    Round 2: 32,768 ¡ú 16,384 matches


    Round 3: 16,384 ¡ú 8,192 matches


    Round 4: 8,192 ¡ú 4,096 matches


    Round 5: 4,096 ¡ú 2,048 matches


    Round 6: 2,048 ¡ú 1,024 matches


    Round 7: 1,024 ¡ú 512 matches


    Round 8: 512 ¡ú 256 matches


    Round 9: 256 ¡ú 128 matches


    Round 10: 128 ¡ú 64 matches


    Round 11: 64 ¡ú 32 matches


    Round 12: 32 ¡ú 16 matches


    Round 13: 16 ¡ú 8 matches


    Round 14: 8 ¡ú 4 matches


    Round 15: 4 ¡ú 2 matches


    Final Round: 2 ¡ú 1 match


    Later, each student will receive their schedule, specifying the arena and the time of their match.


    May fortune find you.


    All glory to Emperor Draconis VII, whose vision and authority have brought this Grand Tournament into existence!


    -----


    Unsurprisingly, murmurs began to spread uncontrollably across the cafeteria.


    "Sixty-five thousand five hundred thirty-six participants? This is way more than I expected¡­" Zaroth muttered under his breath.


    "What do you think?" he asked, turning his gaze to his friends.


    "Piece of cake," Zack said casually, leaning back in his chair. "I just have to win 16 matches, and then I win!"


    "You mean I''ll win!" Roran interjected with a smug grin.


    "Hey, don''t count me out!" Lily chimed in, joining in.


    "But... 65,536 participants? Aren''t we all students? How is that even possible?"


    "Wait, how big do you think the Empire is?" Lily asked, raising an eyebrow.


    Scratching the back of his neck awkwardly, Zaroth answered honestly, "I don''t know... I thought it was about a million?"


    Lily burst into laughter, clutching her stomach.


    "You''ve been in A-class since the beginning! How the hell do you not know that?" Roran asked in disbelief.


    "Why are you blaming me?!" Zaroth shot back defensively. "They''re the ones who failed to teach me that!"


    Roran massaged his forehead with a sigh before speaking.


    "Zaroth, the Empire has a population of 100 million people."


    "100 million¡­ 65,536 participants," Zaroth muttered under his breath.


    Suddenly, he understood why Elysia hadn''t told him who he was supposed to beat. With so many participants, it was quite possible she didn''t know herself. Instead, the next best option was to ensure someone working for her won the tournament.


    Zaroth''s eyes darkened, a deeper shade of green.


    ''That wish¡­ may be harder to earn than I thought.''


    ''Are you getting scared you''re going to lose?'' Luna teased, her voice echoing in his mind.


    He would have to defeat 65,536 people¡ªthe best of the best, chosen from all over the Empire.


    He, a person who had been living a life worse than a street rat not too long ago.


    Zaroth''s lips curled into a dark smile.


    ''No. I will win.''

 Chapter 64 Preparations

    "Let me make this clear from the start," Lily spoke firmly, looking around the table."This time, you will not make fools out of yourselves."


    Zack rolled his eyes. "What? Last time wasn''t so bad!"


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow. "Is that why Roran wanted to get drunk so he could try to forget what happened?"


    "Alright, there''s no need for arguments. We''ll just go like this, in our student uniforms," Roran interjected.


    In the end, it was decided that they would avoid making any moves that could embarrass them. After eating their fill, they headed for the grand arena.


    Zaroth was deep in thought about the progress he had made.


    ''Sadly, I didn''t learn any new spells, just got a bit better at using fireball. My skills with the spear are improving¡ªI think it suits me better than a sword, actually.''


    However, not everything was good. He still hadn''t managed to find a third beast to resurrect and tame.


    He had even wasted time leaving the borders of the capital to search for something, but in the end, he didn''t find a suitable beast.


    ''Whatever. When I fight somebody, I can use Silverfang to distract them while I deal damage with my spear from afar, ''


    His thoughts were quickly interrupted as he glanced at the massive gates leading to the arena. Walking through the stairs, the murmurs of thousands of students echoed all around him.


    "Wow," he couldn''t help but gasp slightly.


    There were supposed to be more than 60,000 students, yet the arena didn''t even seem half full. That alone showcased how magnificent the building truly was.


    Observing the students, Zaroth''s eyes stopped on a woman whose mere presence seemed to make everyone around her uncomfortable. It was Elysia, standing at the front with the other teachers.


    "So, it''s fine if the teachers sit at the very front but not the students?" Zaroth hissed in frustration.


    While he wanted to go and talk to the chairwoman, he knew it would be an idiotic thing to do. In the public eye, he and she were just students and a chairwoman.


    With a sigh of regret, everyone followed Lily, who, unlike them, had followed the rules and knew where they were supposed to sit.


    Sitting down with a grunt, Zaroth threw another glance around, appreciating the sheer scale of it all.


    "Huh, so these rascals can actually follow the rules," a female student sneered, glancing at Zaroth and his friends.


    "Hey, don''t talk like that¡ªthey might hear you," a man defended them.


    Zaroth, overhearing it all, shifted his gaze curiously, wondering who in their right mind would defend them.


    A smirk appeared on his face when his eyes landed on a chubby man¡ªthe same one whose arm he had broken before.


    ''So the bastard actually got scared enough to learn his lesson,'' he thought.


    Leaning back in his chair, Zaroth began to wonder what he was supposed to do now while waiting for the emperor to appear. That was until, suddenly, the chat room he shared with Zack and Roran showed that someone had sent a message.


    -----


    Zack: "Hey, have you heard the myth of the salesman?"


    -----


    Zaroth smirked, his curiosity piqued, and he sent a message back. It seemed that he wasn''t going to be bored out of his mind, at least.


    *****


    "Beautiful," Draconis muttered as he gazed upon the thousands of his subjects gathered in the grand arena.


    ''So many people¡­ Who would be the most worthy?'' he wondered.


    "Not that it matters at all," he smiled darkly.


    The whole purpose of the tournament wasn''t just to inspire the youth to strive for greater strength, it was also to identify the strongest in the empire. Later, he would simply make them submit to his will, adding more disposable soldiers to his forces.


    Even as a genius, he couldn''t predict the future with certainty, but...


    "Once the tournament ends, we''ll be able to launch a massive attack campaign against the Crimson Sun Empire."


    He licked his lips, imagining the wealth he would gain by conquering them.


    "First our neighbors, then their neighbors, then all the continents, then all the races, the world," His golden eyes shined brightly as he could already imagine a future where the entire world was under his order and his alone.


    "Everything is ready, sir."


    Hearing a voice behind him, Draconis turned only to see a man with black hair, a grey suit, and a tie holding a suitcase.


    This was one of the few people who dared to look him directly in the eyes.


    "How is the recruitment going?" Draconis asked.


    The man in the suit smiled. "I am the one tasked with the job, so it''s going without a problem, as always."


    "Good," Draconis said, waving his hand to signal that the man was dismissed. S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    With a nod, the man began to walk away, his shoes making faint echoes in the room.


    Draconis paid him no further attention, instead turning toward his wives.


    While most of his marriages had been for political reasons, his queens¡ªthe ones truly chosen for him¡ªwere meant to be the pinnacle of perfection.


    As the future ruler of the world, Draconis would settle for nothing less than the very best.


    Each of these women possessed beauty so extraordinary that wars could have been waged for their hands¡­ with one exception.


    Draconis shifted his gaze toward a woman standing in the corner, clearly trying to hide herself. She wore layers upon layers of clothing, and even had bandages covering parts of her body.


    Yet Draconis knew.


    "Althea¡­"


    She was his third wife. He remembered very well the first time he saw her¡ªher beauty had been quite literally out of this world.


    Her family, an influential clan, had seemed almost desperate to give her to him. At that moment, he should have found it suspicious¡­


    But on their wedding day, the truth was revealed.


    Her body bore dark spots, and parts of her muscles were missing. She suffered from the muscle rot curse.


    This revelation filled Draconis with fury beyond belief. He¡ªthe future ruler of the world¡ªhad been given a defective wife?


    He was ready to kill her on the spot for daring to show her disgusting body to him. But he couldn''t¡ªnot yet. Her clan held too much influence in the ongoing war.


    So, he made his choice. On their wedding day, he commanded her to never enter his bedroom again and to never reveal her disgusting body to him.


    Did she feel shame, guilt, or something else? It didn''t matter. Draconis did not waste time thinking about defective people.


    From that day forward, Althea avoided speaking to him and, if possible, even showing her face. Nearly two decades had passed since then.


    Shaking off his rage, Draconis smirked. Soon, her clan would lose its power, and he would finally be free to rid himself of her. All he had to do was endure a little longer.


    "Let''s go," he said coldly, stepping onto the podium.


    Standing proudly at the center, Draconis took a deep breath.


    He was about to announce the commencement of the tournament.

 Chapter 65 He is here

    "She is here," Zaroth muttered under his breath as he shifted his focus from the chat he was having with Roran, Zack, and Lily, who had joined them along the way.His gaze fell upon a woman seated far in the back of the podium, almost as if she was trying to hide from the eyes of the masses. It was as though the emperor himself was ashamed of her presence and sought to conceal her to the best of his ability.


    "What a fool," Zaroth thought aloud.


    Wasn''t the emperor supposed to be this great figure? A leader meant to unite the people and guide them to victory along the righteous path?


    Yet he tried to hide one of his wives? Just because she was suffering from some curse?


    For a moment, Zaroth grimaced, remembering how people had started to treat his mother once she got infected with the same curse.


    But Zaroth tried not to let bad thoughts ruin his mood as he savored every second that he could stare at the queen. He was much farther in the back than the last time, so naturally, the queen was much farther as well. But he didn''t let that stop him from staring at her.


    ''I see¡­'' he finally admitted to himself why he desired her so much.


    Her condition reminded him of his deceased mother, the person he cherished and loved most¡ªthe one he had failed to save.


    If he managed to save the queen, would he be able to atone for his failure?


    Probably not. But even so, he wanted her, simply because she reminded him of his past.


    Who knew? Maybe, with time, he would come to cherish her as much as he had his mother.


    The only thing Zaroth regretted was that, sitting in the back, surrounded by thousands of students, there was no way for the queen to sense his gaze on her like she had last time.


    But not everything could be perfect, after all.


    The emperor began his speech, but Zaroth didn''t listen to a word of it. He already knew the important parts of the announcement. Everything else was just formality¡ªor, in other words, a waste of time.


    "What is he staring at so intently?" Lily whispered to Roran.


    "Ah, he gets like that whenever he sees the queen," Roran replied casually.


    "The queen? Don''t tell me he has a one-sided crush or something," Lily remarked, raising an eyebrow.


    She didn''t know much about Zaroth''s habit of going after the impossible, but she honestly couldn''t blame him.


    Shifting her gaze, she began scanning the queens. Each and every one of them could easily be considered the most beautiful person in the world.


    "Which one?" she asked.


    "The one in the back," Roran answered.


    "The back?" Lily muttered, searching for the woman.


    A moment later, she gasped. "Wait, isn''t she the one rumored to be gravely ill?"


    "Yes, that''s the one."


    He could have focused on any of the queens, but he chose the one who was hidden? The one whose illness had supposedly ruined her appearance?


    Suddenly, Lily saw Zaroth in a different light¡ªa person who didn''t care about someone''s appearance but cared more for their heart.


    "You could learn a lot from him," Lily whispered, nudging Roran lightly with her elbow.


    Roran, not understanding what she was trying to convey, could only raise an eyebrow in confusion.


    *****


    ''What''s the point?'' Althea''s thoughts were grim, but she didn''t let it show as she sat quietly in her chair at the back of the podium, uninterested and waiting for the announcement to end.


    ''What is the point of continuing to live on?''


    Typically, someone afflicted with the muscle rot curse wouldn''t survive more than a few years. Yet somehow, she had endured nearly two decades of its torment.


    But rather than being a cause for happiness, her survival had only brought her husband''s disgust.


    She still remembered it vividly¡ªbefore the marriage, her family had assured her that the emperor knew about her condition. Later, on their wedding night, she learned the truth, he hadn''t.


    It was the same with everyone around her¡ªwhether her family, her husband, his other wives, or their children. All of them looked at her with the same eyes.


    Part of it was because of her appearance, but another part was from superstition. Many believed that merely touching her might spread the curse.


    As such, she wore multiple layers of clothing and bandages on her arms, hoping it would stop people from instinctively distancing themselves from her¡­ not that it worked anyway.


    ''When was the last time someone looked at me like I was a human being?'' she wondered.


    The only memories that came to mind were from her childhood, before she was infected.


    At least, that was what she thought¡ªuntil a recent memory surfaced.


    The previous time her husband had gathered the students, hadn''t there been someone who stared at her? At her alone¡ªnot at the other beautiful queens around her.


    There had been three brave souls sitting in the front seats that day. Among them, the shortest one with white hair had looked at her.


    She wasn''t sure how to react. It had been so long since anyone had looked at her with something other than hostility. So all she could do was stare back.


    Considering the distance between them, the man had probably never even noticed.


    "Is¡­ he here, perhaps?" Althea muttered under her breath.


    Her gaze drifted to the front of the arena, where a few of the academy''s teachers sat. But there was no sign of him.


    ''Has he not come today?'' she wondered. ''Or maybe he''s sitting somewhere in the back?''


    With nothing better to occupy her thoughts, she began scanning the massive crowd. S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Then, her eyes stopped.


    A certain pair of green, cat-like eyes met hers.


    Unconsciously, Althea smiled faintly¡ªa gesture so unfamiliar that she couldn''t even remember the last time she had done such a thing.


    With a quiet sigh of relief, she whispered, "He is here."

 Chapter 66 The Tournament has Begun

    "And as such, I, Draconis VII, commence the start of the tournament!"At the end of the emperor''s speech, the entire crowd stood up and applauded in appreciation.


    Zaroth, looking around, stood as well¡ªbut he didn''t clap.


    Shifting his gaze to his companions, he noticed that they weren''t clapping either.


    ***** S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Ah, that was exhausting!" Zack spoke as he stretched his body.


    "I agree. Do you know what this c¡ª"


    "No, you are not going to drink tonight," Lily immediately cut off Roran, sensing what he was about to say.


    Zaroth would have joined in the conversation until a message piqued his interest.


    "Huh. It seems my fight is tomorrow," he remarked.


    "So soon?" Zack replied, shifting his gaze to Zaroth.


    "Considering how many people are going to participate in the first round, it''ll take at least a few weeks to finish," Roran explained.


    "Yes, so you can consider yourself lucky that you''ll get it done sooner rather than later," Lily added.


    With a sigh, Zaroth nodded. "Well, I''d better head back. I want to prepare for the match."


    "You better not lose," Zack said, patting him on the back.


    Zaroth scoffed. "There''s no way I''m going to lose."


    *****


    Back at his apartment, Zaroth sat cross-legged on the floor.


    ''First, let''s check my mana core,'' he thought.


    A moment later, he found himself in the vast expanse of his soul, with his mana core floating at its center and countless sparks connected to it.


    He began counting them one by one.


    He had been focusing on strengthening his mana core for some time, and it seemed his efforts were paying off. He now had about two thousand sparks connected to his core.


    ''It''s not much, but it should suffice,'' he thought as he extended his arm forward.


    A second later, a menacing fireball appeared in his hand. With a command, he shot it through the window to avoid damaging his apartment.


    "My skill have also become stronger," he muttered.


    In addition to his magic, he had made significant progress with wielding a spear and planned to use it in the upcoming match.


    "And lastly¡­" he said, beginning to strip down, which made Luna, who had been watching silently, whistle.


    "One, two, three¡­" Zaroth began testing his maximum strength.


    By the end of his workout, he had completed 200 squats, 100 push-ups, and 36 pull-ups.


    ''I''m as prepared as I can be,'' he thought as he stood in the hot shower, letting the water wash away the sweat.


    His battle was scheduled for 16:00 the following day.


    Zaroth was technically expected to attend the academy during the hours he wasn''t participating in the tournament, but he decided it would be smarter to skip the entire day to conserve his strength for the match.


    So, he messaged Elysia.


    -----


    Zaroth: My first match is tomorrow. I am skipping the academy that day.


    Elysia: Do whatever you think is best.


    -----


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow in confusion. He expected that it would be harder to get a day off, but it seemed that he didn''t have to worry about that.


    Wanting to be in shape when the moment came, he got to bed earlier than usual.


    *****


    "So this is it," he muttered under his breath.


    He had followed the directions on the map he had in his bracelet and arrived at a smaller arena. While it was true that it was smaller than the grand one, it wasn''t anything to scoff at.


    "Hello, name?" the receptionist asked him.


    After confirming his identity, he was escorted to the place where the duel was supposed to take place.


    "Let''s see my luck," he muttered. He didn''t know who his opponent was going to be.


    It could be the strongest among the fourth-year students or the weakest of the first years.


    There was no way to know.


    Zaroth shifted his gaze to an overweight man who sat at a desk overseeing the duel with a paper and a pen in hand.


    He, of course, knew the real reason for this tournament.


    The emperor was planning to weed out the strong students from the weak ones and would probably force them to fight in the upcoming war with the Crimson Sun Empire.


    Zaroth''s plan was simple, he would try to use as little of his abilities as possible and only reveal them if the need arose.


    He had chosen the spear for the match. If that wasn''t enough to overwhelm his opponent, he would use fireball. If that also wasn''t enough, he would finally summon Silverfang.


    But, of course, not many people knew that he was a Beast Master, so it was best to keep that information hidden for as long as possible.


    Having made up his plan, he waited patiently. Soon after, a short boy carrying a bow came from the other side.


    ''Is that supposed to be my opponent?'' he asked himself, looking at the timid boy who was barely able to hold the bow. He couldn''t help but smile inwardly.


    ''It seems that I got lucky, and my first opponent is weak.''


    But his mood was soon soured as a second person came in. This one was a bit taller than the boy and had two curved swords on his back.


    ''Of course, only the best were allowed to enter the tournament. There is no way that the timid one was able to qualify,'' Zaroth thought.


    "I will cheer you on!" the timid boy spoke.


    "Eh, how lucky I am to have a brother like you," the taller man spoke as he patted the timid one on the head.


    Suddenly, the overweight man stood up and began to speak.


    "Hello, I am the observer of this match. I presume you know the rules, but in short, you fight until your opponent surrenders or stops moving. Don''t worry, we have a healer close by in case of emergencies."


    Zaroth gripped his spear tighter, getting into position, while the man unsheathed his two curved swords, preparing to attack.


    "And without further ado, the fight shall begin," the observer raised his hand, and the two men charged at each other.


    The tournament had officially begun.

 Chapter 67 Secret

    Zaroth, armed with a spear, had a clear advantage in reach over his opponent. Seeing an opportunity, Zaroth performed a feint thrust.The man, not realizing it was a feint, moved to the side in an attempt to dodge.


    Zaroth, taking full advantage of the opening, wasted no time. He thrust his spear for real this time, aiming at the man''s rib cage. However, his opponent proved to be skilled with his swords.


    Using his left sword, the man parried the spear, while his right sword slashed at Zaroth''s shoulder.


    Feeling the pain of his shoulder being injured should force any man to let go of his weapon...


    But Zaroth wasn''t any man. He had spent long hours training in the Live Combat Practice room with his friends, and there he had learned something,


    How to fight while throwing away the disregard for your life.


    Taking a step forward, Zaroth commanded the spear to move, and his opponent, not expecting the sudden attack, was too slow to react.


    The tall man gasped, and his eyes became unfocused as he felt his chest being pierced by Zaroth''s spear.


    Zaroth pulled out his spear and immediately aimed for the man''s head, going for the kill.


    Only for his spear to be stopped by the hand of the supervisor, who had somehow moved so fast that Zaroth didn''t even notice.


    "Healer!" the overweight man shouted. Then he turned towards Zaroth and smiled as he spoke.


    "Congratulations, you pass to the next round."


    "Brother!" the timid boy dropped his bow and ran up to his brother.


    "How dare you!" The timid boy glared at Zaroth with hatred.


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow before speaking,


    "Hey, there is nothing that I can do. Your brother is just that weak."


    Shifting his gaze to the supervisor for a second, he saw that it was okay to leave, so after getting healed, he did just that.


    Meanwhile, the supervisor wrote on his piece of paper,


    -----


    Zaroth:


    Main weapon: Spear


    Characteristics: Heartless, can ignore pain to a large extent, always tries to go for the kill


    -----


    Looking at the report, the supervisor couldn''t help but grin as he muttered,


    "This kid would have a lot of potential on the battlefield."


    *****


    "This was surprisingly easy," Zaroth muttered under his breath as he enjoyed a stroll through the park.


    ''Why did you try to go for the kill? Wasn''t he already defeated anyway?'' Luna''s voice echoed in his mind.


    ''No, only fools let their guard down until the end of the fight. I mean, you know how crazy some people''s powers are¡ªthere''s always a possibility my opponent could manage to turn the tables.''


    ''Correct answer!'' Luna spoke happily.


    ''Correct answer? Was she testing me?'' he thought but didn''t press on the issue any longer.


    ''So, what plans do you have?'' It seemed that Luna was bored and wanted some entertainment.


    ''The others should soon be done with their lectures if they haven''t already, so I could go hang out with them¡­ but to be honest, I feel like I want to explore the capital on my own.''


    Truthfully, Zaroth had been so focused on gaining strength that he hadn''t had much time to see what the gigantic city could offer.


    Having made up his mind, Zaroth began to explore.


    He visited some shops but didn''t find anything he needed, so he left without buying anything.


    Wanting to see the interiors of some bars, he entered a few but didn''t drink anything¡ªit felt too lonely to drink alone.


    He even visited a museum that showcased some kind of cool glowing rocks.


    Zaroth wasn''t sure why, but when he saw so many rocks of different origins gathered in one place, he couldn''t help but grin.


    "Hehe¡­ rocks."


    In the end, he felt pretty relaxed as he headed for his apartment.


    That was until a shouting voice stopped him.


    "People! We, the purifiers, have found another one amongst us!"


    Hearing the loud shout and the muttering of a lot of people, Zaroth let his curiosity win and followed the noise.


    Taking a few turns, he stopped at a large crowd of people filled with worried expressions.


    They stood before a large building made of some kind of white material. S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Is that a church?" he asked himself as he took a step forward.


    "Look at the sinner we have among our own kind!" A man in a white robe declared as he lifted the head of a half-dead man.


    "Please¡­ I didn''t mean to¡­" From the way he spoke, it was clear the sinner was beyond broken.


    In the next moment, he was met with a fist to his face.


    Forcing the injured man to stand up, the man in the white robe continued,


    "Look at his hand!" He grabbed the sinner''s hand and poured some kind of liquid over it.


    The next moment, the back of the man''s hand shone crimson as some kind of symbol appeared on it.


    "Gods, so it''s true!"


    "I can''t believe it, he looked so normal!"


    "Make him pay for his sins!"


    The crowd erupted in mutters as they stared at the man''s hand.


    ''Wait, isn''t that symbol similar to the one I got after making a deal with Midnight Bloodrose?'' Zaroth wondered to himself.


    "As stated by the law and in the honor of the name of the gods who protect and guide us!"


    The man in the white robe forced the injured sinner to sit on a chair, tying his hands behind his back and binding his legs together.


    "The sentence is immediate execution!" Shifting his gaze to the masses, the man spoke louder so everyone could hear him.


    "The elders have declared that the form of punishment is stoning!"


    The eyes of the injured sinner widened in horror as he gazed at the public.


    "Wait, please¡ª"


    But he was interrupted as a rock thrown toward him hit him squarely in the jaw.


    "Kill the sinner!" a man screamed, picking up a nearby rock and hurling it toward the condemned individual with all his strength.


    "In the name of the gods!" a woman joined in as she, too, began to throw rocks.


    Pretty soon, the nearby crowd was throwing rocks at the man. Injured and bound, he could only scream in pain as he was slowly being killed.


    Watching from afar, Zaroth noted to himself,


    ''Okay, then. I guess I REALLY have to keep it a secret that I''ve made a deal with a demon¡­''

 Chapter 68 Cursed Prophecy

    Zaroth, while being cold and often appearing like an emotionless individual, didn''t enjoyed watching people in pain, especially people that had not wronged him.So, not wishing to see the rest, he turned his back on the gruesome scene and left.


    ''I guess it kind of makes sense that the masses don''t like people who have made a deal with a demon,'' he was lost in thought as he walked.


    ''It may be beneficial to learn more about demons, and specifically vampires, since I''ve made a deal with one.''


    Deciding that the first thing he would do after getting some free time was to go to the library and pick some books on the matter, he went home and prepared dinner for himself.


    "Can I eat, too?" Luna sat across from him, eyeing the food he had made.


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow. "Do you have to?"


    "No, not really. I just want to taste the things you cook."


    With a sigh, Zaroth prepared two dishes and had a peaceful dinner with his dragon.


    Silverfang was looking at him intensely, but he pointed at Luna, saying that if he wanted any, she would be the one who had to share.


    Luna grimaced but, in the end, gave a portion of her food.


    Zaroth was looking at his two summons, lost in thought.


    Before, just maintaining one of them was hard, but now, as he got stronger and his mana regeneration increased enough, he was able to sustain them indefinitely.


    Of course, this was only if Luna remained in her human form.


    But this was also bad news¡ªit meant that he now didn''t have an efficient way to train his mana core, other than connecting sparks to it.


    "I really need a third beast," he muttered as he collapsed on his bed, exhausted.


    ***** S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Good morning." Zaroth yawned as he approached his three friends, who were sitting, waiting for the lecture to start.


    "How did it go?" Zack asked.


    "I won, of course," Zaroth replied with a smirk.


    "Never mind that, are you ready for the exam?" Lily asked, raising an eyebrow.


    Zaroth''s eyes suddenly narrowed in horror. "What the hell are you talking about?"


    "Did you forget already? The professor has been reminding us about the exam for about a week now."


    Zaroth slapped himself in frustration.


    ''Did he? But that guy is so boring, it''s really possible that he mentioned some kind of test and I just ignored him.''


    Zaroth hoped Lily was mistaken, but after the lecture began, he found himself looking at a white piece of paper that had a quiz on it.


    With a long, tired sigh, he cursed inwardly.


    ''A test first thing in the morning?!''


    But left with no other choice, he glanced at the questions.


    -----


    Question 1:


    How many continents are there, and who controls them?


    Answer:


    There are nine continents inhabited by:


    Humans - three continents.


    Elves - two continents.


    Demons - four continents.


    -----


    Zaroth wrote down what he remembered.


    He was sure there were more, but he could remember only so much, especially so early in the morning.


    -----


    Question 2:


    If a beast ranked Rare (tier 4) and a demon ranked Greater (tier 4) fought, who would win and why?


    Answer:


    The demon would win. The reason being that demons have a higher level of intelligence, often surpassing even that of humans.


    -----


    In the end, after a lot of cursing, he finished the exam and handed it in to the professor.


    "How did you do?" Lily spoke with a smile, clearly happy with herself.


    "Bad," Zack answered with a sigh, crossing his arms.


    "What about you?"


    "I don''t want to talk about it," Zaroth answered with a grim voice.


    Roran looked calm as always, so it was pretty easy to guess that he had studied for the exam ahead of time.


    ''Hey, Luna, did you know about the test?''


    ''Of course!''


    ''Then why the hell didn''t you tell me?!''


    ''If I had, would you have spent time studying?''


    Zaroth wanted to retort, but quickly realized she was right, so in the end, he answered,


    ''Fair enough.''


    It''s not like he had much to do, so after the lectures, Zaroth headed straight for the library.


    It seemed that the library was actually more useful with teaching important stuff, rather than attending the lectures.


    ''Shouldn''t it be the other way around?'' Zaroth wondered.


    It was almost like even the most prestigious academy in the empire withheld information.


    But Zaroth had so much on his mind, and with all the things he had to focus on, he chose to completely forget about the matter.


    It''s not like it was going to appear later and bite him in the ass¡­


    ...Right?


    *****


    Gasping desperately for air, Vera opened her eyes.


    The next moment, she rolled over and fell from the bed.


    Trying to control her violently shaking body, she forced herself to stand up and approached the sink.


    Removing her white mask, she splashed her face with cold water, trying to calm herself down.


    But it didn''t seem to help as her heart continued to beat uncontrollably in her chest.


    Her lips were dry, even though she had just drunk water.


    Then she heard a knock on the bathroom door.


    "Hey, honey, are you alright? I heard a loud noise a moment ago." It was the voice of a clearly concerned woman.


    It was Vera''s mother. She was fortunate to live close to the academy, so she didn''t have to live in the provided apartments.


    Even though the voice of her mother brought her some comfort, she was too scared to answer her.


    Fearing something might have happened, her mother opened the door, only for her eyes to widen as it had been a long time since she saw the face of her daughter, who always hid behind her white mask.


    "What happened?" she asked, grasping Vera''s shoulders and checking for injuries.


    "T- em-¡­"


    Vera was clearly having a panic attack.


    "Calm down and look me in the eyes," her mother tried to reassure her.


    Vera forced her dry lips to open as she spoke, tears falling down her face.


    "The empire¡­ it will fall. All of us are doomed."

 Chapter 69 Vampire Hierarchy

    "Why do vampires have their own hierarchy?" Zaroth wondered as he read the book he had picked up from the shelves. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.In the book, the first thing explained was the way vampire society functioned¡ªor at least how it was believed to function.


    -----


    Vampire Hierarchy:


    Mortal Blood (Tier 1)


    Nightblood (Tier 2)


    Bloodbound (Tier 3)


    Noble Blood (Tier 4)


    Pureblood (Tier 5)


    Ancient Blood (Tier 6)


    Elder Blood (Tier 7)


    -----


    Vampires were demons, so shouldn''t they be using the same measurements of power?


    But at the same time, vampires were very similar to humans¡ªunlike the other races of demons¡ªso maybe it made sense?


    Not only that, but from looking at the chart, it was clear that they ranked vampires by their bloodline.


    Flipping to the next page, Zaroth saw drawn images of symbols that were supposed to appear on the back of a hand of an individual who had made a deal with a vampire, along with instructions on how to identify them.


    There were seven images in total, each representing how powerful the vampire was that the person had made a deal with.


    They were very similar in nature, but the difference between them lay in the number of dots in the center of the symbol.


    Even though the man Zaroth had witnessed being stoned to death was far away, he recalled that the symbol on his hand had two dots. This indicated that the deal he had made was with a vampire ranked at Nightblood.


    ''So Midnight Bloodrose is not the only vampire that has infiltrated the empire. Does she know about that fact?'' Zaroth wondered.


    ''Wait¡­ I don''t remember how many dots my symbol had.''


    This was an important question to answer. Knowing that information would allow him to gauge how powerful Midnight Bloodrose was.


    Shifting his gaze to the explanation on how to spot an individual who had made a deal with a vampire, he read that there were three ways,


    First, The sinner could make the symbol appear at will.


    Second If the hands of the sinner were cleansed with holy water, the symbol would appear on its own, whether the sinner wanted it to or not.


    And third If a priest or an individual with a similarly high level of holy power came into close contact with the sinner, the person with the holy power would be able to sense it.


    "Will it?" Zaroth raised an eyebrow as he glanced around, checking to see if anyone was nearby to spot him.


    After confirming that he was alone, he shifted his gaze to his hand and tried to make the symbol appear.


    A moment later, a crimson symbol appeared, with five dots visible.


    ''Does that mean that Midnight Bloodrose is Pureblood?''


    All the signs pointed to that fact.


    That meant she was pretty powerful¡­


    ''And yet she was scared out of her wits when she saw Luna¡­'' Zaroth seemed to have stumbled upon a bigger revelation than he had expected.


    He couldn''t get rid of the grin on his face. It meant that he had managed to make a deal with a vampire high up in the vampire hierarchy.


    After scanning through the book and memorizing the important information¡ªsuch as the places and types of people he should avoid to hide the fact that he had made a deal with a vampire¡ªhe returned the book to its shelf.


    "The book was useful, but it was missing information," he muttered under his breath.


    It didn''t specify how a vampire could rise in the hierarchy. Recalling Midnight Bloodrose''s words, Zaroth remembered that for a vampire to gain power, they had to steal it.


    Maybe that was why vampires drank blood. The more blood they consumed from a powerful individual, the more power power they would absorb¡ªand, as a result, the stronger they would become.


    So Midnight was trying to rise from Pureblood to Ancient Blood. Honestly, Zaroth respected that. After all, he was also someone striving to grow stronger.


    ''But why had she decided to join the academy?'' He wondered.


    Maybe it was because there were many people there who had yet to master their powers. She could be trying to hunt them before they did.


    Zaroth would have loved to have another chat with her, but it seemed that she wasn''t he¡ª


    "Hm?" He raised an eyebrow as his gaze fell on the table at the end of the room.


    There she was, sitting calmly and reading her book as always.


    ''How did I not see her?'' he wondered. ''Or maybe¡­ she''s able to make herself hard to notice?''


    It was possible. She was a vampire with Pureblood, so who knew what she was capable of?


    Putting on a friendly face, he walked toward her.


    "Don''t."


    She somehow sensed his approach. It seemed she wasn''t in the mood for conversation.


    "But, I ha¡ª"


    "I don''t care," she cut him off again without even glancing away from her book.


    With a sigh, he was about to walk away, but an idea struck him.


    The next second, Midnight raised an eyebrow and looked at him.


    "A friend request? Why?"


    "It may come in handy if I have to communicate with you."


    "And what could you possibly say to me that would help me?"


    Zaroth grinned proudly before replying. "For instance, that yesterday, a man was executed for having made a deal with a demon¡ªmost likely a vampire with Nightblood."


    Midnight narrowed her eyes for a second, clearly surprised.


    "Did the man say anything?"


    "No. At least, I didn''t hear him confess anything. He was just pleading to be left alive."


    "I see," Midnight sighed.


    A second later, Zaroth''s bracelet glowed briefly, and a message appeared before his eyes,


    [Midnight has accepted your friend request and started a chat.]


    "Happy?" she asked.


    "Very much so," he grinned as he finally left Midnight alone.


    Once she was alone, Midnight couldn''t help but grit her teeth as she cursed under her breath.


    "Shit. So they''ve followed me all the way here? It seems I''ll have to speed up my plans."

 Chapter 70 Wasted Time

    "Let''s see, I have befriended Midnight to an extent, and I am proceeding well with my spear training¡­" Zaroth was thinking about his next move.The next round of the tournament he was competing in would probably take place in about two weeks, assuming his calculations were correct. That meant he needed to use this time to gain as much power as he could.


    The question was whether he should focus on learning another spell besides fireball, or venture into the wilderness outside the capital in search of another beast.


    Both options had their pros and cons. sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    If he learned another spell, he would become stronger, but his progress in improving his mana core would stagnate. Simply having Silverfang and Luna summoned wasn''t training his mana core passively anymore.


    On the other hand, if he tamed another beast, his mana core would start growing stronger again at an incredible rate. However, if he was put in a tough spot during his next match, he might be forced to summon one of his beasts for help, thereby openly announcing that he was a Beast Tamer.


    He didn''t have much time, so he would need to make a choice between the two. Read exclusive content at My Virtual Library Empire


    "Or¡­ maybe I can do all of this¡­" Zaroth muttered.


    It was possible to make progress in everything simultaneously, but it would require more time¡­


    To gain that time, he could probably start skipping some of the morning lectures. Most of them weren''t particularly useful on their own. He could just attend the classes where he trained his body or sparred with his friends.


    Deciding to do just that, he messaged Elysia.


    -----


    Zaroth: I''m going to start skipping some of the lectures.


    Elysia: Reason?


    Zaroth: Need more time to grow stronger, and the academy is slowing me down.


    Elysia: The academy is where you''re supposed to get stronger.


    Zaroth: Don''t take it too hard, but some of these lectures are next to useless, and most of the professors can''t teach for shit.


    Elysia: I know. I''m not the one who wants them there, emperor''s orders. You can skip whatever lectures you want, but keep in mind the professors will probably start to dislike and target you.


    Zaroth: Roger.


    -----


    "It makes sense now," he whispered.


    The reason most of the professors were so bad at their jobs was that the emperor was the one who had assigned them there, not the chairwoman herself. As such, their qualifications were probably questionable.


    But why? Did he want to stunt the students'' growth for some reason? That didn''t make sense. They were technically in the middle of a war, so wouldn''t he want the students¡ªhis potential soldiers¡ªto become as strong as possible?


    Things didn''t add up¡­


    "I can''t know everything," Zaroth said as he stood up with a grunt and looked at himself in the mirror.


    The day wasn''t over yet, so he decided he would spend some time in the wilderness searching for something to tame.


    *****


    "Stop," a soldier called out to him, only for his eyes to widen for a moment.


    "Oh? You''re a student at that academy? Sorry, you may proceed." The soldier gestured with his hand toward the gates.


    This was one perk of being part of that academy¡ªhe was allowed to go in and out of the capital at no cost. All he had to do was wear his uniform.


    Something else was strange. Zaroth called it ''that academy'' because, for some reason, no one could agree on its name.


    "How does that even work?" he wondered but decided not to dwell on it any further.


    Marking his way out of the capital, he headed into the woods.


    Because he was so close to the capital, the beasts in the nearby forest were few and far between, so he had to venture deeper in hopes of finding something worthy.


    ''Hey, summon me,'' Luna''s words echoed in his head.


    ''But people could see you,'' he replied mentally.


    ''Yes, but I have more control over my presence now. Forget about being a dragon or a powerful individual¡ªnow people would just think of me as an ordinary woman.''


    "Yeah, no ordinary woman has your appearance," he muttered as he summoned her, along with Silverfang.


    "Oh! Fresh air," Luna spoke, stretching her arms behind her back.


    Judging by how enthusiastically Silverfang was wagging his tail, it was clear he agreed with her.


    "We''re not here on vacation," Zaroth snapped, pointing to the spear he was carrying on his back.


    "We''re here to find me a third beast."


    "Sure, sure," Luna nodded casually as she walked forward.


    Shifting his gaze to her, he spoke, "I really hope your presence doesn''t scare the beasts away from us."


    Luna raised an eyebrow. "Why would that be a problem? You''re searching for dead ones anyway. After all, if you kill something yourself, you won''t be able to tame it."


    "True," Zaroth admitted as he glanced around.


    "I just hope I don''t waste my time again like last time."


    *****


    But as it turned out, he did in fact waste his time, just like last time.


    It was already dark, and he hadn''t spotted even a single corpse in the entire forest.


    "Why is it so hard to find something dead, for fuck''s sake?!" he grit his teeth in frustration.


    He had been attacked by multiple beasts along the way, but after killing them, the few that showed signs they could be tamed refused to submit. None of them wanted to bow to the presence that had killed them in the first place.


    Now, he was approaching the gates of the capital. He dismissed Silverfang and was about to dismiss Luna as well when¡ª


    "Don''t."


    It seemed she didn''t agree with the idea.


    "The fuck do you mean, don''t? You''re a dragon¡ªyou will be seen!"


    "I told you, they can''t sense it! I''ll just seem like an ordinary woman!"


    Zaroth frowned, his eyebrows in frustration. She was technically right, but he could already imagine the problem... Some idiot would fall for her the moment they laid eyes on her and cause trouble.


    With a sigh, he finally spoke. "Alright, but you will deal with the consequences."


    She nodded happily as they approached the gates of the capital.


    Zaroth was supposed to go in without trouble, but the moment they approached the stationed guard, the man began to stare at Luna¡ªalmost like he was in a trance.


    "Hey, I''m sorry, can I talk to you two?" the guard asked, glancing at them¡ªor rather, mostly at Luna.


    ''Why am I not surprised,'' Zaroth thought as he shifted his gaze to her, curious to see how she would deal with the trouble.


    "If you''re fre¡ª"


    "Sorry, not interested," she cut him off immediately.


    "What? Why?" the guard asked, sounding stunned.


    "I only speak with the strong," she replied calmly.


    The man''s face reddened, insulted, as though Luna had directly called him weak.


    "Oh yeah? Then who''s strong to you?" he snapped.


    "My boyfriend," she said, cool as ever, casually pointing at Zaroth.


    Furious at Luna''s actions, Zaroth couldn''t help but curse as the guard turned his attention to him, looking as though he was ready for a fight.


    "For fuck''s sake, I knew this would happen!"

 Chapter 71 Feelings

    "That little punk is supposed to be stronger than me? Unbelievable!" the guard spoke, getting even more offended.''Play it cool,'' Zaroth thought, trying to stay calm and not burst into fury.


    "I mean, I''m the one going to that academy, so it seems pretty believable to me."


    The guard raised his hand, making it into a fist, clearly ready to throw a punch.


    Zaroth, not flinching, spoke, "Are you causing trouble while on duty?"


    Being asked that question seemed to bring some sense into the man, as he lowered his hand and muttered an apology.


    Not wishing for the scene to repeat itself, Zaroth, frowning, entered the capital, Luna not far behind, grinning and clearly enjoying herself.


    "What the hell was that?!" he asked in frustration.


    "Honestly? It seemed fun, so I wanted to try it."


    "Fun?!" Zaroth took a deep breath, massaging his eyebrows. ''If that had gotten out of control, I could''ve been arrested and questioned about why I was fighting the gate guard.''


    "But it was also the truth, though," Luna added.


    Zaroth wanted to retort, but seeing the number of gazes they were attracting¡ªno, more accurately, Luna was attracting¡ªhe grasped her hand and led her somewhere more private.


    ''This was a bad idea. Now I can''t even desummon her in public, since it would look suspicious if a woman suddenly disappeared.''


    "Oh? Being led like this¡ªit seems quite romantic, wouldn''t you say, Zaroth?" Luna teased as she followed him.


    "This woman!" he cursed under his breath.


    Finally reaching an area where there weren''t many people and not a lot of prying eyes, Zaroth made Luna sit on a bench. He leaned in, placing both hands against the bench, bringing his face closer to hers.


    "Explain. What was the reason for doing something like that?"


    Luna''s eyes didn''t waver as she answered.


    "It''s boring staying in your soul, always spectating. I want to move around, I want to make changes to the world, I want to feel excited."


    Zaroth wanted to argue, but he knew, in a way, she was right. A mythical dragon had been forced into nothing more than a spectator for a long time now. He had to consider her feelings.


    "Okay. What do you want to do? Something that would excite you¡ªjust say it, and we''ll do it."


    "Anything?" Luna asked, showing an emotion Zaroth couldn''t catch in time.


    "Yes, anyth¡ª"


    He was interrupted as Luna immediately put her hands on his head and leaned in for a kiss.


    ''What the hell?'' To say he was surprised would have been an understatement. This was definitely not how he thought he''d experience his first kiss. Yet, just feeling her lips, Zaroth couldn''t help but feel that, no matter what, he shouldn''t stop what they were doing.


    In a flash, Luna made him sit on the bench as she sat onto his lap.


    Feeling her body pressed tightly against his made Zaroth''s body heat up. He had honestly already forgotten about everything else.


    But Luna, equally excited, felt her heart beating faster. As a result, Zaroth was suddenly forced to stop. He clutched his chest, his hand over his heart, as his body trembled.


    He began gasping for air, like he was moments away from collapsing. Seeing the state he was in, Luna quickly stood up, calming herself down.


    After a few tense minutes, the pain finally lessened. Zaroth managed to speak, though his voice was weak.


    "What the hell was that?"


    Sitting on the bench next to him, Luna sighed, massaging her forehead.


    "Sorry, I shouldn''t have done that. I should''ve known you weren''t ready."


    Despite still being in pain, Zaroth listened carefully.


    "It''s like I said before, if we try to do anything, your mana core would burst."


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    "But how does that even work?" he asked between ragged breaths.


    "The more excited I become, the greater the pressure on your heart and mana core," she explained.


    "Does thi¡ª"


    "This is also the case with every single emotion," she answered his question before he could even ask it out loud.


    So she couldn''t even get excited, or it could kill him?


    Now it made sense why she had caused that fiasco with the guard earlier.


    Zaroth couldn''t imagine how it would feel to suppress every single emotion you had.


    With a sigh, he spoke, "Sorry. I didn''t know what you were dealing with all this time. If you want to go do something¡­ preferably something that won''t kill me, I''d be happy to oblige."


    Luna thought for a moment, then stood up with a smile. "Then let''s go to a restaurant."


    With a grunt, Zaroth got to his feet and began walking with Luna to a nice place he knew nearby.


    Shifting his gaze to her, he couldn''t help but see her in a new light. For her to suppress her emotions just so he wouldn''t die¡ªthis just showed how loyal she was to him.


    He gritted his teeth as his body was still raging hot from the excitement he felt just moments ago when she was pressed so tightly against him.


    ''Stronger. I have to get stronger¡ªmuch faster!''


    *****


    "And without further ado, the fight shall begin," the observer raised his hand, signaling the start of the fight.


    The timid girl''s eyes shined, most likely getting ready to chant some sort of spell.


    David''s purple eyes didn''t seem amused as he watched her movements. S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Suddenly, a dark creature, several meters in length with three hollow eyes, emerged and placed its hand on David''s shoulder.


    "What, are you still salty that your team got second place in the rankings?"


    "Shut the fuck up," David spoke harshly. From other points of view, it may have looked like he was insane, talking to himself, but that was the nature of his weird class, Spectral Warden.


    No one was able to see or interact with the cursed entity except David himself.


    "I know what you''re thinking," the spirit spoke with amusement in its voice.


    "You''re wondering if you can kill your opponent before the observer intervenes, right?" The spirit laughed, its voice echoing around the arena, yet only David could hear it.


    "Sorry to say, but you''re too weak to do it."


    At the spirit''s insult, David''s eyes seemed to darken as his face grimaced.


    "You think I can''t move faster than that peasant?" David was referring to the observer of the fight.


    The girl, curious as to why her opponent wasn''t moving, didn''t object as she finished chanting her spell and sent it hurtling toward David.


    The next second, David was behind the girl, holding her head in his palm.


    Blood poured from her neck as she collapsed to the ground, beginning to paint the surroundings crimson.


    "Oops, I''m sorry, I went overboard," David spoke as he tossed the girl''s head to the side and glanced at the observer, who hadn''t managed to stop him in time.


    "Oh, well¡­ it''s not like I''m the one to blame¡­" David patted the frozen-in-fear observer on the shoulder as he exited the arena.


    "First round over, I guess¡­" he muttered under his breath.


    "Oh? Is that supposed to be impressive? Killing a weak girl who clearly wasn''t meant to participate in the tournament in the first place?"


    The spirit laughed as it brought its mouth closer to David''s ear.


    "Aren''t you just trying to vent your frustration over your failure?"


    David knew the spirit was trying to provoke a reaction from him. He had been living with the cursed entity for about six years already...


    And yet, he couldn''t help but bite his lower lip until it bled.


    "That fucker who managed to cheat his way into first place¡­ I hope I meet him in the tournament. It''ll be fun tearing him apart, limb from limb."

 Chapter 72 Fire Tornado

    "Right this way, sir," one of the workers at the restaurant gestured for them to enter.Zaroth quickly observed the restaurant. This was one of the best establishments in the area¡ªor at least, that''s what Lily had told him.


    Unfortunately, this place required reservations, but with the leftover credits he had, he simply bribed his way in.


    Entering the restaurant, Luna excused herself for a moment and stepped toward the bathroom, while Zaroth sat down and opened the menu


    After a moment, his eyes widened in surprise as he felt his mana being drained.


    ''Is Luna doing something?'' he wondered but decided to wait as he chose what to order.


    "Two steaks and a bottle of wine," he said after placing the order. He wondered why Luna was taking so long.


    After a moment, he saw her exiting the bathroom, and his eyes widened once more.


    It seemed she had used part of his mana to manifest a dark dress that perfectly complemented her alluring figure.


    Sitting across from him, she grinned and asked, "So, what do you think?"


    "Gorgeous," he answered, taking a better look at her.


    It seemed she liked his answer, as her mood was notably good after that.


    The food arrived, and both of them began eating, chatting along the way about this and that.


    But Zaroth was inwardly lost in thought.


    ''This dress¡­ and her actions before¡­ Is she pushing me to get stronger even faster? Maybe some kind of manipulation? But what could be the reason? Didn''t she tell me that I was progressing abnormally fast? Did something happen that''s making it necessary for me to grow stronger even faster?''


    Slicing the steak with his knife and bringing a piece to his mouth, he thought about how to get stronger.


    ''Stronger¡­ I could try to learn some kind of spell. To accomplish that feat faster, it needs to be something Luna can use since she''s a dragon, and it¡ª''


    His eyes suddenly widened as realization struck him.


    ''Yes! That could work! Why didn''t I think of it sooner? And now that I''m proficient with a spear, I could even combine it!''


    Seeing Zaroth smirking, Luna asked, "Did something happen?"


    He replied, his voice proud as his eyes shined with a darker shade of green,


    "Yes, I think I may secretly be a genius."


    *****


    "You want to what?" Lily asked, staring at him.


    After the dinner with Luna, Zaroth had slept in his apartment, and the next day had arrived. He was now in the Live Combat Practice room.


    "I want to learn how to breathe fire, you know, like a dragon," he repeated firmly. Zaroth was confident Lily could help¡ªshe had managed to teach him how to cast Fireball, so this couldn''t be that different.


    Scratching the back of her head, she spoke hesitantly. "I can''t do something like that, but I don''t think you need anyone''s help, to be honest. You said you and your dragon have some kind of connection, right? That''s why you learned Fireball so fast. Just do the same thing¡ªit should come naturally to you."


    Following her advice, Zaroth began practicing the spell while sparring with Lily. She used fire-based attacks to help him better visualize fire.


    ''Focus. Remember how Luna looks in her dragon form¡ªhow her jaws open when she unleashes an inferno, how hot the fire is, how destructive it can be.''


    Despite his efforts, he didn''t manage to learn the spell that day. But, according to Lily, there was a moment where it seemed as if a fire was burning deep in the back of his throat.


    Taking it as a good sign, Zaroth continued his practice.


    A few days later, Zack, Roran, and Lily had already won their matches and advanced to the second round of the tournament. The matches were progressing much faster than anyone had expected, which meant Zaroth''s next fight was rapidly approaching.


    Meanwhile, something within him shifted. His mana core seemed to glow brighter, as if he had finally grasped what he was trying to achieve.


    ''My jaws are the same as a dragon''s,'' he thought.


    Closing his mouth, he felt a menacing green flame ignite deep in his throat.


    ''Now the jaws are closed.''


    Opening his mouth slowly, the fire inside him began to illuminate his surroundings. His eyes shined with a menacing green light.


    ''And now the jaws are open.''


    He suddenly heard a voice echo in his mind.


    [You have learned a new spell.]


    [Firebreath]


    Then a menacing inferno shot toward Lily, and she raised three ice walls in response. Two of the walls melted instantly, but the third one managed to hold.


    Zaroth couldn''t help but smile as he finally managed to learn his second spell.


    "Congrats! That was fast, again," Lily exclaimed with a proud smile.


    "Try the move on me!" Zack shouted from across the room, forgetting the duel he was having with Roran.


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    "No, I''m first!" Roran yelled back, equally eager.


    Zaroth couldn''t help but laugh.


    ''So why did you suddenly decide to copy my fire-breathing?'' Luna''s question echoed in his mind.


    ''It''s because I remembered the fight we had in the forest against the Epic Beasts,'' he replied as he picked up one of the spears meant for sparring and stood before Lily. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''What did it remind you of?'' Luna pressed.


    ''Do you remember what that bird-creature did when you attacked it with your flames?''


    ''Wait¡­ you mean all this time you were trying to¡ª''


    Zaroth spun the spear before him with a smirk. "Okay, try to block this!"


    He opened his jaws wide and unleashed another inferno forward. The spinning spear in his hand acted like a fan, increasing both the speed and the destructive area of the fire.


    That''s right¡ªZaroth hadn''t just been trying to learn how to use fire-breath. He had been working toward recreating the fire tornado he had seen in the forest.


    Judging by Lily''s suddenly startled expression as she began summoning as many ice walls as she could in a desperate attempt to defend, it was clear that he had succeeded.

 Chapter 73 Ready

    Raising her hands in the air, Lily formed several ice walls in front of her.The next moment, the inferno that Zaroth had managed to create collided with them, and the room shook slightly as the walls began to melt, unable to withstand the high temperatures.


    This was one of the pros of using firebreath to recreate the tornado. Unlike fireball, firebreath could be used indefinitely as long as the person using it had mana left in their core.


    So Zaroth simply didn''t stop spilling fire from his mouth as he rotated the spear in front of him.


    One thing he hadn''t taken into account¡ªeven though the spear was made entirely from metal, meaning it wouldn''t burn like wood would¡ªwas that it would still heat up and begin to burn Zaroth''s hands.


    Lily''s walls had already melted, and she was forced to create as many as she could in quick succession, trying to keep the fire from reaching her.


    Deciding it was enough, Zaroth stopped the attack as he positioned the tip of the spear toward Lily.


    "Let''s see how accurate I am," he thought as he sent it flying, toward her.


    He had trained throwing his spear before, but he quickly realized that his aim sucked.


    But this time, it seemed he was going to hit his target. Lily gritted her teeth in frustration as she moved her head to the side, dodging the spear that was sent toward her head.


    Zaroth, not giving her time to rest, had already dashed full force toward her and sent a fireball in her direction.


    In response, her eyes shined golden as she sent a lightning spell ready to meet his.


    The two spells collided, and unsurprisingly, as Lily had much more experience in using spells, she managed to stop Zaroth''s attack with her own.


    But he had already closed the distance, both of his palms open.


    He was trying to fire two fireballs at the same time, something he had never tried before¡ªuntil now.


    He was close to winning, yet Lily saw through his movements as she raised her foot and kicked him in the ribs before the fireballs could be fired.


    He fell to the ground and was about to get up until he saw multiple ice figures floating in front of his face moments before killing him.


    "My win," Lily spoke with a smirk as she extended her arm for support.


    Zaroth took it as he sighed. "And I was so close too!"


    "What the hell was that thing you did?" she asked.


    He grinned proudly before explaining, "I recreated a fire tornado."


    "Oh, you mean that thing that happened in the forest?" Roran joined in.


    "Yes, just on a smaller scale."


    "Then what are we waiting for?! Use that move on me!" Zack requested, taking a step forward.


    Thankfully, there was still time left before the class ended, so Zaroth would have time to use the move more than a couple of times.


    *****


    Zaroth took a sigh of relief as he let his body relax on his bed.


    His mana core was beyond exhausted, but he had made significant progress.


    Not only was he able to learn a new skill that he could combine with his spear to turn it into a deadly tornado, but he also realized that his skill fireball had become stronger.


    Before, Lily could use two ice walls to stop the attacks, but now she required three.


    And the reason for that was most likely¡­


    Zaroth closed his eyes as he felt his mana core and the sparks connected to it.


    It wasn''t almost empty like before¡ªnow there were about five thousand sparks connected to his core.


    Using the metric for beasts, that would make him Uncommon.


    "I feel like I am ready for the next round," he muttered as he prepared to go to bed.


    But suddenly, his bracelet shined as he received a message.


    Seeing it, his eyes darkened for a moment. "So fast?" he asked himself, looking at the message.


    It seemed that his next match was tomorrow.


    "Then I guess I''m skipping one more day," he sighed as he dismissed the message and went to sleep.


    *****


    "Okay, let''s see what you have here¡­" Zaroth muttered as he searched in the blacksmith''s store for suitable armor and a spear.


    From now on, his enemies would become progressively stronger, so he couldn''t rely on the cheap imitations provided by the academy.


    Spending the last of his credits and making a note to ask Elysia for more later, he bought leather armor that provided good protection and didn''t restrict his movements.


    As for the spear, he bought one that seemed light and yet, at the same time, was made from some type of metal¡ªmeaning it wouldn''t catch fire.


    Being ready and geared up, he took a deep breath as he headed for the arena.


    After confirming his identity, he was led to the place where he was supposed to have his match.


    "Huh, so this time there are spectators," Zaroth muttered.


    Unlike last time, where there had been no one high up in the seats to watch the fight, it seemed that today¡ªbeing the start of the second round¡ªthere were a few people who had gathered, watching with curiosity.


    ''It makes sense that the masses would be allowed inside. After all, this whole tournament could also work as a stunt for improving the reputation of the emperor.''


    "Ladies and gentlemen!" a man suddenly shouted as he stepped into the center of the arena.


    ''Is that supposed to be some kind of entertainer?'' Zaroth asked himself.


    "Today marks the start of the second round of eliminations for the chance to earn the right to win anything from the emperor!"


    The few people that had gathered in the arena to watch the fight fell silent as they looked down with anticipation.


    "From the right, we have a white-haired man with incredible spear skills! Zaroth!" the announcer spoke as he pointed toward Zaroth.


    "And to the left! We have a man who seems to be loved by the earth itself! Leo!"


    Shifting his gaze, Zaroth studied his opponent. He was a man of medium height with an impressive build, but there was something off about him.


    "Why is he naked from the waist up? And where is the man''s weapon?" Zaroth muttered in disbelief.


    Was his opponent really dumb enough to enter the second round without any kind of equipment?


    "And without any further ado, let the battle begin!" the entertainer shouted as he raised his hand and quickly got out of the center of the arena, not wanting to disturb the fight. Discover stories with My Virtual Library Empire


    Zaroth took a step forward, glancing around. There was still a man sitting at their level, observing the fight with a piece of paper in his hand. It seemed that an official observer was present, ready to stop the fight if the need arose.


    Shifting his gaze back to his opponent, Zaroth tightened his grip on his spear.


    Meanwhile, the man about to fight him muttered something under his breath.


    Suddenly, the ground around his opponent moved toward him, and moments later, it formed into armor made of hardened soil.


    Not only that, but the earth also crafted a long, curved sword that the man gripped with both hands.


    Zaroth smiled darkly.


    ''If he has the ability to make equipment from the ground, it could counter my fire pretty well,'' he thought as he shifted into a battle stance. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "This battle will be interesting."

 Chapter 74 Round 2

    ''He made armor and a weapon from the earth itself?'' Zaroth wondered, strategizing his first move while eyeing his opponent.The man who had been naked from the waist up was now clad in armor that covered his entire body, including his face. Despite being made from soil, the sword in his hand looked sharp¡ªsharp enough to slice through tendons without trouble.


    ''It''s possible he can create an infinite amount of equipment. What if he can use other weapons besides the curved sword he''s currently wielding?'' Zaroth thought as he adjusted his grip on his spear.


    Taking a battle stance, he watched as his opponent, Leo charged straight at him.


    Having a spear gave Zaroth the advantage of reach, so he attempted a feint thrust to test Leo''s reaction.


    Leo, however, didn''t slow down at all. He charged forward with unshaken confidence in his armor.


    The next second, Leo had already swung his sword toward Zaroth.


    Zaroth prepared to dodge but suddenly realized one of his feet wouldn''t move.


    Shifting his gaze for a split second, he noticed that Leo had commanded the ground to warp around his foot, limiting his mobility.


    ''Smart,'' Zaroth admitted as he gave up on escaping and instead sent a fireball aimed directly at the eye sockets of Leo''s helmet.


    This time, his opponent reacted, halting his swing mid-air and using one arm to cover his eyes.


    Not wasting a second, Zaroth kicked Leo and broke free from the constraint on his foot.


    ''Okay, I guess I won''t hold back,'' Zaroth decided, spinning his spear in front of him while opening his mouth and unleashing a deadly breath of fire.


    The fire breath reached the rotating spear, increasing both the speed and the destructive area of the flames, creating a deadly inferno.


    Leo seemed startled for a moment. Then, throwing his sword aside, he extended both arms forward and created a large shield of hardened soil in front of him.


    Zaroth''s inferno collided with Leo''s shield and was blocked in the process.


    But Zaroth didn''t stop his fire attack. Leo remained locked in place, struggling to maintain the shield as it began to break apart under the high temperatures.


    ''If I can keep this up long enough, his shield will eventually fall apart. But the question is, can I hold on for that long?'' Zaroth wondered, glancing at his enemy.


    While Zaroth had become stronger, this skill drained him significantly, and soon, his mana would run out.


    ''The problem is, the ground can withstand high temperatures. Even if I break through the shield, I still have to get past his armor,'' Zaroth thought, his mind racing.


    It suddenly made sense why people used the ground to build furnaces¡ªit could endure extreme heat without breaking down.


    ''Wait¡­ a furnace?'' Zaroth''s eyes shone a deeper shade of green as he suddenly got an idea.


    Without a moment''s hesitation, he stopped his fire tornado attack and charged forward.


    Leo sensed that the fire attack had stopped and threw the nearly destroyed shield to the side, summoning a whip into his hand.


    Wasting no time, he lashed the whip toward Zaroth, while Zaroth, in turn, hurled his spear forward with all the strength he could muster.


    Leo''s whip hit Zaroth''s forehead as blood began to pour down from the wound, obstructing his vision, while Zaroth''s spear hit Leo in the chest. Although he was forced to take a step or two back due to the shockwave, he didn''t suffer any major damage as his armor held.


    The observer raised an eyebrow, questioning the decision of Zaroth.


    ''Why did he throw his only weapon? It''s not li¡ª'' Continue your adventure at My Virtual Library Empire


    Suddenly, the observer''s eyes widened as he grasped Zaroth''s plan. If he was right¡ªLeo was as good as dead.


    "Healer! We need a healer!" the observer screamed as he got up.


    Some of the spectators stared in confusion. Why was the observer calling for a healer when the fight had not yet ended?


    But suddenly, they understood the reason as Zaroth reached Leo and jumped into the air.


    Leo, having confidence in his armor, took a step forward and used the ground to make a dagger appear in his left hand, which he brought down on Zaroth''s thigh.


    Yet Zaroth, not showing that he felt any pain, grabbed Leo as he wrapped his legs around him and brought his face down to Leo''s helmet.


    Leo''s eyes widened in horror as he saw Zaroth''s menacing smile slowly open, and in the back of his throat, a deadly fire forming.


    Before Leo could react in any way, Zaroth bit down on Leo''s helmet and let loose a deadly inferno right inside Leo''s armor.


    As Leo''s armor covered his entire body with the only exception being his eyes, the deadly fire entered and began to melt the man''s body like nothing.


    ''One!'' Zaroth was counting down the seconds, wondering how long it would take to turn his opponent into nothing but ash.


    ''Two!'' The second the fire reached Leo''s body, he felt his skin, muscles, tendons, and even bones melting under the high temperatures. As such, he was unable to move at all, and all he could do was stay motionless as Zaroth continued to heat up the inside of his armor like a furnace.


    ''Three!'' Suddenly, Zaroth felt somebody grasp his body and throw him to the side.


    Letting go of Leo, he fell to the ground, shifting his gaze to the person that had prevented him from killing his enemy.


    It was the observer, accompanied by a man who seemed to be the healer standing next to him. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    They removed Leo''s armor, which had become crimson red from the heat, and revealed his body.


    In just three seconds, his body had been turned into charcoal. It seemed that he had already died, but the healer somehow managed to bring him back to life.


    "And the winner is Zaroth!" the announcer screamed as he returned to the center of the arena, and the few spectators burst into cheers in celebration of the fight.


    Zaroth felt incredible. He had not only managed to defeat his opponent, but he had done so without even using his main abilities¡ªor, in other words, his beasts.


    Leo was taking weak breaths as the healer carried his body to someplace where he could be treated better.


    "I see¡­ so it takes four seconds," Zaroth noted as he now knew how long it would take to burn somebody to death from up close.


    Seeing that the match was over, Zaroth took a moment to appreciate the cheers from the public that had watched the match and then he exited the arena, happy with his progress.


    His only regret was that he didn''t manage to kill his opponent, but there was not much that could be done and it wasn''t like Zaroth cared if his opponent lived or died, as it didn''t concern him at all.


    Meanwhile, after dealing with the mess, the observer looked at the profile that he was provided with regarding Zaroth''s abilities and added a few things.


    -----


    Zaroth:


    Main weapon: Spear


    Characteristics: Heartless, can ignore pain to a large extent, always tries to go for the kill


    Skills: Fireball, Firebreath


    -----


    It seemed that Zaroth had advanced to the third round.

 Chapter 75 Into the Wilds

    To be honest, it was kind of surprising that the second round came so soon after the first one.Originally, Zaroth thought it would take a month until they managed to get it sorted out. After all, we were talking about more than 30,000 matches.


    "Or maybe I have been thinking about it the wrong way," he muttered as he slowly walked towards his assigned apartment.


    He had already noticed that, even though he was in the second round, there were spectators watching with interest.


    Maybe the plan was to get through the uninteresting matches quickly and, after reaching round 10 and beyond, showcase the might of the strongest students in the empire.


    Maybe, by the end, there would be so many people wanting to watch the finals of the tournament that even the grand arena would not be able to accommodate them all.


    "And if he charged them for watching the fight, the emperor could very quickly recover the money he has used to make the tournament possible in the first place. It seems that the man had thought about everything and was winning in every possible way," Zaroth muttered, having to admit that the emperor was much smarter than he originally thought.


    But this was still far in the future¡ªZaroth had to focus on the present now.


    If he was right, and the later matches were going to be held like a grand event, it meant that the earlier rounds would be fought as quickly as possible.


    In other words, even though he had just passed the second round, the third one was rapidly approaching.


    "Stronger¡­" he got lost in thought. How could he become stronger?


    Yes, true, he had become stronger, but this tournament had an element of luck in it. His next opponent could be the weakest student in the empire who had managed to enter the tournament¡ªor they could be the strongest. Zaroth wanted to be ready for any situation.


    "Beasts¡­ there''s no avoiding it anymore. I''ll get some supplies and enter the forest. Until I manage to tame a third beast, I won''t be coming back."


    This was the plan he came up with. But first things first, he needed credits. For the supplies he was planning to buy, he had already spent most of his credits. Luckily, he knew just the person to ask for more. Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    -----


    Zaroth: I need more credits, and I''ll be outside the capital for some time.


    Elysia: You really are burning through them like paper, huh? Where are you going?


    Zaroth: After winning the second round and advancing to the third, I realized I need even more strength. So, I''m going out to tame another beast.


    Elysia: I see¡­ By the way, that test you did before? You failed. You have a second chance to take it and correct your grade. The second test will be held in 5 days from now. Don''t miss it.


    -----


    [You have received a transfer of 200 credits]


    "Fuck! I failed? I thought I would have at least gotten a passing grade." Zaroth massaged his forehead in frustration.


    Honestly, failing the test hadn''t even crossed his mind, but it made sense considering that he hadn''t spent much time studying the boring¡ªor in other words, useless¡ªsubjects they taught at the academy.


    ''Seriously! Why can''t they just teach the important stuff and leave the useless crap aside?!''


    "No matter. The test can wait. First, I have to stock up on supplies," he muttered as he headed toward the market.


    *****


    "Let''s see, what would I need for the expedition?" He observed all kinds of products for sale.


    "Water is a must. I don''t know if I''ll find a clean source. Also, it''s not a bad idea to get some food. Even if I can hunt and eat beasts, it doesn''t hurt to be well-prepared."


    He bought a few bottles of water that would last him at least 5 days and about 2 kilos of jerky. It was a good source of energy while also being unable to go bad.


    "Next, shelter¡­"


    After thinking for a while, he bought a tent big enough for two people. He was sure that Luna wouldn''t want to stay in his soul while he was exploring the wild.


    A backpack was in order, as he had to carry everything, after all.


    And in the end, he bought something that many people neglected until it was too late, a few spare sets of underwear. Even though he had lived a large part of his life like a street rat¡ªor perhaps because he had¡ªhe knew how important hygiene was.


    Checking if he had gotten everything, he headed toward the gates of the capital once more.


    The guards at the gates didn''t say anything as always, just looking at his uniform was enough to be left unbothered.


    Entering the forest, he walked a few kilometers, keeping away from the main roads. Once he confirmed that he was far enough, he summoned Luna and Silverfang.


    He could have summoned Luna much earlier, but he didn''t want to risk letting some strangers try to hit on her, so keeping her concealed was much safer.


    Discover hidden tales at My Virtual Library Empire


    "Finally, I can walk a bit," Luna spoke with a grin as she stepped forward.


    This irritated Zaroth a bit, as he had let her out quite literally yesterday, but he didn''t want to waste time arguing, so he let the matter go.


    This was the third time Zaroth had gone outside the capital in search of a beast, and he was planning for it to be the last. As such, he had devised a plan.


    No matter how much he wished, if he killed a beast himself¡ªor if one of his beasts did it for him¡ªhe wouldn''t be able to resurrect and tame the killed beast. The creature wouldn''t want to submit to the person that had brought about its doom in the first place.


    But what if he found a pack of dangerous creatures, like wolves or even bears?


    If he quietly followed their movements, hiding his presence as he did, he would eventually witness the pack hunting for food.


    Once they managed to bring down a creature, and if Zaroth felt the energy coming from it¡ªready to be resurrected and tamed¡ªhe could quickly get rid of the pack and resurrect their prey.


    And, considering that he would have killed the creatures responsible for its downfall, the beast would surely be more likely to want to serve Zaroth.


    While it wasn''t a perfect plan, Zaroth didn''t have a very good grasp of what was needed to resurrect and tame a creature. So, this was the best he could come up with for now.


    He made sure the backpack was securely strapped to his back as he walked forward, searching for any kind of clues.


    During the hunting competition, Roran was usually the one who managed to find traces left behind by beasts. After observing him for a bit, Zaroth had been able to pick up on some hints on how to spot them himself.


    It didn''t take long for a wide smile to appear on his face as he looked at the ground. It seemed he had found a few footprints¡ªwolf tracks, to be exact.


    He had found the pack he was going to quietly follow from now on.

 Chapter 76 Found You

    From the looks of it, the tracks were old as they were just barely visible, but this was enough for Zaroth as he began to quickly follow them.Considering that they were old, it was hard to tell how many of them there were exactly, but he was able to tell that they were multiple at least. In other words, it was certain that he was tracking a pack of wolves and not a single one.


    Shifting his gaze to Silverfang, he spoke, "If you feel any kind of danger, you will warn me, right?"


    The wolf quickly barked, accepting the order.


    Zaroth shifted his gaze to Luna as he spoke, "You are to do the same."


    Luna sighed, "Yeah, yeah, I know, I can think for myself."


    "I sometimes wonder if that really is the case," Zaroth teased with a smirk.


    Luna raised an eyebrow as she teased in turn, "You are the one that failed the exam, not me, so remind me¡ªwho can''t think again?"


    Zaroth gritted his teeth as nothing came to mind on how to defend himself.


    Or at least that was what he thought until an idea came to mind.


    "Yet I am the one that is alive and not you, right?"


    Luna scoffed, "Don''t forget that the only reason you are alive is that I saved you in the first place."


    ''That is true¡­'' Zaroth admitted to himself, and then he asked something that he had been curious about for some time now.


    "You are a mythical creature, right? So how did you lose to that hero that they cal¡ª"


    "I don''t want to talk about it," Luna cut him off with an emotionless voice. It seemed that even though she was a mythical dragon, she also had things that she didn''t want to talk about.


    The atmosphere around them got a bit tense, and not wanting it to remain that way, Zaroth sighed.


    "Okay, I am sorry. I will wait until you are ready to talk about it."


    After a moment, he added, "But I want you to answer one question."


    Luna raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"


    "The one that somehow managed to kill you¡ªis he still alive?" S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    She took a moment to respond. When she did, her voice sounded indifferent. "Most likely. The bastard will not die easily."


    "Then do you want to¡ª?"


    "Want what?"


    "Do you want me to kill him? We are planning to kill the gods, one man wouldn''t be hard to kill in comparison."


    Luna suddenly smiled as it seemed she was in a good mood once again.


    "Of course, he will die."


    As Zaroth managed to fix the awkward atmosphere, all three of them¡ªZaroth and his two beasts¡ªwalked forward, slowly trailing the wolf pack.


    *****


    Night had come, so Zaroth set the tent. Both he and Luna were inside, getting ready to sleep¡­ well, he was at least. He honestly didn''t know if Luna needed to sleep at all.


    Silverfang was outside the tent, hunting for something to eat. He was still a predator and didn''t want to lose his instincts, after all.


    Before sleeping, dinner was in order, so Zaroth was munching on a piece of jerky while Luna watched him coldly.


    "Come on! Can''t you share a bit?!"


    "No," he instantly replied.


    "You don''t have to eat to live, but I have to, so I can''t waste my food just so you aren''t bored."


    Luna sighed as she lay down in frustration. She wanted to eat something, even if she didn''t technically need to, but her master''s life was more important, so she wasn''t going to eat his food reserves.


    At least, not yet.


    After finishing his meal, Zaroth also lay down and closed his eyes, trying to go to sleep.


    The tent, while meant for two people, was designed for normal-sized people, and Luna was quite tall, so she required more space than normal.


    So, the two of them were uncomfortably close to each other¡­ or was it comfortably close?


    ''No, considering that I can''t do anything with her, being this close to her would only make it so that I''m excited but can''t go to sleep,'' Zaroth thought in frustration. It seemed it was going to be hard to get some sleep.


    "Can''t sleep?" Luna''s voice echoed in the dark tent. Surprisingly, though, it seemed her voice wasn''t filled with amusement.


    "Yeah, can you guess the reason?" he asked in frustration.


    "You could have desummoned me so you don''t have problems sleeping¡­ and yet you did not."


    "Well, I have to take the feeling of my beasts into account, don''t I?"


    "When have you cared about the feelings of others?" Luna countered.


    "I do¡­ but only for people that are important to me."


    ''And considering the only reason I am alive is you, you are the most important, though this isn''t something I will admit out loud,'' Zaroth thought.


    Luna smiled faintly, though in the darkness, it wasn''t visible.


    She rotated her body as she put her hands on Zaroth and embraced him.


    His face was pretty much buried in her breasts.


    "If you think this is going to calm me down, it will have the opposite effect,"


    "Shh¡­ rest now," she whispered quietly in his ear.


    A few minutes later, Zaroth was deep asleep.


    *****


    After morning came, Zaroth came out of the tent, energized as he hadn''t slept so well in a long time.


    Silverfang was lying on the ground nearby the tent, with a few leftovers of some kind of creature he had hunted during the night. It seemed that the wolf had not lost his knack for hunting.


    Zaroth and Luna quickly packed the tent and continued their pursuit of the pack of wolves.


    Before, the tracks were barely visible, but as they walked forward, they became clearer and clearer.


    They were slowly getting closer.


    Zaroth glanced at Silverfang as a thought came to his mind.


    "Hey, how does it feel knowing that you''re soon going to meet beasts of your kind?"


    Silverfang looked him in the eyes and tilted his head a little in confusion.


    "Maybe it doesn''t matter to you either way, as you are dead," Zaroth muttered under his breath.


    ''I think it will be a good idea to test what would happen if I sent Silverfang into their pack. Would they welcome him or would they feel hostile to him as he isn''t exactly alive?''


    ''This experiment could be very useful as it will give me some information on how the other beasts would react to the ones I have tamed in the future.''


    Suddenly, Silverfang stopped as he got into a battle position, while Luna put her hand on Zaroth''s shoulder.


    He shifted his gaze to her as he asked,


    "What?"


    "We have arrived,"


    Zaroth tried to hide his excitement as he made his footsteps quieter and advanced forward.


    Going past a few bushes, his gaze fell down as he saw an entrance to a cave going into a small hill.


    Around the entrance, there were bones of all kinds of slain creatures, and next to them, there were several wolves lying on the ground. Some were sleeping, and some were gazing around, searching for any threats in the area.


    Zaroth smiled darkly.


    He had found the pack.

 Chapter 77 Wolfss Hunt

    "It''s good that we found them so soon," Zaroth muttered under his breath as he closely observed the wolves.''Okay, let''s see what will happen,'' he thought, glancing at Silverfang.


    "Alright, go!" Zaroth commanded.


    His wolf tilted its head to the side and grunted as it approached the pack.


    "Let''s see what their reaction will be," Zaroth murmured, holding his breath as he watched.


    The pack of wolves rested peacefully until they sensed movement in the bushes. The wolves that were still awake shifted their heads toward the noise, baring their fangs and preparing for a fight¡ªonly to be confused a second later when Silverfang emerged from the bushes.


    The wolves tilted their heads in confusion, unsure of how to approach the situation.


    ''Come on! Even if he''s twice your size, he''s still a wolf! Won''t you accept him into your pack or something?!'' Zaroth thought impatiently as he watched the scene from a safe distance.


    If they accepted Silverfang, it would unlock countless opportunities for Zaroth to exploit. It would mean his beasts could infiltrate other beast packs whenever necessary. While Zaroth couldn''t think of an immediate use for this ability, he knew it would undoubtedly prove to be an invaluable skill in the future.


    But his hopes were quickly shattered when the wolves noticed the large injuries Silverfang bore¡ªwounds that should have been fatal. Yet Silverfang stood as though nothing was wrong. The wolves felt an uncanny energy from him, something that triggered their instincts, telling them that Silverfang was a danger and that they had to attack.


    Then the pack began barking and charged at him.


    "A pity," Zaroth muttered in frustration as he immediately desummoned Silverfang and summoned him back next to him.


    The pack of wolves, now even more on edge, scanned the area, but there was little they could do with Silverfang suddenly gone from their sight. Zaroth had done what he needed to, now, all that was left was to wait for nightfall and start tracking them.


    Not wanting to waste the opportunity, he sat on the ground, one leg over the other, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes.


    ''The mana core is a fascinating thing,'' he thought.


    There were multiple ways to strengthen it. One method was to use it more often, which increased your mana regeneration, its capacity and output. But there was also something strange¡ªthose sparks that occasionally appeared, which made your spells stronger.


    ''Are there more ways to strengthen it?'' he wondered. sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The world was vast, and there was no doubt that hundreds, maybe even thousands, of techniques existed to grow stronger. But Zaroth was no fool¡ªhe knew he couldn''t learn them all.


    Then a curious thought came to his mind. What if he only mastered the fundamentals of each technique? Couldn''t he combine them in ways no one had seen before?


    After all, he''d already combined his firebreath spell with his spear techniques to create a fire tornado. In the future, once he learned more spells and techniques, who knew what he''d be able to create?


    He felt Luna tapping him on the shoulder and opened his eyes.


    Shifting his gaze to her, he didn''t need words to understand what she meant.


    The pack had begun their hunt.


    *****


    Zaroth had trained his stamina for a some time now, allowing him to run fast without gassing out¡ªor at least, that''s what he thought until he tried to keep up with the running wolves. It took everything he had not to lose them. Carrying a backpack on his back certainly didn''t help.


    To add insult to injury, Zaroth glanced to his right. Silverfang ran beside him with a casual ease, looking as though he wasn''t even breaking a sweat. On his left was Luna, running with a terrifying amount of quiet grace.


    If Zaroth hadn''t been looking at her, he wouldn''t have known anyone was there. That was how silent she was, even while running at such speed.


    Zaroth didn''t realize it at first, but a grin had spread across his face. The potential to grow so much more¡ªit was exhilarating. How could he not get excited at the mere thought of it?


    Roars echoed from up ahead.


    "Did they find their prey?" he muttered, halting his steps.


    Crouching low to hide his presence as much as possible, he crept closer.


    His eyes widened slightly. There, on the ground, was a deer, its throat slit open and bleeding profusely. It seemed the wolves had caught their dinner for the day.


    Without saying a word, the pack of wolves descended on the corpse, tearing it apart.


    One thing Zaroth noticed was how they took turns feeding. First, the largest wolf approached and tore off a sizable chunk, clearly the best piece¡ªa perfect balance of muscle and fat.


    Afterward, the rest of the wolves followed, each taking their share in an order that seemed to be based on their size and standing within the pack.


    "It seems that no matter where you go, there''s always some kind of hierarchy involved," Zaroth mused, watching silently.


    The deer didn''t give off any energy that suggested it couldn''t be resurrected, but even if it had, Zaroth wouldn''t have bothered. The reason was simple, a deer was a passive creature by nature, and he needed something that hunted to survive, not something that grazed on greenery.


    ''Now the question is, will they be satisfied with just this, or will they search for more?''


    Zaroth hoped for the latter. The more hunts he witnessed, the better chance he had of finding a suitable beast to tame. But alas, it seemed the wolves were satisfied.


    Only a few bones with scraps of meat clinging to them were left, and a couple of wolves grabbed them in their mouths¡ªlikely planning to carry them back to their cave for later.


    Zaroth sighed in disappointment. There wasn''t much he could do now except quietly follow the wolves.


    At least this time, they weren''t running.


    *****


    "This feels almost anticlimactic," Zaroth muttered in frustration. Now, he would have to waste more time waiting for the next night, hoping the wolves would hunt again, and that this time, they''d catch something worth taming.


    The pack was nearly back to their cave, and Zaroth was beginning to doubt his plan. Was there really no better way to find what he was looking for?


    But his thoughts were abruptly interrupted as his gaze fell upon the wolves'' cave.


    "Oh? This is unexpected," he mused, eyes narrowing.


    Looming in front of the cave was a massive bear. It seemed to have claimed the cave for itself.


    "This bear¡­ it looks strong," Zaroth concluded, observing the beast. It looked familiar¡ªthen a memory struck him. When he''d first found Silverfang''s body, it had been lying beside the corpse of a dead bear. This was the same kind of bear.


    He shifted his gaze to the wolves. The pack had already bared their fangs, readying themselves for a fight.


    Zaroth immediately came to one conclusion,


    No matter who won this upcoming battle, there would undoubtedly be a creature for him to resurrect and tame.


    He licked his dry lips, his eyes shined as he muttered,


    "This just got a lot more interesting."

 Chapter 78 Silverfangs Wish

    The pack didn''t waste any time as they jumped onto the bear with no hesitation.Zaroth couldn''t be sure, but the bear looked like it was Rare tier, while the wolves were Lesser at most.


    This fight was already decided. Why did the wolves charge at the bear without hesitation? he wondered.


    Maybe the territory was just that important to them? But to Zaroth, it was something he didn''t understand. To him, his life was the most important thing¡ªeverything else came second.


    What maniac in their right mind would throw away their life like that?


    Maybe this was why they were beasts, and he was human.


    Nevertheless, the wolves all attacked in surprisingly good unison. Even the bear, being of a much higher power, was taken aback for a moment by their coordinated assault.


    "It looks like hunting in a pack for so long hasn''t been a waste after all," Zaroth had to admit as he watched their coordinated attack.


    But even though the wolves were able to inflict some wounds to the bear''s head, it was clear they would still lose.


    Suddenly, Zaroth shuddered as he shifted his gaze to Silverfang.


    His wolf was trembling, jaws wide open, showcasing his massive fangs as a large amount of saliva fell to the ground.


    His eyes, once grey, had turned bloody as he stared intently at the scene in front of him.


    "Hey, buddy, you alright?" Zaroth couldn''t help but ask. He had never seen his beast appear so angry¡ªit was almost like he didn''t have control over him anymore.


    Silverfang didn''t seem to acknowledge him, but something did. Zaroth was surprised as he heard a voice echo in his mind¡ªa very rare occurrence.


    [Revenge]


    "Revenge?" Zaroth raised an eyebrow. Why had the system told him that word?


    A menacing roar interrupted his thoughts. Gazing at the bear, he saw that even though the creature was heavily injured, it had won against the pack of wolves.


    The wolves lay dead on the ground as pools of blood began to form beneath them.


    It was a sorry sight, but Zaroth smiled darkly as he noticed that some of the wolves gave off that weird energy¡ªit was possible to revive them.


    But his thoughts were consumed with something else. He shifted his gaze back to Silverfang.


    His wolf looked like he was about to jump into battle, no questions asked.


    ''Why does he act like that? I don''t think it''s because he cares for the wolves. At least he didn''t display any emotion like that. Unless¡­''


    Zaroth''s eyes widened in realization. ''When I found his body and resurrected him, the system spoke one word, revenge.''


    He shifted his gaze to the wounded bear that looked almost identical to the one that had killed Silverfang''s pack in the past.


    ''Is¡­ is this my beast''s desire? For him to kill the bear? For him to get revenge?'' Zaroth asked himself. He knew that when you tamed a beast, there was a feeling to succumb to their desires, but he didn''t know exactly what it meant.


    He didn''t want to admit it, but there was something bottling up inside of him¡ªalmost like a pressure that he wanted to release, no matter what.


    Zaroth took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. ''Is it wise to grant his wish? Wouldn''t that mean Silverfang could gain control over me or something?''


    Zaroth took a few moments to weigh his options.


    In the end, he came to a conclusion. He brought his mouth close to Silverfang''s ear and whispered,


    "Tear it apart."


    It was curiosity, he realized. He wanted to see what would happen once his beast''s wish was granted.


    Silverfang let out a terrifying roar¡ªone that rivaled¡­ no, one that defeated the bear''s roar in comparison.


    Bringing his back feet down so hard they shattered the ground, Silverfang exploded toward the bear at a terrifying speed.


    The bear, not expecting the sudden attack, only managed to rotate its head toward the source of the noise before Silverfang reached it.


    Clamping down his jaws, Silverfang bit into the bear''s nose.


    The bear, quickly regaining its footing, moved its paw and slashed at Silverfang, creating a large wound on his abdomen.


    Silverfang was thrown to the side, unmoving. After all, this type of attack¡ªno matter what¡ªshould have been fatal.


    The bear was about to shift its gaze when its eyes widened in horror.


    Silverfang, bleeding heavily and bearing a fatal wound, got back on his feet like nothing had happened.


    The bear didn''t know¡­ that Silverfang was already dead, and that as long as Zaroth''s mana wasn''t depleted, he would remain standing.


    "Luna, I am desummoning you to conserve mana," Zaroth said.


    She nodded slightly, not having an issue with her master''s decision. The next moment, she disappeared, returning to Zaroth''s soul.


    Gazing at the fight, Zaroth couldn''t help but smile. He didn''t know why, but it seemed that the more Silverfang hurt the bear, the more pleasure he felt¡ªpleasure he had never experienced before.


    His mana was depleting faster now, as Silverfang had sustained injuries, requiring more mana to keep functioning.


    Yet Zaroth smiled darkly. As long as his mana didn''t run out, his beasts¡ªbeing undead¡ªwere practically invincible.


    In other words, the bear''s fate was already sealed.


    Roaring in fear and confusion, unable to grasp why the enemy that should have died long ago was still able to move, the bear swiped its paw forward.


    Silverfang managed to dodge the attack and inflicted a wound of his own.


    Just from looking at the fight, it was clear the bear was superior to Silverfang in every way.


    And yet, that didn''t matter.


    No matter how many times the bear inflicted fatal wounds, Silverfang would just stand back up like nothing had happened and charge at the bear again.


    From one shallow wound to ten,


    From ten to a hundred,


    From a hundred to a thousand¡­ S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The bear bled. Its body became slower, unable to move the way it wanted to.


    The bear crushed, tore, and slashed Silverfang, inflicting many other terrible attacks on the wolf.


    But before the wolf¡ªbefore Zaroth¡ªdeath was meaningless.


    Letting out a weak roar, the bear trembled and then collapsed on the ground, unable to move.


    Silverfang, not hesitating for a second, immediately jumped at the creature''s throat, tearing it apart to confirm his kill.


    Emerging from the bushes, Zaroth let out a sigh of relief. Even if it looked like he hadn''t done much, in fact, he had¡ªhis mana core was almost empty. It seemed that allowing his beast to move after taking heavy injuries was pretty costly.


    "No matter," he spoke with a smile as he walked toward Silverfang, observing the surroundings.


    There were five wolves giving off the energy hinting that they could be resurrected.


    "Still, that was one wild wish, Silverfang," he said proudly as he patted the beast.


    ''I just wonder what will happen now that your wish has been granted?''


    His answer came soon as he heard a voice echo in his mind. Licking his dry lips, he smiled darkly.


    He didn''t have many expectations¡­ but this was beyond his wildest dreams.


    [Silverfang''s wish has been granted.]


    [Silverfang''s purpose has been fulfilled.]


    [Silverfang is ready to evolve.]

 Chapter 79 Evolution

    "You can evolve?!" Zaroth shouted in astonishment as he looked at Silverfang.It seemed that his wolf had decided he had torn off enough of the bear''s throat, as he looked at his master with a bloodied face and tilted his head in confusion.


    "I guess it makes sense that you have no idea what I''m talking about," Zaroth muttered as he patted Silverfang on the head.


    "Nevertheless, good job!" Zaroth praised with a smile.


    His wolf wagged his tail in excitement as he let out a few happy barks.


    "But to be honest, that was one weird wish¡­ Really? All you wanted was to kill the bear?"


    Zaroth was having a hard time believing that Silverfang had such a simple wish.


    Seeing the confusion on his master''s face, Silverfang pointed with his paw to the cave.


    "What is something there?" Zaroth asked as he squinted his eyes, trying to see what his wolf was pointing towards.


    A moment later, his eyes widened in realization.


    A smaller wolf than the others appeared¡ªmost likely female¡ªand behind her were a few pups.


    Zaroth shifted his head to the dead wolves and suddenly understood why they charged at the bear with no regard for their lives.


    "They were trying to protect the pups¡­" he muttered under his breath.


    Now it also made sense why they were carrying part of their prey back, it was so the mother of the pups would be able to eat.


    The female wolf looked at her dead pack, then at Silverfang and Zaroth.


    She seemed hesitant to move forward, but her pups didn''t seem scared in the slightest as they all dashed toward Silverfang.


    "So your wish wasn''t to kill a creature similar to the one that killed your pack, but to prevent the extermination of another?" Zaroth muttered as he glanced at the pups that had begun to play with Silverfang.


    Zaroth had begun to feel respect for his wolf. "That is some honorable wish¡­" he admitted.


    "But how the hell do I activate your evolution?" he asked in confusion. It wasn''t like the system would return to explain the details, it seemed to appear only when it felt like it and disappear a moment later.


    ''I think you have to desummon him,'' Luna''s voice echoed in his mind.


    "Huh¡­ that actually makes a lot of sense," Zaroth admitted as he desummoned Silverfang and let him rest in his soul.


    Immediately after, he heard the system again,


    [Silverfang evolution in progress]


    "Well, that seems to take care of the issue," he spoke as he glanced at the dead wolves on the ground.


    "Let''s see how many of you would be willing to serve me," he took a step forward and placed his hand on the closest wolf to him.


    [Wolf judges your soul.]


    [You have killed my killer, you have saved my kind.]


    [Wolf responds to your call.]


    [Wolf forms a pact with you.]


    [You have formed a contract with Wolf.]


    Zaroth''s eyes shined a darker shade of green as the wolf''s body shuddered before it slowly stood up. The wolf hadn''t been dead for a long time, so with the exception of the wounds on its body, it didn''t look like it was undead.


    "Success!" Zaroth exclaimed as he patted the wolf on the head.


    Even though the creature was almost two times smaller than Silverfang, it was still a wolf, and it was sure going to come in handy later.


    "It seems that saving their kind as well as killing their killer gives me more chance to resurrect them," he came to the conclusion as he licked his dry lips and smiled darkly.


    "I wonder how many of them would decide to serve me?"


    *****


    "Five out of five," he muttered in disbelief. Out of the five wolves that he could tame, he managed to bring them all back from the dead.


    "This expedition has been a complete success¡­" Zaroth muttered under his breath.


    Suddenly remembering about the female wolf, he shifted his gaze toward her.


    She was looking at her risen pack with confusion and worry in her eyes, while the pups began to play with the resurrected wolves without a worry in the world.


    It seemed they still lacked the ability to tell what was dangerous for their lives and what wasn''t.


    "You look like a strong wolf, so I''m sure you''ll be able to raise them on your own without a problem. Plus¡­"


    Zaroth glanced at the body of the bear.


    "That big boy will keep you fed for a long time."


    He concluded that he didn''t have much to do, so he began to head back to the capital, but the wolves he had tamed didn''t follow. They just stared at him.


    "What is it? Are you the rebellious type?" he asked.


    In response, one wolf, the one that the pups had gathered around, grunted.


    ''Was it their father?'' Zaroth wondered.


    "You want to stay?" he asked.


    In reply, the wolf barked, as if affirming his guess.


    Zaroth massaged his eyebrows, deep in thought. S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Should I leave him? Sure, keeping him summoned would put pressure on my mana core, even if it''s minimal¡­''


    ''But then again, wasn''t this the reason I needed another beast in the first place? After all, the more pressure on my core, the stronger it will become¡­ Plus, I''m wondering what will happen if I keep my beast summoned for a long time.''


    Having made his decision, Zaroth looked at the wolf with a grin.


    "Alright, you can stay."


    It seemed his decision had boosted the morale of the pack, as they all wagged their tails happily.


    Zaroth''s gaze shifted between the female wolf and what he presumed to be her partner.


    ''I wonder how she''s feeling? She just saw her entire pack be murdered, only to be resurrected a few moments later,'' he thought.


    When she looked at her partner, did she see him as she did before, or was he something entirely different now? Would she accept him for who he was, or would she keep her distance, feeling like he wasn''t technically alive anymore?


    So many questions. Zaroth could decide to stay and observe from a distance to see how things would proceed, but honestly, he was kind of over the whole forest thing, and he really wanted to take a shower. So, he didn''t pay much thought to the wolves.


    He stretched out his hands behind his back and let out a satisfied sigh.


    "Well, I hope you get along," Zaroth spoke as he began heading back to the capital.


    He desummoned all the wolves except the father of the pups and summoned Luna as he began walking.


    Luna raised an eyebrow. "You seem happy," she remarked.


    "How could I not be?!" Zaroth exclaimed, raising his arms wide as a grin spread across his face, his gaze fixed on the sky. "I''ve just gained five wolves, and Silverfang is evolving in my soul as we speak!"


    "I have become so much stronger, and yet I know it''s just the beginning! Killing the gods is slowly becoming a possibility!"


    Zaroth''s pupils narrowed further, resembling those of a predator.


    In that moment, he realized something profound. Continue your journey with My Virtual Library Empire


    There was no more addictive feeling than gaining strength.

 Chapter 80 Test

    Zaroth let out a long sigh of relief as he finally exited the forest and approached the gates of the capital.Luna was close to his side, but since he wasn''t in a hurry anymore, he didn''t bother to desummon her. Stay updated through My Virtual Library Empire


    His attention was quickly redirected as his bracelet shined.


    He raised an eyebrow¡ªit seemed that Roran, Zack, and Lily had sent him messages asking where he was.


    Why didn''t he receive those messages earlier? Was it because he was too far away from the capital?


    Maybe there was more to these shining things than met the eye.


    But that was something for his future self to worry about, so he quickly discarded the thought.


    He quickly replied that he was alright and that they would see him tomorrow.


    Of course, he didn''t forget to write to Elysia, letting her know that his taming journey had come to an end for now.


    It was already night, so having done everything he needed to, he headed for his apartment.


    "This is going to be the best shower of my life!" This thought drove him forward.


    *****


    "Where the hell were you?" Lily asked as soon as Zaroth sat down in his seat.


    "Forest, slowly getting stronger," he replied.


    "And the result?" Roran asked, raising an eyebrow.


    Zaroth simply nodded with a grin¡ªit was pretty clear that his journey had been a success.


    "Never mind that," Zack spoke as he put his hand on Zaroth''s shoulder.


    "What are we going to do? We both failed our test!"


    "Ah," Zaroth opened his mouth a little in surprise.


    ''This is why I had a feeling I was forgetting something!'' he thought as he massaged his forehead. S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "The second test will be held in what, one, two days? We don''t have much time to study the material. But if there was somebody that had gotten a good passing grade on the test, and that somebody was generous enough to teach us the material¡­" Zaroth spoke as he glanced at Lily and Roran.


    She raised an eyebrow. "So, what, I''m a teacher now?"


    "I would really appreciate it," Zack interjected with a grin.


    Roran shifted his gaze to Zaroth as he spoke. "The drinks after the test is over are on you."


    Zaroth breathed out a sigh of relief as it seemed that he had gotten somebody to teach him the basics.


    ''There''s no way Roran is worse at teaching this stuff than the professor, so I should be fine,'' he thought as he shifted his gaze to the said professor who had entered the lecture room.


    He leaned back in his chair, trying to hide his inward thoughts.


    ''These lectures are akin to torture,''


    *****


    "Why the hell didn''t the professor teach the material like that?!" Zaroth exclaimed in frustration.


    He, Zack, Lily, and Roran were sitting at the table in his assigned apartment, reviewing their notes¡­ okay, they were reviewing Lily''s and Roran''s notes, as Zaroth''s and Zack''s handwriting was so bad it was borderline unreadable.


    This was the first time he had invited his friends to his home, so it was fair to call it a little weird.


    But at the same time, he didn''t hate it¡ªit felt kind of nice.


    The only downside was that Luna was in a bad mood, as Zaroth didn''t want her to speak to his friends face-to-face just yet, so he had kept her in his soul.


    Curiously enough, Silverfang appeared to still be evolving, as Zaroth wasn''t able to summon the wolf no matter how much he tried.


    Though he tried not to worry, he was sure that once the evolution was complete, his wolf would be much more formidable than before.


    "No idea, maybe they''re not getting paid enough?" Lily theorized.


    "They''re teaching in the most prestigious academy! There''s no way they aren''t getting paid a shit ton," Roran countered.


    "No, but really!" Zack agreed with Zaroth. "This is ridiculous! I mean, more than ninety percent of the material we''ve been studying during the lectures isn''t even on the test!"


    "I guess we have to be grateful that Roran and Lily agreed to teach us, huh?" Zaroth spoke with a grin.


    "Flattering won''t get you anywhere. Just don''t forget that after the test is over, the drinks are on you," Roran immediately spoke as he shifted his gaze to Zack.


    "That includes you as well."


    "Hey, when did¡ª"


    "God, shut up!" Lily''s voice cut through the conversation.


    "This is why you have such bad grades! You can''t focus for shit! Not only that, but you''re dragging Roran down as well! Just memorize the goddamn material!"


    Everybody wanted to retort, but as they all knew she was technically right, they could only returned their gazes to the material.


    *****


    "As you all know, once you fail an test, you have the opportunity to take it again. As such, I will require your utmost concentration," the professor spoke in front of the students.


    Zaroth observed the room with a smile on his face.


    He didn''t know how, but it turned out that about half the class had failed the test last time. It was weird to admit, but it felt nice to not be the only one.


    Why didn''t Elysia do something about the issue? The professor was clearly an incompetent fool¡­


    Suddenly, his eyes narrowed as he realized something.


    Or maybe she was letting him teach, and once a large portion of the students failed, she would have evidence that the man couldn''t teach for shit. Using that information, she could press the Emperor to get rid of his lackey.


    It wasn''t a far-fetched theory. Zaroth suspected that Elysia had used that strategy in the past¡ªespecially when it came to Roderic and Sylvia. From what he had observed, the two acted with the utmost respect towards Elysia¡­ not that everybody didn''t.


    In fact, he was probably the only one bold¡ªand stupid¡ªenough to invite her on a date.


    ''And even then she blew me off! What the hell do you mean, ''too young for your taste''?! I''ve seen more things than mo¡ª''


    His thoughts came to a halt as the professor slammed the test onto Zaroth''s desk.


    He blinked a couple of times, startled, and shifted his gaze to the professor.


    Usually, you were supposed to say a quiet ''thank you'' as you were handed the test, but Zaroth didn''t bother as he gazed at the paper and began to think about how to solve the questions.


    The professor grunted, most likely annoyed by the lack of acknowledgement from his student, but didn''t say anything as he continued to hand out the tests.


    Zaroth''s eyes widened as he scanned the test, moving from the first question to the second, then quickly skimming through the rest.


    "This wasn''t something I suspected¡­" he muttered in disbelief.


    These questions that had given him so much trouble¡­


    Suddenly, they were so easy!


    ''Roran and Lily have to be some kind of miracle workers!'' Zaroth thought. ''Or maybe the professor was so bad at teaching that the moment somebody with a shred of competence taught me the material, I understood it like it was the most natural thing in the world!''


    Grabbing his pen, Zaroth began to answer the questions one by one with a single thought,


    ''I''m going to ace this test!''

 Chapter 81 Questions and Choices

    Zaroth stretched his body happily as he exited the room.Glancing around, he saw that a lot of the students had worried expressions on their faces.


    ''Thankfully, I don''t need to worry about the result now,'' Zaroth thought as he sat on a chair, waiting for Zack to show himself.


    After a few minutes, he saw Zack exit the room with a smile.


    "Well?" Zaroth asked, already able to guess what Zack was going to say.


    "Roran and Lily are the best!" Zack praised as his white eyes seemed to light up even more.


    "Agreed. We really got lucky with this one," Zaroth commented as he began walking.


    "Well, I take it there''s no point in waiting for the results, right?"


    Zack, sensing what Zaroth was hinting at, couldn''t help but chuckle.


    "I''m messaging Roran and Lily¡ªwe are getting hammered tonight!"


    *****


    Elysia sighed as she took a sip of her coffee and shifted her gaze to the students'' tests.


    She had made the decision to review the answers herself, as it was bizarre that Class-A had so many people fail the test the first time around.


    "It''s almost like someone deliberately wants to stunt the students'' growth¡­" Elysia muttered as she picked up the first test.


    "Let''s see now."


    The questions weren''t really that hard¡ªwell, that was only true if someone from the academy looked at them. Truthfully, most people wouldn''t be able to answer these questions unless they had studied the material beforehand or listened to the professor during the lectures.


    Though, she doubted that so many students simply refused to listen to the professor.


    The more likely situation was that the professor was simply not suited to teach here.


    Even if that sounded harsh to anyone else, Elysia secretly hoped that a lot of the students would fail again.


    Usually, failing the same test twice would result in expulsion, but if more than 30% of the class failed, then it wouldn''t be a stretch to say the professor was at fault.


    Elysia couldn''t help but smile darkly.


    "Ah¡­ you shouldn''t have made it so obvious that you were trying to stunt the students'' growth, Draconis. Now there will be no way for you to stop me."


    Her plan was simple yet effective, she would prove that the man Draconis had sent was incompetent, and then she would put another teacher in the class. This one, though, would be under her control and not the Emperor''s.


    After this, Elysia would announce that no one would be expelled, as evidence would be found that the students'' teacher hadn''t been suited for the role. The students would be excused from taking the first test entirely, while those who had managed to pass despite the poor teaching would be rewarded accordingly.


    Elysia quickly checked the test sheets of the students. There were around forty tests, each with thirty questions. Yet, she didn''t even spend a minute grading each one¡ªthis was how fast she worked.


    Her movements were swift and appeared like a blur to anyone watching from the side.


    Suddenly, as her gaze fell upon a particular test, she stopped and scanned its contents carefully.


    "Zaroth¡­" she muttered under her breath.


    Would he be able to pass the test this time, or would he fail again?


    Elysia, even though she didn''t want to admit it, had a certain image of Zaroth. He was someone who didn''t hesitate to act and had a strong will, which was to be expected of someone who could command a dragon¡ªa mythical creature¡ªwithout going completely insane.


    "Or has he always been insane?" she chuckled slightly at the thought as she scanned the answers he had written.


    "This is a bit surprising," she admitted as she checked the answers one by one.


    All of the closed-ended questions, where students had to choose between four answers, were correct. But what fascinated her the most were the open-ended questions¡ªthe ones where students had to write their thoughts on certain matters.


    On some of these, there wasn''t a perfectly correct answer, as it was left to the teacher correcting the test to interpret. For instance,


    -----


    Question 21:


    You find yourself in a burning building. If you sacrifice your life, you will be able to save only one person, your father or your mother. Who would you choose and why?


    Answer:


    Myself, as both of them are already dead. But even if they weren''t, I would still choose to run to safety, as I know there would be no greater pain for them than knowing their son had sacrificed his life just to save theirs. Anyone who tries to act high and mighty is a fool who doesn''t understand how parents think. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    -----


    Or this one,


    -----


    Question 25:


    What would you rather choose, to live for the honor of your god or for your motherland?


    Answer:


    I would live for my own sake and for those that matter to me. I don''t care for strangers, no matter if their status is that of peasants or gods themselves.


    -----


    Elysia couldn''t help but smile a little. These questions were put in place to test the critical thinking skills of the students, and Zaroth had displayed intellect of the highest variety.


    Why was that? someone might ask. The answer was simple, most people, when faced with such questions, would start thinking about the ''best'' choice. Rarely, like Zaroth, would someone answer in a way that wasn''t listed as a possibility.


    And for some reason, the maniac had drawn a smiley face at the corner of the test with the text below it,


    ''I pass, right?''


    "Yes, yes you do," Elysia muttered as she continued correcting the test.


    She took a very careful look at another test¡ªone that belonged to Zack. It seemed he and Zaroth thought in a similar manner, as he also passed.


    By the end, thirty out of the forty students had failed the exam.


    "This is more than enough," Elysia spoke with a dark smile as she got up.


    It was time to speak with the Emperor.


    *****


    With each step she took, the path echoed, and the air around her seemed to tremble under her presence.


    Despite being beautiful beyond belief, no pedestrians dared to lay their gazes on her. They weren''t that foolish¡ªthey didn''t need to look at her to feel her terrifying strength.


    There was a reason why Elysia was often regarded as the incarnation of death.


    Arriving at the gates of the large castle, the guards tensed as they opened them.


    There was no need for words or identification¡ªthey knew who she was and knew that if she wanted to, she could enter without anyone having the strength to stand against her.


    Elysia didn''t slow her steps as she quickly traversed the castle and stopped before a large door made of the highest-quality wood available.


    She knocked loudly on the door. Though the way she did it wasn''t as if asking permission to enter¡ªit was just an announcement of her arrival.


    Without waiting for a response, she opened the door. Her gaze fell on a man with golden hair and eyes, sitting casually on his throne, reading a book. Enjoy exclusive chapters from My Virtual Library Empire


    Draconis shifted his gaze from the book to the new arrival.


    "To what do I owe the pleasure?" Even though his words were polite, his tone clearly wasn''t.


    Meeting his gaze without flinching, Elysia threw the tests of the students who had failed onto the floor before him.


    She parted her lips and spoke, her voice cold and devoid of emotion.


    "It looks like we need to have a talk."

 Chapter 82 Legends in the Making

    "Talk?" Draconis raised an eyebrow, acting as if he didn''t know what she was talking about."See the tests first," Elysia commanded. Few had the bravery to talk to the emperor with such disrespect, and even fewer would be able to survive the consequences.


    Elysia was such a person.


    Draconis shifted his gaze to the papers on the ground and grunted. Was this woman telling him to get out of his throne and pick them up?


    If it were any other person, he would have killed them on the spot¡­ sadly, Elysia wasn''t a person he could get rid of so easily.


    He flicked his fingers, and a moment later, a beautiful woman with golden hair and pupils identical to his own was standing by his side.


    "Yes, father?" she asked with an emotionless voice.


    "Pick up the papers, would you?" he spoke without shifting his gaze from Elysia''s black eyes.


    The woman bowed slightly as she crouched and picked the papers up, one by one, and handed them to her father.


    ''Is that a way to treat your own daughter like a slave?'' Elysia thought as she grew more and more disgusted by the actions of the man in front of her.


    "If that is all, I will take my leave," she said, and in the next moment, she was nowhere to be found.


    Draconis scanned the tests one by one. He didn''t pay them much attention, spending no more than a few seconds on each.


    When he was done, he returned his gaze to Elysia, raising an eyebrow as he asked her, "So?"


    Elysia sighed and shook her head regretfully. "It seems that your trusted lackey was too incompetent to teach the students of my academy. Even after a second attempt, more than 30 percent of the students still failed the test," she tried to make her voice sound regretful, though Draconis knew Elysia was simply mocking him.


    "As such, as per our agreement, the professor will be stripped of all titles, making him unqualified to teach. He will be replaced by a person of my own choosing."


    Draconis let out a sigh as he threw the tests aside.


    ''That idiot. Didn''t I tell him to fail them gradually and not so much at once? It seems that I truly am surrounded by incompetent fools,'' he thought as he wondered how he should deal with the chairwoman.


    "Elysia, you have such a beautiful face. I just don''t get why you keep putting it in places it shouldn''t be," Draconis said.


    "Is that supposed to be a compliment or an insult?" she asked, her voice beginning to carry a hint of anger.


    "No, it is the truth. With your beauty, you could have any man you wished. You could just go somewhere far and forget about all this. And yet, you keep disturbing my plans. What''s the point, I ask?


    Surely, you must have noticed the way most people look at you¡ªwith fear in their eyes. Tell me, despite being this beautiful¡­ maybe even more so than my wives¡­ has anyone ever invited you to a date?


    No, you don''t have to answer. I know the answer. Your actions stir fear in the hearts of many. As a result, you are feared, not respected. Is that really a way to live one''s life?"


    Elysia seemed to grin a little as she warned, "As always, you seem to be ignorant of everything happening around you, Draconis. I have been invited to a date, and recently at that. But I am not here to talk about my personal life."


    Her eyes seemed to darken as she spoke her next words. "As per our agreement, your lackey will be fired. I just came here to inform you of the fact."


    She finished speaking, turned her back to the emperor, and began to exit the room. However, she stopped for a moment and added,


    "I certainly hope for your own good that you are treating Althea with respect. Otherwise, something unfortunate could befall you." Stay connected via My Virtual Library Empire


    She was referring to one of Draconis''s wives, Althea¡ªthe one suffering from the muscle rot curse. This was another reason why the emperor couldn''t get rid of Althea so easily, she had been friends with Elysia.


    Elysia closed the doors loudly behind her as she exited.


    Meanwhile, Draconis was left stunned, looking at the closed doors. It wasn''t because he had lost his inside man in the academy.


    It was because when Elysia said somebody had invited her on a date, she was telling the truth.


    But there was one problem. Very few people were strong enough to look Elysia in the eyes¡ªDraconis himself being one of them¡ªand yet someone had invited her to a date?


    For an individual to be this brave, how strong was he? Or maybe he was just insane enough to try something that stupid?


    Draconis gritted his teeth in frustration.


    "It seems Elysia has more strong allies than expected."


    ***** S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Elysia was walking back to the academy, clearly in a good mood, now that she would be able to get rid of the professor. The influence of the emperor would weaken even more. The only question now was who was going to teach the class from now on?


    It would take some time for Elysia to find somebody that she could trust with that role.


    This usually wouldn''t be a problem, but the students were already behind on their lectures, and further delay could cause dire circumstances.


    "Only one thing comes to mind¡­" she muttered under her breath.


    Considering that now the professor was gone and the tournament was slowly progressing, she had found some free time¡­


    "I guess it is possible to fit it in my schedule," she mused, having made her decision.


    She wouldn''t jeopardize the students any longer, plus it was clear that there were a few bright minds in there like Zaroth and Zack, not to mention their two other friends that had managed to pass the test the first time, Lily and Roran.


    With the right approach, it was sure that they would be able to blossom into formidable individuals¡­ maybe even geniuses.


    "I wonder what they are doing right now¡­" she muttered as she glanced at the beautiful night sky.


    "Well, considering that there''s a tournament going on, they are probably training or recovering from their training."


    *****


    Meanwhile, in a certain bar, four legends were currently being created.


    "CHUG! CHUG! CHUG!"


    Zaroth was locked in a battle with a random man he had found, competing to see who would outdrink the other.


    In the fifth round, the man couldn''t take it any more and collapsed on the table, hitting his head as he did.


    Zaroth jumped on the table and ripped off his t-shirt, revealing his muscular body beneath as he screamed,


    "Is there really no one worthy?!"


    "I shall be your next opponent!"


    Hearing a voice, Zaroth shifted his head and smiled as he saw Roran, who had also won his drinking contest and was walking slowly toward him.


    Curiously enough, he had also ripped off his clothes above the waist.


    "This shall be the battle for the ages!" Zaroth proclaimed as he jumped from the table and approached Roran, with the intention of getting revenge for the last contest.


    Meanwhile, Zack was currently locked in a literal battle against three drunk men at the bar. But looking at the smile on his face as he beat them to a pulp, it was clear that he was enjoying himself, so they didn''t bother him.


    And Lily was beating in an arm-wrestling match, one man after the next. Seeing the incredible amount of strength the woman possessed, despite her slender body, there was now a crowd around her observing who would be her next victim.


    From that night on, the legend of the four spread around the bars in the capital.

 Chapter 83 Merit

    "Is there a problem?" Sofia''s voice carried a sense of care.Vera took a moment to respond, "I¡­ no, why would there be a problem?"


    Even if she tried to hide it, Sofia had known Vera for a very long time, so she always knew when her friend was being tormented by something.


    "If it is connected with your vision, you know you can al-"


    "I told you I am fine," Vera interrupted her with a hint of anger in her voice.


    ''I guess she doesn''t want to talk about it¡­'' Sofia thought as she wondered how she could change the subject.


    "How is the tournament going?" Vera''s question surprised Sofia a little.


    "Not bad. I have already reached the third round, just waiting for my next opponent."


    A second later, Sofia added, "I¡­ think it was the correct decision that you didn''t sign up for the tournament."


    Vera took a deep breath before speaking.


    "I just know I am not suited for combat one on one. If it was a team battle, I would have been able to, but when I am alone, I am almost useless."


    "Don''t speak about yourself like that!"


    "But you know it''s the truth¡­"


    Frustrated, Sofia shifted her gaze to the beautiful night sky. ''Why doesn''t she have more confidence?!'' she wondered.


    Sofia wanted to somehow boost the confidence of her friend, but a method didn''t come to her.


    Vera had been suffering from terrible visions, both because of her class and her god''s blessing. As a result, she was always in a bad mood, even most likely depressed.


    "Is getting the approval of your father so important to you that you will waste your time in this tournament?"


    Vera''s question caught Sofia off guard.


    Even if she was a princess, a daughter of the emperor, she had never in her life received even a hint of affection from her father. It was pretty clear that he hated her.


    "I have lived most of my life being neglected by him, so this will be the last time. I might be able to win the tournament or I might fall short in the last round. If even then my father doesn''t consider me his daughter, then I will not consider him my father either."


    As the silence grew again, Sofia was back to wondering how she could boost her friend''s ego even by a little bit.


    ''At least walking in the night is a relaxing experience,'' Sofia had to admit.


    If a person didn''t count the few drunkards that could be seen in the streets from time to time, it was completely quiet, completely peaceful.


    Suddenly, an idea popped up in her head, and she was about to speak until a voice in the distance stopped her.


    "I would have beaten you!" a frustrated man''s voice shouted. Taking into account how he talked, it was pretty clear he was drunk.


    "I would have!" a second later, another man''s voice echoed in the distance.


    "You both, shut the fuck up and help me carry Zack!" Now a woman''s voice was heard.


    "I can''t! I am just barely standing on my two feet! How the heck can I carry another person?!"


    "Lily, one of the reasons I love you so much is that you are strong, so I am sure you will be fine."


    "You rascal!"


    Sofia and Vera''s attention was piqued, so they halted their steps and waited to see who was creating all that noise.


    After a second, their eyes widened in surprise.


    "Aren''t these the four that beat the two Epic beasts?" Sofia asked, shifting her gaze to Vera.


    Vera trembled a little when she glanced at them. Taking a shallow breath, she responded.


    "Yes, they are."


    ''What the hell are they doing? They can''t possibly¡­ are they drunk?!'' Sofia thought as her pupils widened even more in disbelief.


    It was Wednesday, and they were in the middle of a tournament, yet the four of them had gotten so drunk that the girl had to carry one man while the other two, who were shirtless, were arguing over who had outdrunk the other.


    "Goddammit! If it wasn''t for Zack and his little fight, we wouldn''t have been kicked out! I was so close to beating you!" Zaroth complained.


    "Beating me? Do you even have an idea of who your opponent is? You should be grateful we were kicked out! Because Lily wasn''t going to carry only Zack, but you as well!" Roran fired back.


    "You drunkards! This is why I don''t go to bars anymore!" Lily spat in frustration.


    Curiously enough, despite her slender body, she didn''t look like she was struggling to carry Zack''s unconscious weight.


    ''Wait, if the four of them give so little care about everything going on¡­'' Sofia shifted her gaze to Vera as her lips curved into a smile.


    ''I think I know now how to boost her mood!''


    *****


    Complete and utter peace. Exactly where he was supposed to be. He didn''t have a need to move as he was experiencing euphoria of the highest level.


    In his life, he had never felt so comfortable. He wouldn''t move¡ªhe could spend his entire life lying here, for all he cared.


    But life wasn''t going to allow that to happen.


    Feeling a gentle finger tracing around his face, only to stop at his lips, he heard a whisper.


    "Good morning."


    It was Luna''s voice¡­ how could someone''s voice sound so alluring? The moment Zaroth heard those words, he felt his body getting hotter, so with no other choice, he opened his eyes.


    He was in his apartment, lying on the bed.


    He yawned as he sat up.


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    "Huh, this time I think there isn''t a hang-"


    Before he could finish, he was assaulted by a violent hangover caused by the previous night.


    "Alright, alright! I get it, you''re still here!" he muttered in frustration as he went to take a shower.


    This time, he didn''t lie to himself, pretending he wouldn''t drink again.


    *****


    "How is everybody feeling?" Zaroth asked as he glanced around at his friends.


    Roran looked like he had just been reborn, but that wasn''t surprising. Considering how much he loved alcohol, he probably recovered quickly from the aftermath.


    Lily and Zack, on the other hand, had dark circles under their eyes, though in Zack''s case, it was because he had been hit while fighting a few people who had pissed him off in the bar.


    In any case, they looked considerably well, so, as usual, they began to chat while they waited for the professor.


    Zaroth noticed that a lot of the students in the lecture hall were nervous. Most likely, they were afraid they had failed the tests again and would get expelled.


    But that wasn''t anything that concerned him. He was sure he had passed this time with flying colors, thanks to Lily and Roran''s help.


    Curiously enough, he realized that most of the students who were nervous were sitting in the back, while those at the front seemed calm.


    ''It makes sense, I guess¡­'' he thought. He used to struggle with the material in the beginning, but not anymore, so he didn''t see a point in changing his seat.


    He could have sat in the front, but what was the point? It wasn''t like he was going to miss anything.


    Suddenly, he noticed that everybody had started to shudder, and the next second, footsteps echoed.


    A breathtakingly beautiful woman with dark hair and eyes appeared at the podium with papers in her hand, but no professor at her side. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Zaroth couldn''t help but grin as he looked at the eye candy.


    "There may be merit in sitting in the front," he muttered.

 Chapter 84 Success

    Everybody shuddered in the presence of the chairwoman¡­ with the exception of Zaroth, who was not only looking her straight in the eyes without trembling but was even excited to do so.Usually, mutters would begin as to why Elysia herself had come to their class, but as everybody was too scared to make even the slightest sound, a heavy silence befell the lecture room.


    Elysia took a deep breath as she spoke. Her voice neither carried hostility nor familiarity¡ªit was simply emotionless.


    "This time I have personally reviewed the tests," she said. Everyone shivered a little and listened closely.


    "There are eighty students in this class, yet even after being given a second attempt, around thirty have failed to get a passing grade."


    Suddenly, the silence became a grim atmosphere because everybody was thinking the same thing.


    Had she come here herself to expel the thirty students? Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Nobody knew much about Elysia, but it was common knowledge that she was often called the incarnation of death. It was easy to guess that she wouldn''t blink twice before expelling almost half of Class A.


    "Due to the large number of failing students, an investigation began, and it was concluded that your professor has not met the academy''s standards. As such, he will be stripped of all titles related to teaching, and another teacher will be assigned to the class."


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow. ''That is surprising,'' he thought.


    "Because of the incompetence of your teacher up until now, you will be excused from taking the first test, and nobody will be expelled."


    One didn''t need to be an expert at reading human emotions like Elysia to see the relief spreading across the faces of the students, particularly those sitting in the back rows.


    "Of course, those who managed to pass despite the bad teacher will be rewarded¡­"


    Now everybody in the room was grinning. Most of the students had even forgotten to feel fear while looking at her.


    "And as for the matter of the teacher, it will take some time to find a suitable replacement. As such, I will take that role."


    Immediately, the happiness that everyone had been feeling disappeared and was replaced by despair.


    "The chairwoman would teach us herself?"


    A few students could no longer hold it in and began to mutter to one another.


    "Man, we are so screwed!"


    Elysia, hearing all of this, could have stopped the murmurs, but she decided not to intervene. Despite her reputation, she wasn''t some kind of tyrant who enjoyed absolute silence from others.


    Fear spread across the students, and even some who were sitting at the front quietly moved as quickly as they could, picking up their textbooks from their desks and rushing to find a place to sit at the back.


    No matter how much they loved to study, they wouldn''t be able to handle the pressure of sitting so close to her for long.


    Zaroth, meanwhile, was at a loss for words.


    ''She will teach us?'' he repeated in his head, making sure he had understood the information correctly.


    His gaze shifted across her body.


    Elysia figure was mesmerizing, with graceful curves that spoke of both strength and elegance.


    In his life, the only woman he knew who had a figure that surpassed the chairwoman''s was Luna.


    But Elysia had something that Luna lacked. Looking into her black eyes was like staring into an abyss¡ªlike looking death itself in the eyes. That sight aroused Zaroth to no end.


    ''An eye candy like her¡­ would teach us from now on?''


    Having made his decision, he took a deep breath.


    "Gentlemen," he spoke to his friends, which earned him a few raised eyebrows in confusion.


    Zaroth didn''t wait as he pushed his chair back, scraping the ground as he did.


    The loud crashing sound echoed around the room, silencing everything as everybody now had their gazes fixed on Zaroth.


    Meanwhile, with his textbook in hand, he walked slowly down the room with his head held high, not paying attention to the stares.


    Reaching the first row of seats¡ªthe one that was already empty because the students who had been sitting there had fled in fear¡ªhe placed his textbook on the desk and took his seat at the front, directly across from where Elysia was currently standing.


    As he was the furthest from everybody else, only Elysia, who was across from him, could see the large smile on his face.


    ''There is no way I will continue sitting in the back while such eye candy is standing at the front teaching,'' he thought.


    *****


    After the tests were given out to their owners and Zaroth had confirmed that he had indeed passed, he focused every single part of his being watching Elysia and her lecture.


    It was honestly night and day difference¡ªbefore, the professor could barely teach them anything, and when he did, his explanations were so bad that nobody got the concept.


    Meanwhile, Elysia and her lecture flowed like a river in perfect harmony, explaining every single detail as clearly and concisely as possible.


    Zaroth''s bracelet shined as messages in the chat flew on over the other.


    -----


    Lily: What''s the reason for you to suddenly go and sit in the front?


    Roran: I doubt that you suddenly realized that you need to take this stuff seriously.


    Zack: Oh god! Let me guess, you want to sleep with her! I''m certain!


    Lily: There''s no way he wants to do that, Zack!


    Roran: No, actually it makes sense. I mean, he''s already got a crush on one of the Queens, so I guess Zaroth has the habit of going for the impossible.


    Zack: He''s a man that dreams big! I think I just got inspiration!


    -----


    Curiously enough, it seemed that Zack was able to see quite fast the reason Zaroth had sat in the front¡ªthey were beginning to think alike.


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    Though Zaroth didn''t bother reading the chat as he was too mesmerized... focused on the lecture.


    It turned out having a bombshell of a teacher certainly helped focus... who knew?


    *****


    The lecture was over, but that didn''t mean the day was over, everybody still had many more classes to attend.


    This whole fiasco with the professor only covered one of the four classes everyone attended.


    After the bell rang, everybody ran outside of the room as they couldn''t stand Elysia''s pressure anymore.


    Zaroth sent a quick message to his friends to go, and that he was going to join them shortly.


    He was now alone in the lecture room with Elysia.


    She raised an eyebrow as she spoke, "What is it that you wanted to talk about?"


    Elysia was acting as though they hadn''t met before, which was understandable. It wouldn''t do her any good for somebody to see that she had a connection with Zaroth.


    Or at least, that''s what he thought.


    "It''s about the reward for passing the test, ma''am," he spoke formally.


    Elysia''s eyes narrowed a bit as she answered, "If it''s just that, don''t worry. The reward¡ª"


    "I don''t want it," Zaroth cut her off, and she scoffed at his words.


    "Don''t want it? Why?"


    "There''s something else that I want more, actually."


    "So you want to exchange your reward for something else?"


    "Precisely."


    Elysia let out a sigh of disappointment. "Okay, tell me what you want, but keep in mind that we can''t give credit¡ª"


    "Date," he cut her off again. "I want a date tonight."


    Elysia furrowed her eyebrows, in surprise or was it frustration?


    "Listen, we talked about¡ª"


    She was about to cut him off, but when she looked into his green, cat-like eyes, it was clear he wasn''t going to give up anytime soon


    Elysia sighed as she spoke, "20:00. Meet me at the Dragonfire Dining Hall, don''t be late."


    Zaroth nodded as he turned his back towards her and grinned like an idiot.


    It seemed that he finally managed to get a date with Elysia.

 Chapter 85 Gentleman Overnight

    "Why are you grinning like an idiot?" Lily asked as her gaze fell on Zaroth.


    Before Zaroth could even respond, Zack''s eyes suddenly narrowed as realization hit him.


    "Wait a second, you were alone with the chairwoman, right? What did you do?"


    Zaroth''s grin widened even more as he spoke.


    "I got a date!"


    "Wha-" Lily opened her mouth to say something in disbelief, but no words came out.


    "Congrats!" Zack patted him on the back. "But how the hell did you accomplish that?"


    "Luck, I guess," he admitted.


    "When is the date taking place?" Roran asked.


    "Today at 20:00."


    Roran narrowed his eyes. "Then you don''t have a lot of time. Do you have a plan?"


    "No..." he admitted as he glanced at Roran and Lily. "You are a couple, so I hoped you two would be able to give me some tips."


    Roran furrowed his eyebrows. "Listen now¡ª"


    "Gladly!" Lily interrupted her boyfriend.


    "Hey, discuss this with me before you start making such decisions!" Roran complained.


    "He needs our help! There is no way we are leaving our friend hanging!"


    "This is not what I was saying..." Roran grunted with frustration as he looked at Zaroth.


    "From now on, you will listen to what I and Lily say, understood?"


    Zaroth nodded in affirmation. "I will be in your care."


    "Leave the suit to me!" Zack proclaimed proudly.


    It seemed that his friends were planning to turn him into a gentleman overnight.


    *****


    As they had more important matters to attend to, they skipped the rest of the lectures.


    Zaroth had now found himself in the assigned apartment of Roran and Lily as they taught him the dining etiquette.


    "Listen here," Roran spoke coldly as Zaroth listened intensely.


    "As Elysia is older than you, in her early-thirties, she would expect a certain level of maturity from her partner."


    He lifted his finger in the air.


    "As such, no matter what situation befalls you, you have to always act as if the predicament has been expected and is just a minor incident." S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He made his voice sound harsh to drive the point into Zaroth''s head.


    "For instance, let''s say you trip and fall. An immature person would get embarrassed and show worry on his face. This is what you don''t want to do. The correct action would be to get up, brush off the dirt if any got on your clothes, and carry on like nothing happened. If you want to lighten the mood, you could even make fun of yourself a little. This will show that you have a good sense of humor and don''t take things too seriously."


    Zaroth was sitting in a chair as he listened to Roran explaining.


    He suddenly felt a pinch behind him, so he turned his head back.


    There Lily was, pushing with her hand on his back.


    "Stretch out your back as much as you can!"


    "But¡ª"


    "No buts! Do it!" Lily interrupted him, and he obeyed as he straightened his back as much as possible.


    "No matter what you do, always keep your back as straight as an arrow. Do not slouch, no matter if you''re walking or sitting, understood?"


    "Yes!"


    "Now puff out your chest!" Roran joined in.


    In response, Zaroth took a deep breath and made his chest fill with air.


    "Good. Now this is how you will be from now on. Later on the date, this will give off the impression like you are bigger than you are and show confidence, which is also what a mature person would do!"


    As Roran finished speaking, he placed a bowl filled with water on the table.


    "Imagine this is soup. Now we will teach you how to eat elegantly!"


    Zaroth was already getting overwhelmed, but he couldn''t help but feel grateful to his friends as they helped him learn how to act.


    After all, most of his life he had spent outside the big cities in a small village, struggling to survive, so he lacked the basic sense for a lot of things.


    "Straighten the back!" Lily commanded as she pushed her hand against his back again.


    "Yes, ma''am!"


    *****


    Five hours later, the date was rapidly approaching.


    Zaroth was getting tired, so he drank coffee. It was true that it was late for coffee, but he didn''t care as he would need all the energy for the upcoming date.


    His bracelet shined as he received a message from Zack.


    "It seems that Zack has found the necessary things," Zaroth spoke as he glanced at Roran and Lily.


    "Alright then, it''s time we go. Remember the things you learned up until now!" Roran spoke, and Lily nodded in agreement.


    They headed outside. The first thing Zack had done was make a reservation for a barber for Zaroth.


    "So, what do you want?" the barber asked as he glanced at Zaroth.


    Before Zaroth could even open his mouth, Lily spoke,


    "Make him irresistibly attractive to a woman in her thirties!" she commanded.


    The barber''s eyes shined as he grinned. "Leave it to me!"


    He was going to make a masterpiece of Zaroth.


    *****


    Zaroth was looking at himself in the mirror and couldn''t help but muse, "Wow, I really look good."


    "Next, take a shower!" Lily spoke, and he obeyed as he took one in his apartment.


    After he was done and dried himself, he was left in his underwear.


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    "And last step!" Zack spoke as he opened a suit case he had been carrying.


    Zaroth''s eyes widened as he saw the suit that Zack had bought. It seemed his friend really was loaded.


    "God," Zaroth muttered as he glanced at the mirror.


    It was like he had completely and utterly transformed.


    His back was straight as an arrow, his hair was neatly cut, and he wore a raven-black suit with a white shirt and a green tie that matched his eyes.


    He looked at the time. It was 19:20.


    He would have to go, as he knew it was a bad idea to arrive after his date.


    "I am off!" he spoke as he was about to head to the restaurant, but Lily stopped him.


    "Wait!"


    He raised an eyebrow. "Hm? What is it?"


    Without response, she got closer and put a beautiful crimson rose in the lapel of the suit.


    "Now you are ready, go, and don''t you dare make a fool of yourself!"


    Zaroth glanced at his friends, and before he realized it, his eyes had teared up a bit. ''When did I acquire such nice friends?'' he asked himself.


    He bowed deeply to hide the few tears that had begun to fall.


    "Thank you for the help!" he spoke firmly.


    "That is what friends do. Now go, and don''t you dare fumble the date!" Roran said.


    "There is no way I won''t help you when you''re going for the chairwoman herself, man!" Zack proclaimed as he smiled.


    "It''s not bad to think for something other than combat, I guess," Lily scoffed.


    Zaroth thanked them again as he exited the room.


    This was going to be a night that Elysia wouldn''t forget.


    He knew that there probably wouldn''t be a second chance, so he was going to make use of the opportunity, even if it killed him!


    With each step he took, he carried a faint echo. His hands trembled a little as he got nervous, and his heart began to race fast.


    ''Relax, you have tamed a mythical dragon and killed the master of two Epic beasts. There is no need to worry about a little date, is there?'' Luna reassured.


    He smiled faintly as his hands calmed down.


    "Oh god, he is hot!"


    "Is he a model?"


    "I want to go and talk to him!"


    Waiting before the entrance of the restaurant, Zaroth was able to hear murmurs around him as people were staring at him¡ªmostly women with amazement in their eyes.


    But Zaroth didn''t pay them any attention... because these women couldn''t even hold a candle against the woman he was going after.


    He shifted his gaze to look at the time. It was 19:59.


    The second the clock hit 20:00, he felt a certain pair of eyes on him.


    He glanced in that direction, and his eyes widened in awe as he muttered,


    "Elysia..."

 Chapter 86 Skip a Beat

    "Elysia¡­" he muttered under his breath as he gulped audibly.


    She had come. The first thing Zaroth noticed was that she was wearing a black dress that clung tightly against her alluring body, accentuating her curves even more.


    She had light makeup on her face that made her even more memorable.


    She had put reddish lipstick on her lips. He wondered what they would taste like.


    At that moment, Zaroth knew one thing.


    He wanted her, with every fiber of his being.


    As Elysia looked at him from afar, he couldn''t be sure, but for a moment, it looked like her pupils widened in surprise.


    Was she impressed with the way he had clothed himself? Zaroth hoped that she was.


    Taking slow, heavy steps, she walked towards him and stopped when they were about an arm''s length apart.


    "Didn''t expect that you would take the date so seriously," Elysia mused.


    "There is no way I wouldn''t when it''s with you," he replied as he looked her in the eyes.


    Despite straightening his back as much as possible, he had to look up as Elysia was almost twenty centimeters taller than him. And that was when she wasn''t wearing high heels, as she was now, which made her even taller.


    Maybe some men would feel uncomfortable in the presence of such a woman, but that wasn''t the case for Zaroth, as Elysia''s breasts were curiously at his eye level.


    Though he didn''t look at them, he was too mesmerized by her black-death-like eyes.


    "Well, I have to be honest, you look good," she admitted.


    "You are the one to talk. I didn''t think you could get more gorgeous until I saw you in that dress," he spoke as he stretched out his hand.


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    "Then, shall we enter?"


    She glanced at his hand, took hold of it, and nodded in agreement.


    The date had begun.


    Walking inside the Dragonfire Dining Hall, Zaroth gasped in awe. He knew that this was one of, if not the most prestigious restaurant in the capital, but he didn''t expect such a sight.


    The ceiling was over twenty meters tall, with countless golden chandeliers hanging down from it.


    The walls were beautifully decorated, almost like they were inside a grand castle. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    There was a man playing classical music on a piano.


    Zaroth immediately was able to tell that he had entered the big leagues just by entering the dining hall.


    He and Elysia seated themselves at their reserved table, and a waiter dressed in a professional suit came and handed them the menus.


    Zaroth screamed in pain and fear as he saw the outrageous prices... well, he screamed internally, but on the outside, he looked completely unbothered, like he could afford something from the menu.


    But in fact, he couldn''t. The only credits he had were the leftovers that Elysia had given him, and they could barely be enough to afford the cheapest food here!


    "Don''t worry, I know you don''t have that kind of money. You are just a student, after all. I am paying," Elysia spoke in her usual emotionless voice.


    Zaroth''s heart stopped for a moment as he tried to search for if he had messed up, but his back was straight as an arrow, his chest was puffed out, and his expression was emotionless. How did she know that he couldn''t afford it?


    ''Relax, idiot. She is the one giving you money, of course, she would know that you don''t have any,'' he cursed himself.


    Having her pay for the date was certainly not an action that he should take as he had to appear mature, but he didn''t have much choice either way, so he simply nodded and went back to the menu.


    In the end, he ordered something in the middle of the price range. If he ordered the cheapest option, he would look like he was scared of spending her money, while if he ordered the most expensive, it would look like he didn''t know the value of money.


    Interestingly enough, once he placed his order with the waiter, Elysia got the same thing, so it seemed both of them were going to eat steaks. She also ordered a bottle of wine.


    Truthfully, Zaroth refused to look at the prices of the alcohol, as he feared he might actually get a heart attack if he did.


    Now that the order had been placed, they didn''t have to look at anything else but each other.


    Not letting the silence between them grow awkward, Zaroth spoke, trying his best to keep his voice calm and friendly.


    "Isn''t it nice? To get some free time off work. Everybody needs some time to relax, after all."


    Elysia took a moment to respond. "Yes, it is nice to get a breath of fresh air."


    After a moment, she asked a question, "Why are you unbothered while looking at my eyes?"


    The question took Zaroth off guard. "... Because they are mesmerizing," he answered without hesitation.


    Elysia raised an eyebrow. "This is not how people would describe my eyes, Zaroth."


    "What do you mean?" he asked.


    She sighed before explaining, "Mesmerizing eyes are the kind that are blue, or golden, perhaps even crimson."


    Elysia made a small pause before she continued. "But black eyes like mine... black pupils like mine can''t be called mesmerizing. The more fitting term would be scary, maybe even disgusting to look at. There''s a reason people call me the incarnation of death, you know."


    Zaroth suddenly found himself in deep thought. He was having a hard time understanding her words.


    ''She thinks her eyes aren''t beautiful?'' he asked himself.


    What could be the reason for that? He himself had never seen something as alluring as her eyes... or maybe was he wrong? Did her eyes really scare other people? If that was the case, why didn''t they scare him? It not only didn''t scare him, it was like they worked like a magnet, pulling him closer and closer the more she matched her gaze with his.


    ''Death... wait, death?''


    He was a Beast Master... a Beast Master capable of resurrecting and taming dead beasts. In a way, didn''t he already have a connection with death?


    Was that connection making him feel this way when he matched her gaze? Was he attracted to the dangerous... was he attracted to death itself?


    Was he always this way? Or had he changed along the way?


    He remembered the day he almost died, the day he received his blessing. He felt a change he couldn''t explain, but he could feel it deep in his being, deep in his soul.


    As he finalized his thoughts on the matter, he couldn''t help but let out a chuckle.


    She narrowed her eyes as she asked, "What is it?"


    His cat-like eyes seemed to narrow even more, mimicking those of a predator.


    "Isn''t it funny? Both of us are seen as weird because of our unusual eyes. I guess we have more in common than we realized."


    Zaroth moved his hand and gently grasped Elysia''s hand that she had placed on the table.


    "But over time, I have learned that I don''t care what other people think. Their thoughts on the matter have no effect on me. So, Elysia, I can say with certainty one thing, I have never seen eyes as beautiful as yours."


    Elysia''s eyes widened for a moment as she felt something¡ªsomething that she hadn''t experienced in an ungodly amount of time.


    For the first time in more than a decade, a man had made her heart skip a beat.

 Chapter 87 Advancement

    For the first time in more than a decade, a man had made her heart skip a beat.


    She needed a moment to collect herself, and in the end, could only flash a slight smile.


    When he saw her smiling, Zaroth felt like he was going to lose his composure for a second, but he pushed through it anyway.


    The waiter arrived and placed both of their steaks before them, pouring wine into their glasses.


    Zaroth, remembering the lessons that Roran had taught him, began to eat as elegantly as he could, while not forgetting to keep his back straight the entire time.


    Elysia, meanwhile, looked at him with amusement. After a moment, she spoke.


    "Is that why you skipped all the lectures after the first? You were learning how to act more mature?"


    ''How did she learn that I didn''t attend any of the later lectures? I know she has ways of getting information, but to do it so fast¡­ or maybe she was actually following my movements?''


    Knowing that Elysia could tell when someone was lying, Zaroth knew there was no point in lying, so he answered honestly.


    "You caught me," he tried to add some humor as he averted his eyes to the side, as if he was giving up.


    Elysia leaned back in her chair and sighed.


    "You know, it''s rare for someone to be completely mysterious to me. You are one of those people, Zaroth."


    He grinned a little.


    "Do I take this as a compliment?" he teased.


    "Take it however you wish," she didn''t budge.


    After a moment of silence, he asked her, "I think you are a much more interesting person yourself. Before, when I invited you on a date, you refused, saying I was ''too young for you.'' What changed?"


    Elysia took a deep breath as she looked to the side.


    ''There is no way I am going to tell him that he helped me prove a point to the emperor¡­''


    "I just thought that I could give it a chance, I guess. It was the perfect excuse to get some rest from my work. Plus, seeing how persistent you are and how seriously you''re taking this, I guess you''re more mature than the other 18-year-olds your age." S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Zaroth closed his eyes for a moment.


    ''Am I?'' he asked himself, quickly coming to one conclusion, he wasn''t.


    At least not in the conventional sense. Due to his past, he had never been able to live without constantly worrying about the future. He had been forced from a young age to grow up. But he didn''t regret it one bit. If his efforts had eased the pain of his mother, even a little, in her last days, then he wouldn''t hesitate to do it all over again.


    ''Mother¡­'' Thinking about her still filled his heart with pain. He could remember her last wish for him to live for his desires.


    What were his desires? He wanted to kill the gods, make them suffer for creating the curse that she had suffered so much from. But was that all he desired?


    No, he wanted more.


    Much more.


    Everything¡ªthat was what he wanted. He wasn''t a hero, a person living with the intention to help other people. Nor was he some kind of villain, killing and stealing for the sake of it.


    He simply took what he wanted.


    If he had to ally with people who were morally in the wrong, that didn''t concern him.


    Morals were nothing to him. The moment he had to eat the corpse of a dead rat just to avoid starving, he threw all his morals out the window.


    Whatever he wanted, wherever he desired, he would take.


    Zaroth shifted his gaze to Elysia, her black dress accentuating her already alluring figure, her black eyes that screamed danger. Her full red lips and the way she opened them slightly as she took a sip of her wine.


    In this moment, Zaroth wanted her. Now, he had to make her want him too.


    This is why he was here. This is what everything had been leading up to.


    She glanced at his green eyes, noticing how they narrowed like a hunter''s.


    "After we''re done here, there''s a place I want to go. Would you happen to want to prolong the date?"


    She placed her delicate hands on the table and leaned forward a bit.


    "You know that I''m very busy with work, Zaroth."


    He smiled in response, his smile was not fake but genuine. He truly enjoyed her company.


    "I know, but it feels nice right now, doesn''t it? No constant stress about anything. These moments are rare, no? So one more hour won''t hurt, right?"


    Seeing the resolve in his eyes, she couldn''t help but smile slightly.


    "Sure, it will be my pleasure."


    *****


    The rest of the dinner went perfectly well. Most of the time, they ate in silence, enjoying the music playing in the restaurant. The silence wasn''t awkward in the slightest. Instead, it was pleasant, as if the two of them were at peace.


    After the dinner was over, which Elysia paid for, Zaroth tried not to look at the price as he didn''t want to pass out. Both of them walked toward a certain destination.


    "I must admit, I''ve never been here before," Elysia said as she glanced around.


    "To be honest, it''s the same for me. But a friend recommended the spot, so I wanted to try it out."


    Zaroth made a mental note to thank Lily later when he had the chance, as the place she had recommended had been perfect.


    They were currently in a secluded spot far from the center of the capital, with a nice view overlooking a large part of the city and a small part of the river also visible.


    Zaroth knew that Elysia had spent a long time in the capital, so she''d most likely visited all the famous places. But what about this spot? It had an incredible view and only one bench on the cliff.


    Lily really was a genius. This was the best way to impress Elysia¡ªby showing her new things, things she hadn''t experienced before.


    "It''s beautiful," she sighed as she rested her hands on the iron railing that kept people from falling over the edge.


    "It is," he admitted, also leaning beside her.


    The view was breathtaking... and yet,


    Zaroth shifted his gaze to Elysia. "But there is something more beautiful here."


    She met his gaze as her eyes narrowed. One of the pluses was that she was able to tell when a person lied, and she would know that Zaroth''s compliments weren''t just empty words.


    He meant every single word.


    "I still don''t get it... Why are you wasting your time on me? Wouldn''t it be more appropriate to chase after women your age?"


    "Because," he interrupted, "I''m greedy, and I want the very best. And from everything I''ve seen up until now, you are the best there is."


    "So, what are you trying to¡ª"


    Zaroth didn''t let her finish. He rotated his body toward her, slowly placing his hand behind her waist.


    How does one approach this situation? He had asked himself this question hundreds of times. Not only that, but how does a mature person approach the situation?


    The answer he came to was simple, he would make it clear what he wanted, with the hope that the person before him would respond to his feelings.


    Elysia didn''t stop him as he slowly pulled her toward himself, tilting his head up. Discover hidden tales at My Virtual Library Empire


    A moment later, their lips met for a brief kiss.


    "I want you, Elysia. Just the way you are right now."


    In response, she didn''t say anything. Instead, she placed her hands behind Zaroth''s head, pulling him in for another kiss, one much deeper than the last.

 Chapter 88 Promise

    The feeling of her lips was addicting. Before, Zaroth could only imagine it, but right now, he was experiencing the real deal.


    The bodies of both him and Elysia were tightly pressed together. She had her hands behind his head, while he had his on her waist. Find more to read at My Virtual Library Empire


    Each second that passed, it seemed as if both of them were pressing tighter against one another.


    Zaroth''s blood ran hot as his hands began to slowly go downward.


    ''Just a little piece of cloth is all that separates me from her,'' he thought.


    Or more accurately, ''thought'' was a strong word, as he felt like he wasn''t able to think straight anymore¡ªhe was just acting on instinct.


    As his hands reached her bottom, he felt their softness as he slowly pushed her even tighter against his member.


    This was it. Today was the day. Or so it seemed, but sadly the world didn''t work that way.


    After what felt like eternity¡­ one very short one, Elysia pulled away.


    Zaroth cursed his reality as his body wasn''t pressed tight against Elysia nor was he feeling her lips anymore.


    Seeing his stunned expression, Elysia grinned as she placed her index finger against his lips and leaned in close as she whispered next to his ear.


    "This is just a first date. What? Did you expect that we would go all the way?"


    Her voice carried a sense of maturity, it was so alluring that Zaroth''s blood ran even hotter.


    ''How the hell do you not lose your composure at a moment like this?!''


    It was clear that Elysia was playing with him¡­ wait, maybe she wasn''t? If she was, it wouldn''t make sense, as her kiss felt too genuine to be fake. Had she enjoyed it, perhaps?


    He was about to speak, but¡ª


    "Look at the time," she interrupted his thoughts.


    He did just that and saw that the time was 00:00. The prolonged hour that Elysia had agreed on had ended.


    The date was over.


    "Then¡­ when can we continue from where we left off?" he spoke, trying to hide his raging emotions.


    "I am a busy woman, Zaroth. I work a lot. But¡­ if my enemies'' plans got screwed¡­ for instance, rather than his lackey winning the tournament, my man did instead¡­ then I might have enough free time to fit another date or two," Elysia spoke as she moved her finger from his lips towards his chest, where his heart was beating wildly.


    Zaroth wasn''t an idiot, he was able to see that Elysia was clearly trying to use him.


    But he couldn''t help but curse himself as he realized that he was actually this stupid and was going to fall for her provocation.


    But at the same time, wasn''t this good news? Looking at the way she was acting, it was like she was telling him indirectly that, should he win the tournament, she was going to sleep with him.


    If that was the case, he wouldn''t even need to use the wish she was going to grant him should he win, as she basically said that it would happen.


    She got a taste of him, she wanted him. This was the conclusion Zaroth came to. And feeling his hot blood, it was clear that his body felt the same way.


    Even if he knew it wasn''t a good idea, he got a taste of Elysia, and he immediately knew that he would not be satisfied with just a taste. He wanted more¡ªmuch, much more.


    Before he could even respond, she was already gone.


    It seemed that she really was busy as she couldn''t even spare the time to say goodbye.


    Zaroth clenched his fists tightly.


    The frustration he was feeling, he was planning to unleash on his next opponent in the tournament.


    He started walking back to his apartment as he muttered in frustration.


    "This tournament couldn''t come any sooner!"


    *****


    Zaroth was sitting at the front as he had yesterday, though this time, however, his friends had joined him.


    All of them were looking at Zaroth with curiosity in their eyes.


    "Well?" Lily asked, unable to contain her excitement.


    Zaroth sighed as he spoke, "I think the date went well."


    "Think? What exactly happened?" Roran asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "Wait, what do you even need to happen to consider the date a success?" Zack asked, joining in.


    "I mean, we didn''t sleep together," Zaroth said.


    Zack immediately began to laugh as he clutched his stomach. "Of course you wouldn''t¡ªit''s the first date!"


    "At least you didn''t make a fool out of yourself, did you?" Lily asked.


    "I don''t think so, though we did only kiss."


    Zack''s laughter abruptly stopped, and he stared at Zaroth with wide eyes.


    "Wait, you¡­ are you joking? You kissed her?!" Zack asked in disbelief.


    Roran''s eyes narrowed. "So that means she wasn''t playing with him and actually gave him a chance¡­" he muttered under his breath. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Lily placed her hand on Zaroth''s shoulder as she spoke, "Zaroth, if that''s true, then that means the date went perfectly!" she proclaimed.


    He scratched the back of his head. "Well, if you say so."


    Roran sighed as his lips curved into a smile and his blue eyes shined brightly. "This calls for a celebration! There''s no way we''re not getting hammered now!"


    Lily was about to complain, but before she could, their chatter was cut short as the time for the first lecture had arrived, and Elysia entered the room.


    The atmosphere grew grim around the lecture room, and suddenly every student was on edge¡ªwith the exception of Zaroth.


    "Good morning, class. Today we will talk about possible ways to make money with your magic¡ª"


    Elysia began the lecture without further delay, as usual.


    Just because Zaroth had made a little progress didn''t mean that their relationship was going to change overnight.


    *****


    A few days passed with nothing eventful happening. Zaroth simply attended the lectures, studied as much as he could, and then trained his body when he fought against his friends.


    At night, when he got home, he would summon Luna and the other wolves and feel his mana core grow stronger as it slowly increased its strength. Because he was multitasking, he was also meditating, connecting sparks to his mana core.


    Silverfang was still evolving¡ªor at least that was what Zaroth believed, as he was unable to summon him.


    ''Well, if he''s going to evolve for so long, I guess he''ll just become that much stronger,'' he thought inwardly.


    Finally, one night, while he was busy meditating, his bracelet shone as he received a message.


    The next match he was going to participate in was tomorrow.


    Deciding to save his strength, Zaroth went to sleep early.


    The next day, he prepared everything as he approached the arena where the fight was scheduled to take place.


    His opponent was a tall woman who seemed older than him¡ªmost likely a third-year student.


    Zaroth tightened the grip on his spear as his eyes narrowed. He was going to vent his frustration against his opponent.


    "And without any further ado, let the battle begin!" the observer and the announcer spoke in unison as both of the challengers charged at one another.


    The audience that was larger than in the second round cheered as the two challengers faced one another.


    The third round had begun.

 Chapter 89 Round 3

    Zaroth''s opponent held a wooden staff with a blue gem in her hand, so most likely, she was going to attack using some kind of ranged magic attacks.


    If it were the old him, he would have rushed in, thinking it was the best strategy to reach her as soon as possible.


    But now, after his numerous duels with his friends, he knew that people whose class revolves around ranged attacks know they are weak up close and, as such, train to fight with their fists proficiently.


    Zaroth still shuddered a little when he remembered how much force was behind Lily''s fist.


    He, of course, wasn''t planning to waste time, though, as he extended his arm and let out a fireball.


    Interestingly enough, the woman''s staff shone, and she didn''t move a muscle.


    The next moment, his fireball was nowhere to be seen.


    "What?" Zaroth muttered in disbelief. How did his attack disappear? Did the woman possess some way to nullify magical attacks?


    He couldn''t be sure from just one attack, so he began to rotate the spear before him and let out a violent fire from the back of his throat.


    The fire breath collided with the spear, and as its strength and area of effect increased, it flew toward Zaroth''s opponent.


    The air in their proximity began to heat up, but that was all, as the fire tornado seemed to dissolve into nothingness a meter before reaching the woman.


    "So, I was right. She is able to nullify magic to some extent. The question is, how much mana is she using to do such a thing?" he wondered.


    He could have kept up the tornado with the hope that his opponent would run out of mana before he did, but it didn''t feel like a smart idea to test the limits of his mana core in the middle of the match. So, he was left with one option,


    Charge in melee.


    Not wasting a second, he dug his foot deep into the ground and exploded toward the woman. Continue your saga on My Virtual Library Empire


    In response, the woman took a step back as she muttered something under her breath, and a large ice pillar began to form behind Zaroth.


    ''Wait, why is she taking a step back? Is it possible that not every mage is strong in close combat like Lily? Have I overestimated my opponent?'' he asked himself as he found himself an arm''s length away from reaching the woman.


    Without hesitation, he used his spear and pierced her abdomen.


    The woman let out a weak cry, coughing up blood, and collapsed to her knees.


    The large ice pillar that had begun to form behind Zaroth disappeared before he was even able to sense it.


    "And the winner is Zaroth!" the announcer rushed to the center of the arena, declaring the result, while a male doctor appeared out of thin air and began to treat the woman''s injuries.


    "Just like that?" Zaroth muttered in disbelief.


    He had won so easily? He was planning to vent his frustration, but this match was simply pathetic. He didn''t even break a sweat before defeating his opponent.


    ''Did I luck out and get matched against a weak individual? Or have I just become so much stronger?'' It was a strange thought.


    Looking at the woman lying helplessly on the ground, her blood flowing from her wound, it was as if, for a second, he heard a voice inside his head,


    ''Kill her.''


    Zaroth narrowed his eyes for a moment, startled. Did he imagine it, or had something actually spoken in his head?


    ''Luna, did you hear that?'' he asked her.


    ''Hear what?'' she responded.


    It seemed Zaroth was probably just mistaken.


    These past few days, he had focused solely on training, so it was possible that he was starting to imagine things due to his mind being overwhelmed.


    With a sigh, he left the arena, this time not even enjoying the cheers of the spectators. The match was too easy for him to celebrate.


    *****


    After leaving the arena, Zaroth was suddenly assaulted by a violent headache. Deciding it was better to find a quiet place, he made his way to a park. He arrived at a secluded bench, far from the constant noise of the bustling capital, sat down, clutched his head, and waited for the pain to subside.


    It had been a good decision to come to the park, as he could enjoy the fresh air and the soothing shade provided by the trees... or at least, he would have enjoyed those things if it didn''t feel like his head was slowly splitting into multiple pieces.


    "What is going on with me?" he asked himself in frustration.


    His head hurt, and it wasn''t because he was suffering from a hangover.


    When did it start to hurt? He wondered. S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''I think when my gaze fell on the woman that bled,'' he thought.


    But that didn''t make any sense. He had seen so much worse, and he had inflicted much worse on people. Was he feeling guilty now? Or was it something different, something internal?


    "Ah, shit, it''s getting worse!" he gritted his teeth as he waited for the pain to subside.


    But something caught his gaze.


    On the back of his right hand, the crimson symbol suddenly appeared.


    "What the fuck?" he cursed, hiding his hand with his other one.


    What was the reason for the symbol to appear? Wasn''t it just a mark to symbolize that he had made a deal with a vampire?


    From what he knew, the symbol didn''t appear unless he willed it or if his hand was drenched in holy water. But neither of these things had happened.


    He had read that book in the library that spoke about vampires in its entirety, and he didn''t find anything that mentioned humans who made deals with vampires experiencing pain.


    But in the beginning, there was a disclaimer, the book talked about the things humans believed to be true, but it didn''t mean they were necessarily true.


    Plus, it mostly talked about how to find and deal with sinners who made deals with vampires, not about the sinners themselves and the side effects they were experiencing from making said deal. So, it was quite possible that Zaroth was still missing critical information.


    "I will have to ask Midnight, whether she likes it or not. She will have to explain the sudden pain in my head," he muttered under his breath.


    "Excuse me, sir,"


    Hearing a male voice, Zaroth sighed, lifting his gaze upward until it landed on a man with black hair, a gray suit, a white shirt, and a tie, holding a suitcase.


    "You seem to be in a bit of trouble," the man spoke with a smile and a friendly tone.


    Truthfully, Zaroth''s head hurt too much to bother taking the man seriously. He knew the man was probably trying to use some kind of ploy to sell him something.


    Not that if his head wasn''t hurting he would have taken the man seriously in the first place. After all, Zaroth had spent a large part of his life broke, so as a result, he rarely bought things he didn''t need¡ªespecially from shady people like the man in front of him.


    "I actually believe I could offer assistance if you want it, so would you like to make a deal with me?"

 Chapter 90 Holy Ground, Unholy War

    ''Great, now as if the headache wasn''t enough, I have some random salesman that wants to sell me something,'' Zaroth cursed inwardly.


    "Thanks, but I am not interested," he replied as he flashed a false smile at the man.


    "Are you sure about that?" the man replied as he opened his suitcase and took out a bottle containing a few pills.


    The salesman handed it to Zaroth with a smile. "It is quite clear you are suffering from a headache, so these pills would numb the pain."


    "I said I don''t want them," Zaroth replied, this time with a hint of frustration in his voice.


    "Here you go. It''s free. If you want more, you can find me here."


    Despite Zaroth clearly refusing, the salesman put the bottle with the pills on the bench Zaroth was sitting on, alongside a business card that seemed to have an address written on it.


    Zaroth was about to curse at the man, but after leaving the items on the bench, he took off, completely ignoring Zaroth from that point on.


    "Who the hell would be stupid enough to take pills from a stranger?" Zaroth muttered as he glared at them.


    ''Luna, what do you make of this?'' he asked her. Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Probably wants to drug you or something,'' she replied.


    "Figures," he muttered as he took the card on which a address was written.


    ''Who knows, it may come in handy,'' he thought as he used his bracelet to send a message to Midnight.


    Zaroth: That symbol is acting weird. Do you know the cause?


    It took an unusually long time for her to respond. Was she ignoring him, or was she busy with something else?


    After about a dozen minutes, he received a reply.


    Midnight: I am in a bit of a situation, so that could explain the reason for your symbol acting strange.


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow. "Situation? What the hell is she talking about?"


    He was about to reply when she sent another message.


    Midnight: You said you want to befriend me, right? ¡­ I wouldn''t mind a little help.


    Zaroth: Don''t you have anybody else to ask?


    Midnight: You are the only person that knows about... my circumstances.


    Zaroth: Okay, where do you want me to go?


    She sent him an address, which, once he read it, raised an eyebrow in confusion.


    "Wait, isn''t that a church? What the hell is she¡ªa vampire¡­ a demon¡ªdoing there?" he wondered.


    Zaroth: What exactly do you want me to do?


    Midnight: You''ve heard about these guys¡ª''Purifiers,'' right? ¡­ I need a bit of help to get rid of a few.


    "Hmmm¡­" Zaroth leaned back, crossing his arms in thought.


    "True, at the moment I don''t have anything that compels me to help her¡­ but at the same time, having her¡ªa vampire¡ªbe indebted to me doesn''t sound like a bad idea¡­"


    Zaroth: Alright, but you will owe me one.


    Midnight: Sure. Now come¡­ as fast as you can!


    He sighed as he stood up from the bench and stretched his body.


    Truthfully, he was still frustrated from his date with Elysia, and because his opponent in the tournament had turned out to be so weak, he hadn''t even managed to vent his emotions properly.


    "Killing some Purifiers doesn''t sound like a bad way to vent my frustration. Plus, I''ll be getting Midnight into debt¡­ two birds with one stone," he smiled darkly as his eyes narrowed like a predator''s.


    It was time to go for a hunt.


    *****


    ''FUCK!'' Midnight couldn''t help but curse inwardly as she used her fangs to bite even harder into the neck of the man, drinking as much blood as she could.


    Her crimson eyes seemed to shine even brighter, her nails grew even sharper. She felt stronger and faster, and yet it was still far from enough.


    After a second, the man was sucked dry, his blood completely gone, and his skin had become whiter than snow.


    With no hesitation, Midnight threw the body of the dead man aside as she took another step back.


    "You are a disgrace to us vampires!" she shouted at the people surrounding her.


    She was currently in a church, surrounded by about a dozen Purifiers, and among them was one of her kind¡ªa vampire.


    "A disgrace?!" the vampire shouted, his pride clearly hurt.


    "You are the disgrace to us, Midnight Bloodrose, not me!"


    "You idiot! Even if you were so greedy, how could you ally with the Purifiers?!"


    The vampire was about to shout again but was silenced as a man clad in white robes used his mace to crush the vampire''s head.


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    "The demon is no longer useful to us, so purification is in order," the man spoke coldly as he shifted his gaze to Midnight.


    ''Shit!'' Midnight knew she was being hunted by her own kind, but for them to be working with their sworn enemies just to hunt her was not something she had expected.


    In normal circumstances, she would have been able to at least escape, but she wasn''t able to now, as she was ambushed in a church.


    The fuckers had used some kind of relics to severely limit her movements and powers.


    There were about a dozen enemies in front of her, all of whom were specialists in hunting demons, and she was in their hunting ground.


    No matter how one looked at the situation, she was screwed.


    ''Has he decided he will not come after all?'' Midnight asked herself. Her situation was so hopeless that she even asked for help from Zaroth, who was basically a complete stranger.


    "If I''m dying, I''m going to take as many of you as I can!" Midnight shouted as her nails grew even longer, preparing for one final suicidal attack.


    "The demon has gone into a frenzy!" a man with a shield shouted as he took a step forward, trying to make the vampire focus on him.


    But before Midnight could charge, the door behind the Purifiers cracked open.


    "Man, the reinforcements have arrived! Do not be scared¡ªtoday we purge the demon!" the man with the shield commanded, clearly trying to boost the morale of his men.


    But no voice of confirmation came from behind the door.


    "What are you doing?! Come!" the man at the front shouted, not daring to turn his back on the vampire, who seemed to have widened her eyes¡ªmost likely in fear.


    A sound of a body falling was heard behind the Purifiers.


    Unable to fight off his curiosity, the leader of the Purifiers glanced back, and the moment he did, his blood ran cold.


    On the ground was his comrade lying lifeless, and above him stood a man with white hair and green cat-like eyes that had narrowed like a predator''s.


    "Ah, finally, I will test my new beasts," Zaroth muttered as he closed and locked the door behind him and flicked his fingers.


    A second later, four wolves materialized from nothingness as Zaroth grinned darkly.


    The leader of the Purifiers gulped audibly.


    Just a second ago, his squad had managed to surround a demon, but due to unexpected variables, now he and his squad found themselves surrounded by the demon and Zaroth''s wolves instead.


    It seemed that hunters had become the prey.

 Chapter 91 Unholy Alliance

    Zaroth gripped his spear tightly as he smiled darkly, and his eyes shined with dangerous intensity.


    ''How lucky¡­ Midnight needed help on the day of my third fight of the tournament. Meaning that I am already geared up and ready for combat,'' he thought as he glanced around the room.


    Midnight was against the wall with numerous wounds on her body, surrounded by about a dozen people wearing white robes.


    "I think they are the Purifiers," he muttered under his breath as he flicked his fingers and summoned the four wolves he had tamed in the forest before.


    It was finally time to use them in combat.


    "Who the hell are you, and what are you doing at these holy grounds?!"


    Hearing a male voice, Zaroth shifted his gaze until his eyes landed on a man holding a great shield and a sword.


    ''Is that supposed to be their leader?'' he wondered.


    "Well, no matter. Having a vampire with pure blood indebted to me is more important than these guys surviving anyway," he muttered as he opened his mouth, a dangerous flame beginning to form at the back of his throat, while rotating his spear ahead of him.


    At the same time, the four wolves dashed against their targets.


    It was time for a massacre.


    "HOLD YOUR GROUND!" the Purifier leader shouted as he charged toward Zaroth, but the green tornado that suddenly shot toward him stopped him in his tracks.


    He was forced to hold the shield with both hands while suppressing the Zaroth tornado.


    As such, he could only watch as the four wolves, that seemed to have wounds on their bodies, began to fight his comrades.


    "Fuck, just at the worst time, we had to be attacked by some maniac," the leader muttered, and a moment later his body shivered as he remembered that Midnight was still behind him.


    He shifted his gaze, only to see that she was fighting on equal ground against four members of his squad.


    ''Shit, we have weakened her, and she is still so strong?!'' the man cursed inside his head.


    But because he was distracted by looking backward, he didn''t realize in time that Zaroth''s attack had stopped.


    A second later, he heard another body fall to the ground.


    One of his members, who was busy dealing with one of the wolves, was hit in the head by Zaroth''s spear, killing him instantly.


    Zaroth, seeing that his tornado attack was going to be blocked, decided to use the chance he saw and threw his spear at the enemy who had left his ground unguarded.


    Not even a second later, he had already launched a fireball at another enemy, hitting them in the back.


    The Purifier, feeling the burn in his back, turned around by reflex, and that gave an opportunity to the wolf. The beast wasn''t going to waste the chance as it jumped and brought down its jaws on the man''s throat.


    "Fuck! So be it, may the goddess bless me!" the leader began to chant something as the armor beneath his robe began to shine, as well as his shield and sword. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But that chant seemed to take some time, and that time proved to be fatal as Zaroth quickly dealt with the men at the front.


    As the men at the front, who had placed multiple restrictions on Midnight, died, it meant that a part of her strength had returned, and as such, she was able to overpower the men at the back, killing them in an especially brutal way.


    In less than three minutes, the leader of the Purifiers found himself alone.


    "You disgrace of humanity!" As he finished his chant, it seemed his body strength amplified threefold, and he charged, dealing with one of Zaroth''s wolves in an instant.


    "To think you would align with a demon! No matter, I will deal with you all myself!" the man shouted angrily as he cut through Zaroth''s wolves like they were nothing.


    Zaroth grimaced as his eyes seemed to get even darker. "You dare call me a disgrace?"


    The leader, having dealt with Zaroth''s wolves, was about to attack their master, but was stopped as his eyes widened in horror, seeing that the wolves he had just killed had somehow begun to get back on their feet.


    "Impossible! Death should have ended them! Unless¡­ you are a person that is able to control death?!" the leader shouted, and a second later was hit in the face by Zaroth''s fireball.


    Making use of the fact that the man was disoriented, the wolves attacked in unison and brought the man to his knees.


    "YOU SI¡ª"


    The Purifier''s shout was cut short as he felt massive fangs pierce his throat and felt his blood being quickly drained out.


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    It was Midnight. He tried to desperately shake her off, but she had used her legs to take hold of the man and wasn''t letting go. That, coupled with the fact that there were four wolves on him, even the Purifier''s enhanced strength wasn''t enough as his body was about to give out.


    "You say I am a disgrace?" Zaroth spoke coldly as he took a step toward the quickly dying man.


    He couldn''t control himself as he let out a laugh.


    Stepping an arm''s length away from the man, Zaroth crouched down and put his hand on the Purifier''s face that was quickly losing color.


    "You know, as you are a person that is from the church and have a duty to help the unfortunate, I want to ask you, where were you?" Zaroth''s voice didn''t seem to have any empathy as he gazed into the dimming eyes of the Purifier.


    "18 years¡­ all of that time spent in poverty¡­ taking care of my mother¡­ I¡­ we did not receive help from the church a single time. Now that I think about it, I can''t seem to recall a time I''ve heard that you''ve truly offered help to the less fortunate¡­"


    Zaroth saw that the Purifier was trying to look away, so he used his hand to force his face and make him look into his eyes.


    "Isn''t it strange? Isn''t the church supposed to get all its money from donations that are supposed to help the less fortunate? Where does that money go?"


    Zaroth shifted his gaze to the dead Purifiers lying on the ground¡­ or more accurately, their equipment.


    Zaroth had not spared expenses when he bought his armor and weapons¡­ and yet, they paled in comparison to what these people had.


    "Oh, I see¡­ all that money goes to you, right? To you and the ones higher in the church hierarchy."


    The Purifier looked like he wanted to protest, but Midnight was still rapidly drinking his blood, and as such, he didn''t have the strength to open his mouth.


    "Shush¡­" Zaroth whispered as he placed his finger on the man''s lips. "There is no need to say anything, it is clear you are useless, trash, as such your thoughts are unimportant."


    It seemed that the light behind the Purifier''s eyes was moments away from being extinguished, so Zaroth couldn''t help but add,


    "Oh, I know what you''re thinking¡­ once you die, you''ll go to heaven, right? Don''t try to delude yourself. If there is really an afterlife, you''re going to hell."


    Zaroth brought his face even closer, making sure that his face was the last thing the Purifier would remember.


    "You may blame your gods once I kill them and send them to you."


    A second later, the man''s body collapsed on the ground, lifeless as his blood had run out.


    Midnight let go as she let out a satisfied sigh of relief.


    The Purifiers were dead, so all her restrictions were gone, and not only that, but she had drank the blood of a strong human, so all her wounds were healed, and she became even more stunning.


    After a moment, she shifted her gaze to her savior, Zaroth.


    He smiled, clearly pleased as if he hadn''t just killed a dozen men, and spoke calmly.


    "Long time no see."

 Chapter 92 Human Skin

    "Long time no see,"


    Zaroth was smiling like he hadn''t just slaughtered a dozen men.


    "You¡­ don''t seem bothered that you have killed multiple people," Midnight remarked. Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Zaroth glanced at the bodies on the ground as he took a deep breath, "Well, why would I be bothered? It''s not like I have morals of any sort."


    Midnight raised an eyebrow. Back when Zaroth had said that he was planning to kill the gods, she hadn''t believed him. She knew better than to believe the words of a human.


    But seeing the way he slaughtered the purifiers with no hesitation whatsoever, she began to think that he was actually telling the truth.


    She took a deep breath before speaking. "...Thank you for coming to my rescue."


    Zaroth seemed to grin even more. "Don''t worry about it, just remember that you owe me one."


    After he was done speaking, he turned his back to her and began to walk toward the door with the intent to leave.


    "Wait!" Hearing Midnight speak, he turned to look at her.


    "Yes? Is something the matter?" he asked.


    "Aren''t¡­ aren''t you going to ask me anything?! Why and how did I find myself in this situation? What was I doing in the church in the first place?"


    Zaroth scoffed. "Honestly? I don''t care. I came to vent my frustration, and I did just that. Saving you was just a nice bonus on the side."


    Midnight was left speechless as she watched him leave, stepping over the dead bodies of the purifiers with no remorse whatsoever.


    Stretching his body, he exclaimed with a sigh, "Man, that felt great! I should really do this more often!"


    It was already getting dark, so it was time to go home¡­


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    "Or¡­" he grinned as he used his bracelet to send a message to the group chat.


    "I did indeed pass the third round of the tournament, isn''t that enough reason to get a party?"


    Thankfully, it seemed that Zack and Roran agreed easily.


    "I see¡­ then to the bar!" Zaroth shouted as he abruptly changed his direction.


    He was beginning to really enjoy these nights.


    *****


    David sighed as he walked around the bloodied church, examining the bodies of the purifiers.


    One was killed in an instant by a thrown spear, a few bore large wounds on their bodies. It seemed like they had been fighting beasts of some sort.


    And finally, a few others bore a very specific wound on their necks, wounds that couldn''t have been left by anything other than a demon¡­ a vampire.


    David took a deep breath. Other than the disgusting smell of blood that was still in the air, there was another scent¡ªfire. Had somebody used some kind of fire attacks?


    He clicked his tongue in regret. He had been told that this squad had been very close to hunting a pure-blooded vampire, but at the last minute, something had happened, and instead, the purifiers had perished.


    Feeling a cold hand on his shoulder, David didn''t move as he listened to the dark creature, several meters in length, with three hollow eyes.


    "You''re sad that you weren''t the one to kill them, right?"


    "It''s clear you have no clue about anything, so just shut the fuck up," David commanded as he silently cursed his Spectral Warden class.


    Yet David knew that the thing was correct. He really hated the church and anything associated with it. The only reason he was here was because his boss¡ªthe emperor¡ªhad instructed him to search for any types of clues. He wanted to maintain a peaceful relationship with the church until her took them over eventually.


    "The only religion there shall be is the people''s love for me!" David was mimicking what his boss usually said with a mocking tone.


    "Crazy bastard," David muttered in frustration as he wondered how the hell he ended up working for the son of a bitch.


    "It seems that you''ve certainly grown a pair speaking behind His Majesty''s back."


    David shuddered a bit as he heard a voice behind him. He turned, his purple eyes falling on a man with black hair, a gray suit, a white shirt, and a tie, holding a suitcase.


    David grimaced as he spoke, "You, what the fuck are you doing here? Isn''t it enough to send me to deal with the trouble?"


    The man simply smiled as he approached a table and opened his suitcase, laying it out before him.


    "Knowing you, you have probably failed to find anything of importance, right?"


    David didn''t answer the question as he spat, "Just tell me what the hell you''re doing here?"


    The man put his finger on his lips as if demanding silence, and the next moment he whispered, "Look around us, how many dead there are here."


    The man smiled as he pulled out some kind of syringe from his suitcase.


    "These pills are not going to make themselves, you know?"


    "Sick fuck," David muttered as he approached the door. Even he, who didn''t have a problem killing people on a whim, didn''t want to see how these ''pills'' were made.


    He was about to leave, but the man put a hand on his shoulder.


    "Oh, almost forgot. You have a new comrade that is waiting outside. It would be good if you introduced yourself." David raised an eyebrow and nodded in confusion.


    ''Another one has joined us? I bet it''ll be another psycho,'' he cursed inwardly as he exited the church and observed his surroundings.


    His gaze fell on an older man who was curiously looking at the body of a dead bird with interest.


    With a sigh, David approached and spoke, "Nice to meet you. I''m David."


    The man shifted his gaze to David as he extended his arm, though it took him a few seconds to grasp David''s hand.


    ''This one is weird. It''s like he''s drunk¡­ like he isn''t used to controlling his body,'' David thought, and a second later, he felt a tap on his shoulder.


    He didn''t need to look back to know that it was the Spectral Warden.


    "That thing is not a human. It''s just wearing the skin of one."


    Hearing what the Spectral Warden said, David closed his eyes as he sighed inwardly.


    It seemed that he was wrong. He wasn''t going to work with a psycho from now on, but a monster wearing human skin.


    ''Just great,'' he cursed inwardly.

 Chapter 93 The Burden of Blood

    "Oh, that was fun," Zack sighed as he sat up on his bed.


    He was prepared to be assaulted by a hangover, but surprisingly nothing came. Was he getting used to the alcohol, or had they just drunk too little?


    ''No, last night was really crazy. There was no way it wouldn''t be¡ªZaroth seemed to have been able to get Elysia''s attention! Of course, we were going to celebrate like there was no tomorrow,'' he thought with a smile.


    He used his bracelet to check the time, only to see that there were two hours left until the start of the first lecture.


    "Should I go back to sleep?... Nah, I don''t feel sleepy at all," he muttered as he stood up and approached a mirror that was mounted on the wall.


    He couldn''t help but grin. Just looking at his own white pupils was always enough to boost his mood.


    They were the same as his father''s¡­


    "I''m starting to look more and more like the old man," Zack said as he laughed lightly.


    "I wonder how he would''ve looked like if he was still alive¡­" Zack shook off his thoughts as he approached the shower.


    He loved using cold water, as cold as possible. After all, one of the people he was aiming to kill was very proficient in using ice attacks. He thought to himself that bathing with cold water would help him increase his tolerance to the cold.


    Plus, after a night that he barely remembered, washing his fatigue away with the cold was a strangely comforting experience


    "Why do I feel like I''m forgetting something?" he muttered.


    A second later, his eyes widened. "Wait, wasn''t the third round supposed to happen today?" After exiting the shower, he used his bracelet to open his messages.


    Last night, when he was at the bar with his friends, he had received the message that his fight was scheduled for today, but he didn''t pay much attention as by that point he was already drunk.


    "Thank goodness I remembered to check." He quickly got himself dressed and went out.


    He was going to follow Zaroth''s example and just skip today''s lecture, pretending that he was getting ready for the fight.


    "There are three hours left until the fight¡­ I guess I can take a stroll through the park."


    Most students would have used the time to mentally and psychologically prepare themselves, but Zack did no such thing. He was simply too strong, there were few who would even be able to make him bleed.


    "Uncle¡­" Zack clenched his fist in frustration but managed to calm himself down. There was no use in getting angry.


    "Who knew the park would be so peaceful in the morning?" It was supremely quiet, most likely because most people were still asleep.


    So Zack was able to enjoy the greenery around him, as well as the pleasant music the birds were creating.


    He thought he was alone until he saw two girls in the bushes.


    One had blonde shoulder-length hair and a white mask. She was gently comforting the other, who had blue eyes and hair.


    "There, there, Sofia. I told you to be careful with how much you drink."


    "I''m sorry, Vera. I guess I just got carried¡ª"


    She didn''t manage to finish her sentence as she began to puke again.


    Zack raised an eyebrow. ''Isn''t this one of the princesses? Why did she get so drunk that she had to vomit so much in public?'' he asked himself for a moment.


    ''Oh well, it''s not like it concerns me at all,'' he thought, deciding that his pleasant walk in the park wasn''t going to be ruined. He simply ignored them.


    *****


    The time for the fight had arrived, so he went to the arena where the duel was supposed to take place.


    After confirming his identity, he was shown the way.


    Finding himself at the center, he observed his surroundings. The arena wasn''t very big, it could only accommodate about a thousand people. S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Though, currently, there were only about a dozen people waiting for the battle to start.


    "Once I reach the grand arena, how will it feel? There''s no doubt tens of thousands of people will watch me fight. Will I feel any kind of pressure?"


    Zack wasn''t able to keep talking to himself as the announcer interrupted his line of thought.


    "Ladies and gentlemen, the two challengers have arrived!"


    Zack shifted his gaze to his opponent.


    It was a man of average height with messy hair. He was carrying two daggers, one in each hand. Continue reading on My Virtual Library Empire


    "Let the match begin!" the announcer spoke, and cheers from the public echoed in the mostly empty arena.


    Zack''s opponent dashed forward with all his strength, meanwhile, Zack was looking at him, unamused.


    His uncle might have forbidden him from using his power, but that didn''t mean Zack wouldn''t use it.


    Fortunately, no one except him truly understood how his powers worked. Everybody assumed that he could only make armor and weapons from his own and his enemy''s blood, but that wasn''t all he could do.


    He took a deep breath and commanded his blood to begin moving faster in his veins.


    Two times faster, three times faster, five times, ten times.


    The faster it moved, the more oxygen it delivered to his muscles.


    Making him stronger, faster, and tougher.


    One moment he was far away from his opponent, the next, he was beside him with his sword thrust through his enemy''s chest.


    Zack seemed unbothered, he was used to cutting people down. As such, one more enemy pierced by his sword didn''t faze him in the slightest.


    The boy with the messy hair coughed blood and collapsed on the ground.


    "The winner is Zack!" It took a moment for the audience to register that the fight was over, as Zack moved so fast it appeared as if he had teleported.


    Then, a second later, they exploded in cheers.


    Zack, not paying attention to them after confirming with the observer that he had indeed won, exited the arena.


    "Even if I move fast, it''s still not enough. I still won''t be able to even scratch Uncle!" he muttered in frustration as he gritted his teeth.


    He knew that even if he was strong, he would need help getting rid of his uncle.


    Only two people came to mind who could stand against him¡ªZaroth, or more specifically, his summon, the dragon, and Elysia, the academy''s chairwoman.


    If he could convince one of them to help him, there was hope. He doubted that Elysia would help him at all, but Zaroth, his friend, was a different matter. There was a chance he would help Zack, should he explain his circumstances.


    Zack slapped himself in frustration. "Why is the first thing that comes to mind asking for help from others?!"


    Thankfully, he caught himself before making a mistake.


    "I just have to get stronger¡ªstrong enough to kill the traitors on my own!"


    This was his problem, so he was going to take care of it alone.


    "Wait, Father, wait just a bit more. I will soon avenge you," Zack''s expression seemed to darken as he headed to his apartment. He was going to train until he passed out.

 Chapter 94 Shared Burden

    "Why is it so hard?!" Lily muttered in frustration as she burned another pancake.


    She had burned so many that she had long lost count, which made her more frustrated as she believed that she had already gotten the hang of it before.


    "Stop complaining and give it to me!" Roran spoke as he took the pan from her hands.


    Lily grimaced as she cursed her inability to do such simple tasks.


    She was about to retort, but his comment stopped her. "Just sit back, they will be ready in a few minutes."


    She had to admit defeat, so she complied as she sat and waited patiently for her boyfriend to be done cooking.


    After they were ready, Lily and Roran had a delicious breakfast.


    No delicious was an understatement, the pancakes Roran had cooked probably rivaled the ones created by the best chefs in the world.


    "You¡­ really can do anything, huh?... it''s like you are the complete opposite of me," Lily spoke, her tone carrying a hint of sadness.


    "Don''t blame yourself. After all, I am the one meant to do these things, not you," he reassured.


    "That¡ªthat isn''t true! We are a couple, aren''t we? We should share the burden! You shouldn''t be the one that does everything!" she countered.


    Roran sighed as he looked up at the ceiling. "But it is true. I am the one trained for these things, you weren''t meant to lift a finger, yet loo¡ª"


    "Don''t," she interrupted him, her voice clearly angry. "Don''t you dare start talking about statuses. We are equals."


    "We both know that''s not right," Roran sighed.


    She wanted to argue but, in the end, decided against the idea. It seemed that there was still no changing her boyfriend''s mind.


    "Never mind that. Take off your shirt," she spoke. Find adventures on My Virtual Library Empire


    Roran raised an eyebrow. "Isn''t it early for this sort of thing?"


    "Just do it!" she commanded. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He sighed as he complied.


    "Don''t move," she spoke as she got behind him and placed her delicate hands against his rough back.


    "You complained that your back was stiff, didn''t you? You should take a moment to relax," she spoke as she gently massaged his back.


    He wanted to tell her not to bother, but alas, it seemed that his back was stiffer than he thought, so he didn''t manage to utter the words.


    Lily quietly used her hands to massage his back¡ªa back that bore numerous wounds.


    "...I''m sorry," she whispered guiltily.


    Roran scoffed as he heard her words. "For what, exactly?"


    "For being a burden."


    He couldn''t suppress a small smile. "It is impossible for you to be a burden."


    "... Why? Why are you with me despite knowing my past?" she asked.


    He took a deep breath. "Three reasons. First and foremost, I love you. Second, I owe my life to you and your family. And third, it was their final request."


    "You''ve already saved my life numerous times. That debt is paid long ago."


    "No," he answered firmly. "You and your family saved me without expecting anything in return. I am a long way from paying that debt."


    Lily sighed as she got closer and embraced him. "It''s not my family. It''s our family. You are one of us."


    Feeling her breasts push tightly against his naked back, Roran felt his blood getting hotter.


    "Oh? Are you suddenly getting aroused?" she teased.


    He took a deep breath. "I mean¡­ we can skip one day of lectures, right?" he asked as he got up from his chair and picked her up.


    "Sure," she whispered as she brought her lips next to his.


    *****


    Collapsing on the bed, her hair messy, Lily spoke, "Now I feel much better."


    Roran cracked his neck. "Same."


    "Oh, come on! Can''t you show a bit more emotion?!" she complained.


    "This is something that I am actively trying not to do. The more emotions I have, the more unnecessary thoughts. Why do you think I drink so much? It helps with both the emotions and the thoughts," he explained.


    She put her hand on his shoulder and forced him to lay down. "Still, you''re human and need to rest from time to time."


    "I will rest when I die," he spoke coldly.


    "Why do you bother so much? Your goal can''t simply be to keep me alive."


    "But it is. And to do that, I need more strength. To get that strength, one needs to cast aside all feelings."


    Lily sighed as she poked his cheek. "But to do that would mean that you have to cast me aside, you know?"


    He grimaced. "You know that isn''t happening."


    She got on top of him. "Then it means you can''t cast aside all emotions. So, you''re human, and as such, you must rest from time to time."


    "I can''t, especially not with you and what you want to achieve. Keeping you alive would be an incredibly hard thing to do," he spoke as he met her golden eyes.


    "You''re already stronger than me, so¡ª"


    "We both know that isn''t true," he interrupted instantly. "We''ve just made it appear as though you''re weak. Even Zack wasn''t able to tell what kind of blessing you have, Lily."


    "That is true¡­" she admitted. "But I''m talking about emotional strength, not literal strength. In that aspect, you have me beat."


    He wanted to retort but was stopped as she had brought her lips next to his, silencing him.


    After a moment, Lily raised her head. "I hope you''ve recovered enough. We can talk about the other stuff later."


    It seemed that she wasn''t satisfied with just one round.


    "This is going to be a long day," Roran muttered.


    *****


    Zaroth was experiencing an unknown phenomenon.


    He shifted his gaze from Elysia, who was currently hosting the lecture, to his left, where Zack was supposed to be. Though, it seemed that he had skipped today''s lecture¡ªmost likely because he had a fight in the tournament today.


    Zaroth then shifted his gaze to his right, where Roran and Lily were supposed to be, but they also seemed to be skipping.


    He had somehow found himself alone, separated from his friend group, attending the lectures, which was strange since he was usually the one who skipped them.


    He sighed as he muttered, "Without them, it''s a bit lonely."


    But his mood didn''t stay down for long as he returned his gaze to Elysia, at least he was able to appreciate her beauty up close.


    She was the reason he had made the decision to never skip the first lecture of the day after all.

 Chapter 95 A Week Since Then

    "It has been a week since then¡­" Midnight muttered under her breath as she lay on her bed, her crimson hair spread in all directions.


    "A week, and I am still thinking about it¡­" she gritted her teeth. Each time she remembered how she was moments away from dying, only to be saved by Zaroth at the last moment, her heart seemed to increase its beats.


    "Stupid!" she scolded herself as she got up and brewed herself some coffee.


    Coffee truly was a miracle, no matter if you were a human or a demon, it all worked the same.


    Midnight sighed as she looked at herself in the mirror. Ever since she drank the blood of the Purifiers that had tried to kill her, she was stronger, faster¡­ and more alluring.


    She was slowly getting closer to her goal, she was slowly evolving.


    ''And one of my kind is dead. That is good,'' she thought as she changed her clothes and went outside. It was time for the lectures.


    *****


    She was in class C, as such, there were a lot of students¡ªso many, in fact, that they had been broken into multiple groups. The lecture had yet to start, so the students all around her were engaged in chat, talking about this and that.


    Midnight, not surprisingly, didn''t bother with making friends. As usual, she found the company of humans irritating. She had been trained from a young age to dislike them, so she didn''t feel the need to make friends at all.


    After a few moments, the professor finally showed himself and began the lecture. The room quickly fell silent as everybody listened to the subpar explanation of the professor, which wasn''t surprising¡ªafter all, they were in class C, so they wouldn''t get the best teachers the academy had to offer. Those were reserved for the higher classes.


    Of course, if she wanted to, she could have shown enough power to be moved to B or even A class, but doing so always arose the risk that somebody would question how a girl with no known past was able to rise so high in the academy.


    And the more attention she gained, the higher the chances that somebody would discover she was a vampire. As such, she hadn''t even entered the tournament on purpose, trying to keep low.


    Midnight, despite knowing that these lectures were mostly useless, still listened as she tried to absorb as much information as possible about how humans lived and behaved.


    Once her lectures were over, she went to the place where the true knowledge stayed¡ªthe library.


    It seemed that many students didn''t see the need to visit the library, thinking that simply being at the most prestigious academy was enough on its own.


    But Midnight knew the truth, the most valuable information was in these books.


    She was quietly reading another history book, which described the current relationships between the continents, focusing on the Empire and its ties with the neighboring empires.


    She glanced around the reading room, which was usually empty. With the exception of one timid boy with glasses, there wasn''t anybody else that seemed interested enough to come to the library daily¡­ Well, there was one more exception, but Midnight didn''t want to think about him at the moment as she found herself hard to focus if she did.


    But the next moment, the doors of the room opened, and a man on the shorter side with white hair and green cat-like eyes entered the room. Your next journey awaits at My Virtual Library Empire


    Zaroth.


    Midnight''s eyes narrowed for a moment as she felt her heart beat faster. A second later, she forced herself to focus on her book.


    But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn''t focus on the words as her gaze seemed to wander toward where Zaroth had taken his seat.


    He was a weird person that didn''t seem to follow any kind of schedule. Sometimes he would not come for more than three days, other times, he would spend his time reading until he was forced to leave when the library closed.


    Midnight had been observing him for some time now, so she knew that information.


    ''Wait, I observe him because he has tamed a dragon! So he could prove to be an obstacle¡ªthat is why I keep my eyes on him! No other reason!'' She tried to lie to herself as she cursed at herself for not being able to focus on the book.


    Zaroth seemed to have sensed that he was being watched, and after a quick observation, concluded that it was most likely Midnight. As such, he approached her.


    Midnight''s heart rate quickened even more as, for some reason, she seemed to be almost glad that he was approaching her.


    She tried to make her voice sound annoyed. "Can''t you see that I am busy?"


    Zaroth smiled in response. "Yeah, me too," he said as he sat down across from her at the desk and also got busy reading.


    ''Why the hell did you sit at my table when there are so many free around?!'' she cursed silently as she glanced at her book, making it seem like she was reading while, in truth, she was freaking out.


    ''Is it because of the large amount of blood I drank before? Is that why my heart is beating so irregularly?'' she asked herself but disregarded the idea, as the only time she seemed to be having problems was when she was near Zaroth or thinking about him.


    ''Whatever, I will just try to ignore him,'' she thought.


    A few hours later, both of them were still engrossed in their books. The library was completely empty as only the two of them remained.


    Midnight had finished her book, so she was supposed to leave, but for some reason, she found herself not wanting to get up from the table. It was strangely peaceful with just the two of them reading.


    She threw a quick glance at Zaroth, who seemed to be solely focused on his book. From the book''s title, it was clear that it was about some weird martial art. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Zaroth''s eyes seemed to have narrowed as he absorbed the information in the book. A second later, his concentration was broken as his bracelet shined.


    He used it only to see that he had gotten a message.


    Unable to contain her curiosity, Midnight asked, "What is it?"


    "It seems like the fourth round will be tomorrow," he explained.


    She didn''t seem surprised in the slightest to learn that he was still in the tournament, most likely because she knew how powerful he really was.


    Zaroth''s eyes seemed to shine for a moment as it seemed he had gotten an idea. "You aren''t in the tournament, right?"


    Midnight scoffed at his words. "Of course, I am not. Why would I want to risk putting myself in the spotlight?"


    "Hm¡­ in that case, do you want to go?"


    She raised an eyebrow. "Go where?"


    He grinned. "To watch me in the match, of course. What else?"


    ''He wants me to watch how he performs in the tournament? But why would he want such a thing? ¡­ Unless¡­ is he trying to show off? Wait, is this the same as asking me for a date then?''


    Midnight involuntarily blushed a little, while Zaroth was still grinning like an idiot, most likely not even realizing that he had basically invited Midnight on a date.

 Chapter 96 Round 4

    "I can''t believe that I actually came," Midnight muttered under her breath as she glanced forward at the center of the arena.


    ''Well, this could prove useful, after all. Zaroth, even though he has a dragon at his disposal, I doubt he would use it now. As such, he''s going to have to use his other abilities,''


    She quickly observed the arena. It was on the smaller side, and as there were more rounds to be held, there wasn''t much audience at the moment¡ªonly about a dozen people.


    This was surely going to change in the future as the later rounds would be a popular event that most people wouldn''t want to miss out on.


    The current fight was going to be between Zaroth, who was holding a spear in both hands, and a tall man with heavy armor and blonde hair.


    Weirdly enough, despite the heavy armor the man had, he hadn''t placed any kind of protective gear on his head¡ªno helmet or anything of the sort.


    Midnight wondered why someone would do such a thing, but she didn''t need to ponder for long as she heard three girls shout from the seats of the arena.


    "Ahhhhh! Brian! Show him who''s the boss!"


    "Oh god, look how hot he looks with his armor on!"


    "How does he make his hair look so good?!"


    It seemed that the man had a fan club of his own.


    Brian, hearing the cheers behind him, turned and looked up towards the girls as he flashed them a smile. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    This action seemed to excite them as the three of them screamed in an annoying high-pitched voice.


    ''Seriously, how pathetic do you have to be to bring your own harem to the arena when it''s still just the easier matches?''


    Midnight shifted her gaze to Zaroth, who seemed to be looking at them with both confusion and curiosity, but at the same time his eyes had darkened a little.


    ''It must feel shitty for your opponent to have people in the audience supporting him while he doesn''t have anybody¡­''


    Midnight sighed in frustration. ''Why did I agree to come here again?''


    *****


    Zaroth was looking at his opponent, which name was apparently Brian.


    The man seemed to be having a conversation with the girls that seemed to have come solely to watch him.


    He then shifted his gaze to the announcer. It seemed the man was waiting for Brian to be done with the conversation. In the meantime, as the fight hadn''t started yet, all Zaroth could do was stand and wait.


    ''It must be nice to have somebody cheer you on¡­'' he thought to himself.


    ''I am here, aren''t I?'' Luna tried to reassure.


    ''That is not true. You are in my soul, but not exactly here, as I haven''t summoned you, so you aren''t here,'' he explained.


    ''Okay, you might be right¡­ but there is indeed someone that supports you,'' her words echoed in his mind.


    ''Really? Who?'' he raised an eyebrow.


    ''Isn''t Midnight here because you asked her to be?'' Luna asked.


    ''Listen, she is here because you told me to invite her, and just from her expression, I was able to tell that she doesn''t want to be here. She is just watching for the spectacle,'' he answered.


    ''Zaroth¡­ you really are a fool, you know? You have to be grateful you have me. I see things that your small brain can''t seem to grasp,'' Luna teased.


    ''The fuck you m¡ª''


    Zaroth''s retort was interrupted as suddenly an alluring voice was heard from his side.


    He shifted his gaze only for it to fall on a woman with crimson eyes and hair.


    "Zaroth," her sudden call seemed to silence Brian and his harem, as all of them were looking at Midnight''s breathtaking presence.


    She smiled as her eyes shined with the same color of blood. "Burn him to a crisp."


    For a moment, Zaroth''s heart seemed to skip a beat as he found himself smiling before he even realized it.


    "On it," he replied, shifting his gaze to Brian. It seemed the man, after seeing Midnight and realizing how much more quality mattered than quantity, wasn''t in the mood for talking anymore. He tightened his grip on his sword, clearly angry and ready for a fight.


    ''Luna, why did Midnight support me? She hates spotlighting as it brings attention to her.''


    Luna sighed in his head as she spoke, ''Zaroth, for a man that spends so much time in a library, you can be supremely dumb, you know? This is not something I will tell you, you have to think for yourself from time to time.''


    Zaroth was about to retort as he was clearly insulted but could not, as the announcer opened his mouth.


    "Let the duel begin!"


    Zaroth launched without hesitation a fireball at Brian.


    Brian, on the other hand, had closed his eyes and muttered something. The next second, some kind of white aura wrapped around his body, almost acting like a shield.


    Zaroth''s fireball collided only to dissipate as it hit the man''s aura.


    ''So it acts like some sort of shield, huh?'' Zaroth quickly made the connection that this man had a very similar look and abilities to the purifier''s leader he had killed about a week ago.


    Zaroth smiled darkly. "The purifier was much stronger than you, and yet he fell by my hand. For you won''t even need to use my beasts," he muttered as he got into battle stance.


    "Come! Let''s see how weak you are up close!" he shouted in an attempt to enrage Brian, and looking at the man''s face that had turned red, it was clear he had succeeded.


    "You! For a man that has so much, you have so little manners!" Brian shouted as he dashed towards Zaroth.


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow. ''What is this fool talking about?''


    Deciding not to focus on the issue, he charged at Brian, who had his sword raised in the air.


    Zaroth sidestepped the attack and used the opportunity to thrust his spear against the man''s head.


    But at the last moment, the aura around Brian''s body changed, and once Zaroth''s spear reached his head, it bounced off like it was metal.


    This made him lose his footing, and Brian, taking the chance, slashed again, making a deep wound on Zaroth''s arm that began to bleed profusely.


    As the exchange was over, both of them took a few steps back with the intention to recover.


    ''So this thing around him protects him both from physical and magical attacks¡­'' Zaroth''s mind was in overdrive, trying to think of a way to deal with the enemy.


    A second later, his eyes shined as it seemed he had gotten an idea.


    He drenched his spear in his own blood, and then used a fireball to ignite it.


    Ignoring the pain of the wound and the burning spear in his hand, Zaroth smiled darkly as he charged at Brian.


    The man was able to block both physical and magical attacks, but what if he was attacked by both simultaneously?


    Brian''s eyes seemed to widen for a moment as he realized Zaroth''s plan. Experience new tales on My Virtual Library Empire


    In panic, he attacked horizontally, but Zaroth simply used his non-dominant hand to take the strike.


    The sword bore deep into his arm, severing tendons and most of the bone, but the sword was stuck for a moment, and as such, Brian was left helpless as he saw Zaroth''s burning spear centimeters away from reaching his head.


    In that moment, Brian learned what it meant to look death straight in its eyes.

 Chapter 97 Eyes Like Blood

    The burning spear was centimeters away from reaching his face.


    Brian felt the air and how hot it had gotten just from the fire, and soon that fire was going to collide with his head. He cursed at his stupid decision not to wear a helmet.


    He had to choose, as this was both a physical and magical attack¡ªshould he block the physical or the magical aspect?


    He didn''t have much time to ponder on the issues, so he changed his aura to block only physical attacks because he knew his face burning was significantly better than having his head pierced by a spear.


    The aura around him changed once again as Zaroth''s spear collided with his head, unable to pierce it. In the next moment, Brian''s hair and eyebrows caught aflame.


    He screamed in pain as he took a step back, trying to compose himself, but Zaroth, with eyes like those of a predator, had already thrust again toward Brian''s head.


    This time, Brian wasn''t paying attention, and as such, he wouldn''t be able to block the attack.


    Zaroth, despite having his arm almost cut in two, watched with a smile as the spear was moments away from reaching Brian''s head.


    "Die, die, die." It seemed that he was experiencing pleasure from just the thought of killing Brian, so he focused all his sight on the moment his spear would doom the man.


    But alas, it seemed that he wasn''t fast enough, as the observer of the fight had moved lightning fast and caught Zaroth''s spear before it could kill the man.


    "The winner is Zaroth!" the announcer spoke loudly as he got into the center of the arena.


    The audience burst into cheers, with the exception of Brian''s harem, which was nowhere to be found. It seemed once they saw him lose this badly, with his hair and face burned to a crisp, they lost interest in the match and left early.


    Zaroth, meanwhile, ignoring the cheers around him, shifted his gaze to the only person who had shown him support before the fight¡ªMidnight.


    She was sitting in her seat with one leg over the other and an alluring smile on her face.


    For a moment, Zaroth''s heart seemed to skip a beat just by looking at her.


    "Don''t move." Hearing a female voice, Zaroth shifted his gaze from Midnight to a woman who seemed to be the healer. Said healer was looking at the sword buried deep into his arm, wondering how she should approach the situation.


    He smiled awkwardly, "If you can get me healed up fast, my adrenaline is running out, and it''s starting to hurt."


    *****


    "So, happy?" Midnight asked as they walked.


    "Yeah¡­ I honestly didn''t expect you to show me public support. Why did you do that?" Zaroth asked as he shifted his head toward her.


    It was for a fraction of a second, but it seemed that her cheeks had become a bit red. "I¡­ just felt bad watching your opponent get so much support while you didn''t get any," she spoke.


    ''And I do owe my life to you, as you saved me,'' she didn''t say the other part out loud.


    "I see¡­ Well, thanks. It did lift my spirits," he grinned.


    ''Ask her if she wants to go to a caf¨¦!'' Luna''s comment caught Zaroth off guard.


    ''But why¡ª''


    ''Just do it!'' Luna interrupted him.


    ''She''s just going to decline, but if Luna wants me to, oh well,'' Zaroth thought.


    "Midnight, are you free? Do you want to quickly visit the caf¨¦?"


    At his words, her crimson eyes seemed to widen for a second before returning to normal. "Sure, I do have some free time."


    Zaroth was surprised as to why Midnight agreed to his proposal, but he didn''t pay much attention to it as they headed to a nearby caf¨¦.


    *****


    ''This stuff is wild,'' Zaroth thought as he observed the coffee.


    He usually saved money, always buying the cheapest options, but today he was looking at one that was more expensive than a whole bottle of alcohol.


    He wondered if it was worth it, but its aroma was so good he couldn''t help himself but take a sip.


    His eyes widened in awe. He had never tasted something this good! It was better than any bottle of alcohol he had ever drunk! And not only that, but he immediately felt energized. Continue reading at My Virtual Library Empire


    ''Wow, I don''t think I''ll be able to go back to the cheap stuff after this,'' he thought as he shifted his gaze to Midnight.


    She was sitting across from him and was currently stirring the hot coffee. A second later, she was done and brought it to her mouth as her lips opened to take a small sip.


    Zaroth, looking at her crimson eyes and hair, felt his heart rate increase as his body grew hotter.


    He didn''t even need to ask himself why, because from the date with Elysia, he had learned that he was attracted to the dangerous¡ªthe more dangerous, the better.


    ''But to a vampire?'' he doubted himself as he took a better look at her. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Her crimson hair was over one of her shoulders, and her shining eyes were calmly staring at the coffee. Her clothes clung tightly to her physique, and her perfectly clear white face¡­


    Zaroth gulped suddenly as he cursed inwardly, ''Fuck! I''ve fallen for another one!''


    A second later, realization hit him¡ªnow that they were in a caf¨¦, it was the same as being on a date.


    This was undoubtedly what Luna had planned all this time. Zaroth wanted to scold her, but it was clear that now wasn''t the time or place.


    ''Oh, fuck it!'' he was irritated. He was going to shoot his shot right from the bat¡ªhe was scoring today!


    "Midnight."


    Hearing her name being called, she slowly shifted her gaze upward, only to see Zaroth''s green cat-like eyes, which seemed to have narrowed like a hunter''s.


    Zaroth straightened his back as much as he could, remembering Roran and Lily''s teachings. He smiled a little as he spoke,


    "This situation¡­ it''s like we''re on a date, isn''t it?"

 Chapter 98 The Heat of the Moment

    Midnight''s heart stopped for a moment as she gazed at Zaroth. "Excuse me?" she managed to mutter.


    He leaned back in his chair. "Nothing, I just pointed out that it''s like we''re on a date together." S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Midnight''s palms seemed to get a bit sweaty. "Well¡­ it may appear like that from the side, but we are not."


    Zaroth glanced at the ceiling. "That is true¡­" Then he abruptly shifted his gaze to hers. "But it can become one if you want."


    ''What is that fool talking about?!'' she wondered as her mind went into overdrive.


    ''I mean, I am a vampire, and he knows it¡ªhow could he suggest such a thing? But when it comes to him, he is unpredictable. He slaughtered a dozen Purifiers without showing any kind of remorse.''


    It was clear that Midnight was busy thinking, so Zaroth didn''t interrupt her as he took a sip of his coffee.


    ''Ah, causing chaos can be so much fun!''


    After a moment or two, Midnight asked, "It could become a date, but it''s not like you have any feelings for me, right?"


    Zaroth didn''t seem fazed as he answered, "No, I actually do."


    Midnight, not expecting this answer, widened her eyes as she stared at him, unable to respond.


    He chuckled a bit as he saw her expression and explained, "You see, I seem to be attracted to the dangerous, and few are as dangerous as you."


    "But¡­ you know what I am," she said, referring to the fact that she was a demon¡ªa vampire¡ªbut didn''t say it out loud since there were other people in the caf¨¦.


    "I do. That''s why I want you, Midnight," Zaroth spoke as he moved his hand closer to hers.


    She didn''t move it, letting him grasp it.


    "So, you know how I feel about you," he spoke, his voice steady. "But what about you? How do you feel?"


    She took a deep breath. ''This crazy bastard! I wasn''t expecting him to come out and say he liked me!''


    She was about to reject him but found it hard to say the words out loud.


    ''Why am I hesitating?!'' she cursed herself. She knew that she couldn''t trust a human, much less date one!


    ''...but he did indeed come to my rescue when there wasn''t anyone else I could ask. He even left without trying to learn some secrets about why I was hunted by both the Purifiers and my own kind at the same time.''


    Taking a deep breath, she met his gaze and spoke.


    "Sure then, let''s give this date a try."


    Zaroth smiled, trying to hide the fact that he was internally freaking out.


    ''Success!''


    After finishing their coffees, they decided to take a stroll through the park. It was currently the middle of the day, so the park was filled with people.


    Walking side by side, Zaroth hesitated for a moment but decided to push through the awkwardness anyway as he moved his hand and grasped Midnight''s.


    Her eyes seemed to widen for a moment, but she didn''t object as they continued their stroll through the park.


    "This isn''t what I thought it would be," she admitted.


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow. "How did you think it would be, then?" Continue reading at My Virtual Library Empire


    She hesitated for a moment before answering, "I''m not sure, as I haven''t really been on a date before, but I thought it would be more¡­ exciting?" It seemed that she was uncertain.


    ''Well, here goes nothing, I guess¡­'' Zaroth abruptly stopped and slowly put his hand behind her waist.


    She trembled for a moment as it seemed that he startled her. "What are you doing?"


    He slowly brought her closer. "You said you wanted excitement, right?"


    His lips approached hers. ''But isn''t this a little too fast?!'' she wondered, but surprisingly, she liked it when people were direct. As such, she didn''t move out of the way as their lips touched briefly.


    Zaroth felt his blood getting hotter the more he brought her closer and felt her body pressed tightly against his.


    As they were kissing quite provocatively in the middle of the park, some people gave them weird looks, but it seemed that neither Zaroth nor Midnight cared at the moment.


    After a few seconds, both of them pulled away as they took ragged breaths.


    Just by looking at Midnight''s red face, it was clear that he wasn''t the only one aroused.


    He was still pressing her tightly against him as he asked, "Do you want to finish this at my place?"


    Taking a few seconds to compose herself, Midnight asked, "Aren''t we moving abnormally fast?"


    Zaroth chuckled at the comment. "True¡­ but the both of us are abnormal by nature."


    Midnight smirked as she brought her face close to his ear. Parting her lips, she answered in the most alluring voice Zaroth had heard in his life, "Lead the way."


    *****


    ''Holy shit, it''s happening!'' Zaroth tried to calm down his wildly beating heart as he walked with quickened steps, Midnight not far behind him.


    ''I know I should have cleaned up the room before going out!'' Zaroth cursed himself as he reached the door of his apartment. His bracelet shined, and the door opened automatically.


    He and Midnight quickly entered.


    ''This is happening!'' he repeated in his head as he gazed at Midnight.


    Was it because she was a demon and not a human that she didn''t seem to mind them skipping a few steps in the dating process?


    ''Who gives a fuck?!'' Zaroth cast aside all doubts as he lost control of himself, picking up Midnight and bringing his lips to hers in a deep kiss. In response, she moved her legs and arms, wrapping them around him.


    Zaroth quickly walked toward his bed and laid her on it.


    In a second, she extended her nails, making them longer and sharper, as she tore his shirt, revealing his muscular physique that he had built over time at the academy.


    Even if they were moving fast, Zaroth didn''t mind in the slightest.


    Because today, he was becoming a man.

 Chapter 99 A Taste of the Forbidden

    Midnight tore his shirt in a second, revealing his muscular body. Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He did the same to her dress, revealing her breasts, but he didn''t stop to gaze as he pressed his naked torso against hers.


    In the blink of an eye, she had torn his pants away. As a result, both of them were naked in the embrace of one another.


    It seemed that as both of them were at that age, there wasn''t anything in the world that would be able to tear them apart in this very moment.


    Lifting his head up, Zaroth took ragged breaths as he looked at Midnight, who was doing the same. His member was on her abdomen moments before entering her.


    Unseen by both of them, the crimson symbol on the back of Zaroth''s hand suddenly appeared and shined, but because nobody was paying attention to the details, no one noticed.


    She wrapped her legs around him, making him unable to get away even if he tried, as she spoke,


    "What the fuck are you waiting for?! Do it!"


    Without needing to be told twice, he did just that.


    "Ahh," both of them moaned in unison, not expecting to feel this good.


    Zaroth brought down his head as they kissed deeply, using their tongues.


    He felt Midnight''s nails digging into his back. Thankfully, she had made them return to their human form, so they weren''t sharp enough to cause injury.


    And even if they had caused injury, Zaroth would have been able to ignore it, as he was too focused on Midnight.


    He wondered how he had lived his life for so long without ever experiencing that heavenly feeling.


    *****


    Zaroth and Midnight were lying on the bed as both of them stared at the ceiling, deep in thought.


    "I did it¡­" he muttered under his breath, as it took a long time to process the information.


    It was hard to believe, everything had happened so fast that it took some time to process. It suddenly made sense why Zaroth had heard before that young people rarely thought things through before acting on impulse.


    He and Midnight were living examples of that saying.


    "I can''t believe I slept with a human¡­" It seemed that Midnight was also stunned by her actions, so she needed a long time to collect her thoughts.


    "This certainly wasn''t what I expected to happen when I suggested you come and watch my fight in the tournament," he admitted.


    Midnight didn''t answer as she continued to be deep in thought.


    Weirdly enough, he didn''t feel the slightest amount of regret about sleeping with a demon. But what about her? He wondered.


    Zaroth sighed as he asked, "Do you regret it? That you slept with a human."


    It took her a moment to respond, "I¡­ no, at least I don''t think so. It just feels weird. All my life, I''ve been taught that humans are our enemy and have to be exterminated¡­ and I found myself sleeping with one. I have no idea how I should feel, honestly."


    "Well¡­ it is done already, so¡­" He shifted his gaze from her alluring naked body to his member that seemed to have regained its vigor. "There isn''t any harm in doing it again, is there?"


    Midnight scoffed as she heard his words. A second later, she got on top of him. "Sure, but this time, I''m on top." Her lips curved into a smile as her crimson eyes shined with the color of blood.


    Zaroth didn''t respond as he put both of his hands on her thin waist.


    They were going for round two.


    ***** Continue reading stories on My Virtual Library Empire


    The good news was that after the second round, they went for a third. As a result, it was completely accurate to say that Zaroth was sucked dry.


    The bad news¡­


    "It is broken¡­" Zaroth spoke in frustration as he used his hand to massage his eyebrows.


    "...It may be my fault, sorry about that," Midnight muttered under her breath in embarrassment.


    The bed was broken, and it was, in fact, entirely Midnight''s fault. It seemed the more excited she became, the more intensely she moved her body over Zaroth, and eventually, the bed couldn''t take it anymore, so it broke.


    As the bed was broken, they didn''t stop, as they continued doing their deed over the table, deciding to deal with the issue later.


    But unfortunately, that later was now.


    ''God dammit, this bed was so comfortable too! It would cost a fortune to fix it or buy a new one, and that money will have to come from Elysia¡­ how the heck do I explain a broken bed?!'' he wondered, and a moment later, shook his head.


    Putting a hand on Midnight''s naked shoulder, he spoke, "Don''t worry about it, it is my problem to fix."


    She was about to retort but couldn''t as Zaroth put his finger over her lips.


    A second later, she sighed, "If you say so¡­"


    As their date was done, and as Zaroth''s bed was broken¡ªmeaning Midnight couldn''t sleep here for the night¡ªshe was about to leave until she realized something.


    "Oh¡­"


    "What?" Zaroth raised an eyebrow.


    "My clothes¡­ we tore them, remember? So now I have nothing to wear."


    Zaroth was left speechless as there was now another problem to think about.


    ''We really didn''t think things through, did we?'' he cursed inwardly.


    In the end, he gave her a few of his clothes. Strangely enough, with her slender frame, they were too big for her. Yet, as Zaroth watched her in his oversized clothes, he felt an unexpected warmth, a comforting warmth that was hard to put into words.


    She left, so now he was sitting on a chair, looking at the broken bed and, at the same time, coming to terms with the fact that he had actually managed to sleep with someone¡ªa freaking vampire, no less!


    "There is no way this day gets any better!" he proclaimed with a smile, until he heard the system speak in his mind,


    [Silverfang evolution completed]


    He smiled darkly as his eyes shined brightly.


    "I guess there is indeed a way."

 Chapter 100 Broken Bed, Empty Wallet

    -----


    Zaroth: Good morning.


    Elysia: Why are you writing so early?


    Your journey continues at My Virtual Library Empire


    Zaroth: I just have a question.


    Elysia: Then just come out and say it.


    Zaroth: You know the beds that are in the apartments, right? How much does one cost?


    Elysia: It depends on the class you are in. Since you''re in Class A, your bed would naturally be one of the most expensive ones. If we''re talking about a price, it would be around 25,000 credits.


    Zaroth: ¡­


    Elysia: Why are you asking? Wait¡­ you haven''t done anything to it, have you?


    Zaroth: Okay, then this is clearly a scam! There is no way it would break so easily if it was that expensive!


    Elysia: Are you telling me that you''ve broken your bed?


    Zaroth: ¡­


    Elysia: And let me guess¡ªyou''re now wondering where you''re going to get the money to fix the damages, so you contacted me.


    Zaroth: ¡­


    Elysia: This is a lot of money, and it seems you''ve grown accustomed to not worrying about money at all. If you want any, then you''ll have to earn it.


    Zaroth: Earn it how?


    Elysia: I have a job for you. If you manage to complete it, the reward will be more than enough to fix the bed or buy a new one. If you''re interested, you can find me in my office.


    -----


    Zaroth let out a sigh. "At least that went better than I thought it would."


    Stretching his body, he grinned. "Now let''s see how much you''ve changed, buddy."


    He flicked his fingers, and a second later Silverfang began to materialize. Zaroth also summoned Luna so both of them could inspect the changes Silverfang had gone through.


    Zaroth observed the wolf carefully. The beast was twice the size of an average wolf and had silver fur.


    But despite undergoing an evolution, Silverfang hadn''t experienced any noticeable changes in appearance, with the exception of looking a bit more alive as some of the wounds had healed. There was a chance that if someone saw him, they wouldn''t immediately think he was undead.


    "Wait, that''s not right," Zaroth muttered as he observed the wolf closer. The beast had gotten more muscular, so most likely, it was at least stronger than before.


    "Check the inside of his mouth," Luna advised, so Zaroth did just that.


    "Let''s see¡­ oh, shit!" Looking into the mouth of the beast startled Zaroth for a second.


    "Let me see again." His eyes narrowed as he examined the wolf''s mouth. Zaroth had never seen anything like this¡ªthe wolf had a second set of teeth behind the first ones.


    And these were all sharp, without exception.


    "So your bite will be even more devastating!" Zaroth concluded.


    "What about skills? Have you gotten any?"


    Silverfang tilted his head to the side in confusion, then opened his mouth and let out an ear-piercing howl. Zaroth was forced to take a few steps back as he covered his ears.


    "STOP!"


    A second later, the howling stopped. Silverfang had its tongue out, clearly happy with himself as he wagged his tail.


    "See, he does have a skill!" Luna teased as she looked at her master, who needed a few seconds to compose himself.


    "Okay, that''s good," he said as he approached Silverfang and patted the beast on the head.


    "Now I just wonder¡ªare you a Rare beast, or have you just become a stronger Uncommon? ¡­ But you did evolve, or at least that''s what the system called it, so maybe you are Rare."


    There was no way to say for certain, but one thing made Zaroth conclude that the beast had reached Rare rank, it was the amount of mana his core was losing trying to keep the beast active.


    ''Considering the amount I''m losing is close to ten times more than before, it must mean the beast has become Rare.''


    "Not bad," Zaroth said as he flicked his fingers and summoned the four wolves he had tamed in the forest. He was wondering how they were going to react to seeing Silverfang.


    The four slowly approached, sniffing him, then took a step back and froze as they lowered their heads¡ªalmost like they were bowing.


    Silverfang seemed proud of himself.


    ''Wait, did a hierarchy just get created in front of my very eyes?'' Zaroth wondered.


    But deciding it wasn''t worth worrying about, he desummoned all the wolves, leaving only Luna.


    "Good work. Getting stronger isn''t easy, but you seem to have a knack for it," she praised.


    "If you say so," he muttered as he shifted his gaze back to the bed.


    ''Really, how the hell does something this expensive get so easily broken?!'' he cursed internally.


    Luna approached from the side. "It''s a pity, isn''t it?"


    He raised an eyebrow. "How so?"


    She grinned slightly. "If you had done it with me, the bed wouldn''t be the only thing that broke¡ªthe floor would have as well."


    "I''m just going to ignore you," he replied, frustrated.


    "It doesn''t work like that when you''re naked," she commented.


    Zaroth was still naked after sleeping with Midnight, as he had to search for clothes that hadn''t been torn.


    "What does me being naked have to do with anything?" he asked.


    In reply, she grinned and pointed downward.


    Following her gesture, his eyes landed on his member. His expression darkened as he cursed, "Shit, I knew we should have gone for round four with Midnight."


    *****


    Taking a deep breath, Zaroth knocked on the door. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Enter," an emotionless voice came from the other side of the door.


    Not hesitating, he opened the door and went into the office. The first thing his eyes landed on was Elysia, who was calmly drinking coffee.


    "Sit," she spoke coldly, and he complied.


    A silence fell over the room as Zaroth awaited Elysia''s words.


    She remained silent for a few minutes before finally speaking. "How the hell did you break the bed?"


    Zaroth had tried to come up with a plan to answer, but Elysia always knew when someone lied, so there was no point in trying.


    "I followed your advice and tried to go for a woman my age, and this is the result," he admitted.


    Elysia''s expression didn''t change as she took a sip of her coffee.


    Feeling brave¡ªperhaps braver than he should¡ªZaroth asked, "Jealous?"


    She scoffed upon hearing his words. "Of what? You? You seem to greatly overestimate yourself."


    ''Pity¡­ I guess she isn''t,'' he concluded.


    "So, about that mission you were talking about¡­"


    She opened a drawer on her desk and took out a photo, which she then placed in front of him.


    "That guy¡ªfind information on what he''s doing, who he''s working with, and, if possible, bring me samples of his work."


    Zaroth took the photo and studied the man. He had black hair, a gray suit, a white shirt, and a tie, and was holding a suitcase.


    ''Wait, isn''t that the guy that offered me those pills before? I think I still have his business card.''


    "Sure, if that''s all that''s needed to complete the job. Do you know anything about him? Anything that could help me in my investigation?"


    Elysia sighed as she leaned back in her chair.


    "Nothing. The man is a mystery. Nobody even knows what his name is."


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow. "Then what should we call him?"


    "Even though he''s a mystery, some people have been talking about him. As such, they''ve given him a code name, The Salesman."

 Chapter 101 Step into the Unknown

    It''s not like Zaroth had much to do, so he decided to visit the address on the card.


    "Let''s recall what I know, I was clutching my head because it hurt, and then the man approached me and offered me the pills alongside the card." Even after recalling the information he knew, he realized that he didn''t really have much of an idea of what he should expect.


    "Well, if Elysia wants to look into it, it must mean that it is important, plus I really do need that money," he muttered.


    ''No seriously, it''s not like I was wasting money left and right!'' he thought.


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    ''Are you sure about that? Do you even know how many times you''ve gone out to drink with Roran and Zack?'' Luna asked.


    At the question, he could only stay silent.


    ''Not only that, but it''s rare to see you try to save money at all!''


    ''Alright, alright, I guess I have become somewhat greedy in the past few months, but can you blame me? It''s not like I had any access to all these things before!'' he admitted.


    ''Listen, it''s fine if you want to get drunk with your friends, you''re young, so it''s not like you have any responsibilities, but just don''t be surprised if Elysia is reluctant to give you any more money. You can''t blame her for wanting you to work for your money from time to time!''


    Zaroth massaged his forehead. ''Okay, you''re right,''


    Making note that he should try to save the credits he gets from now on, he walked toward the address on the card.


    "But this place is quite far, if I must say so myself," he muttered as he walked in the streets.


    The more he got closer, the more the atmosphere seemed to get heavier. The surrounding streets were becoming dirtier, and the air was becoming harder to breathe.


    ''Is this supposed to be a poorer part of the capital?'' he asked himself.


    Soon after, he saw people wearing ragged clothes, their hair was dirty as they hadn''t washed in weeks, and they lay on the ground. Some were rifling through trash cans, searching for something.


    It was no doubt that Zaroth had entered the poor district of the capital.


    Looking at them, he couldn''t help but feel a bit nostalgic. Even if he had lived outside the cities for most of his life, his living conditions hadn''t been better. In fact, he''d probably had it worse, as he had to also take care of his sick mother.


    ''I don''t want to attract attention,'' he thought to himself as he quickened his steps.


    In this moment, he was glad that he wasn''t wearing the academy uniform, but cheap clothes that he had bought from the market before. They at least made it easier to blend in with the crowd.


    ''But to think that the address is somewhere here... There''s no doubt something shady is going on,'' he thought.


    After about a dozen minutes of walking, Zaroth stopped as his eyes widened in awe, and he looked up.


    He was in a poorer district of the capital, so most of the buildings were small, no more than one floor. But the building in front of him was at least five floors. Not only that, but it was clear that a lot of care was put into building it. It was made of stone and was decorated with beautiful premium wood.


    Shifting his gaze to the entrance, he saw a line of people waiting. One thing that he noticed was that all of them were clearly homeless.


    "Here goes nothing, I guess," he muttered as he joined the line.


    He slouched and ruffled his hair to blend in better with the others, as most of them had the same messy look.


    The line was quite big, as there were about 30 people waiting, so Zaroth thought it would take a long time for his turn to come. But¡­


    A scream was heard from the front, and one man was sent flying. He hit his head on a trash can and began to bleed. It seemed that he had gotten a concussion, as he wasn''t able to get up. Yet, curiously enough, nobody paid him any mind as they acted as though the man wasn''t slowly dying.


    Zaroth, of course, didn''t pay any attention to it either. What did that random homeless guy have to do with him?


    "NEXT!" a shout was heard from the front, and the line moved forward a bit.


    A few seconds later, a woman was thrown to the side.


    "NEXT!" another shout was heard, and the line moved again.


    ''At least it seems that I won''t have to wait a long time,'' he thought.


    A few minutes later, it was almost his turn. There was just one man in front of him.


    "Reason?" a bald, two-meter-tall man with broad shoulders, who guarded the entrance, spoke as he glanced at the homeless man in front of him.


    "I¡­ the pills, can I ge¡ª"


    "Do you have the money or the card?" the two-meter man interrupted.


    "No, but¡ª"


    Without hesitation, the bald man grabbed the person in front of Zaroth and threw him to the side.


    "NEXT!" he shouted as his gaze turned to Zaroth.


    Zaroth took a step forward. ''Okay, let''s see what happens now,'' he thought.


    "Do you have the money or the card?" the bouncer asked. S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Zaroth, moving slowly, picked up the business card from his pocket and handed it to the man.


    The bouncer took it and studied it. A second later, his eyes widened in both awe and confusion.


    "You¡­ how the hell did trash like you get a card like this?"


    ''Now, do I tell the truth or do I lie? No, there''s no point in lying. Seeing as he didn''t try to throw me to the side, it must mean that he''ll let me in,'' Zaroth thought.


    "A man with a suitcase gave it to me," Zaroth spoke, looking at the ground as he made his voice sound uncertain. He was mimicking how the others had acted up until now.


    "Do not lie to me. The only one who can give you this car¡ª" the bouncer suddenly went silent.


    ''Did I do something wrong?'' Zaroth asked himself. Why did the bouncer go quiet?


    A faint echo of footsteps was heard from Zaroth''s side, and a moment later, a man was standing next to him. Because Zaroth still had his eyes on the ground, he wasn''t able to see how the man looked, but he could see that he was carrying a suitcase.


    "Gentlemen," the mysterious man spoke.


    "B-Boss!" the bouncer spoke in fear. "This guy has one of your cards!"


    There was a silence for a moment until Zaroth heard a voice, "My card? I don''t recall giving it to homeless¡­ hey, look at me."


    Following the command, Zaroth''s gaze fell on the man. A second later, his eyes widened¡ªthis was the salesman he was supposed to investigate.


    The salesman took a long look at Zaroth''s face. "Weren''t you a student of that academy?"


    Feeling it was the right thing to do, Zaroth nodded.


    The man smiled. His smile was cold, devoid of any emotion, almost like he was inhuman.


    "I managed to get a student hooked? Oh, this is great news!" the man proclaimed as he took a step forward.


    "Follow me," the salesman spoke, addressing Zaroth.


    He, in turn, took a step forward. It seemed that he had successfully infiltrated the building.

 Chapter 102 Unseen Flames

    Zaroth walked slowly behind the man as he entered the building.


    The first thing he noticed was the unpleasant smell that reached his nostrils.


    He had been witness to some horrific smells, but this one took the cake by a long shot. Zaroth had to force himself not to gag as he kept walking.


    The salesman in front of him seemed unbothered in the slightest as he peacefully walked forward.


    They were in a hallway with numerous black doors, each with a number of their own. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Zaroth didn''t have time to count them as he quickly followed the man.


    The walls around them were painted red, the same color as blood. The floor was the same, with no carpet of any sort. The ceiling was painted black, similar to the doors themselves.


    ''From what I know, he thinks that I''ve taken those pills he gave me, so should I act as if I''m desperate for more?'' It didn''t take a genius to guess that these pills probably had some kind of addictive side to them. There was no other way to explain the amount of people waiting in line to enter the building.


    The man made a left turn, and so did Zaroth, who walked quietly behind him. They reached a staircase and quickly climbed it, only for Zaroth''s eyes to widen as he realized something.


    ''These stairs¡­ they only lead one floor up?'' This didn''t make sense. Just from looking at the building from the outside, it was clear there were five floors.


    ''Maybe there''s a separate staircase for each floor? If that''s the case, it means their security must be really tight here.''


    Unlike the first floor, which was empty, here there were a lot of rough-looking men with weapons in their hands. Though each one of them turned their gazes away when they saw the salesman.


    ''Is this security?'' Zaroth wondered.


    They quickly reached another staircase and climbed it as well. Now they were on the third floor. It was the same as the second but with increased security. The fourth floor had even more staff. Find your next read on My Virtual Library Empire


    But that all changed when they reached the final¡ªfifth¡ªfloor. The first thing that was different was that on the black doors, instead of numbers, there were golden stars. It wouldn''t be a lie to say that Zaroth wondered about the sudden change but didn''t ask questions.


    Not only that, but there was no security on this floor, and as such, it was quiet to an uncanny degree.


    Both of them stopped, and Zaroth''s eyes fell on a door that seemed to have neither a star nor a number on it.


    "We''re here," the salesman spoke as he shifted his gaze to Zaroth, who was still looking at the ground, pretending to be nervous.


    "Before we enter, I must ask you¡ªat that academy you go to¡­ what class are you?" the salesman asked with a friendly smile. Though Zaroth wasn''t easily fooled, as he caught a glimpse of the man''s hostility.


    He shifted his gaze to the man as he spoke, "Class A."


    The salesman''s smile grew even wider as he patted Zaroth on the shoulder. "Isn''t that something?"


    The man opened his suitcase and brought out a bottle of pills. "But you see, I like to be on the safer side. As such, before we enter, I want you to take one pill in front of me."


    Zaroth cursed inwardly. ''Goddammit! He''s the type of person I hate the most¡ªthe ones who always check to make sure they haven''t made a mistake! Fuck it, I''ve gone this far already, I''m not backing down!''


    "If that''s what you wish for," he spoke as he extended his arm.


    The man opened the bottle and placed a medium-shaped red pill on Zaroth''s hand.


    Zaroth took a deep breath before putting it in his mouth. ''I hope this works.''


    He wasn''t an idiot, so he wasn''t planning on swallowing it, as he had an idea. ''I just hope my gamble works¡­'' he thought. He wasn''t a person who usually liked to gamble, but sometimes there wasn''t another option.


    As Zaroth put the pill in his mouth, he used his skill, Firebreath, and breathed fire into his mouth. ''I just hope this doesn''t damage my mouth''s insides¡­''


    The pill inside his mouth disintegrated into nothingness, and surprisingly enough, his mouth didn''t hurt at all.


    He wondered why he hadn''t burned the inside of his mouth, but in a way, it made sense. The skill he was using worked thanks to his connection to Luna, and from what he knew, dragons couldn''t burn the insides of their mouths with their flames.


    After he successfully managed to destroy the pill, he shifted his gaze to the salesman, who was looking at him with doubt in his eyes.


    ''Oh yes, from his point of view, I swallowed the pill, so I should probably react somehow.''


    The problem was that Zaroth didn''t really know what the pill was supposed to do.


    ''Well, the first time we met, he offered them to me because my head hurt, so they could numb pain¡­ or maybe bring pleasure?''


    Deciding that he didn''t really have other options, he brought his head up and opened his mouth as he let saliva fall down. The only way to sell the act was to think of something pleasurable. As such, the only thing that came to mind was the night he''d spent with Midnight.


    It was kind of weird, staring into the ceiling as saliva poured down from his open mouth, but it seemed Zaroth had turned out to be a good actor.


    After a few minutes of staring into the ceiling, Zaroth closed his mouth and shifted his gaze to the salesman, who was watching patiently.


    "Two minutes¡­ You recover fast," the man spoke as he stored the bottle back into his suitcase and opened the black door.


    ''Success! I''m a genius!'' he thought proudly.


    ''I''m sorry to interrupt, but you do realize that you''ve infiltrated a heavily guarded building that seems to sell some kind of weird drugs just because you need money to fix the bed you broke after sleeping with a demon because you couldn''t hold it in your pants, right? Where is the genius in that?'' Luna spoke in his head, shattering his confidence in seconds.


    ''It seems the women who know you best also know exactly where to strike when it hurts the most,'' Zaroth thought, stepping into the room the salesman was leading him toward.


    The first thing he noticed was a disgusting energy that seemed to radiate from an older man who was curiously looking out from the window.


    The man had his back to Zaroth, yet he felt like he was being watched from multiple places. Just looking at the old man made his skin crawl, and his instincts screamed at him that he was in danger.


    ''What the hell is this? I can barely breathe!'' Zaroth cursed inwardly. How could a human give off such repulsive, disgusting energy? he wondered.


    ''Zaroth¡­'' Luna''s voice, which echoed in his mind, sounded serious, and in response, Zaroth''s muscles tightened, expecting bad news.


    ''That thing¡­ that thing isn''t a human. It''s just wearing the skin of one.''


    Zaroth cursed inwardly. It seemed he had bitten off much more than he could chew.

 Chapter 103 A Meeting of Monsters

    David''s steps created small echoes as he quickly walked forward.


    "I hate this place so much!" he couldn''t help but curse as he saw the dozens of homeless people on the ground. Some were begging for money, while others were ravaging trash cans for scraps.


    "It would be so good if this trash disappeared off the face of the earth," David tried not to pay them much attention as he didn''t want to get too angry. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He felt a cold hand tapping his back as he heard a cold voice.


    "That is a harsh way to speak about the less fortunate, you know?" There was no need to turn around to see who was talking.


    He scoffed at the words of the Spectral Warden.


    "For a cursed being, you seem to be awfully focused on playing a nice guy."


    The being behind him laughed out loud, its laugh echoing across the dirty streets, yet nobody except David was able to hear or see it.


    "Me? A nice being? You seem to have gotten funnier over time. You know everything I do or say is with the intention of slowly driving you insane."


    ''I''ve been insane for a long time, you piece of shit,'' David thought as he quickened his steps.


    "Why is it that I''m always needed when it''s most inconvenient for me?" he wondered but decided not to dwell on the issue.


    Taking a left turn, David''s gaze fell on a building much taller than the ones around it, towering at at least five floors. Experience more content on My Virtual Library Empire


    "Let''s get this over with already," he muttered as he skipped the line waiting to enter.


    "Hey, who the fuck do you think you are to go ahead of us?" a man with bloodshot eyes and foam dripping from his mouth grabbed David''s hand as he shouted at him.


    "Did this trash just dare to touch me?" David spoke, his voice full of hostility.


    The next second, the man who had grabbed David''s hand was beheaded, his body falling lifelessly to the ground as blood poured like a fountain.


    A few people were staring at the exchange, needing a second or two to process that a man had just been beheaded before them. David''s movements were so fast that nobody even saw them.


    Ignoring the scream of the woman behind the beheaded man, David walked forward until he reached the entrance of the building.


    The two-meter-tall, bald bouncer glanced at David and hurriedly moved aside to make space.


    "Sir! The bo¡ªboss is already inside!" the bouncer stuttered in fear.


    "Good. At least I won''t have to waste a lot of time here," David mused as he quickly walked forward, approaching the first staircase.


    "Why does it always smell so fucking bad here?!" he couldn''t help but curse as he pinched his nose with his hand.


    Reaching the second floor, he quickly walked as all the security guards shivered when their gazes fell on David.


    After going through all the floors, he was finally at the last one, in front of the black door.


    "Let''s just get this over with," he muttered as he opened the door without hesitation.


    Just as expected, there was the salesman sitting comfortably in his chair.


    That thing, which seemed to be wearing human skin, was staring from the window, looking unresponsive as always.


    But David saw a third person, which was something he didn''t expect.


    It was a man on the shorter side with white hair and green cat-like eyes.


    ''A dragon descendant?'' David wondered as he glanced at the man.


    Why was this person here? Why wasn''t he informed?


    ''Wait¡­ wasn''t the winner of the hunting competition¡ªthe one that got a higher score than my team¡ªsaid to have white hair and eyes similar to this? No, I can''t jump to conclusions yet. There are millions of people in the capital. There are bound to be people that look alike.''


    "David," the cursed being spoke, but this time its voice didn''t contain even the slightest trace of amusement.


    "That man with the white hair¡ªwhat is he staring at?"


    The white-haired man was staring at David, who had just entered¡ªthat much was certain. But why did the Spectral Warden suddenly sound so serious?


    "No, he isn''t staring at you. Look where his eyes are focused."


    David did just that and realized the white-haired man wasn''t staring at him but behind him¡­ Why could he see something behind him?


    ''This man can see my Spectral Warden?'' David thought as his purple eyes shined. If this was the truth, then he had just met an exceptional individual.


    *****


    ''Luna, what the fuck is that?!'' Zaroth asked Luna. The moment he heard the doors behind him open, a man entered. But the thing that concerned him the most was that there was something behind the man. It was a dark creature, several meters in length, with three hollow eyes.


    And that thing was quietly staring at Zaroth while he stared at it.


    ''Don''t look! That thing must be part of the man''s class! Don''t show that you can see it!'' Luna warned.


    Zaroth quickly averted his gaze, feeling his heart rate increase. He had stared at the being, and that being had stared back at him.


    ''Is this supposed to be invisible or something? Then why did I see it? Is it because I''m connected to death or something?'' his mind raced.


    ''The only thing that comes to mind is to try and play it off!''


    "You''ve taken your sweet time getting here," Zaroth heard the salesman behind him address the purple-eyed man who had just entered the room.


    Zaroth shifted his gaze to the thing wearing human skin.


    On one side was the salesman, on the other the thing pretending to be human, and on the third a man with some kind of cursed creature behind him.


    Zaroth was currently on his guard around all these individuals, all of whom made his instincts scream at him to run away.


    ''This bed and its cost turned out to be so much more than I expected¡­'' he couldn''t help but curse in his mind.

 Chapter 104 A Game of Deception

    There was an unsettling silence in the room, as a drop of sweat fell down Zaroth''s forehead.


    He took a deep breath, calming down his wildly beating heart.


    ''Relax,'' he tried to reassure himself.


    ''In the worst-case scenario, I can summon Luna, and Silverfang has recently evolved, making him stronger. Not to mention that I have four other wolves at my disposal, and I myself have become significantly stronger.''


    Zaroth knew that in the worst-case scenario, Luna could cause a distraction while he managed to run away in safety.


    Coming to that conclusion, he managed to calm down. It seemed that he really was a good actor, as it didn''t take him more than a second.


    The purple-eyed man sighed as he stepped forward.


    "I took my time getting here? You piece of shit, you''re the one that called me out of the blue, saying we need to gather," the man spoke as he shifted his gaze to Zaroth.


    "And? Who is this fella, and why is he here? Don''t tell me some bullshit like we have one more member."


    The salesman smiled as he leaned back in his chair. "He is here because I think he would be valuable."


    The purple-eyed man scoffed. "Really? And how did you come to that conclusion?"


    The salesman''s smile disappeared as he abruptly stood up. "David¡­ David¡­ David¡­" the man sounded angry.


    Zaroth noted that the purple-eyed man was named David. S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The salesman stopped an arm''s length away from reaching David, as he spoke, his voice devoid of any emotion. "Of all the people in the world¡­ you dare doubt my judgment?"


    Suddenly, the air in the room became heavier¡­ literally heavier. Zaroth''s lungs felt like they were burning as he gasped, trying to breathe in air.


    ''What the fuck is that power?!'' he cursed in his mind.


    After a few seconds, David looked away as he scoffed. "When did I say I doubted your judgment? I just wanted to know what makes you believe that he will be useful."


    A few seconds passed, and the salesman took a step back as he sighed. "I see. Make yourself clearer in the future."


    Zaroth was able to take a deep breath as he asked Luna, ''I don''t think there''s a point in asking, but how strong is that guy?''


    Luna took a moment to respond. ''He is weaker than Elysia but not by a lot. I really recommend you don''t mess with him and get the fuck out of here as soon as possible.''


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    Zaroth gulped audibly, hearing Luna''s response, but didn''t show it on his face.


    "Well, you see¡­" the salesman spoke as he sat back in his chair, "first, he is a student of that academy, even in Class A."


    David raised an eyebrow. "Of what academy?"


    The salesman sighed in clear disappointment. "The one that Elysia controls."


    David''s eyes widened for a moment. "Oh, that bitch?"


    Zaroth took a deep breath. For some reason, hearing someone insult Elysia so casually made his blood boil, but he decided not to act on his anger now, as it would be unwise.


    ''Oh, I''m definitely killing you in the future, David,'' Zaroth thought.


    "Well, not only that, but he also took a pill in front of me," the salesman added.


    David raised an eyebrow. "And?"


    The salesman smiled widely as he explained, "Two minutes, and he was good as new."


    David''s eyes widened in awe. "Two minutes¡­ but isn''t the usual lasting effect a day?"


    The salesman''s grin didn''t disappear as he leaned back in his chair. "Yes, and yet it only took him two minutes. Do you see now why I think he is going to be valuable?"


    Meanwhile, Zaroth was silently listening to their conversation.


    ''A day? Did he give me that pill, planning to watch me stare at the ceiling for a whole fucking day?! Oh, great. Now it seems like I''ve come across as someone who has a high resistance to their pills''


    Despite not enjoying that fact, Zaroth had also learned valuable information, their hideout, the building''s structure, these three individuals who seemed vastly powerful, and the lasting effect of these pills.


    ''I think this counts as a job well done. Now the only thing left is to get a sample and get the hell out of here, preferably in one piece!''


    "I''m sorry," he spoke, staring at the ground with a timid voice. "I came here because you said that you will give me more of these pills. If that is okay with you, can you give them to me so I can excuse myself? I don''t want to intrude in your conversation any further¡­"


    ''Holy shit! I''m an incredible actor!'' At this moment, there wasn''t a single doubt in Zaroth''s mind that he had portrayed the vision of a person addicted to these pills.


    The salesman shifted his gaze to Zaroth. A moment later, he threw a bottle containing pills at him.


    Zaroth managed to catch it in time.


    ''He is giving me one, just like that? If that''s the case, shouldn''t I try to press for more? It''s possible that there are multiple types of pills. After all, Elysia could give me even more credits if I bring them to her.''


    "Um¡­ do you have anything stronger?" he asked.


    The salesman looked at Zaroth with curiosity.


    He coughed awkwardly. "I mean¡­ you saw that the pills only work for two minutes, right? Don''t you have anything stronger?"


    The man sighed as he threw another pill at Zaroth, but this one was much redder. It was darker, with the same color as blood.


    "Thank you!" Zaroth bowed.


    ''Okay, he might have given them to me, but there''s no doubt he will want something in return¡­''


    "If that is all, you are free to leave." Zaroth''s eyes widened in confusion as he heard the salesman''s words.


    He wasn''t an idiot. Even if he doubted the salesman''s words, Zaroth wasn''t going to let the chance pass by. He quickly left the room, and surprisingly, nobody stopped or interrupted him


    David raised an eyebrow as he turned toward the salesman. "Are you serious? You just gave them to him and let him go?"


    The man stood up and approached a shelf as he took out a bottle containing old whiskey.


    He poured himself a cup of it and took a sip.


    "I mean¡­ I had to," he spoke casually.


    Seeing the confusion on David''s face, the man explained.


    "Did you actually buy that? That he was able to take the pill and be effective for only two minutes?"


    "No, I assumed you had some kind of scheme going on, so I didn''t speak with the man."


    The salesman glanced at his reflection in his cup. "He was sent here, most likely from Elysia herself¡­"


    David''s eyes widened in disbelief. "What?! And you just let him go? After giving him the pills?!"


    The salesman chuckled. "Do not forget the emperor''s orders, David. Killing him here would only bring trouble."


    Frustrated that the man wasn''t planning to share more info, David sat on one of the chairs as he crossed one leg.


    "But¡­ I must say, I am quite disappointed," the salesman admitted.


    David raised an eyebrow. "How so?"


    "If Elysia has sent him here, then it must mean that she trusts him enough to do that¡­ but he was weak, too weak. And yet, she relied on him, so her situation must be worse than we thought."


    David let out a long sigh. "Or maybe he''s a tamer, a summoner, or someone who manipulates spirits? If his class allows him to do one of those things, we wouldn''t be able to sense his true strength just by looking at him."


    "That may be true¡­ but usually, the people that rely on summons have weak summons as well. Honestly, I struggle to imagine how the boy could present a threat to us¡­"


    The salesman chuckled. "I guess he could only if he has something truly strong¡ªlike a dragon. But what are the chances of that?"


    "Okay, let''s cut the crap. What is the actual reason you asked me to come here?" David asked with a hint of frustration in his voice as he shifted his gaze to the thing wearing human skin that was still watching outside the window, unbothered.


    The salesman sighed as he put the cup on the table.


    "Yes, there has been a change of plans, actually."

 Chapter 105 Silent Calculations

    Zaroth quickly walked back from where he had come from. When he was following the salesman, he had paid attention to where he was going, as such, he remembered the way.


    Reaching the staircase, he quickly and silently descended to the fourth floor.


    There were about a hundred personnel, all armed to the teeth, who glanced at Zaroth, but most likely remembering that he had gone up with their boss and returned alive, all of them shuddered and looked away. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Zaroth descended the floors one by one and finally reached the bottom floor, where he came out of the entrance.


    He knew that openly carrying the bottle could spell disaster, as there were a lot of people addicted to these pills, so he hid the bottle in his pocket.


    Trying to blend in with the crowd, he quickly left the area, without stopping his quickened steps.


    ''Luna, do you feel anything?'' he was referring to if somebody was following them.


    After a second of silence, she replied, ''No, nobody is following us.''


    Zaroth grimaced, he knew that there was something he was missing. There wasn''t a possibility that he hadn''t been given the pills without having to give back something in return.


    ''Have they discovered that Elysia has sent me? But if they did, why didn''t they kill me? Not only that, but they gave me the pills without wanting anything in return¡­''


    It seemed that Zaroth was kept in the dark about a lot of things, which wasn''t something he liked, but it''s not like he could do something about it.


    ''Whatever, let''s just report back to Elysia.''


    He could have gone straight for the academy but felt a bit paranoid, as such, he walked in circles for some time, until he was absolutely sure that even if somebody was following him, he would have managed to get rid of them.


    *****


    He took a deep breath as he glanced at the door, Room 13/13¡ªElysia''s office.


    Without further ado, he knocked.


    There was silence for some time, until he heard an emotionless voice, "Enter."


    Zaroth did just that. First thing his gaze landed on was the mounting paperwork on the desk. The room gave off the pleasant aroma of coffee, so it was easy to conclude that Elysia had already drunk several.


    She glanced at him as she motioned with her finger for him to sit.


    Sitting across from her, he had to calm down his heart, as for some reason, seeing Elysia overworked, her eyes becoming even darker than usual, made him feel his blood heat up.


    She let out a sigh as she leaned back in her chair, "It hasn''t been a day, and you are back? Did you give up?"


    At her question, Zaroth grinned as he took out a bottle and put it on the table.


    Elysia raised an eyebrow as she took it.


    The bottle had three pills that seemed reddish in color and one that was significantly darker than the rest.


    She took a moment or two to inspect it, then placed it back on the table as she put one leg over the other and smiled. "I am listening."


    Was she smiling because she was getting a break from her mountain of work, or was she happy with the progress Zaroth had made?... Or maybe she was just happy to see him?


    Disregarding the useless thoughts, he began to explain everything in as much detail as possible.


    The building, the line, the interior of the building and the doors, the three individuals, how he had been given the pills, and more.


    Once he was done, he leaned back and awaited her judgment.


    After a moment, she sighed as she got up and approached him.


    He didn''t move as he watched her movements.


    The next second, his eyes widened as he felt her delicate hand on his head, playing with his hair.


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    "Good work," she spoke with an alluring voice.


    ''There is no way this isn''t some form of manipulating, fuck!'' he cursed as he felt his body getting even hotter.


    Trying to hide his raging emotions, he asked, "Um¡­ about the credits?"


    A second later, his bracelet shined.


    [You have received a transfer of 30,000 credits.]


    His body got goosebumps as he looked at the amount, this was some serious money!


    Taking a moment to compose himself after seeing the money he had acquired, he spoke.


    "If that is all, am I free?"


    She motioned with her finger, letting him know that he could indeed leave.


    Watching his back as he left, Elysia sat back in her chair and shifted her gaze to the pills, her mind recalling what Zaroth had explained.


    "A man with an invisible cursed being behind him, something wearing human skin, the salesman that seemed to command them both¡­ and the emperor," she leaned back in her chair.


    "On an individual level, they shouldn''t pose a threat, but if they combine forces, it could turn out quite bothersome¡­" she couldn''t help but let out a chuckle.


    "Thankfully, I have Zaroth. As long as I play my cards right, and give him a reason to, he could eliminate a few of the obstacles."


    She spun the bottle on her finger, deep in thought. ''But if he manages to find a way to release his lust, it could spell disaster¡­ Should I advance more?... No, there is no point. If he didn''t want me anymore, he wasn''t going to mention that he had spent the night with a woman trying to see if I would get jealous,''


    A menacing smile found itself on her face. "So he wants multiple women at the same time?... Fine, do what I need you to, and you can do everything you want, Zaroth."


    She opened the bottle and took one of the pills.


    "From his story, it''s quite clear that they saw through his attempt at disguise yet let him go. It seemed that there are aspects of their plan that I have yet to grasp¡­ No matter, it will all end in the way I wish to."

 Chapter 106 A Bed of Titanium

    ''So now are you going to fix the bed or buy¡ª''


    ''I will buy a new one!'' Zaroth interrupted Luna as he headed to the store.


    It was better to buy something entirely new rather than fixing it, and even if he did fix it, there was the possibility that it would break again, so he opted to buy a new, tougher one.


    "Wow," he couldn''t help but mutter as he entered the store. This one was made specifically for selling beds and mattresses, and such it had hundreds, if not thousands, of different options.


    He mentally prepared himself as he headed to one. Elysia had said that the bed he had cost 25,000 credits, so he wondered how much these would cost.


    "...hm? That can''t be right," he muttered as he glanced at the prices of a few.


    "Why are they so cheap?" he wondered.


    By cheap, he meant that he had expected the price to have one more zero at the end, and yet they did not.


    "No¡­ she wouldn''t have," he spoke with a hint of irritation in his voice as he messaged Elysia.


    -----


    Zaroth: Is it true that the bed I broke costs 25,000 credits?


    Elysia: Who told you that?


    Zaroth: You did!


    Elysia: Oh, yeah, sorry, I meant to say 2,500 credits. S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Zaroth: ¡­


    -----


    "So she really said that it cost this much just to mess with me, huh?" he muttered with frustration.


    Even if he couldn''t be sure, he suspected that Elysia had played a game on him or had done it just to ensure that he would accept the mission she would give him.


    "Forget it, let''s just get the bed and get the fuck out of here."


    He spent an hour looking at the different beds on display. After that, he came to a conclusion.


    "Okay, I have no idea what I need, so I will just ask the staff."


    Approaching a man wearing a blue shirt, Zaroth spoke.


    "Hello, I want to buy a bed."


    The blue-shirted man shifted his gaze to Zaroth as he smiled, "Sure, is there something specific that you want?"


    Zaroth scratched his chin. ''Specific... well, I will want it to be good quality so it doesn''t break again... and Luna did say that if I did it with her, not only the bed but the floor would crumble as well, which is something that I would rather avoid¡­''


    "Do you have reinforced ones?"


    The blue-shirted man raised an eyebrow. "Yes, we do. Depending on the materials, the tougher the bed will be."


    "What is the toughest material you have?" Zaroth asked.


    The man laughed awkwardly. "Well, to be honest with you, sir, they are kind of overkill. You wouldn''t want it unless you''re going into some kind of warzone."


    Zaroth smirked, remembering Midnight. ''Oh, I am going into a warzone alright.''


    "Don''t worry about the price, just answer the question."


    The man scratched the back of his head. "Well, the toughest bed we have has a reinforced frame with titanium, as well as part of its components. While it will probably be impossible to break, you have to keep in mind the huge price¡ª"


    "I''m buying it," Zaroth spoke with a smile.


    *****


    It took about a day or two to set everything up and bring it to his room, now he was looking at a reinforced bed made out of mostly titanium that also had a very appealing look.


    On it was the most expensive mattress that Zaroth could find, but just the moment you lay in it and feel the softness around your body made it worth every credit.


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    In the end, this bed had cost him almost 20,000 credits, but this was certainly worth it as he didn''t want to repeat what happened the night he slept with Midnight.


    "And speaking about Midnight¡­" he activated his bracelet as he messaged her.


    -----


    Zaroth: Hey.


    Midnight: What is it?


    Zaroth: Nothing, just wanted to contact you. Oh, and by the way, I bought a new bed. This one is from titanium, so it will not break.


    Midnight: I see, good for you.


    Zaroth: ¡­


    Zaroth: Do you perhaps want to test it out?


    Midnight: Not a chance.


    Zaroth: Come on! We did it once¡­ thrice already, what''s one more time?


    Midnight: We did it because that time I wasn''t thinking clearly¡­ probably. Anyway, we''re not doing it again!


    Zaroth: Do you perhaps want to go on a date first?


    -----


    Zaroth waited a few minutes, but Midnight didn''t respond. It seemed that she wasn''t in the mood for dates.


    He collapsed on the bed. "Is she feeling guilty about breaking the bed? Or is it some other reason?"


    He put a hand on his forehead. "Oh, I''ll think about it some other time."


    Remembering that he hadn''t gone out with Roran and Zack in some time, Zaroth got the idea to message them.


    "Wait!" Luna, who Zaroth had summoned a long time ago, stopped him, shifting her gaze from Silverfang as she was playing with his fur.


    "Are you about to message your friends about going out?" she asked.


    "Yes, is there a problem?" he responded.


    Luna sighed as she spoke. "Before going to that place where they gave out the pills, didn''t we talk about how you were going to try and save some money and not blow it all out on dumb stuff?"


    Zaroth massaged the back of his head. "Yeah, I think we did talk about something like that, like I have to save the money and not blow it all out."


    She smiled proudly. "Great, so what have you learned?"


    He returned her smile with a smile of his own. "That I am living for my desires, and right now, I am desiring to get drunk with my friends."


    He answered and immediately sent a message to the group chat asking if the others agreed with him.


    It seemed that Zaroth had yet to learn his lesson.


    But at the same time, he had yet to celebrate that he had managed to sleep with a breathtaking vampire, so who could blame him?

 Chapter 107 Round 5

    "Yes! Then the bed broke so I had to go and buy one that was reinforced with titanium!" Zaroth spoke as he brought the cup to his mouth.


    Zack patted him on the shoulder. "You turned out to be quite the player!" Discover stories with My Virtual Library Empire


    Roran raised an eyebrow. "But why are you reluctant to speak about her or how she looks?"


    Lily nudged him with her elbow. "Leave the man alone! If he doesn''t want to get into specifics, who are we to complain?"


    Zaroth was at the bar with his friends, and they weren''t worried about the cost, buying the most expensive alcohol they had.


    Today, they were going to celebrate after all!


    He was currently describing the night he had spent with Midnight and the bed he bought, as he concealed the important information. Things like that she was a vampire and that he had to infiltrate a building selling some kind of pills just to get the money for the bed.


    "Anyways, what about you guys?" he asked as he shifted his gaze to them. "How is the tournament going?"


    "Is there a point in even asking? We have proceeded to the fifth round," Roran proclaimed as he put the cup to his mouth, only to realize that it was already empty.


    "Yeah, at least until now, it has been surprisingly easy," Lily spoke as she tried to hide a smirk, looking at Roran and how he was staring at his empty cup.


    "Unfortunately, that will soon change. The more participants fall out, the tougher it will become," Zack spoke. S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "That''s true, and we won''t have much time to prepare, since they''ll probably want to rush through the earlier rounds until they reach the tenth, after which they''ll be held in the grand arena. Those rounds will likely be like national events," Zaroth theorized.


    Roran scoffed, "Yeah, just imagine the money the emperor would make when he starts charging the audience for tickets if they want to enter and watch the fights."


    The night was still young, so they ordered even more drinks. In the end, there was a massive fight in the bar that left dozens of people injured, but that was a story for another time.


    *****


    Waking up with a smile, Zaroth sat on his expensive bed. He had never felt this good after waking up. "The money I spent on you is certainly worth it," he chuckled as he got up to take a shower.


    A few days passed, with nothing noteworthy happening, until one night Zaroth received a message.


    His eyes shined as a dark smile found itself on his face. "So the fifth round is tomorrow¡­"


    That night he went to bed early with the intention of being as fresh as possible the next day.


    Waking up, the first thing he did was message Midnight.


    -----


    Zaroth: My fifth fight would be today. Would you like to come?


    Midnight: Why should I? I already went once, didn''t I? Or do you just want me to shout in your support as before?


    Zaroth: No, it''s just that you being there would lift my spirits.


    Midnight: ¡­


    Midnight: Ugh, fine, I will come, but don''t expect what happened last time to happen again.


    -----


    Zaroth grinned. "Well, she seems in a good mood today."


    *****


    Walking in the arena, the first thing Zaroth noticed was that there was more audience than last time.


    Before there were about a dozen people, but now there were dozens.


    "And this is just the fifth round. Imagine how much traction the later ones will get¡­" he muttered under his breath as he searched for a specific person in the audience.


    It didn''t take long to find the striking woman with crimson eyes and hair.


    "Midnight¡­ so she came," he whispered as he felt his body get hotter, but a second later, he shook his head.


    "Now isn''t the time for fantasies, Zaroth," he muttered as he glanced at his opponent.


    A bald man, wearing a yellow robe, stood in front of him. The man held a long wooden staff in both hands.


    "Is this guy a monk?" Zaroth raised an eyebrow. He didn''t have much experience fighting against opponents using this kind of weapon, but everything had its first, so taking a deep breath, he tightened the grip on his spear and got into a battle stance.


    "Okay, let''s see what you got," his eyes narrowed like a hunter as he dashed forward.


    *****


    ''I am not sure how to feel,'' Midnight quietly observed the fight in front of her.


    Every time her gaze fell on Zaroth or her thoughts drifted to him, she felt a mixture of emotions.


    On one hand, she was very attracted to him. In the beginning, she wondered what the reason for that was, as it didn''t make sense she fell so fast for him.


    After some time pondering the question, she came to the conclusion that it was because she trusted him. Enough to make a deal with him¡­ even if she didn''t have much choice due to his dragon, but also because he was the only person that she could ask for help when she was in a pinch. He could have easily ignored her request, but he came to her rescue.


    Midnight couldn''t remember the last time she had received help from somebody, she was always alone, fighting against military forces¡­ but that changed when he suddenly appeared. Being able to have a person she could rely on seemed to make her feel attraction towards him.


    But on the other hand, she was a vampire¡ªa demon. So she had been taught to dislike humans.


    Even if she felt attracted to Zaroth, enough that she had even slept with him, at the same time she felt hatred and disgust, as she had been taught from a young age to feel that way.


    Even if she knew she should throw these emotions aside, it wasn''t easy, especially since these lessons had been the things that helped her survive for so long. Don''t trust anybody, especially not humans.


    As such, she wanted some time away from him so she could properly think her thoughts through.


    ''Do I want to try and advance our relationship, or do I put a stop to it?'' It was clear that Zaroth felt attracted to her, as he had invited her to his bed¡ªquite boldly, at that¡ªusing a message.


    "Ugh! I don''t know!" Midnight muttered in frustration as she massaged her head and took a deep breath.


    "Why are feelings so complicated?!"


    Her thoughts were interrupted as the audience burst into cheers.


    Midnight shifted her gaze back to the arena. There were large chunks of rock that had been thrown at the walls of the arena. It seemed that the monk''s class had something to do with controlling the earth.


    He must have been a tough opponent¡­ and yet he was on the ground, clutching his side, as there was a wound close to his ribs from which blood was pouring.


    Meanwhile, Zaroth, bleeding from his forehead, as he had taken a hit square in the head from one of the rocks the monk had sent, seemed unfazed as he was waving happily at Midnight.


    The fifth round was over.

 Chapter 108 Tears in the Dark

    "Not too shady, eh?" Zaroth asked as he flashed a smile at Midnight.


    She nodded silently.


    He had managed to get her to agree to take a short stroll through the park after the tournament''s fight, so both of them were currently enjoying the clean air


    "Hey, if you are free, we can -"


    "Actually I am busy today so I can''t, sorry," Midnight cut him off before he could even finish the sentence.


    He raised an eyebrow, "Is it because you are wondering if you should see me?"


    Her face got a bit red, "I mean, when I am with you I''m not sure how to feel."


    Zaroth sighed as he glanced at the sky, "It''s okay, I get it. I am not a demon, so I can only imagine what perception you have of humans, since your childhood."


    She laughed weakly, "Well, let''s say we haven''t been taught to see humans in a positive light¡­"


    Zaroth took a deep breath before speaking, "But there is something I want to know. Why are you here? Why aren''t you in one of the continents that is ruled by the demons?"


    Midnight glanced at the sky. "Let''s just say that I''m not needed anywhere. I''m here until I accomplish what I have set out to do, and then I will most likely leave."


    The next second, she was startled as she felt Zaroth''s hand gently gripping hers. She pushed past the embarrassment as she asked, "What are you doing?"


    "Don''t speak like that," he answered her firmly, "You are needed here, I need you."


    She scoffed, "What? We sleep once and you suddenly can''t live without me or something?"


    "No, but I have slept with you because I find you attractive, because I like your company. This just means that I need you. Just like I would prefer if my friends stay in my life, I would prefer if you stay here too."


    She was left speechless as she slowly pulled her hand away.


    "I-I see, I want a little time to sort out my thoughts."


    He gave her a smile, "Sure, as long as you need to."


    They parted ways as Zaroth headed to his apartment.


    ''I have to be honest, I''m surprised,'' Luna''s voice echoed in his head.


    He raised an eyebrow, ''What is it?''


    ''Honestly? You seemed like the type of man that if you managed to sleep with a woman, you would lose all interest towards her. So I''m surprised that you still care so much about Midnight.''


    Zaroth scoffed, ''There are a lot of reasons. First, she is a demon¡ªa vampire¡ªand it wouldn''t hurt to have a demon close to me, but this is just the second reason. The biggest reason is that I just genuinely like her, maybe because she is dangerous? I don''t know, I just know that I desire for her to be close to me.''


    Luna scoffed, ''Do you feel the same way towards Elysia? What about the queen? What about me?''


    Was she jealous, or was she testing him for something?


    Zaroth shifted his gaze to the sky, ''All of these individuals are unique, and I like them for their unique aspects. They cannot be compared. Just know that I desire all, so I will simply take it all.''


    ''That is a good mindset,'' Luna responded, which caught Zaroth by surprise.


    ''Is it? Wouldn''t some people call it selfish?''


    ''Zaroth, this is selfish, probably the selfish thing a human can want. I mean seriously? So many women?'' Her voice seemed to carry a hint of amusement.


    ''But that is when it comes to the ordinary people, you are far from ordinary. You¡­ We will kill the gods, and only an extremely selfish individual who isn''t thinking about anything else but himself would have a hope of achieving that.''


    "I guess if you look at it that way, it can be considered a good mindset," he muttered as a smile found its way onto his face. Stay tuned with My Virtual Library Empire


    Zaroth felt grateful to Luna. While it seemed that a lot of the times she would tease him for her own amusement¡­ which certainly was often. When he found himself in doubt, she was always the first one to show support. Saying exactly what she needed to boost his mood.


    ''I really am lucky¡­ I have to thank Luna, somehow¡­ something that she would enjoy¡­'' he thought.


    ''Luna is there something you want?''


    ''Yes, become stronger, so in turn, I can become stronger,'' she answered without hesitation.


    He smirked, "So it all comes down to strength, huh?"


    Once he went back to his apartment, he was going to train again.


    *****


    Looking at the dozen bodies on the ground, Midnight felt so many emotions, sadness, guilt, regret.


    Each one of these vampires had once been her friend, vampires that she would spend time with, chat with.


    Pain, rage, vengeance.


    And yet it was taken by her? By these humans?


    She felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking back, she saw her grandmother. S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Despite being hundreds of years old, she was breathtakingly beautiful. Even though Midnight was only 8 years old at the time, she was instantly able to tell that her grandmother was a beauty¡­ a beauty that possessed immense strength, she had Ancient Blood, after all.


    "Why did they do that? Why did they attack us?" Midnight asked, unable to contain her tears.


    "Because we are demons," her grandmother spoke as she used her hand to brush off Midnight''s tears from her face.


    Then she extended her finger to a man that had been tied up and was unable to move as he watched the two vampires in horror.


    "And because they are humans," her voice became colder, more menacing¡ªemotionless.


    "So just because we are different, they attacked us? They killed so many of us?"


    Her grandmother closed her eyes as she placed her hand on Midnight''s head.


    "Dear¡­ the truth is, at least about us vampires, is that we are not that different from the humans¡­ in fact, there is only one difference between us two, and yet that difference was enough to attack us."


    "What is it? That difference?"


    Her grandmother looked at the sky, "I can''t tell you yet¡­ but honestly, it''s negligible at best¡­ and yet that difference was enough to make the humans so hostile towards us."


    Midnight''s grandmother placed both of her hands on Midnight''s cheeks as she rotated her head towards the tied-up man.


    It was clear that he wanted to scream but couldn''t, as there was a dirty cloth in his mouth, making it impossible to scream.


    "They attack us, and they will not stop. Can you repeat what is the number one rule I have taught you?"


    "Never trust anybody, especially humans."


    The old woman smiled, "Because?"


    "Because they will use every opportunity to take advantage of you," Midnight answered.


    Her grandmother clapped proudly, "That is right!"


    She took a step forward toward the man, who was trembling in fear.


    She pointed at him as she spoke, "We can release him¡­ but can we trust that he will not attack again?"


    The man tried to nod his head as if showing that he will never ever come back.


    "And when you think about¡­" the old woman pointed at the dozen bodies on the ground, all of whom Midnight once knew, "should we let this man walk free?"


    Midnight clenched her fist, "No¡­ he has to pay."


    "Then do it, make him pay," the grandmother took a step back as Midnight approached the man.


    Without hesitation, she buried her fangs in his neck as she began to drink his blood.


    Unlike the normal vampires, she was still small, so it would take her significantly longer to drink the man''s blood.


    All the man could do now was wait, feeling his blood slowly and painfully leave his body.


    Three hours later, the man was dead, as he had become whiter than a ghost.


    Midnight felt being lifted up, it was her grandmother.


    "Good work, Midnight! That is the way! That is the way for us vampires!"


    ¡­


    Slowly sitting up on her bed, Midnight placed a hand on her face as she realized she had begun to tear up.


    "Fuck... I hate dreaming about the past."


    She curled into a ball as she whimpered weakly.


    "Grandma¡­ I miss you... what should I do?"


    But alas, she was alone, so all she could do was silently cry, in her dark room, as her tears soaked into the sheets.

 Chapter 109 Familiar Faces, Hidden Truths

    "So yeah, in short, I won the fifth round and I have advanced to the sixth," Zaroth sighed as he glanced around the table. He was having lunch with his friends.


    "Isn''t it quite weird how it''s always you the first to get a fight in the rounds before us?" Zack pointed out.


    "Maybe they have some system for deciding, like based on names? That could explain it," Lily theorized.


    "Honestly, I''m getting sick of these fights. I want them to be over soon," Roran sighed as he leaned back in his chair.


    "What? It isn''t exciting at all?" Zaroth raised an eyebrow.


    "Yeah, pretty much, at least until now they have been relatively weak," Roran complained.


    "Well..." Zaroth grinned, "In a few hours comes the Live Combat Practice, right? Well... do you remember when I told you that Silverfang evolves? Well, recently his evolution was completed."


    "That''s good, I want to try and fight him," Lily spoke.


    Roran grimaced.


    "What? There''s nothing wrong with getting stronger!" Lily proclaimed.


    "Getting stronger..." Zack sighed as he looked at the ceiling.


    "Hm? Is something the matter?" Zaroth didn''t miss that his friend didn''t seem to be in a good mood.


    "Yeah... I just have a feeling that somebody is constantly watching me," Zack spoke.


    ''That came out of nowhere,'' Zaroth thought, but seeing the expression on Zack, it was clear that the man was serious.


    "You can talk to us, you know?" Lily spoke as she shifted her gaze to him.


    He scratched the back of his head, "There''s nothing to talk about. Maybe I''m just feeling paranoid." sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Zaroth scratched his chin, "If you''re paranoid, I know a way for you to calm down."


    Zack raised an eyebrow, "What is it?"


    Zaroth grinned, "After today''s lecture, we''re going to the library. There''s nothing more calming than reading a good book!"


    *****


    The time for the Live Combat Practice had come. The four of them got into position.


    Zaroth summoned Silverfang by his side.


    Lily''s eyes immediately widened.


    Zaroth didn''t miss that change, so he asked, "What is it?"


    "It just... he doesn''t look so... dead anymore?" she answered.


    It was true. After the evolution, most of the rot on his body was gone, and he appeared almost alive. That was certainly one of the changes the wolf had gone through.


    "Okay, boy, you know what to do," he spoke, and in the next second, Silverfang lunged at Lily.


    Zaroth opened his mouth in awe. This was the first time using Silverfang after his evolution, so he was surprised to see how fast the beast was able to run.


    Lily didn''t seem fazed as she made an ice pillar rise beneath her feet, lifting her higher in the room while simultaneously unleashing a few bolts of lightning at Silverfang


    The beast managed to dodge them as he jumped up, trying to reach Lily, but before he could, she made the pillar even taller, bringing her even higher, so Silverfang was unable to reach her.


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow. It wasn''t because he was impressed by Silverfang, but because he was impressed by Lily.


    From his friend group, she was the biggest mystery. He knew that Zack was most likely a knight class or something similar, and his god had something to do with blood. Roran, on the other hand, probably had the power to make things levitate, while his god''s blessing could be related to teleportation, because there was no other way to explain the swords Roran was able to make appear out of thin air.


    But what about Lily?


    She seemed to be able to use multiple elements proficiently. At first, he thought that she was some kind of sorcerer or mage, but from what he knew, a mage was limited to using one specific type of attack, whether it was fire, ice, earth, lightning, dark, or others.


    But she seemed to be able to use them all without any trouble...


    Zaroth had been going to the academy for some time now, and he had yet to learn of a class that was able to use so many attacks so easily.


    Of course, she could have just been trained to be proficient in all of these attacks, but for some reason, Zaroth doubted that.


    ''Not to mention that this is just class, I have no idea what her blessing actually is...''


    Usually, he wouldn''t be thinking about such things, but as he watched Lily without anything else for him to focus on, he got a feeling¡ªsomething very deep in his gut told him that she looked familiar.


    Almost too familiar.


    And the strangest thing was that every time he got that feeling, he seemed to forget about it soon after.


    ''Luna, am I missing something?''


    He asked her, but before she could answer, a loud roar made him shift his attention back to Silverfang. The beast was using the roar skill that he had used on Zaroth before.


    But it seemed that the beast had miscalculated, as using it meant that he would be bound to one place, and Lily, taking advantage of the opportunity, made several large ice pillars around the wolf and sent them toward him.


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    The beast screeched as he felt his body being pierced multiple times. Even though he was undead and would be fine, he was bound and unable to move.


    Silverfang had lost again to Lily.


    "He really has become stronger, maybe even a Rare beast," Lily exclaimed with a smile.


    Aside from her hair being messy, she was unscathed.


    "She is really strong..." Zaroth muttered under his breath. A second later, he raised an eyebrow.


    ''Luna, did I ask you something a second ago?''


    ''No, I don''t recall,'' she answered immediately.


    "Well, whatever. If I forget it, it''s probably not important anyway," he spoke as he took hold of two daggers. He had been thinking about it for some time, but he wanted to try and learn other weapons.


    He turned his gaze to Roran, who could control multiple weapons simultaneously¡ªmaking him the perfect sparring partner to learn the art of wielding several at once.


    Gripping the daggers, he dashed toward the man.


    It was time for some training.

 Chapter 110 Silent Training

    Opening the door, Roderic walked into the room. He grimaced as the smell of blood reached his nostrils.


    Shifting his gaze, he saw the four students fighting against one another, trying their best to kill each other as always.


    He clapped with his hands loudly to announce his entry.


    "Alright, this is enough! The class has ended!" He felt a slight regret as he would have liked to let the young ones fight each other as long as possible, thus becoming stronger, but unfortunately, his boss, Elysia, was right. There was a real danger of dying from overexertion.


    Hearing his words, the four students collapsed on the ground as they felt the room heal their wounds.


    "So? How did I do?" Zaroth asked weakly as he shifted his gaze to Roran.


    Roran smiled, "Not bad considering this was the first time you used two weapons at once, but your coordination is a mess. You''ll have to work on that." Experience new stories on My Virtual Library Empire


    Taking a few minutes to rest, the four stood up and went outside.


    "So you want me to go to the library?" Zack asked as he glanced at Zaroth.


    "Yes, I''m telling you, there is nothing more calming than reading a book in silence!"


    "If you say so,"


    Zaroth smiled, seeing that Zack had agreed, and shifted his gaze to Roran and Lily. "What about you guys? Will you come along?"


    "We can''t, we''re busy," Roran answered.


    "Maybe next time!" Lily spoke as she waved before the two disappeared from view.


    Zack sighed. "Okay, lead the way."


    *****


    "So this is it, huh?" Zack exclaimed as he glanced around the massive library.


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow. "What, haven''t you been here before?"


    Zack looked the other way, embarrassed. "I¡­ no, I haven''t," he admitted.


    "No worries, everything has a first time. Okay, let''s see¡­ what should we read?"


    "No, I''m okay, I''ll find something for myself to read," Zack spoke as he headed to the upper floor.


    ''Well, if he says he''s fine, I have to leave him alone, I guess,'' Zaroth thought as he began searching for a new book to read.


    "This one looks good!" The book was named ''The Art of Daggers,'' and considering that Zaroth had decided to learn how to use them, it was surely going to be a good read.


    He picked up the book and headed to the reading room.


    Placing his hand on the doorknob, he felt his heart beat faster. ''Would she be here?'' he wondered.


    Pushing the door open, he entered the room and scanned the area. There were a few students, which was a surprise, as usually the reading room was almost always empty with the exception of him and¡­


    "She isn''t here¡­" he sighed in disappointment.


    ''It was a pity. I hoped Midnight was here¡­'' he thought, but there wasn''t much he could do. So he sat at an empty table, opened the book, and began to read.


    ''There are multiple ways to wield a dagger. Some hide the weapons and use it only when the time is right to stab the enemy in the back. Others use it in conjunction with another weapon. For example, it is common for a swordsman to have a dagger in their non-dominant hand.


    And there''s also the option of wielding two, which would require you to get close to your target to injure them. As such, we will also talk about how to increase your running speed, as this will be helpful later¡­''


    Zaroth was focused on the book, diligently reading it and absorbing the information as much as possible.


    Even before the tournament had started, he had come to the conclusion that there were tons of techniques for him to learn. But there was just one problem.


    He lacked talent.


    And even if he didn''t, he would still need a lot of time to learn everything a fighting skill has to offer.


    So to save time, he would learn about 80% of the fighting style and disregard the rest.


    Rather than achieving true mastery of a subject, he would become proficient in countless areas.


    With time, the more things he became proficient at, the more potential paths would open to him, or at least, that was the plan.


    There was a saying, "Jack of all trades, master of none."


    But what most people didn''t know was that this wasn''t the whole saying. It was,


    "Jack of all trades, master of none, but oftentimes better than master of one."


    This was his goal to becoming stronger. This wasn''t just an idea that had come randomly in his head.


    In the future, when he fights the gods, they, as the gods themselves, would be the pinnacle of all existence. For instance, what would happen if Zaroth was only able to fight with a sword, and what if he fought against a god who was a master of sword fighting?


    The answer was simple. He would lose. He wasn''t dumb enough to think that he would be able to surpass the gods in their specialty, they were the gods, after all.


    But in that scenario, what if Zaroth wasn''t only able to use a sword? What if he was able to use every weapon there is? And if one added magic into the mix as well¡­


    He smiled darkly as his eyes narrowed.


    Even by just reading a simple book, he was able to feel himself becoming stronger, as the techniques discussed in it would be applicable if he fought with a spear or sword as well.


    He was interrupted as the chair across from him moved. Zaroth shifted his gaze only to see Zack.


    Moving his gaze to the book, he read the title, ''A Princess in Distress and the Forsaken.''


    Zack saw the grin on Zaroth''s face and grimaced as he asked, "What?"


    "Nothing¡­" Zaroth scoffed, "It''s just that I didn''t expect you to read romantic stories¡­"


    Zack took a deep breath, trying to hide the fact that his face had become a bit red from embarrassment. "I''m here to relax! Don''t judge me!"


    Zaroth shrugged. "Alright, alright, I''ll leave you alone."


    A silence befell them as they focused on their books.


    In contrast to all the things that had been happening to and around Zaroth, he found it refreshing to have a moment of peace.


    S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 111 Through the Eyes of the Unseen

    In the book, there weren''t only words, as there was even a very well-drawn illustrations of how one could move using a dagger, how to move the body in order to dodge, how to use the daggers to parry and block, and where the best place to strike was.


    ''The best place to strike would be where you would be able to pierce the artery in the human body. The graph here shows where they are located.''


    Zaroth carefully scanned the illustration as he made sure to remember every single detail that he could. ''This is surely going to be helpful, why wasn''t this in the other books?'' he wondered, but didn''t question it further as it was probably because each book had a different author, so each author would prioritize different things.


    ''So in general, this book talks about how to move fast and avoid attacks.''


    He was surprised by his reading speed as he saw that he had almost read the entire thing. It seemed that the amount of hours he had spent here reading had allowed him to read at an unnaturally fast pace.


    In the last page, it spoke about how important it was for dagger users to remain unseen as most of the time, those who used them were assassins.


    ''So, dear reader, I will recommend my other book, "Guide to Hide in Plain Sight." In it, we go into depth about why and how to be undetectable.''


    With a sigh, he closed the book. "How shameless, recommending your other books at the end of this one¡­ well, it''s not like I have a plan on what I am going to read now, so I guess I will pick it up later," he muttered as he glanced at Zack.


    Zack was about halfway done with the book. Zaroth didn''t want to interrupt him, but it was closing time.


    "You can finish it tomorrow," he spoke as he got up.


    "Hm? Is it closing time already?" Zack asked as he closed the book.


    "Yeah, time flies when you read, doesn''t it? I don''t understand why some people don''t read more often."


    "Lack of time, I guess," Zack shrugged as he walked towards the receptionists. Rather than going back tomorrow, he was going to rent it as he wanted to find out what happens next.


    Exiting the library, Zaroth smirked. "So, feeling better?"


    "Yeah, a bit, alright, we will meet tomorrow." Zack waved a hand as he began to head back.


    Taking a deep breath, Zack glanced at the night sky.


    A second later, he felt eyes on him, so he shifted his gaze to the place he felt it from.


    "¡­A raven? I may have become insane¡­ I think I need to sleep," he muttered as he continued his walk home.


    The raven tilted its head to the side, watching Zack closely with its bloodshot eyes.


    A moment later, it flew into the air, keeping low to the ground.


    *****


    A few days earlier.


    "Yes, there has been a change of plans, actually," the salesman spoke as he leaned back in his chair.


    "What is it?" David spoke irritably. He disliked being told what to do, but he didn''t have much of a choice at the moment.


    The salesman threw a photo on the table as he spoke. "Some rather unexpected things have happened, and we have to take care of them¡­ this one is the biggest thing we have to get rid of."


    David raised an eyebrow as he picked up the photo. On it was a man with black hair and white pupils.


    "I am not sure if you are aware, but a few years ago, there was a sudden rise at the White Fang clan as their leader was killed and replaced by his own brother."


    David scoffed, "Yes, I''ve heard rumors, what about it?"


    "Well, apparently the former owner had a son, and the current owner wants to get rid of the boy as he thinks it will cause too many problems in the future."


    "So? Just why don''t they kill him themselves?"


    The salesman smiled at David''s na?ve question. "Because politics don''t work that way, boy. If they do it, they would surely leave traces behind, and these traces could cause them trouble. As such, they have required the emperor for help. And his majesty, wanting to take advantage of the moment and put them in our debt, has given us this mission."


    The salesman shifted his gaze to the thing wearing human skin. "And who is the best fit for the job if not you, my friend? A human''s work will easily be traced¡­ but what about a demon?"


    The thing shifted its gaze from the window to the salesman as if silently judging him.


    Meanwhile, David''s eyes widened in shock. He knew that the thing wasn''t human, but he thought they weren''t supposed to acknowledge it. ''So I guess he also knew. Is that why the thing joined us?''


    "So you want me to get rid of the boy?" the thing asked. Its voice lacked any kind of emotion.


    "Yes."


    "And my reward?"


    The salesman smiled. "Soon. The emperor would grant you what you wish for."


    "Then I accept."


    The thing walked towards the table as it picked up the photo and looked at it.


    "Anything I should know beforehand?"


    Seeing it from so close, David shuddered as he realized the thing wasn''t even breathing.


    "His name originally was Zackarion Valscar Stormcaller Keeper of the Blood Oath, but due to the actions of his family and his clan, he has discarded his name and goes by a new pseudonym, Zack." Your next read is at My Virtual Library Empire S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    *****


    Leaving the body of the man it had gained in the cave, it managed to enter the body of a raven.


    Once it did, it quickly began to study the man from afar.


    Learning his route, his hobbies, his strengths and weaknesses.


    Waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.


    All in the name of strength.


    All in the name of evolving to Archdemon.


    Soon, once it got what it wanted from the emperor, it would have everything it needed to complete its plan.


    The time of destruction was slowly approaching.

 Chapter 112 The Unbreakable Flame

    Putting his finger on the page, he turned it over.


    Draconis smiled as his eyes shined with golden color, "This book just got interesting¡­"


    He was completely engrossed, until the old antique clock began to ring, it was exactly the middle of the night.


    With a sigh of regret, he closed the book as he stood up.


    "How many times will I try to do it? It seems that I may have underestimated her¡­"


    It is not like it was going to hurt a lot to try again, so he exited his room.


    His footsteps created faint echoes that spread around the grand hallways of the castle.


    He couldn''t help but stop and glance out the window, staring at the beautiful full moon.


    Smiling darkly, he spoke, "Well, if there is a time it is going to work, it is now. The moon is full and the sun is the furthest away it could be."


    Reaching a door that led to the prison cells, he opened it and began to quietly descend.


    He quickly reached the first underground floor.


    "Please! Your Majesty, I have sinned and I admit it! Please give me a chance to serve you once again!"


    "My child! What did you do to my child, you monster?!"


    "Mom? Dad? Where are you?"


    Ignoring the cries of the fools that had dared to break the law, he descended to the second underground floor.


    In it, despite being hundreds of inmates, there wasn''t a single cry, everybody was waiting for their end, knowing they couldn''t change the outcome no matter how hard they tried.


    The first floor was for people with minor offenses, the second one was for those who had committed inexcusable acts that, no matter what, couldn''t be forgiven¡ªsome of them had murdered the innocent, badmouthed the emperor and his family, and the worst of all, not paying their taxes.


    Draconis, not paying them any attention, descended to the last floor.


    He stopped before a grand door, made from the hardest diamonds and reinforced with titanium¡ªnothing less than a god would be able to break these gates.


    He removed the key from the necklace around his neck, slid it into the socket, and turned it, unlocking the gates.


    Once he did, inhumane cries reached his ears. The air stank of rotten flesh and blood.


    Looking as if it didn''t bother him at all, he entered and closed the gates behind him as he took a step forward.


    He shifted his gaze from cell to a cell. There were dozens¡­ hundreds¡­ thousands of creatures that had once been human.


    But not anymore.


    "Guah!" A humanoid creature extended its hand from the titanium bars as it tried to grab the emperor''s hand.


    He smirked at the gesture as he glanced at the disfigured human.


    "So your pills do work after all¡­"


    Navigating the large chamber that was constructed like a maze didn''t take long, he stopped in front of a large titanium door.


    Draconis cracked his fingers one by one, getting mentally ready for what was about to happen.


    "Let''s see what you can do without your sun," he muttered as he unlocked the door and entered.


    Immediately, he felt the air becoming unbearably hot as he was forced to take deep breaths of air.


    His skin became hotter and hotter as it slowly started to melt under the temperatures.


    Smiling like he wasn''t feeling pain at all, he glanced at the woman that was chained across from him.


    Long, glowing orange hair with captivating crimson eyes. Despite being chained down with dozens of titanium chains, she somehow managed to preserve her graceful figure.


    Solara Virelia, the sole princess of the Crimson Sun Empire.


    The sun was the furthest it could possibly be, and the moon was full, yet the woman still managed to create flames so hot that the emperor was slowly getting cooked alive.


    ''A monster, she is a fucking monster,'' he couldn''t help but curse in his mind.


    It was truly a miracle that his army¡ªeven if they had lost thousands of men¡ªhad managed to capture her. In fact, the only way it was made possible was because of Draconis''s plan.


    Not daring to get too close to the woman, he spoke, "How does the princess feel? Is our humble empire to your liking?" Stay connected with My Virtual Library Empire


    Solara scoffed at his words, "You came here when the sun is down? Who knew the emperor was a bigger coward than they made him out to be."


    Draconis grimaced at her insult but didn''t comment on it.


    "Get it over with," Solara spoke as she glanced into the emperor''s eyes. "I can''t wait to see you writhing in pain after you fail again."


    Draconis closed his eyes and focused, preparing to attempt to read her thoughts once again. The few times he had tried before, his mind had been scorched, as it seemed Solara''s flames extended even to her mind.


    So the last hope was today¡ªas the sun was the furthest it could be, and the moon was full, she was in the weakest state she could be.


    In the empty room, Solara''s laughter echoed.


    And a second later, Draconis gasped in pain as he placed his hand on his head.


    "Another failure¡­" he muttered in frustration.


    "So you seem to be unable to read my mind. Now what? Are you planning to get rid of me?"


    Draconis, after taking a few seconds to recover from the pain, grimaced as he glanced at the princess in front of him.


    ''Despite the danger to her life, she still smiles, unbothered.''


    He scoffed as he spoke, "Don''t be ridiculous. Even if I can''t access your thoughts, you still are the only princess they have, so you will surely be a valuable bargaining chip."


    "Pathetic to the end, I see," Solara spat on the ground. A second later, the spit evaporated due to the high temperatures in the room.


    Draconis didn''t pay her any attention as he closed the door and locked it, leaving her alone.


    After the emperor got a safe distance away, Solara sighed as she retracted her crimson flames.


    No matter how strong she was, she couldn''t keep using her powers indefinitely. S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As the room became pitch black, she shifted her gaze to the ceiling.


    Usually, even in the most inhumane prisons, there was at least a source of light, but in this case, it seemed that she wasn''t even provided with this much comfort.


    She smirked as she cursed, "Once I get out of these chains, I will burn you and your empire to the ground."

 Chapter 113 Breaking the Routine

    With a grunt, Zaroht opened his eyes.


    It was another day.


    "Oh, I really don''t want to get up!" he complained as he massaged his forehead.


    The bed that he spent a small fortune on was good¡­ too damned good! Now, Zaroth had to fight abattle each morning he woke up, as he didn''t want to get up.


    The softness of the mattress was simply perfect, as it embraced his body, making him not want to get up.


    "Stand up, honey."


    Hearing the alluring voice of Luna, he grimaced, ''Oh, she is going to bother me ag¡ª''


    He couldn''t finish his thought as his nostrils smelled something delicious, so naturally, his eyes followed the scent.


    Unintentionally, his mouth opened a bit in awe as he struggled to contain his emotions.


    In front of him was Luna, wearing a simple black apron that was tight around her body. But the thing that excited him wasn''t the apron itself, but rather the fact that she wasn''t wearing anything underneath.


    He gulped audibly. "What are you doing?" he barely managed to mutter.


    She raised an eyebrow as she pointed to the tray with pancakes that she was carrying in her left hand.


    "Breakfast, what else?" she spoke casually as she put it on the table.


    ''Is this some strange tactic to get me out of the bed?'' he wondered to himself.


    He might have questioned its effectiveness, but before he even realized it, he was already on his feet.


    His gaze wasn''t on the delicately cooked pancakes, however, as it was locked on her body, or more exactly, on the side of her body, as that part was naked.


    Her breasts were visible from the side, as well as her bottom.


    Before he realized it, he had already extended his arm forward with the intention to undress the apron from Luna''s body and expose her body in all its glory.


    Before he could, however, she grasped his hand with her own as she smiled flirtatiously.


    "Didn''t we agree that you will see me naked only after being able to do 100 pull-ups?"


    He frowned at the question, it seemed that he had almost forgotten it. It wasn''t like he was far from reaching the goal, as he was able to do 60 now.


    Of course, Luna being his beast, he could have simply ordered her to undress and she would have no choice but to comply, but Zaroth wasn''t that kind of man. Even if he was living for his desires, he wouldn''t force someone to do that, no matter if it was a human or his beast.


    The reason was simple, it would be much more pleasurable to get certain things when both parties wanted them. So he was content to wait until he reached the number that he and Luna had agreed on before.


    With a sigh, he sat on the chair and brought the pancakes to his mouth.


    "Shit, this is good! I didn''t know you could cook so well! Why was I the one that did the cooking until now?!"


    She simply smiled at the question as she sat in the chair and watched him eat silently.


    Even the act of simply sitting¡ªespecially considering her current clothes¡ªmade his blood hotter, so he tried not to pay her any attention as he shifted his gaze to the bed.


    A second later, realization hit him.


    ''Huh¡­ this time I didn''t struggle to get up¡­ was this her plan all along?''


    Find adventures at My Virtual Library Empire


    *****


    "Zack is late," Roran muttered as he glanced around the lecture room.


    It was two minutes before the lecture began, and Zack was nowhere to be seen, which was rare since the man was usually always on time. Even Zaroth was here before Zack, which was certainly a rarity.


    "Hello, guys," just a minute before the lecture began, Zack appeared.


    Everybody shifted their gaze to him.


    "Hey, man, why do you have dark circles under your eyes? Stayed all night reading that book you rented?" Zaroth asked.


    Zack always scratched the back of his head.


    "No, actually, it was just that I felt like I was being stared at the whole night, so I couldn''t get a wink."


    Before the others could ask for more, Elysia entered the room, and everybody became silent, it seemed that conversation was for later.


    *****


    The time for lunch had arrived, so after picking a table to sit on, everybody concentrated on Zack.


    "You can speak with us if something''s amiss, you know?" Lily''s voice carried a hint of worry.


    Zack laughed awkwardly. "No, really, it''s just all in my head, probably¡­"


    "I doubt it,"


    Roran responded, catching Zack off guard.


    "What exactly are you worried about? Even if your paranoia was just in your head, there was a reason for it to exist in the first place, right?" Roran, despite speaking coldly, was clear that he was worried about his friend.


    "Well, truth be told, you can say that I don''t have the best relationship with my family¡­" Zack admitted as he glanced at the ceiling.


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow. "How bad are we talking?"


    "Well¡­ it''s possible that they want me dead¡­ so much so that they have assigned someone to do the job."


    Everybody''s eyes on the table widened but failed to find the words to comfort the man.


    Zaroth had trouble imagining such a scenario. His mother¡ªhis family¡ªwas one of the most important things in his life, so much so that he spent so long looking after her before she died. So trying to imagine his mother hating him wasn''t something that he could do.


    At that moment, he realized how little he truly knew about his friends. Of course, as all of them had agreed that they weren''t going to share certain things, he wasn''t going to press for answers, just as they didn''t press him. But it still felt shitty, considering they were friends.


    He still remembered the moment when all of them went above and beyond to transform him into a mature person, just so he wouldn''t embarrass himself on the date with Elysia. Actually, it was quite possible that the only reason he was able to taste her lips in the first place was because of his friends'' efforts to prepare him as much as possible. So, he wanted to return their kindness.


    At the end, Roran sighed. "Well¡­ you don''t seem certain, so I take it you don''t have any proof?"


    Zack shrugged, showing that he didn''t.


    "So let''s assume that it''s in your head, we have to make you calm down somehow," Roran spoke.


    "And if you say that you feel eyes watching you, there is always a chance that what you suspect is correct. As such, it''s better if we go somewhere away from the public. That way, if someone is following you, we''ll be able to sense them." Lily joined in. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "So it has to be a quiet place that can help him relax and also be away from people?" Roran muttered as he massaged his forehead, trying to come up with a solution.


    "Actually, I have an idea."


    Everybody shifted their gaze at Zaroth, awaiting his next words.


    "There''s one thing that I''ve always wanted to try but never had the chance to¡ª I say let''s go fishing."

 Chapter 114 A Drink to Forget

    After the lectures were over, they went out to buy fishing rods. Zaroth, despite spending a lot of his money on the bed as well as in the bar, still had a lot left over, so he didn''t have a problem buying one of the most premium fishing rods.


    "So? Where are we supposed to go now?" Lily asked.


    "Well, we bought the fishing rods as well as the bait, so I guess it''s time we went and found a river."


    Because they wanted some peace and quiet, they exited the capital. It didn''t take them long until they spotted a nice-looking river in the forest. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Zaroth observed his surroundings to make sure that they were alone, but not a single human was in sight, so it was safe to assume that nothing was following them. Of course, that didn''t mean that he was going to let his guard down.


    Zack took a deep breath as he sat on a large rock and shifted his gaze to the river.


    Roran sat next to him, looking at his fishing rod, trying to understand how the thing functioned.


    "So, do you feel better?"


    Zack didn''t shift his gaze from the river as he answered, "I think so? I''m not sure anymore¡­"


    "You told us that your family is most likely trying to kill you, right? Then my question is, what do you want to do with them?" Roran asked.


    Zack didn''t answer. The only thing he did was menacingly smile as his eyes shined brighter than before. This gave Roran all the information he needed.


    "Hey, I''m going for a walk," Lily spoke from behind them.


    Roran shifted his gaze to her. "Then I''m coming with you."


    "No, you''re not."


    He raised an eyebrow. "You know that there''s no way I''m going to leave you alone in the forest, Lily."


    Zaroth shifted his gaze between Lily and Roran. ''Is she trying to leave us three alone so we can talk it out?'' he wondered. But it didn''t look like it would work, as Roran wasn''t willing to let her go alone.


    With a sigh, Zaroth flicked his fingers.


    A second later, Silverfang appeared, slowly approaching Lily, per his master''s command.


    "If Silverfang is with her, then it should be fine, right?"


    Roran grimaced for a moment but then nodded.


    Lily flashed a smile at Zaroth as thanks, then disappeared into the forest alongside Silverfang.


    Zaroth took a deep breath as he approached Roran and Zack, sitting close to them. He didn''t really get the whole fishing thing, but he wanted to try it. His mother often told him that his father loved doing it, so Zaroth had always wanted to try the activity for himself.


    He gripped the rod, pulled it back, and flicked it forward. The line sailed through the air, landing with a soft splash in the water.


    ''I think this is how you''re supposed to do it?''


    Zack and Roran did the same motion, then patiently awaited. From now on, it was a waiting game.


    ''So this is peaceful?'' Zaroth asked himself, not really getting the whole point but persisting nonetheless. He wasn''t going to give up so soon.


    Zack wasn''t saying anything, as he was gazing at the still water, hopefully starting to feel better.


    Shifting his gaze to Roran, Zaroth saw that the man was grinning for some reason.


    "What''s so funny?" he asked.


    Roran glanced at him before speaking. "I''m just glad that I got us prepared."


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, ''prepared''?"


    Without saying anything, Roran let go of his fishing rod with one hand as he used it to search something in the bag he had carried.


    Zaroth''s eyes widened. ''No way, this mad¡ª''


    Before he could finish his thought, Roran pulled out an expressive-looking bottle of whiskey.


    "We''re here to relax. Not to mention, one of the most important things to do when you''re fishing is to get something to drink."


    "Well, it''s not like I''m going to argue or anything¡­"


    Before the two of them could react, Zack grabbed the bottle from Roran''s hands as he opened it and began to drink greedily.


    After a few seconds, he was done and handed it to Roran. "Thanks, I needed that."


    ''Well, at least this is going to be relaxing,'' Roran thought as he began to drink as well.


    *****


    Half of the bottle was already gone, and the three of them were engaged in their chat.


    "But man, I don''t get it. Why do you feel so certain that you were being watched?" Zaroth muttered as he placed a hand on Zack''s shoulder.


    The man scoffed before answering, "Because! I''m trained, so unlike you two, I always feel when someone is watching me! It''s just that it seems I may have been wrong as of late¡­"


    "You!" Roran was about to speak, but suddenly he caught something, so he used his arms to pull the fish toward him.


    A second later, both Zack and Zaroth were laughing their asses off at Roran, as it seemed that he got nothing.


    "This is bullshit! How is that relaxing in the slightest?!" Roran complained as he threw his rod to the ground. "We''ve been going at it for more than two hours already and we''ve yet to catch anything!"


    Zack mimicked his motion as he stood up. "Yeah! You tell me. It seems the actual relaxing thing is just getting drunk!"


    "You give up too soon!" Zaroth scolded them, still not letting go of the rod.


    "Just give me that!" Zack shouted as he picked up the bottle and took a large sip of it.


    A moment later, he lay on the ground, finding it hard to move his body.


    Roran was sitting, resting his back next to a large rock, looking at the bottle on the ground. He wanted to take a sip or two, but couldn''t be bothered to get up.


    And Zaroth was laughing at them, though he tried not to be too loud, not wanting to scare the fish.


    It certainly wasn''t what he envisioned would happen when they went fishing, but at least Zack seemed to be in a better mood.


    Actually, was it smart to get drunk to forget about your problems? Wasn''t it a better idea to deal with them rather than running from them?


    These weren''t the questions the men asked themselves, as they were too young to think like that.


    All they knew was that alcohol numbed the pain, so they would use it, no matter if it harmed them in the long term. They had yet to grasp what the long term even was.


    It was peaceful as Zaroth''s laughter echoed through the surroundings.


    That was until Luna''s words made his spine turn cold. Experience more tales on My Virtual Library Empire


    ''We are being watched.''

 Chapter 115 The Silent Predator

    Zaroth''s hand trembled a bit, but otherwise, he didn''t move.


    ''What do you mean we are being watched?'' he asked Luna calmly.


    ''I wasn''t looking or paying attention until now, but just a moment ago I sensed bloodlust,'' she answered.


    Zaroth checked his connection with Silverfang to make sure that Lily was okay.


    He didn''t have much experience with feeling the connections with his beast that were away, as the only one far away from him was that wolf that he had permitted to live in the forest alongside its family.


    Lily was currently riding on Silverfang as he ran. It was clear that they were having a good time, so they weren''t in danger.


    Which was good.


    But this meant that the bloodlust that Luna had felt had been directed at them,


    Which wasn''t good.


    Zack picked up on the way Zaroth''s body tensed, so he asked, "What? Caught something?"


    Zaroth didn''t humor him as he shifted his gaze slightly, speaking coldly,


    "Arm yourselves."


    Before he could even realize it, Zack was already on his feet. Due to the ability to manipulate his blood, he was also able to get rid of most of the alcohol in his body within seconds.


    He had summoned his blood sword as his gaze shifted around the trees frantically, cursing inwardly. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''FUCK! If Zaroth said that, it means that he had felt something, too. It seems that I wasn''t wrong to think that I was being targeted!''


    Roran had already gotten up as well. He had experience with drinking, so truthfully, the amount they had drunk was too pitiful to knock him out cold. He was just pretending to be more drunk than he really was.


    Zaroth had his back against the river, holding his spear tightly in his hands.


    An eerie silence befell the surface of the river, as even the water seemed to stay silent, not wanting to disturb what was going to happen next.


    A few seconds passed in silence until Zack managed to ask Zaroth, "What is it?"


    "Bloodlust,"


    Upon hearing the answer, the expressions of both Roran and Zack darkened.


    In truth, it had always been part of the plan¡ªthough they''d never spoken it aloud. If they could get drunk, or at least make it look like they had, and if someone was indeed tailing them, they''d use the opening to strike.


    And as Luna had seen that there was bloodlust directed at them, it seemed that the plan worked.


    Now, the only problem was finding the target and eliminating them.


    ''Where is it?! Do you still feel it?!'' he asked Luna as he searched for anything amiss, but no matter how hard he looked, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The bushes nearby weren''t hiding anything.


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    The only things that moved were the trees in the wind and the raven that seemed to have landed on one of said trees.


    ''It is still here, not only that but it has clear sight of us. If it can see us, we can see it. Find it!''


    "FUCK!" he cursed as he searched frantically, scanning every spot, every corner, every shadow, but no matter how hard he looked, he couldn''t find a spot where a human could have hidden and remained undetected.


    It was, of course, possible that said human was able to become invisible, who knew what kind of class and blessing the assassin sent to hunt Zack had?


    But if that was the case, there wasn''t anything they could do, so Zaroth was left with the option to search for anything in sight that seemed suspicious.


    But there was nothing! No matter how skilled, a human will not be able to hide under the three men''s gaze¡ª


    Suddenly, Zaroth''s eyes widened as he remembered something.


    He didn''t have much time, but yesterday he had found an hour free, so he went to the library and picked a specific book. ''Guide to Hide Even in Plain Sight.''


    One of the first paragraphs had jumped out at him.


    ''The best way to hide in plain sight is for your enemy to not even realize you are their enemy, so that even if their gaze falls upon you, they will not pay you any attention.''


    What was the one thing that Zaroth''s gaze fell upon a moment ago, but he didn''t spare it a second thought?


    Only one thing came to mind.


    Before he even realized it, he had tensed his muscles, pushing them to their limits, his eyes narrowing like a hunter''s as they glowed with menacing energy.


    The ground beneath his feet cracked as he sent the spear flying with devastating speed, much faster than an arrow.


    In a blink of an eye, the spear collided with the raven that had been resting on a tree, warily watching.


    Just now did Zaroth notice that the bird had bloodshot eyes¡ªones that no normal animal would have had.


    The tree branches moved due to the shockwave caused by Zaroth''s throw.


    Yet once the spear pierced the body of the raven, the animal didn''t move.


    Its eyes were still locked onto the trio.


    The three men were watching the bird, dumbfounded, not knowing how to react.


    A second later, the bird screeched and flew away, its body still impaled by Zaroth''s spear.


    The bird moved several times faster than a human could run, so it disappeared from view.


    "Did¡­ were we watched by the bird the entire time?" Roran asked in disbelief.


    Zack dissolved his blood sword as he sat on the cold rocks behind him. He sighed in relief as he spoke, "It''s gone¡­ I don''t feel like we are being stared at anymore."


    At that moment, Lily appeared out of the bushes. She saw how Zack was sitting on the ground, clutching his head. Roran had summoned a few of his heavenly swords, and Zaroth''s spear, the one he always carried with him, was missing.


    "What happened?" she asked.


    In the end, Roran responded, "A bird happened. A very, very cunning bird."

 Chapter 116 A Heart Unseen

    They quickly brought Lily up to speed.


    "So you are saying all this time we were being watched by a raven?" she muttered in disbelief.


    "It looks like it," Roran spoke as he massaged his forehead.


    "So is it safe to assume that Zack was really being followed?" Zaroth sat on the ground and went back to his fishing.


    "I doubt it was going to watch for long¡­" Zack spoke as he lay on the ground. Now that he was no longer being stared at constantly, he felt like he was going to drift to sleep any moment.


    "I think it is safe to assume that the person that has been sent to watch over Zack is some kind of beast tamer like Zaroth," Lily sighed.


    "Not necessarily, I impaled my spear in its body and yet it reacted like it didn''t feel anything at all. It is possible that they aren''t a beast master but something else¡­" Zaroth shifted his gaze to the calm river.


    "Don''t worry about it," Zack stated, catching everybody off guard.


    "If I knew that there''s a possibility I''ve been watched by a raven, I would''ve just killed all of the suspicious animals in the area. Nevertheless, thank you for the help. From now on, I am fairly certain that I will be fine on my own."


    Before anybody could protest, Zack was out cold, the exhaustion overwhelmed him.


    A silence fell upon the river as nobody knew what to say, until Zaroth suddenly exclaimed.


    "I caught something!" he spoke as he began to pull the fish toward himself.


    *****


    The spear was surprisingly light¡­ or maybe the thing was just too strong to care that there was a spear embedded in its body.


    "I didn''t expect to encounter such resistance¡­ That boy with the white hair, I''m pretty sure he was the one that the salesman gave the pills to, saying that he worked for Elysia."


    The raven flew close to the ground so nobody even realized it was there.


    "Should I inform the salesman that the boy is a beast tamer? Not only that, but I''m pretty sure that the wolf he summoned was dead."


    The raven stopped on the roof of a building, and black matter began to leak from its eyes and mouth as the body of the raven seemed to twitch uncontrollably.


    The black mass that exited from the lifeless body of the raven entered into the shaft of the building.


    Moving quietly and steadily, it spotted a human sleeping on the couch.


    Without hesitation, the black matter exited the shafts as it plunged into the open, snoring mouth of the man.


    The man woke up, feeling the alien entity entering his body, but it was too late. It didn''t even take a dozen seconds for the man to die as the black entity took control of him.


    It already had experience controlling humans, so it didn''t take long to adjust. It was now able to move freely with no restraints.


    "No, why should I help them in any sort of way? I''m just here for that thing the man they call the emperor possesses. It''s not like I''ll be rewarded in any way, shape, or form if I helped them by saying one of their potential enemies is a beast master." The being muttered under its breath, its voice lacking any kind of emotion.


    The being glanced around the room. It seemed that it was in a luxurious room. It was clear the man had been wealthy before passing away.


    "I should go and report that I will have trouble getting rid of that man they call Zack, but that can wait a bit. They will still think that I am on his trail."


    The being''s thoughts were interrupted as it felt a fragile hand pull on its leg.


    "Dad? Are you okay?"


    Shifting its gaze, the being saw a small girl carrying a plushie.


    ''The man seems to have been a father,'' the thing thought as it asked the girl.


    "What do you want?"


    The girl seemed startled for a moment by the emotionless voice of her father, but didn''t pull away.


    "I''m just¡­ I''m scared there are monsters under my bed!" she spoke as her eyes seemed to tear up.


    ''It will not be hard to kill her, but it would be troublesome if someone figured it out and an investigation began. This is the capital, after all, so they''ll take the killing much more seriously. They may even send some Purifiers, and this will be a pain to deal with.''


    As such, the being decided to play along for a while.


    "Then why don''t you ask your mother? I''m busy."


    Hearing him speak about her mother, she hugged his leg and began to cry her eyes out.


    "You meanie! You know she isn''t with us anymore!"


    Irritably, the being massaged its forehead.


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    ''This is going to be more troublesome than it''s worth.'' S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    *****


    A nice smell reached Zack''s nostrils, so he woke up. It was the middle of the night, and the sky was painted with countless stars.


    ''Reminds me of the book I read not that long ago,'' he thought as he shifted his gaze to where the scent was coming from.


    Zaroth, Roran, and Lily were standing around a fire as they grilled fish. It seemed they had managed to catch something.


    Zaroth was the first one to see him, so he greeted him.


    "Hey, you''re finally awake."


    With a grunt, Zack stood up and walked toward them.


    He sat next to the fire, feeling its warmth.


    "Who caught these?" he asked.


    From the way Zaroth grinned proudly, it was clear who had.


    Zack chuckled as his gaze shifted to the beautiful flames of the fire.


    It wasn''t something he often spoke about, but he loved to watch flames. The hotter the fire, the better.


    Taking a deep breath, he spoke. "I¡­ want to thank you all for taking me seriously. I mean, I wouldn''t have blamed you if you took me for some lunatic who thought he was constantly being watched."


    Zaroth scoffed, "That''s what friends are for, right?" he spoke as he handed Zack a branch on which a fish was impaled and cooked perfectly.


    Zack took it without saying anything.


    ''Friends¡­''


    He had been disregarded by his family. No, even worse, he was actively being hunted by them. So much of his life, he had spent looking at people with doubt, wondering when they would stab him in the back. As a result, he never got closer to anybody.


    He shifted his gaze to his friends. Lily was petting Silverfang on the head.


    Meanwhile, the beast was trying to get a portion of Zaroth''s food, so the man began to curse as a result.


    And Roran was watching them silently, the bottle of whiskey in his left hand, but he wasn''t drinking at all, just enjoying the moment.


    Before he realized it, Zack''s eyes began to tear up a bit.


    "I guess I''m really lucky, am I not?" he whispered quietly so nobody would be able to hear, and took a bite out of the fish.


    He was going to forget about his problems today. He desperately needed a break anyway.

 Chapter 117 The Deceivers Path

    After their dinner, they all went to sleep as Zaroth kept Silverfang summoned to alert them of any suspicious activity, such as ravens or similar appearances.


    Thankfully, it seemed that whatever had followed them had given up for now, as they didn''t see it again.


    The next morning, they went back to the capital to attend their lectures.


    Zaroth didn''t have time to shower as he had just barely managed to arrive in time, and the same was true for his friends as well.


    Thankfully, because Elysia was the one holding the lecture, most of the students were a few rows back, so nobody would be able to sense that Zaroth was smelling like fish . sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "That is why once the blessing had be¡ª"


    He massaged his forehead despite Elysia teaching the first class. It was about history, so as such, he found himself bored and thinking about what he had to do.


    ''First, I threw away my spear, so I will have to buy one. Once I do, most of my credits would be gone¡­ I don''t think it would be wise to ask Elysia for more, considering that she gave me a lot recently.''


    Of course, there was the option that she could give him some kind of a job for more credits, but honestly, he didn''t like the idea of having to do one more of her weird jobs.


    Who knew? She could send him somewhere even more extreme than last time, like the center of an active volcano.


    "So does anyone have an idea why so little is known about the demons?" Elysia asked as she observed the students in the room.


    Pushing past his fear that he felt from the chairwoman, a timid boy with glasses raised his hand.


    Elysia pointed at him, and he began to explain.


    "The reason is that demons are fundamentally different from us humans. As such, we are in very bad relationships with them. It would be too dangerous for someone to go and try and investigate, meaning that the only way to learn more is by outright invading. But starting a war against beings that we know so little about is suicide, so no Empire has yet to do it."


    Elysia smiled in satisfaction as she spoke. "That is correct. I just want to add¡ª"


    ''A demon¡­'' Hearing the word, Zaroth immediately remembered Midnight and the way the symbol on his hand had begun to shine when she was in danger, last time.


    He, of course, had asked her what could be the reason, but she made it clear that she didn''t have a clue. Because demons and humans were so separated, and because she hated them, she not only didn''t think that she would make a deal with one, but she had refused to even learn how the deals worked.


    So in the end, since they didn''t have much of a clue, they simply thought that it was because she had been in danger and didn''t think much about it.


    Zaroth himself, being curious, had tried to check in the library, but even after reading so many of the books on the topic, nothing came up.


    It was all just useless things that were either theories or flat-out wrong.


    ''Forget about it, I will focus on learning how to use two daggers¡­ It has also been a long time since I''ve learned a new skill. It will not be a bad idea to start now, as it will take time. I should be careful not to become too cocky. There is always the possibility that I will lose in the tournament.''


    At the end, this was his plan, train with the daggers while simultaneously learning a new spell.


    ''The question is, what spell?''


    Elysia cleared her throat loudly, and Zaroth almost jumped out of his seat, startled.


    She was looking at him like she was waiting for something.


    ''Shit! Did she ask me something?! I was so zoned out, I didn''t hear anything!''


    A few seconds passed in silence, so he smiled awkwardly as he scratched the back of his head.


    "Can you repeat that?"


    She sighed in disappointment. Continue reading at My Virtual Library Empire


    It was going to be a long day.


    *****


    "This sure is a weird creature," the black thing thought as it stared at the girl who was sleeping peacefully.


    It had taken the body of her father, yet she didn''t seem to show that she could sense the difference in personality at all.


    Was it because her father had been emotionless before the thing took over? Or was it because she was just too young to sense the difference?


    "No matter, she is asleep, so I better get going¡ª" the thing muttered but then stopped.


    "I did decide that I am going to pretend to follow that man, Zack, right? If they learn that I would need extra help to kill the man, they would send somebody else with me, which would be trouble. The more they know about my abilities, the less advantage I will have¡­ I guess I can take it easy for a while. Who knows, I might even learn where the emperor is keeping that thing I need and take it without having to go through all that trouble¡­"


    The question was that if it was going to take it easy, it would have to blend with the people and try not to arouse suspicion. But that wasn''t an easy task, as fooling humans was hard.


    "Actually," the thing murmured as it gazed at the sleeping girl.


    "If I play the part of her father, surely no one would suspect me, right?"


    It was going to be weird at first, but in the long run, it could prove to be beneficial. The more it knew about humans, the easier it could fool them, after all.


    "Mom, I''m sorry," the girl muttered under her breath as she slept. It seemed that she was having a nightmare.


    The thing smiled darkly. "Am I supposed to console her or something?"


    It muttered as it exited the room.


    "She is sleeping, it''s not like it will have any meaning anyway."


    It seemed its life pretending to be a father had begun.

 Chapter 118 The Chain of Command

    After the lectures were over, it was time for the Physical Body Training.


    "Come on! My grandmother can run faster than you maggots!" the instructor was screaming at the students as usual, but it seemed that, unlike before, now they managed to keep up running the whole way without stopping for rest.


    Even the ones that were part of the Mage category seemed to have become more resilient, as their stamina was not running out so fast anymore.


    Seeing that the students were able to keep up, the bald instructor smiled as he shouted. This time, his voice carried a sense of pride.


    "Ten more reps, maggots!"


    There was some grumbling behind Zaroth, but in the end, everyone made all the laps without stopping.


    Taking ragged breaths, Zaroth glanced around.


    Most were on the ground, resting their bodies, while he was still here, standing on his two feet, unshaken.


    "I really have become stronger¡­" he muttered under his breath.


    After the training, they took a quick shower, had lunch, and went to the next lecture.


    The woman that was lecturing the class spoke clearly as she explained the material.


    "Now we have the class that is loved by a certain type of people," she wrote the word pyromancer on the whiteboard.


    Zaroth didn''t miss how Zack''s eyes seemed to shine as he stared at the word, but he didn''t think much of it. Continue your saga on My Virtual Library Empire


    ''Fire¡­'' Thinking about the element, it made him remember the two skills he had mastered up until now.


    Both of them were fire-related, and he had managed to learn them only thanks to his connection with Luna. Was it time to broaden his horizons or try to learn another fire-type spell?


    It was a tough choice, and Zaroth didn''t really have a lot of time to figure it out.


    He wanted to at least start learning a new skill before the next round of the tournament began, but at the same time, he wasn''t sure if it was wise to rush the process.


    ''Well, at least my core seems to have gotten stronger¡­'' he thought.


    Not only was he able to support all the wolves summoned at the same time, but he had also been meditating diligently, slowly connecting sparks to his core. sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    At this point, they had grown to more than 10,000, but he had begun to experience some kind of wall, as it seemed harder to find more sparks within himself and connect them to his core.


    ''Well, at least I shouldn''t be stuck on what I am planning to learn next,'' he thought as his eyes shined.


    The lecture ended, so it was time for the Live Combat Practice.


    Without hesitation, he went to the weapons on display and grabbed two daggers, one in each hand.


    He had so many moves that he wanted to try out, as he had seen them from the book he had read not too long ago.


    "Zack!" he spoke as he pointed his left dagger towards the man.


    "Today you shall be my opponent!"


    Getting ready to take on the challenge, Zack smiled as he summoned his blood sword in his right hand.


    He cracked his neck as he spoke. "Okay, let''s see what you can do!"


    Zaroth wasn''t going to rely on his beasts, as they were going to prevent him from getting better with the daggers.


    Tensing his muscles, he dashed toward the man, going for the kill.


    Seeing that Zaroth was running towards him in a straight line, Zack smiled as he muttered, "This is too obvious."


    It wasn''t hard to calculate where Zaroth was going to appear, so Zack slashed, trying to take Zaroth by surprise.


    But unexpectedly, just before the blood sword reached him, Zaroth tilted his body at an unnatural angle, making the sword miss by a hair''s breadth.


    Not resting even for a second, he raised his right dagger as he managed to inflict a small wound on Zack''s cheek before going behind him, intending to stab him in the throat.


    Not expecting these movements, Zack managed to rotate his body in time and kicked Zaroth full force in the chest, sending him back.


    "These movements¡­ you''re moving like an assassin. Where did you learn that?" Zack asked.


    Zaroth''s eyes narrowed like a hunter''s before replying, "Oh, this? Read in a book."


    ''Just from reading a book, he had managed to learn to move like that?'' Zack was clearly not buying Zaroth''s words, but he didn''t have much time to ponder as he found himself, a second later, an arm''s reach away from daggers.


    ''It seems that I won''t be able to take this easy anymore!'' Zack thought as he used his sword to block the two daggers at the same time.


    He had gotten serious for once.


    *****


    The salesman''s footsteps created an echo in the grand hallway as he walked forward.


    In his left hand, he carried a metal chains, with humans hidden beneath black cloths and collars around their necks, walking in tow behind him.


    And, as always, he was carrying his suitcase in his right hand.


    The guards were about to stop him, but once they gazed into his eyes, they froze as they realized who it was.


    They bowed and quickly got out of the way.


    "It sure is busy today," the salesman muttered under his breath.


    Usually, it was rare to see guards in the castle, but today it seemed to be especially busy.


    Had something happened? The man asked himself for a moment but then discarded the thought, there wasn''t a possibility that the problem would be one that couldn''t be resolved.


    Finally reaching the grand room, he opened the gates.


    The first thing that came to his attention was Draconis sitting on his golden throne. The emperor was staring down at about a dozen men who were kneeling in his presence.


    It was clear that they had been discussing something important, and it was especially obvious as one glance at the armor the men were wearing¡ªmade from silver and decorated with gold¡ªmade it clear that they were the most elite generals in the empire.


    Draconis glanced at the salesman who had entered the room and smiled as he spoke, completely ignoring the generals.


    "Another harvest?"


    The salesman smiled at his words.


    "Yes, and this one''s quite bigger than the others."


    Draconis observed the figures standing behind the salesman silently as he counted them.


    ''One, five, eight. Not bad,'' he thought.


    "I am currently busy, so the honor of transporting them would fall upon you."


    "It will be my pleasure."


    Without saying anything else, Draconis grabbed the key he was keeping at his necklace and threw it towards the salesman.


    Once he caught the key, the man quickly disappeared from view as he went to the lower floors.


    "Now¡­" Draconis''s voice lost emotion again as he shifted his gaze to the generals who were still kneeling on the ground with their gazes locked on the floor.


    Picking up a cup with whiskey next to him, Draconis brought it to his lips as he commanded,


    "You seem to be quite timid¡­ so I didn''t hear you the first time. Repeat."


    An old man with a gray beard and a scar on his face shuddered a little under the emperor''s gaze and took a moment to compose himself before speaking.


    "It''s about the Crimson Sun Empire. They¡­ they are slowly gaining ground on us."

 Chapter 119 Master of the Game

    Draconis cleared his throat. The gesture made the generals flinch for a moment, but in the end, they didn''t dare run, as they knew there wasn''t anywhere to hide anyway.


    "We are¡­ losing ground?" The emperor repeated the man''s words.


    In response, the general bowed his head to the floor as he answered frankly.


    "No! It is us, not your majesty, that is the reason!" He tried his best not to offend the emperor.


    "Why would the fault be mine anyway? Aren''t you all the ones in the front line commanding the troops? I just give you the funding you need, don''t I? And considering the amount I have already given, I would expect results¡­"


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    Seeing that the generals were simply too scared to talk, Draconis sighed in disappointment.


    "I permit you to speak your true thoughts tonight. I give you my word that I will not punish you for daring to say them out loud."


    The generals threw suspicious gazes at one another. Seeing the reaction, Draconis added,


    "But this also means speaking your true thoughts, and only them. If you try to flatter me in any way, punishment will be in order."


    Everyone in the room had the same thought, it was a death sentence! They couldn''t trust the emperor''s words that they would not be punished if they spoke their true thoughts, yet at the same time, if they tried to flatter him, he would have the excuse to kill them, saying that they didn''t share what they truly thought.


    A minute of silence passed.


    "That is indeed not a bad strategy. If you don''t speak, there is no basis for me to punish you¡­"


    The emperor rose from his seat as he began to walk in a circular motion around the kneeling men.


    "But, this also speaks for your character, you know? It shows that in a situation where you are forced to make a hard decision, you will freeze. I don''t need people like that working for me¡­"


    Stilling his resolve, the man with the grey beard that stood at the very front opened his mouth.


    "If¡­ we speak our true thoughts, we will not be punished?"


    Draconis smiled at the question. "Yes, you have my word."


    The man hesitated for a moment and then spoke. "We¡­ how are we supposed to stop them?! You have cut our funding by more than half while taking a large chunk of our troops! And for what? That meaningless tournament?! In the end, what will you get? The people who will show up, buying the tickets to watch? Would these winnings even cover the cost of holding the massive tournament in the first place?! What was the point in making it more than 60,000 participants?! Just a few hundred would have sufficed, but you just had reduced our military strength for your amusement!"


    Once the man was done speaking, silence befell the room, as every person kneeling behind him had their eyes widened in shock.


    No doubt they all thought the same thing, this man is going to be killed.


    "I see¡­ Is there somebody else who wants to share something with me?"


    Nobody dared to speak after that, so Draconis sighed in disappointment as he sat back in his throne.


    "You." He pointed at the man who had let his rage get the better of him.


    "You are staying. The others are dismissed. You are stripped of all titles and exiled from the empire. I don''t need spineless men for generals."


    The men trembled under the emperor''s words. They had spent their entire lives serving the empire, and this was the result? This was how they were being rewarded for their unwavering commitment to the empire?


    In this moment, they wanted to kill the emperor, but deep down, they knew they didn''t have a chance, so they accepted their fate and turned their back to the emperor as they took their leave.


    "And for feeling like you want to kill me, this is your punishment," Draconis spoke, and the next second, the men collapsed on the ground as all of them were cut cleanly in half.


    The grey-bearded man gasped but didn''t comment on the emperor''s actions.


    "What is your name?"


    Hearing his words, the man quickly spoke, "It''s Warren, my majesty."


    "Warren, do you know why you are alive and they are not?"


    Warren hesitated for a moment before answering, "Because I don''t fear saying what I think?"


    "No, it''s because you fear it and do it regardless. That makes you brave, and you are the type of man I want to serve the empire."


    Warren didn''t know how to feel about Draconis''s words, so he simply nodded. Then a second later, he returned to the issue at hand.


    "What about the attacks we are experiencing? We will soon lose more and more territories, and our troops are not nearly enough."


    "Don''t worry about it."


    Warren winced in shock. He couldn''t stop himself from speaking his true thoughts.


    "What do you mean ''don''t worry about it''? Our empire would soon be overrun!" the man shouted.


    Draconis chuckled at the bravery Warren was showing.


    "This is how it may appear from your point of view, but honestly, we have never been so close to achieving victory. We will soon not only destroy the Crimson Sun Empire, but all the empires on the continent."


    Warren didn''t know how to respond to the insane claim from Draconis. The only thing that came to mind was to ask, "If¡­ you could please share that knowledge with me? It would be most helpful."


    Draconis sighed as he gazed at the cup he was holding.


    "It is quite simple, actually. I will single-handedly defeat them all."


    "But¡­ I, as a person who has witnessed your strength firsthand, can say with all due respect, no matter how strong you are, you cannot conquer a whole continent alone¡­ you aren''t a god."


    "That is true, I am not," Draconis chuckled.


    "At least not yet."


    *****


    Gazing around the prison cells, the salesman couldn''t help but smirk.


    "So many are already here. I wonder how many more will be needed?" he muttered as he took the black cloth with which he had covered the humans¡­ or what had once been humans.


    All of them had bloody eyes, and their mouths were sewn shut, as these ones seemed to like to scream, attracting attention..


    Their skin had begun to rot, slowly falling apart. Their hands twisted in unnatural ways, distorting with each passing moment.


    It looked more like a monster from a fairy tale than a human.


    "And to think that by just changing the soul of a human, you can turn them into something so incredible?"


    He began putting them one by one into the cells.


    At least these ones didn''t seem hostile, so they didn''t try to attack him.


    As he pushed the last one inside, he noticed that one of them was looking at him with sadness in their eyes.


    They had done some experiments on them and had concluded that, while their physical appearance changed and their soul began to disappear, there was a small part of it that remained. How would it feel being turned into such a monster?


    "You are the ones who wanted the pills so much. It''s not like I forced you to take them, did I?"


    Without hesitating, the salesman locked the door, leaving the creatures trapped inside.


    Ignoring the haunting roars of creatures screaming in pain, locked into their cells and slowly rotting, the man headed back from where he had come.


    This week, there were eight new sacrifices to be added to the large pile.


    It wouldn''t take long until they had enough, S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    And once they did, the course of history would be changed forever.

 Chapter 120 Whispers of the Arena

    Zaroth was looking at the message from his bracelet.


    The time for the sixth round had arrived.


    He sighed as he lay on the bed. These past few days, while getting better at handling daggers, he had yet to decide what the next spell he wanted to learn would be.


    "Tomorrow¡­" he muttered under his breath. A second later, Midnight came into his mind.


    He wondered how she was feeling¡ªhad she sorted out her thoughts, perhaps?


    Truthfully, he wanted to message her, but Luna had advised against the idea.


    "But why?" he asked.


    "Listen," she spoke while stretching her alluring body.


    "You don''t seem to really understand the feelings of women that well. She needs some time. But you don''t have to be worried. I mean, she has already slept with you. It will just take her time to accept the fact that she is attracted to a human."


    "How do you know that? Aren''t you a dragon? How are you able to understand women''s emotions then?" he countered.


    She smirked as she approached him, sitting right next to him on the bed. She put a hand over his shoulder and moved him towards herself gently, as she whispered right into his ear. "That is because I am a woman." Your next chapter awaits on My Virtual Library Empire


    Zaroth felt his blood grow hotter. "Well, if you say so," he muttered.


    With a grunt, he got up and undressed there was still time before going to sleep, so he was going to use the time to train a bit.


    Now, his workout took about an hour and a half, because it took time to push his muscles to their limit.


    He glanced at himself in the mirror.


    It was like he had been transformed¡ªhis body didn''t look malnourished anymore. His shoulders were big and round, his back was wide, while his waist was relatively small, giving him the V-taper look.


    "It is wonder what eating three meals a day would do to you¡­" he whispered as his thoughts drifted to his mother.


    Would she be happy to see me look like that? Her weak son wasn''t here anymore, now Zaroth''s body resembled that of a warrior.


    His lips curved into a smile as he clenched his fist, looking forward to tomorrow''s challenge.


    *****


    "Wow, there are more than a hundred people watching the fight," he muttered as he observed the seats. It seemed more and more people were coming to observe the fights.


    There was even a man who was going around the arena offering drinks for outrageous prices.


    Others were placing bets on who was going to win.


    "On one side, we have Zaroth!" the announcer spoke, getting the attention of the arena.


    Endless whispers began to spread.


    "Zaroth? The one who got first place in the hunting competition?"


    "He really has white hair!"


    "But isn''t he quite short?"


    "Yeah? But he is cute, isn''t he?"


    It seemed that, unknown to him, Zaroth had begun to gather a certain reputation.


    Not that he could blame the people¡ªafter all, he was first place in the hunting competition, coupled with his unusual appearance, and it was bound that rumors were going to spread. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Wait, did somebody call me cute just now?!'' he thought but was interrupted as the man at the center shouted again.


    "And on the other side, we have Radan!"


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow. He himself wasn''t only carrying his spear but his daggers as well. He had become quite good with them, so bringing them was worth it as it gave him more options.


    Meanwhile, his opponent was carrying two greatswords on his back. Each blade was longer than Zaroth''s entire body. It was a young man, probably not older than a second-year student.


    He wore heavy armor that looked like it would restrict his movements a lot. This, coupled with the greatswords, made Zaroth wonder if his opponent would be able to move at all under the heavy load.


    Zaroth was pretty sure he had never seen him, meaning that they didn''t go to the same academy.


    ''To carry such heavy weapons, does that mean his class makes him stronger or something?'' Zaroth wondered.


    "Let the battle begin!" the announcer shouted as he stepped away from the center of the arena, giving space to the two fighters.


    Without hesitating, Zaroth fired a fireball at his opponent.


    The green fireball flew towards the target but suddenly changed course and hit the ground.


    Grimacing, Zaroth drew the two daggers from their sheaths and dashed towards his target.


    Radan responded in kind as he took the two greatswords¡ªone in each hand. Despite the clearly heavy swords, which must have weighed more than a hundred kilograms, the man was handling them like toys.


    Dugging his foot deep into the ground, Radan dashed towards Zaroth. In the blink of an eye, the man slashed with both swords in an X formation.


    Just by looking at the blades getting closer to his head, Zaroth knew that there was no parrying or blocking this attack, so he attempted to dodge.


    But the greatswords, which had long reach, even longer than his spear, managed to graze him on his left hand, and blood began to fall out.


    He cursed as he took frantic steps back. ''So ranged attacks are out of the question, and no melee will work too?''


    It was clear that if things continued that way, he was going to lose.


    Radan didn''t wait a second as he swiftly threw one of his greatswords at Zaroth, who twisted his body at an unnatural angle. Sadly, his reaction speed wasn''t fast enough, as such, he was hit on his shoulder.


    "Not good," he muttered in frustration.


    He didn''t know why his opponent had thrown his sword, but he wasn''t going to complain.


    But his thoughts were interrupted as the sword that had cut into the ground suddenly moved and went back to Radan''s right hand.


    Zaroth''s eyes narrowed, his mind raced with all kinds of theories.


    ''He handles these heavy swords like nothing. He is able to deflect my ranged attacks into the ground, and he can command his sword to go back to his hand¡­ Does this man control gravity?''


    He shuddered at the thought. This match wasn''t even one of the main ones, as it wasn''t in the grand arena. And yet, he struggled to come up with a strategy to win.


    ''The only way is if something distracts Radan while I attack, but¡­ revealing my beasts so early in the tournament?''


    He spent a second or two trying to come up with a different plan, but nothing came to him.


    ''Isn''t it quite insulting? My opponent is using everything he has, while I am questioning myself whether to use my powers or not?''


    A smirk appeared on Zaroth''s face. His eyes narrowed like a hunter''s and shined with menacing green light.


    "Come forth."


    In a second, Silverfang appeared in front of him, and so did the other four wolves under his command.


    A few gasps were heard around the audience.


    This man that had been fighting melee for so long had actually been a beast master?


    But Zaroth didn''t pay any attention to the rumors around him.


    He was solely focused on his opponent, as were his beasts.


    There was only a single command that came out of his mouth.


    "Tear him apart."

 Chapter 121 Round 6

    A fight was a beautiful thing, especially when it was a duel between two experienced fighters. How were they going to use their powers? How would they best their opponent? S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    This was the reason so many people loved to watch fights live. There was something magical about two figures fighting with whatever they had, trying their best to win.


    At least that was what the public believed¡­ until they witnessed how a true fight looked like. It wasn''t beautiful. It was ungainly, ugly, scary.


    "Tear him apart." Once Zaroth spoke the command, Silverfang dashed forward with the speed of an arrow. The other four wolves, not too far behind him, began to surround Radan. Zaroth was keeping in the back, waiting for an opportunity to strike.


    Radan''s face was completely covered by his helmet, so it was impossible to see the man''s emotions.


    But Zaroth didn''t miss the way Radan''s hand trembled for a bit.


    Who could blame the man? Zaroth certainly didn''t fight like a Beast Master, so learning that he was able to summon beasts must have been a shock to him.


    Yet Radan didn''t show hesitation. It seemed that the man had a large experience when fighting the unknown, as he didn''t let the doubt slow him down even for a second.


    Raising his right greatsword, he brought it down so fast, cutting the air in two. By the way Silverfang moved, it was clear that Radan was using gravity magic to slow the beast down.


    The next instant, Silverfang found himself with the massive blade pierced into his body.


    Radan concluded that the beast was already dead, so he shifted his attention to the other smaller wolves that had begun to surround him.


    They all attacked in unison from all sides, yet Radan was prepared with a powerful horizontal strike, he sent them staggering back, causing them to collapse to the ground.


    No matter what beast once cut so brutally, it was as good as dead. Concluding that the wolves had been dealt with, Radan shifted his gaze to Zaroth, who, betraying every expectation, didn''t seem shocked that his beasts were dead. In fact, the man was smiling, his eyes shining menacingly green.


    Before Radan realized the error of his ways in time, he felt something behind him. Silverfang was upon him, despite bearing such a large wound that should have killed him. He acted like he didn''t feel pain at all.


    The other wolves, also bearing heavy wounds, began to get up on their legs, staring at Radan with fury.


    Thanks to his heavy armor, Silverfang wasn''t able to reach the man''s throat, so Radan rotated his body and kicked the beast aside.


    Silverfang was thrown into the air, and Radan used his gravity magic to make him hit harder against the ground, no doubt shattering bones.


    Yet the beast, without as much as a grunt, began to rise to his feet.


    At that moment, Radan realized that Zaroth seemed to be able to keep his beasts alive, at least until he had enough mana.


    Shifting his gaze to the white-haired man, Radan dashed, ready to attack but was stopped by the wolves.


    He grimaced behind the mask. This battle was going to test the mana capacity of each of the fighters. If Zaroth''s mana ran out first, he would be forced to dismiss his beasts and be defeated by Radan. However, if Radan''s mana ran out first, he would be locked in place, unable to move without his gravity magic, moving with the heavy armor and weapons would be next to impossible.


    This was going to be one ugly battle.


    *****


    "Let''s go!" Sofia spoke as she shifted her gaze to Vera.


    "But¡ª"


    "Come on! Watching a battle or two could make you forget about your visions!" Sofia interrupted.


    With a sigh, Vera muttered, "Okay, okay! Just admit that you like to see how strong the other challengers of the tournament are!"


    Sofia scoffed but didn''t respond. Instead, she pointed to one of the smaller arenas.


    "Come on! We don''t want to miss the start of the battle!"


    Once they settled into their seats, Sofia raised an eyebrow, "Wait, isn''t this Zaroth?" she muttered in excitement.


    She didn''t want to admit it, but she was clearly curious how strong the man was. He, alongside his squad, had managed to defeat an Epic Beast Master after all.


    Shifting her gaze to his opponent, Sofia grimaced,


    The man that they called Radan gave an intimidating aura. She wouldn''t be surprised if that man were able to reach the very end of the tournament and win it.


    Radan versus Zaroth, these two were a force to be reckoned with, and yet they were facing against one another so early in the tournament?


    It was clear that the tournament relied heavily on luck¡ªwhether your opponent would be a weakling or one of the strongest students in the empire.


    Forgetting about everything else, Sofia focused solely on the fight. Whoever won today would advance far¡­ perhaps far enough for her to have to face them. As such, she had to learn as much as she could to be as ready as she can.


    She didn''t even realize it, but there was a smile on her face. One thing was for certain, that fight was going to be grand, no doubt the audience was going to cheer.


    *****


    A heavy silence. Not a single cheer rang out in the arena.


    Everybody held their breath¡ªthe audience, the announcer, and the observer of the fight who was supposed to stop it if they got too close to killing one another as well.


    The ground of the arena was painted red by the blood of Zaroth''s beasts.


    It was a long battle, unlike the ones that lasted for a few minutes at best. This one was more than an hour.


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    Zaroth''s beasts attacked Radan without concern for their safety at all, while Zaroth kept his distance, moving quickly and striking only if the opportunity arose.


    Radan had managed to reach him a few times, making heavy wounds, slashing off a few fingers of Zaroth''s hand. His right eye had been cut as well, making him partially blind. A large wound to his side was so severe that a rib was exposed to the air.


    Radan tried his best to kill Zaroth, but the Beast Master was simply too cunning and managed to escape even if he took a heavy wound or two.


    After some time, everything lost its meaning as they watched the fight below them.


    Eventually, Radan couldn''t take it anymore, exhaustion overwhelming him, and his mana ran out first. He collapsed to his knees due to the heavy load of his armor, unable to move.


    Zaroth, rather than trying to go for the kill, made his beasts freeze in place as he shifted his gaze to the observer.


    A second passed the observer spoke.


    "Zaroth is the winner!"


    There were no cheers to be heard, as the audience was too shocked by the barbaric fight to register the words.


    Zaroth sighed as he sat on the ground. He dismissed his beasts and waited for the healer to arrive and heal him.


    While he did so, the observer checked the profile he had been provided about Zaroth and made some adjustments.


    -----


    Zaroth:


    Main weapon: Spear, daggers


    Characteristics: Heartless, can ignore pain to a large extent, almost always tries to go for the kill


    Skills: Fireball, Firebreath


    Class: Beast Master


    -----


    Zaroth had advanced to the seventh round.

 Chapter 122 A Fathers Mask

    Zaroth was taking ragged breaths, staring at the ground.


    ''Zaroth? Zaroth!'' Luna''s shout echoed in his mind, but he wasn''t in a condition to hear her.


    His heart was beating so fast it was going to burst, his mana core was going to crack any moment.


    Before he realized it, he had begun to bleed from his eyes.


    Mana scarcity, it seemed that he had pushed himself too far while fighting Radan.


    ''And this is just the sixth round. Fuck, what am I going to do in the other rounds?'' he cursed in his mind.


    A second later, he felt a gentle hand on his back, his wounds slowly began to heal.


    "Are you okay?" the healer, a woman wearing a white robe with a red cross, asked as she looked him in the eyes.


    He took a moment to respond. "Yes."


    "Good. When you get home, you need to rest. Do you understand?"


    He slowly nodded. Seeing that he was okay, the woman sighed as she left him and went to heal Radan. Despite winning, Zaroth was clearly the more injured one.


    With a grunt, he stood up, threw a quick glance at Radan, who was still kneeling on the ground, unable to move due to the heavy weight of his armor, and went out of the arena, ignoring the stares the silent audience were giving him.


    ''How do you feel?'' he heard Luna''s worried voice in his head.


    ''Terrible. I went all out with the exception of using you, and I barely won,'' he answered, frustrated.


    ''So early in the tournament, I almost lost? I was feeling confident this morning, too. It seems I have become too cocky.''


    ''Your opponent was just strong. It''s based on luck if you''re going to be matched against strong opponents or weaker ones, so don''t beat yourself up over it.''


    He sighed as he sat on a bench on his way home and massaged his forehead.


    ''You''re right¡­ at least I now have an idea of what skills I should try to learn now.''


    It was made crystal clear during the fight with Radan, he had to keep his distance while using his beasts to exhaust his enemy. He couldn''t attack from afar because Radan neutralized all ranged attacks with his gravity magic, and he couldn''t get close to attack because if he was hit by the greatswords, he was as good as dead.


    ''I need to be able to get close to the enemy without fearing an attack, so I will need some kind of defense skill.'' S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    At least he had a new goal in mind.


    *****


    ''It has been a few days now, she has yet to realize that I have replaced her father,'' the black thing that had taken the role of a father watched as the girl silently eat the dish it had made.


    It didn''t have much experience when it came to cooking, but if it was going to play the role of a human, it needed to know the basics, at least.


    "Ah," the girl opened her mouth as she stared at the food she had dropped from her fork to the ground. Then she shifted her gaze from the food to her father, and the corners of her eyes began to tear up.


    Usually, in a moment like this, the girl seemed to be expecting some kind of punishment, but the monster wearing human skin didn''t exactly know how to act, so it had to pretend.


    "Emily, be more careful next time," it spoke coldly.


    In the few days, the thing had learned that the girl''s name was Emily.


    She was a quiet and timid girl, meaning that she rarely talked, which suited the being fine, as it didn''t like conversing of any kind.


    Emily got up and was about to clean the mess until the creature stopped her.


    "It''s fine. You''re late for school anyway. Go. I will clean things up."


    She looked at her father with doubt in her eyes, but in the end, nodded and went out.


    Shifting its gaze to the food on the ground, a sigh escaped from the man''s lips.


    "Seriously, how hard is it to not spill? I''m not human, and even I don''t have problems with that!"


    *****


    Back straight, eyes focused, but at the same time relaxed. The hands slightly moving at the side as it took a step forward, not too fast, not too slow.


    It mimicked the action of breathing as it made its chest rise and fall gradually, taking slow and controlled breaths.


    It hadn''t been a long time since it entered the man''s body, but the monster was quickly adjusting.


    It was still far from perfect, but it was confident that it would not arouse suspicion.


    Reaching the spot at the outdoor caf¨¦, the thing sat on the chair as it shifted its gaze to the park, waiting for somebody to appear.


    "Hello, can I take your order?" a woman wearing a short skirt and a shirt apron, with a pen and notepad in her hands, asked.


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    The thing parted its lips as it remembered what it had been practicing for some time now. It was fine if it was happy, angry, tired, or similar, but it was important that its voice carried at least some degree of emotion.


    "Just water," it spoke, making its voice sound a bit tired.


    The woman nodded as she went out of view to bring the water.


    It adjusted the bracelet on its wrist. It was strange. Originally, it thought it was only for the students, but quickly realized that these magical bracelets everyone wore were essentially for communicating and paying for services inside the capital. It took some time to learn how to use it effectively.


    Looking at the time, the thing shifted its eyes to the park. If its calculations were correct, then it was supposed to see its target just¡ª


    A tall man with raven-black hair and white pupils came into view. It was Zack. He regularly came to the park at this hour, it seemed that the scenery helped him relax.


    The thing had learned its lesson. It knew that Zack was able to tell if something or somebody was staring at him, so it wasn''t looking directly at the man but to the side. It was using its peripheral vision to keep track of him.


    While it had decided to prolong attacking the man as much as possible, it didn''t mean that it wasn''t going to try and learn as much as it could about the him.


    "Here you go, sir," the woman appeared in view, placing a cup of water on the table.


    The thing flashed a fake smile as it took a sip.


    Once, it had tried to gather information in the form of a raven and had failed, but what about now?


    It was posing as a human¡ªa father, no less¡ªmeaning it shouldn''t arouse any kind of suspicion.


    "Enough useless thoughts," it muttered as it concentrated on Zack and his movements.


    The monster had been observing Zack for some time now, and it had come to a certain conclusion after seeing what the man was capable of.


    Sooner or later, Zack was going to become its new vessel.

 Chapter 123 The Emperors Puppets

    "Again? Who the hell is responsible for this?!" David cursed under his breath as he observed the church. There were about a dozen dead Purifiers all around. They themselves hadn''t been powerful, but that wasn''t the matter of concern. It was that there had been a lot of incidents where churches were attacked, resulting in the total annihilation of the Purifiers.


    Not only that, but just a quick glance at the bodies and how white their skin was. It was clear that something had drunk the people''s blood.


    "A vampire?" David muttered under his breath. Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It was the only possible conclusion, but there was a problem. The Purifiers were created specifically to hunt demons, and vampires were a form of demon. So if there really was a vampire in the capital, it should fear the Purifiers and not hunt them.


    "That is unless the said vampire is very powerful¡­"


    David had been in about a dozen scenes like this already, and the only thing he was able to figure out was that it was the work of a powerful vampire, or in other words, not much. This was probably the last time the emperor would sent him for examining the crime scenes.


    He couldn''t help but grimace, he was done here, but because that lunatic with the suitcase wasn''t here, it meant that he himself had to go report to the emperor, which wasn''t something he liked doing.


    "Why don''t we just kill him?" the Spectral Warden spoke, its voice carrying a hint of amusement.


    "You know we can''t. Even if we kill him, we don''t know where he''s keeping my sister."


    "Just accept it, she''s probably dead already. Stop acting like some dog on a li-"


    "SHUT YOUR MOUTH!"


    At David''s command, the entity went dead silent.


    Grinding his teeth, he spoke coldly, "Don''t ever speak about my sister again, you fuck."


    Taking a moment to compose himself, David exited the church as he headed to the castle.


    "This isn''t going to be a pleasant talk," he muttered under his breath.


    *****


    "As all the other crime scenes, the only thing that I concluded was that it was the work of a vampire," David spoke, not daring to look the emperor in the eyes.


    "Do you think all the attacks are connected to a single vampire?"


    David nodded his head. "Yes, I believe that it was made by a single individual."


    Draconis leaned back in his throne. After a moment, he spoke, his voice didn''t carry hostility at all¡ªone could even call it friendly.


    "How do you feel, boy?"


    At the unexpected question, David raised an eyebrow.


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    "What do you mean, Your Majesty?"


    "I mean that you have entered the tournament on my command just to marry one of my daughters."


    David went silent for a second before answering, "If that is what''s needed to cure my sister''s illness, then it doesn''t matter how I feel. I will simply do what I must."


    The emperor scoffed at his words. "Do you know why I want you to marry my strongest daughter? Despite coming from a poor family and not one of the influential, powerful clans?"


    David didn''t answer the question, as he didn''t know the answer to that.


    "It''s because you are strong, unlike the rest. You are worthy of joining our family because you''re one of the few people whose thoughts I can''t read. I don''t know if it''s because something is protecting you or because you''re just that strong, but for me, that''s enough to consider you worthy."


    ''Protecting¡­'' David repeated the emperor''s words in his head. The thing that was protecting him was probably the Spectral Warden that was always near him. Even if it was trying to slowly make him insane, it also came with a lot of benefits.


    David bowed to the emperor. "I feel honored to be considered worthy, Your Majesty."


    Draconis laughed at his words. "There isn''t a need for me to read your thoughts to know that you are lying. But so be it. For you, I will forgive it all. After all, soon we will become a family."


    ''No one is interested in becoming family with you, you maniac!'' David cursed in his head.


    "If I may ask, how is my sister doing?"


    The emperor observed David carefully before answering.


    "She is getting better. It will take some time, but she will live."


    David muttered a quiet thank you before exiting the grand room.


    "There is something that I don''t understand," the Spectral Warden began speaking.


    "Why do you resent the emperor? Not only is he healing your sister, but he also seems to favor you. He even wants you to marry his eldest daughter. You''ve seen her, haven''t you? I''m pretty sure that by your standards, she''s beautiful, and in normal circumstances, you wouldn''t have had a chance with her."


    David scoffed at the Spectral Warden ''s words. He glanced around, making sure that no one was around to hear, before replying.


    "You''re not human, so you wouldn''t understand¡­ but just looking at them, my instincts scream that something''s wrong. With the emperor and his daughter, the one he wants me to marry. Just being near them gives me a bad feeling."


    *****


    "Daughter," the emperor spoke, and the next second, a woman with striking golden hair and eyes exactly like her father''s stood next to him.


    "Yes, father?" she spoke, her voice not carrying any kind of emotion.


    "What do you think about him? He will be your future husband, after all."


    "If you deem it necessary, then I will follow your command, father."


    Draconis sighed as he stood up. He placed his hand on his daughter''s face.


    "How do you feel knowing that I am your father and, at the same time, I am not?"


    "You''ve proven you possess the necessary abilities to accomplish our goal. Because of that, conquering the continent¡ªno, the world¡ªis possible. As such, in my eyes, you are my father, and I will follow your command without question," she answered without hesitation.


    He smiled at her answer. "Perfect response, as always¡­ Soon, the time will come when the world shall kneel before its new ruler."

 Chapter 124 Tangled Threads

    Zaroth was at his apartment brainstorming some ideas.


    As always, trying to train his mana core as much as possible, he had summoned everybody, the wolves, with Silverfang and Luna, who was sitting across from him.


    "Maybe scales? You are a dragon, right? And they have scales, so maybe I will be able to¡ª"


    "Zaroth," she interrupted him. "When I am in my dragon form, do you see scales?"


    "No¡­ you are undead, so when you are in your dragon form, made entirely from bone, you don''t have any."


    "Exactly. As such, there isn''t a way to help you this time."


    He leaned in his chair as he sighed in frustration. "So does that mean I will have to learn skills the hard way?"


    Up until now, the two skills he had learned came pretty fast to him thanks to his connection with Luna, but it seemed this was going to change this time as she didn''t possess any kind of abilities that would manage to grant him any defensive skills.


    "Actually, these past few days something weird has happened."


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow as he shifted his gaze to Luna.


    "Which is?" he asked.


    "You know that symbol that you got after making that deal with Midnight? Well, I think there is more to it than meets the eye."


    "What are you talking about? Midnight and I even discussed the issue and didn''t come to a conclusion about what it actually does. How would you figure it out on your own, and why are you only telling me now?" he asked.


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    She sighed. "Well, there wasn''t anything that could lead me to what that symbol did, but something changed."


    She pointed toward him. "It''s either you or Midnight, but there is a connection between the two of you. Of course, it isn''t as refined as the connection between the two of us, but it''s there. So maybe you will be able to learn skills that vampires can use?"


    Zaroth blinked a few times trying to register the information. "Okay, first off, how did you come to that conclusion?"


    She scoffed at his words. Getting up, she approached him and touched his chest where his heart was located.


    "I''ve spent a long time in your soul. As such, I have a very good grasp on how it works. The easiest way to explain it is, imagine that your core was a mountain. Well, from this mountain, a small river suddenly appeared one day. Maybe it was because you''ve gotten stronger, or maybe Midnight has gotten stronger. It''s also possible that this connection had always been there, but I''ve never been able to notice it until recently."


    Zaroth massaged his forehead. "So basically, what you are saying is that you are sure there is a connection between me and Midnight, and I can capitalize on that opportunity to learn skills that a human normally shouldn''t possess?"


    "Pretty much, yeah. Now that I think about it, the signs have always been there, no? When she was in danger, your head began to hurt almost like trying to warn you that she was closer to dying."


    "In other words, you are saying that I should meet with her?" he spoke as he used his bracelet to send a message.


    -----


    Zaroth: Hey, sorry to bother you, but are you free? I want to discuss something.


    Midnight: I¡­ can you leave me a bit more time to organize my thoughts?


    Zaroth: It''s not about that. It concerns our deal, you know, that symbol, right? I think I figured out what it does.


    Midnight: ¡­


    Midnight: How does tomorrow after the lectures sound?


    Zaroth: Sure.


    -----


    *****


    "Yeah, it was actually a pretty hard fight. That man was able to use gravity. I''m not sure what class or blessing the man had, but he was a force to be reckoned with," Zaroth discussed his battle againts Radan during lunch with his friends.


    Roran smiled as his eyes shined. "That does sound like a tough opponent, but you won, right? In that case, I''m going to suggest¡ª"


    "Sorry, actually, you know that girl I was telling you about? I''m going to meet again with her today, so I can''t go drinking tonight," Zaroth cut off Roran before he could finish.


    "But feel free to party without me. I don''t want to ruin the mood," he added.


    Lily protested. "There is no way we are going to¡ª"


    "Well, if that is your wish, who am I to go against it?" Roran interrupted her.


    "Oh, come on! Without him?!" she complained.


    "Lily, look at it this way. Today we can party for Zaroth, and tomorrow we can party with Zaroth! That way, everybody wins, right?" Zack joined in.


    She opened her mouth to say something, but in the end, she sighed. "Okay, if you two want to go so badly, I will not try to stop you."


    Zack shifted his gaze to Zaroth. "Oh yeah, you did say that you will try to learn a new skill, right? Do you have an idea in mind?"


    Zaroth''s eyes shined green as he smiled menacingly. "Yeah, actually, I do have an idea in mind."


    *****


    ''This is not a date, right?'' he asked Luna in his mind, trying to reassure himself.


    ''No, it is not. But looking at the way you have dressed up, it is pretty clear that it could go either way,'' she replied.


    ''Okay, I did put on my suit that I used on the date with Elysia, which now, thinking about it, may be a bit disrespectful... And I might have gotten a haircut, but that doesn''t mean we are on a date!''


    He heard Luna sigh in his head. ''Just admit it. You just really want to fu¡ª''


    Zaroth stopped paying attention to Luna as Midnight came into view. S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    She was wearing a beautiful crimson dress that matched her eyes and hair perfectly.


    He felt his body growing hotter as he gulped audibly.


    Suddenly, he was glad that he prepared himself as much as possible.

 Chapter 125 Bound by the Symbol

    "Does that make it the tenth?" Midnight muttered under her breath as she glanced around the church.


    The walls were painted with blood, and a few bodies of a Purifiers lay on the ground, dead.


    When they attacked her the first time, they made it clear that they knew there was a vampire in the capital and weren''t afraid to act,


    As such, she saw no point in trying to conceal herself so much anymore and decided to attack her enemy where it hurt.


    Attacking a large church was a suicide, but the smaller ones that didn''t have any kind of specialists among their ranks were a piece of cake to clear. She wasn''t doing this because of revenge, of course, but something else.


    She shifted her gaze to her arm that was painted with blood from her enemies. Her nails were sharp¡­ sharper than they had ever been before.


    She was stronger and faster than she had ever been before. It was all thanks to these attacks. She would attack the small churches, slay the Purifiers working there, drink their blood, and become closer to evolving as a result.


    Not to mention¡­


    She shifted her gaze to a broken mirror on the wall. Despite its pitiful state, it still did the job well.


    Midnight was able to see herself just fine. She had become even more beautiful. Her skin was flawless, her lips seemed to have become redder and fuller, her eyes more menacing and, at the same time, more mature. And even her breasts seemed to have become just a little bigger.


    "The physical changes are evident. Evolution should be pretty close now," she muttered under her breath. A second later, she was interrupted by a message.


    It was Zaroth.


    Midnight''s cheeks became red. "Why is he messaging me?!" she complained, secretly glad that he did.


    Truthfully, she hadn''t gone on a killing spree these past few days just in the name of strength. She just found that when she was busy killing, she wasn''t thinking about the man and her conflicting emotions.


    In the end, it seemed that he didn''t want a date, but just a meet-up to discuss the symbol he had gotten after making the deal with her.


    "Okay, this is not a date, just a meet-up for a chat, so there is no need to dress fancy!" Midnight told herself as she sneaked out of the church, not attracting attention.


    *****


    ''I told myself this isn''t anything serious, so why am I wearing the most fancy dress I have?! Stupid!''


    Midnight cursed herself as she went to their agreed place to meet up.


    She was sure that Zaroth would show up in casual clothes and would be weirded out by her dress.


    "Maybe it isn''t too late to go back and change into something more casual?!" she muttered under her breath, and a second later she froze as her gaze fell upon Zaroth, who was already waiting for her.


    He wore a raven-black suit with a white shirt and a green tie matching his eyes. Not only that, but his hair was neatly done, most likely cut today.


    Despite this not being a date, he had gone all out on his appearance?


    Suddenly, Midnight felt thankful that she had dressed in her most luxurious clothes.


    Zaroth noticed that he was being stared at, shifted his gaze, and froze as well once his eyes landed on Midnight.


    The two of them spent a moment or two shamelessly gazing at each other.


    Zaroth was the first to move as he smiled and approached her.


    "Hey, long time no see." Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Before she realized it, her lips had curved into an alluring smile. "Nice to meet you too."


    Seeing the smile that Midnight flashed him, Zaroth took a deep breath, trying to control himself, cursing inwardly, ''I may be in trouble.''


    *****


    Originally, the meet-up was supposed to happen at a caf¨¦, but since they were dressed too fancy for such a place, they decided to go to a nearby restaurant instead.


    ''How did this become a date?!'' Zaroth thought as he sat across from Midnight.


    He may have seen her before, but in the short amount of time that the two had been away from one another, she seemed to have changed drastically.


    It was hard to describe, but it was like she had become more mature¡ªher eyes, lips, curves. It was almost like she had undergone some kind of evolution. Discover hidden content at My Virtual Library Empire


    "So, you say that there is something that you wanted to discuss about the symbol?" she spoke as she shifted her gaze from the food to Zaroth.


    "Yes, actually. I was wondering, can you teach me some skills of your own?"


    "...?"


    Seeing the confused face that Midnight was making, it was clear that he would have to explain everything from the beginning.


    "So basically¡ª"


    It took about an hour to explain everything.


    After Zaroth was done explaining, Midnight brought the glass of wine she had ordered to her lips and took a sip, considering her next words.


    With a sigh, she spoke. "So you want to know if it is possible to learn skills that vampires¡ªor more specifically, I¡ªuse?" she asked, making sure she had gotten all the info correct.


    "Well, we can try if¡­ Luna says that there is a connection between us. I guess there is a chance that you might learn a skill or two¡­ but what''s in it for me?"


    Zaroth smiled at her question. "Well, you do remember that you owe me once, right?" He was referring to the time he had saved her from the Purifiers.


    She smirked at his words. "Okay, I''ll teach you some stuff, but it is entirely up to you if you will be able to grasp any of it. We use our skills in a different way from humans."


    "That is perfectly fine by me," he responded as he took a sip as well.


    A moment later, both of them realized something, their conversation was over, and so was the reason for their meet-up. But both of them were in a restaurant, basically in the middle of a date.


    "About the other matter¡­ have you made up your mind on it?" he asked.


    Midnight didn''t lift her gaze from the glass of wine as she answered.


    "...Not yet. It isn''t an easy process, going against one''s own nature."


    There were a lot of things that Zaroth wanted to say, but none of them felt right in the moment, so in the end, he was only able to reassure. "Well, you can always speak to me when you''ve made up your mind."


    And just like that, their time together ended. The very next day, Zaroth would begin learning skills not designed for humans, but for vampires.

 Chapter 126 The Voice of Power

    The best time to train with Midnight was in the recovery rooms where the Live Combat Practice usually took place. The problem was that while Zaroth was in Class-A, Midnight was in Class-C, meaning that they had different schedules and wouldn''t be able to train together under normal circumstances.


    Thankfully, Zaroth had a way to bypass the rules of the academy...


    "So you want me to permit you to enter the recovery rooms with that girl that I previously warned you to keep an eye on?" Elysia spoke coldly as she took a sip of the nice-smelling coffee.


    "Yeah, I recently found a way to get stronger, so I think it will benefit me massively, considering that I have to win the tournament. I''m not arrogant enough to miss the chance for getting stronger," he replied.


    Elysia sighed as she leaned back in her chair.


    "Just so we''re on the same page here, you do understand that she is a..."


    It seemed that Elysia was aware that Midnight was a vampire, yet had permitted her to remain in the academy. Zaroth didn''t know the reason, but if he were to question the actions of every individual, then he wouldn''t get anywhere.


    "Yes, I do know about that," he answered with a smile.


    Elysia raised an eyebrow as she studied him silently for a few moments.


    "After academy hours, you have an hour at most to train with her. Anything after that is prohibited," she spoke.


    Zaroth smiled widely as he bowed a little, "Thank you." S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    She scoffed as she showed him the door, "If that is all, leave. I am busy."


    He nodded and quietly made his exit.


    Watching his back as he left the office, Elysia shifted her attention to a bottle containing a few pills.


    Picking up the one that was much redder than the others, she grimaced.


    "If my gut is right... then these pills... will cause a very big problem in the future."


    *****


    Zaroth quickly messaged Midnight to inform her when they would be able to train, then returned to the lectures.


    "So how did the party go without me?" he asked as he shifted his attention to his friends, who were sitting at the table having their lunch.


    "Honestly? A bit boring. No one wanted to compete with me in who will drink more," Roran complained.


    "That''s because you have a high resistance to alcohol, Roran," Lily nudged him with her elbow.


    "I''m not sure why or how, but for some reason, I ended up getting dragged into another fight. It''s like drunkards can''t resist picking a fight when they see me," Zack grumbled.


    "I see... Actually, I''m not going to be able to go with you to the bars for a few more days because I''m going to be busy," Zaroth spoke.


    "Thank God!" Lily said as she shifted her gaze to Zack and Roran, "You both said that we will not go again without him, right?! Then this means that for the next few days, you will take a rest from the bars."


    Zack leaned back in his chair, "Sure, I will have my battle in the tournament tomorrow anyway, so I wasn''t planning on going."


    Roran scoffed but didn''t say anything.


    He would have to stay sober for the next few days¡ªa truly grand tragedy!


    *****


    "So you want me to teach you skills that only vampires are able to use?" The time for training had come, and now Zaroth was standing face to face with Midnight.


    "Yes, preferably some kind of defense skills," he replied.


    She scratched the back of her head.


    "Sure, but there is something that you have to understand before we begin," she spoke.


    Raising an eyebrow, Zaroth replied, "Sure, what is it?"


    "I am referring to the fundamental difference between humans and vampires. While humans get blessed by the gods to acquire their powers, demons and vampires do not. As such, they learn skills and get stronger in a different way from humans," she explained. Explore stories at My Virtual Library Empire


    "Yes, I do know that," He replied, "but what I don''t know is how a demon... or a vampire gets stronger and how you actually acquire your skills."


    She scoffed at his words. "The answer is very simple. Think about it¡ªif you aren''t gifted strength, then what other way is there to achieve strength? You take it. You murder somebody and consume their being, making them a part of yourself and gaining a portion of their strength."


    ''So this is why vampires drink human blood. It is not just a way for them to kill, but they absorb a part of the human''s being,'' he thought but didn''t speak out loud, not wanting to interrupt her.


    "You may now be wondering, sure, it makes sense for vampires, but I am not one. So drinking blood will not make me stronger. So, what other method should I use to get stronger? Well, it''s up to you to figure it out."


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean it''s up to me to figure it out? How does that help me in any way?"


    Midnight sighed in disappointment. "We vampires hear a voice¡ªa voice that tells us to drink human blood. Of course, it is rare that we hear it, but we do. What about you? Have you ever heard a voice that wanted you to do something? We are connected with the symbol, so you must have surely experienced something like this. That voice will tell you how to acquire more power."


    "A voice?" He repeated her words.


    No matter how much he thought, nothing came to mind. The only voice that he was able to hear in his head was Luna, but she wasn''t connected to the symbol that he had gotten after making the deal with Midnight in any way.


    "Wait a moment," his eyes narrowed in realization. He had actually heard a voice once. It was in one of the fights in the tournament.


    ''What was it again?'' He massaged his forehead, trying to recall what the voice had said.


    A moment later, he trembled. The voice had instructed him with a few words, ''Kill her.'' Then it meant that to get stronger, he would have to...


    "So to get stronger, I will have to... kill?"

 Chapter 127 Lessons in the Dark

    "Did you figure it out?" Midnight asked as she saw that he was muttering something to himself.


    "Yeah¡­ I just realized the voice¡­ It wanted me to kill¡­ does that mean that by just killing I will get stronger?" Zaroth asked as he shifted his gaze to her.


    "¡­ It is possible, but honestly, it sounds too easy. If killing someone was enough for you to get stronger, then if you just go on a killing spree, you would become invincible. Not to mention, while a vampire can''t drink endlessly as its body wouldn''t be able to hold all the blood, you can kill as much as you want with no downside."


    "That does sound too good to be true¡­" He had to agree. If just killing made him stronger, then what would stop him from going to the center of the capital, summoning Luna, burning the capital to the ground, and becoming unstoppable?


    Also did he personally have to do the killing, or would his beasts and their kills count as well?


    ''It kind of makes sense, actually,'' hearing Luna''s voice in his head, Zaroth raised an eyebrow.


    ''It does? How?''


    "Think about it. They are vampires, so the only logical way for them to get stronger would be to drink blood. But what about you? You are a human, right? Yet there is something different about you¡ªyou are a beast tamer, and not just an ordinary beast tamer, but one who could¡ª"


    "Raise the dead," he muttered under his breath in response to Luna''s thought.


    He didn''t know what kind of blessing he had received and from which god, but seeing that he could raise dead beasts, it was pretty clear that his god had something to do with death. So, in a way, it did make sense for him to get stronger by killing.


    He couldn''t help but gasp as a realization hit him. When he was fighting, no matter if it was in a friendly duel or in the tournament, he always tried to go for the kill. He had gotten so used to this that he didn''t even pay it much attention, but was it possible that he had been doing it because he subconsciously felt that killing his opponent would make him stronger?


    A menacing smile spread across his face as his eyes shined green.


    Some people might consider that a curse¡ªthe only way for them to strengthen their skills being through killing, which would be devastating for those who were too pure to even hurt a fly, or those ''heroes'' often talked about in fairy tales.


    But him? He wasn''t a hero, he was living solely for his desires, and his biggest desire was to gain strength. He wouldn''t even blink if he were to kill a person that he didn''t know if it was going to benefit him in any way, shape, or form.


    Zaroth felt his blood running hotter as excitement ran down his spine. He wanted to try it. He wanted to kill something to see if that would make him stronger.


    "Zaroth?"


    Hearing Midnight''s voice, he snapped back to reality. He glanced at her and asked, "Yes?"


    "Don''t forget that even if you get stronger by killing, it will only make the skills that you learn from me stronger. You can''t strengthen something if you don''t have it in the first place," she explained.


    He laughed awkwardly. "Ah¡­ yeah, I knew that. Totally wasn''t thinking about going on a rampage just now."


    She sighed as she picked up a sword.


    "You said you wanted to learn defensive abilities, right? Well, the best way to teach you is to beat it into you, so from now on, you are not allowed to attack, block, or parry. You must tank all my attacks."


    "What? How will that help me learn anything?!" he protested.


    "The skill you will try to learn is Darkveil, basically you will use the darkness around you to create a form of shield around your body. Of course, that means that if you are in a brightly lit area, it won''t have much of an effect, but that is the only defensive skill I can teach you."


    She walked toward the light switch connected to the crystals on the ceiling that emitted light and turned it off. The room was plunged into pitch blackness.


    "I made it easier for you. Now, the darkness around you will be easier for you to control¡­ oh, and you can use the chance to try and learn Darkgaze, which makes it possible to see in the dark."


    He took a few steps back in panic. "Wait, wait, wait! This isn''t enough of an explanation! Even if you attack me now, there is no way I would learn a thing!"


    Zaroth heard Midnight sigh. "You can walk, breathe, and blink, right?"


    Hearing the strange question, he replied, "Well, yes, everybody learns those things as soon as they are born." sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Then can you teach me those things?" she asked.


    "¡­ These are things that you just learn, like walking. You see the grown-ups do it, so you start to move your legs trying to mimic their movements, and eventually you learn it," he responded.


    "Exactly. The process here is the same. You know that you have to make the darkness come around your body to protect you, and that your eyes must adjust to said darkness for you to see. You know what you have to do now, so now you just have to learn it." Discover hidden content at My Virtual Library Empire


    He shot back, "Sure, it may come naturally to you, but you are a vampire and I am not!"


    Midnight laughed, her voice echoing across the pitch-black room.


    "That is true¡­" Suddenly, Zaroth''s symbol appeared and began to glow crimson in the darkness.


    "But we are connected, aren''t we? So the process must be the same. Now enough chit-chat, get ready."


    She went quiet afterward, so Zaroth put his hands over his face in a defensive position.


    Midnight had essentially told him that to learn the skills, he simply needed to try using them. So, he did, but of course, nothing happened.


    The next second, he felt a kick from his side and staggered back.


    He was about to strike back, but remembering that he was supposed to endure, he gritted his teeth, lowered his center of gravity to prevent himself from staggering back so easily.


    This was going to be one hellish training.

 Chapter 128 Questions in the Shadows

    "Feel the darkness around you," Midnight spoke as she used the sword she had picked up from the shelf and slashed at Zaroth''s right leg.


    "Make it submit to you, make it surround your body," she went behind him, made her fingers longer, and pierced his side.


    "Use your eyes to pierce through the darkness," she spoke as she took a step back and let Zaroth collapse on his knees. She waited a moment for the room to heal his injuries.


    "Is¡­ this the way you vampires learn your skills?" he asked between ragged breaths as he stood up.


    "Yes, we also have a fast regenerating ability, but considering that we are in this room that does basically the same thing, you will not learn it here," she answered, not stopping her attacks.


    ''This hour is going to be long,'' Zaroth thought as he tried his best to command the darkness.


    *****


    "And that is an hour," Midnight spoke as she turned the switch to activate the gems on the ceiling and lit the room again.


    She shifted her gaze to Zaroth, who was laying on the ground, bleeding profusely. "Good job. It may seem pointless now, but with time, your body will naturally get used to this."


    He took a moment to recover, then stood up with a grunt. "If this is in the name of strength, so be it."


    Midnight scoffed at his words. "You can try to learn the skills outside battle, but keep in mind that unless you are in a dangerous situation like now, it will not have much of an effect."


    He nodded at her words.


    A moment later, the door to the room opened, and Roderic came in. "Your hour is over," he spoke coldly and then exited the room.


    It seemed that Elysia had instructed him on what to do, and thankfully, the man didn''t ask any questions.


    Walking slowly, Zaroth approached the door. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Now that it''s over, I''m going to sleep," he muttered under his breath.


    He needed as much rest as he could get. This training wasn''t a joke.


    Midnight threw him a glance but didn''t say anything.


    ''He didn''t complain once during the whole training¡­ I guess he is serious when it comes to getting stronger,'' she thought, and before she realized it, her lips had curved into a smile.


    Stay connected with My Virtual Library Empire


    Finally reaching his expensive bed, Zaroth collapsed on it and glanced at the ceiling. The room was pitch black. But for a moment, it felt like he would be able to see past the darkness.


    He tried to move it and wrap it around his body. It didn''t work, but he could have sworn that he felt the darkness tremble slightly, almost like it moved under his command.


    A smile found its way onto his face before he realized it.


    It was going to take a long time, but he was progressing.


    He was getting stronger.


    *****


    With a grunt, he stood up from the bed. There were no wounds on his body, but he was beyond sore. He just wanted to sleep forever.


    "No point in complaining," he muttered as he quickly ate his breakfast that Luna had made and went outside.


    He was in the lecture room, listening to the lesson Elysia was teaching.


    Zack wasn''t with them as today was his fight in the tournament, so he was probably getting ready.


    This was one of the rare instances where Zaroth found it hard to focus. Despite Elysia teaching the lesson, his thoughts were solely on Midnight and the two skills he was training to learn.


    The first thing that he had to acknowledge was that Midnight had become more powerful and beautiful at the same time. Remembering her explaining how vampires get stronger, it was pretty safe to assume that she had drunk the blood of a lot of humans.


    But there was something that didn''t make sense, Elysia knew that Midnight was a vampire and yet didn''t stop her from attending the academy.


    Zaroth suspected that Elysia had warned Midnight to not kill students or she would be done, but if that was the case, the question arose, From where did Midnight find humans to kill and drink blood from?


    Maybe these humans were with the Emperor, so the Chairwoman would purposely look the other way if Midnight attacked the forces of the Emperor?


    Yet the question remained, Who were these people? Zaroth knew the only people that worked for the Emperor were David, the salesman, and that thing that wore human skin. But he doubted that Midnight would have attacked them.


    ''So maybe the Purifiers?'' That was the only conclusion he could come to. But at the same time, that theory had flaws. Namely, the Purifiers were supposed to be a third party, not working for either the Emperor or Elysia. So killing them would not benefit the Chairwoman in any way, as her goal was to weaken the Emperor.


    ''Or maybe they teamed up against Elysia?'' That could also be the case.


    It was also worth mentioning that Zaroth didn''t really know why Midnight had infiltrated the capital in the first place. If it was just for killing humans and getting stronger, she could have gone into any small city around the Empire and picked off the weak humans one by one¡­ or maybe she wanted stronger humans, which could only be found in the capital?


    Shaking his head, Zaroth dismissed the thoughts. He had to focus on the lecture, as Elysia had warned them earlier that a test would come soon, and this one was supposedly harder than the last one.


    *****


    Sitting on the ground, Zaroth closed his eyes, waiting.


    A few minutes later, the doors opened and Midnight walked into the room.


    She raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You''re here early."


    He paused for a moment before replying, "I didn''t want to keep you waiting."


    "Sure, sure." She sighed as she went to turn off the light, but before she could, Zaroth''s words stopped her.


    "There''s something that I wanted to ask you for some time now. I''ve avoided the issue for as long as I can, but I can''t anymore. This information could be very important in the future."


    His eyes narrowed like a hunter''s and glowed with a menacing green light.


    "Midnight¡­ why are you here in the capital? What is your goal?"

 Chapter 129 Endurance in the Dark

    She scoffed at his words. "So what, curiosity got the better of you?" she spoke, her voice carrying a hint of irritation.


    "It''s not so much about curiosity, it''s more about understanding. Many people are doing what they believe is best, but if I''m not informed about what those things are, I won''t be able to help anyone¡ªeven if I want to."


    Midnight raised an eyebrow. "So what, if I tell you the reason I am here, you will help me?"


    Zaroth''s lips curled into a warm, friendly smile. "Maybe. It all depends on what it is you''re after."


    She scoffed, crossing her arms. "You should''ve just said you''d help me, if you wanted me to tell you."


    He grimaced. "Look, I''m not going to lie. There''s always a chance your goals might clash with mine, and if that happens, we could end up as enemies. I don''t want that to happen, so telling me why you''re here could help."


    She turned off the light in the room, making it pitch black.


    "If you are so curious, then learn them, learn the skills. If you manage to become the first human I have heard of who has managed to learn the skills that vampires use, then I just might actually tell you what my goal is."


    Zaroth smirked as he shifted his gaze from where her voice was coming from and raised his two hands in front of him in a defensive pose.


    He took a deep breath.


    ''Darkness¡­'' This was only the second day of his training, so he wasn''t arrogant enough to think he would get the skills down so soon. But it didn''t demotivate him in the slightest.


    Midnight had instructed him that learning these two skills should be the same as learning how to walk or breathe.


    In other words, it should come naturally to him, he just had to practice.


    ''But I am having a hard time imagining it. Even if the symbol connects me to Midnight in some way, would it be enough to learn skills that vampires are able to use? After all, I have a blessing from a god, so these two could interfere with each other.''


    ''Or they could work together?'' Luna''s voice echoed in his mind.


    She was right. Maybe being able to use the vampire skills, coupled with the power he had received from the blessing, could turn out to have good synergy together?


    His thought process was interrupted as he was kicked in the ribs. The shockwave spread around his body, and he felt a few cracking sounds¡ªmost likely his ribs getting broken under the pressure. sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The power behind Midnight''s kick was so great that he was sent flying backward.


    Not resting even for a second, Zaroth got up on his feet as he tensed his body and waited for the next hit.


    Subconsciously, his body trembled. It didn''t want to feel pain, it didn''t want to get hurt, so it tried to find a way to defend itself.


    Sadly, there was nothing¡ªno armor, no cloth nearby¡ªthat could help in any way.


    The only thing that was available was the pitch-black darkness in the room.


    Zaroth''s eyes widened. They were trying to see past the vast darkness.


    A second later, he was hit again and was forced to take a few steps back.


    He was being attacked, and all he had to do was endure it, so his mind naturally began to wander.


    ''A skill¡­ from what I know, to activate one, no matter if it is weak or strong, you need to use the mana from your core. But that is something that happens naturally, or at least in my case. Do I have to try and guide it to my body? Or considering that I will have to control the darkness, maybe outside my body?''


    His mind was racing with all kinds of ideas and theorized on how to acquire these skills.


    ''No need to rush,'' he had to remind himself.


    Rushing the very basics could hinder his growth in the future if he didn''t understand how they worked in the first place.


    Zaroth felt his skin being split open, his blood pouring down from the wounds. He felt his bones being broken by the hits. He felt shockwaves go through his entire being.


    Each time he was hit, his body trembled stronger, wanting to protect itself from the pain.


    The darkness in the room trembled as well, as it was slowly being pulled toward his body.


    He began to feel as if he was getting closer to acquiring Darkveil and Darkgaze.


    Collapsing on the ground, he took ragged breaths and tried to stand up, but his body failed to listen to him.


    "This is enough," Midnight spoke as she used the switch to light the room again.


    "Did¡­ you go harder today?" he managed to mutter despite his exhausted state.


    "Yes. The first day was to get an idea of your general level, so today I pushed you as much as possible. We have only an hour a day, after all, we better make use of it."


    "I guess you are right¡­" he spoke as he glanced at her.


    Sensing that he probably wanted something, Midnight spoke. "What?"


    He smiled awkwardly. "Ah, well, nothing. It''s just that the room heals injuries but not exhaustion, so I will be having a hard time moving from this place."


    "Well, sucks to be you, I guess," she replied, getting ready to leave the room.


    "What I''m trying to say is that I wouldn''t mind a little help getting back to my apartment."


    Hearing his words, Midnight sighed as she massaged her forehead.


    "This isn''t some kind of play to spend more time with me, is it?"


    "N-no! I just really need some help."


    Not saying anything, Midnight went to him and lent him her shoulder.


    He couldn''t help but throw a glance or two at her alluring face.


    Zaroth noticed that she wasn''t in a good mood.


    Was it because she was annoyed that she had to help him? Or was it because he''d made it clear that this wasn''t some trick to get her to spend more time with him?


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    He didn''t know the answer to that question.

 Chapter 130 Web of Deceit

    "Thank you," Zaroth smiled as he shifted his gaze at Midnight.


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    With a grunt, she let him rest on the chair. "This is a one-time thing, don''t think that I will help you each time you want to go home after our training."


    "Yeah, I know," he nodded as he shifted his gaze to the expensive bed that he had spent a fortune on.


    "Now that you are here, why don''t we try it?"


    She sighed as she used her finger to touch his shoulder.


    He let out a weak voice of pain¡­ or was it a moan?


    "You seem like you are about to pass out from just being touched, how do you think that we will do anything?" she asked.


    He smiled at her words. "Does that mean that if I was in a condition, you wouldn''t object?"


    Midnight scoffed as she exited the apartment. "Take it as you wish."


    *****


    Althea took shallow breaths as she stood up.


    She was having a hard time moving due to her muscle-rotting curse, but it didn''t mean that she would just stay lying in her bed all the time.


    Especially not now, as her husband¡­ the emperor was requiring her presence. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Could he have changed his mind? Would he be able to accept me?'' These were the questions that would have gone through Althea''s head before, but now, after being married for so long, it was clear that he hated her. She was the only one of his wives that he didn''t pay any attention to.


    With the only exception being when he wanted to use her for some political reason.


    And today, she knew that it wasn''t going to be any different.


    She quickly covered her body as much as cloth and bandages as she could and made her way to the grand room.


    She was in a castle, as such, there were naturally servants that made sure to keep the place clean.


    There were soldiers that were stationed to keep guards at all times.


    All of them were supposed to be bowing before Althea just at the sight of her.


    Yet they didn''t. Worse, they looked at her with worry¡ªwith wariness in their eyes.


    In the beginning, Althea had felt hurt, betrayed, alone. But that was when she had come here. Now, having spent close to two decades at this castle, she had gotten used to the stares that she was getting from the servants¡ªno, from everybody, her husband included.


    And the worst part? She couldn''t even blame them. There was a rumor that by just touching her, it would be enough to transfer her curse to somebody else. Even if it was just a false rumor, it was a rumor nonetheless. So she understood why everybody would reject her.


    Even her own husband¡­ even her own family¡ªmother and father¡­


    She didn''t want revenge, she didn''t want to kill them.


    Althea had to constantly tell herself that, otherwise there was a chance that her bloodlust would leak, and this could cause many problems in the future for her and her plans.


    Opening the gates, she kept her gaze on the ground, not daring to look her husband in the eyes.


    There were a few reasons, one was that acting with even the faintest hint of disobedience could cause her husband to become suspicious and try to read her thoughts.


    The other was that doing so could simply anger him and could make the next few weeks hell for her.


    But the main reason was that by just looking at him, she felt hatred, and she had to conceal that hatred for as long as possible.


    "Your Majesty, I have been informed that you require my presence."


    She didn''t use "dear" or "honey" like his other wives had because she had been forbidden from using those words to him.


    Truly, the emperor couldn''t have made it more clear that he hated her, even if he tried.


    "Yes, the situation in the frontlines has become problematic, and the people close to the region of the war are in a state of panic. And I want to reassure them that everything will be fine," he spoke coldly, not even gazing at her.


    "This will be your role, to go and calm the masses down."


    "Understood," she bowed. This wasn''t something that she was unfamiliar with, as they had been in a war for a long time. The emperor had made use of Althea a lot of times to settle public disputes without lifting a finger himself.


    She speculated that it was because he was hoping that while she was there, the city would be attacked, and she would die as a result, but she didn''t have any solid evidence.


    "About my transport¡­" she was asking if she was going to go with a carriage or with a teleportation circle. As one of the queens, she usually should always have used the teleporting circle, as it would be much faster and safer than traveling with a carriage. But her husband seemed to like it when she suffered, so she was expecting to have to spend the next week in a cheap, uncomfortable carriage.


    The emperor grimaced before speaking. "Unfortunately, it seems that the public doesn''t have much faith, as such, you will go with the help of the teleportation circle to save time."


    Althea was momentarily surprised but didn''t say anything about the matter.


    "Go. You are to remain there for at least two weeks until the public settles down," he made his voice colder before speaking the next words. "Failure will not be tolerated."


    "Understood," Althea replied as she began to walk out of the throne room.


    Who was going to come with her as a bodyguard? How was her safety going to be guaranteed, considering that she was going to a city that was close to the borders where a war was taking place? She was one of the queens, after all, so such things were to be expected¡­


    Sadly, no one cared for Althea, so such things were not arranged.


    But that suited her fine¡­ no more than fine, because it meant that she would be able to act without arousing any kind of suspicion.


    She had hope, because even if it looked like she was alone, there was an individual that she was on friendly terms with. The reason was that both of them wanted to get rid of the emperor.


    And that person was the only one who truly had a chance to beat the man in battle.


    The one and only Elysia.


    Often called the incarnation of death and the strongest human in the empire.

 Chapter 131 No one sane

    Zack observed the arena, it was the sixth round, the one that Zaroth had already gone through.


    Truthfully, Zack didn''t feel worried as he was confided in his abilities to win, even if he was forbidden from using his powers.


    Even if he couldn''t make weapons and armor from blood, it didn''t mean that he couldn''t make his body stronger by making his blood run faster through his veins.


    It wasn''t like his uncle or anybody from his family was going to notice¡ª


    Zack''s spine ran cold as he noticed a certain individual sitting at the very back of the arena, watching with his crimson eyes the fight that was about to take place.


    It was Alexander, or in other words, Zack''s uncle.


    He had come to watch his match.


    Zack wasn''t dumb enough to use his powers before his uncle''s gaze, meaning that in this match, he wouldn''t be able to use his powers at all.


    At the moment, only a single thought ran through his mind,


    ''Fuck.''


    *****


    Taking ragged breaths, Zack looked at the blooded opponent before him.


    His opponent was able to use wind attacks and make them sharp as a sword.


    It was a hard fight, but he was somehow able to win without using his powers at all, as he didn''t want to risk it, considering that he was being watched by his uncle.


    Who seemed to have already left, seeing that Zack had managed to win without using his powers.


    Zack had a bad feeling. He didn''t have evidence, but he was sure that the raven he had noticed watching him had actually been an assassin sent by his uncle.


    Despite the numerous wounds that Zack bore, he couldn''t help but smile.


    His uncle, despite being so powerful, didn''t want to attack him directly. Even if it was because of political reasons, he couldn''t help but find the situation funny.


    It was like Alexander was scared of him despite their difference in strength.


    *****


    "We had a deal," Alexander spoke as he stared at the eyes of the emperor.


    "You were supposed to send an assassin to get rid of nephew."


    The emperor closed the book that he was reading and met Alexander''s gaze.


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    "About that, I received word that your nephew has turned out to be much more powerful than expected, so it will take longer than planned."


    Before Alexander could respond, Draconis added,


    "But of course, we have a deal with the head of the White Fang Clan, as such the deal will be honored." He reassured.


    Alexander scoffed, "Good. Considering that we have so many of our men on the border, I will expect the assassination to happen sooner."


    Draconis smiled. "We will do our best. You can be sure about that."


    The talk was over, so Alexander left the grand room.


    Draconis watched him leave. Once the man was gone, he grimaced.


    "Ah¡­ I could kill you and your clan, but it is not wise to do so right now," he muttered in frustration.


    He had to rely on the clans for a bit more. Each one of the clans had a formidable military of their own, and thanks to deals he had made, their militaries were stationed at the borders, slowing down the advancement of the Crimson Sun Empire as much as possible. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Draconis needed to stall for just a bit more time. Once his plan was complete, he would simply get rid of any clan that didn''t swear undying loyalty towards him. Even if killing the clans weakened the Draconian Empire''s military power, it wouldn''t mean much. At that point, no one would dare to attack his empire, and he would be able to start conquering the whole continent for himself.


    After all, who would dare to face a god in battle?


    No one sane, that was for sure


    *****


    "Okay, day three," Zaroth muttered as he walked towards the academy.


    It was still early, and the sun hadn''t fully set, meaning that it was still hard to see. Yet he was able to¡ªeven slightly¡ªsee better in the dark. There was no doubt now, this was the Darkgaze skill that he was being taught from Midnight alongside the Darkveil skill.


    It seemed that she was correct, that beating it into him was the best way for him to learn the skills.


    After all, his body felt pain, and that was something that would subconsciously want to avoid, meaning that his focus had slowly shifted to learning that skill.


    ''I am able to use fireball and breathe out fire, I have a dragon under my command, as well as a pack of dangerous wolves that no matter how much are damaged would simply get up as they are already undead. And now I am learning skills that are supposed to be exclusive to demons and vampires¡­'' he thought, as a menacing smile appeared on his face.


    ''I¡­ am slowly becoming a formidable individual, aren''t I?'' he asked Luna.


    ''Becoming? Don''t underestimate yourself. You already are,''


    Hearing Luna''s words echo in his head, he raised an eyebrow.


    ''Am I?''


    ''Yes. The reason it may not seem that way is because you''ve surrounded yourself with powerful people,'' she explained.


    He had to agree with her. After all, Elysia, Zack, Roran, Lily, Midnight, and the people he met once¡ªDavid, the salesman, and the thing wearing human skin¡ªwere all very powerful. They weren''t what he would consider the pinnacle of power, but they were close.


    "Actually, Elysia may be at the pinnacle of power¡­" he muttered under his breath.


    A second later, his eyes widened as he was startled by Luna''s laugh.


    ''What is so funny?'' he asked.


    ''Well, they''re pretty strong alright, but nowhere near the level you will reach in time,'' she proclaimed.


    ''After all, you have a mythical dragon¡­ and a certain mission, no?''


    "That is right," he shifted his gaze to the sky, seeing that the sun was finally showing itself from the horizon.


    He was alive thanks to his mother and her words, so he had the duty to kill the bastards that had created the curse that spelled her doom.


    No matter if it takes him years, decades, or a lifetime. He hadn''t and would never forget his original goal.


    He will kill the gods.

 Chapter 132 A New Vision

    The week passed like a blur. Zaroth would get up, attend the classes, spending more focus on Elysia''s lectures as there was going to be a supposedly hard test. After that, he spent an hour training with Midnight amidst the darkness, and then managed to crawl back to his bed as exhaustion had overwhelmed him, and go to sleep.


    With a grunt, he woke up. Opening his eyes, he saw that he could see, so he concluded that it was soon going to be time for him to go to the academy.


    Shifting his gaze, he glanced to his side. There, Luna was sleeping¡ªnot because of anything that had happened the night before, but because she had mentioned enjoying lying on his bed, so he hadn''t objected.


    "Now that I think about it, this is the first time I have seen her sleeping," he gulped audibly. The way her hair was laid down on the bed made his blood run hotter. Zaroth would have already made his move a long time ago if his strength didn''t limit him.


    He didn''t want to be late today as the test was scheduled today, so shaking his head off the impure thought, he stood up and went to take a shower.


    This was one of the activities that he enjoyed the most¡ªthe way the hot water washed the stress off his body felt so good that he usually showered two times a day, once in the morning and once at night.


    This, of course, was wasteful as a person didn''t need to shower so often, but he didn''t care for that.


    He simply desired to shower more often, so who was going to stop him?


    After he dried himself, he saw that Luna was still asleep. "I guess I can make breakfast¡­"


    Truthfully, he had been spoiled by Luna too much as she had been cooking breakfast for some time now, so it was his turn.


    Today he was making fried eggs with cheese.


    While he was cooking, he couldn''t help but throw a few glances at Luna. "Does she even need to sleep?" he muttered under his breath. Not that he was complaining, she was cute when she was like that, so he didn''t wake her up.


    After some time, the food began to give off a nice aroma, and it seemed that Luna smelled it as she began turning in the bed. Soon after, she opened her eyes, massaging her tired eyes, she shifted her gaze to Zaroth.


    "You''ve cooked breakfast?" she asked, her voice carrying a hint of tiredness.


    "Well, yeah, you overslept," he replied.


    Hearing his words, Luna raised an eyebrow. "Zaroth, this is not possible."


    He chuckled, "Come on now! Just admit that you overslept!" He tried to tease her.


    "What is the time?" she asked.


    "Well, of course, it is¡ª" Zaroth began to speak but stopped mid-sentence as he was looking at the time,


    3:00.


    ''Huh? No, that isn''t possible. I mean, it is so clear it must be the middle of the day, not the night!'' he thought.


    "And also¡­ why are you cooking in the darkness?" Luna added.


    "Darkness?" he repeated her words as his mind raced. The surroundings were so clear¡­


    He shifted his gaze to the gems on the ceiling, the ones that, if turned on, would emit light.


    They were turned off.


    Moving his eyes to his palm, he clenched it into a fist. It was 3:00, the gems on the ceiling were off, and yet he¡­


    Was able to see his palm? Not only that, but he had managed to take a shower and make breakfast without a problem?


    His eyes widened as a menacing smile appeared on his face.


    "Is this¡­ Darkgaze? I have learned it?"


    He took a deep breath, trying to calm down his beating heart. It seemed that he had learned one of the two skills that he was learning with Midnight. How was this possible, he asked himself? Wasn''t he supposed to learn it in the middle of combat? Or was this meant for the Darkveil, while Darkgaze could be learned in everyday life without the constant danger of pain?


    "It seems¡­ that I have good news to tell Midnight later."


    Sadly, it was in the middle of the night, and he had a test today, so he wouldn''t be able to go back to sleep even if he tried. So, he began to review the material that he knew was going to be on the test.


    He wasn''t going to fail again, he would ace it the first time.


    *****


    The moment Zaroth entered the room, he saw that many students had different expressions. Some looked confident, while others looked worried.


    Not paying them any attention, he went to the front and sat with his friends.


    They all looked relaxed, so Zaroth could tell that they had studied as well. Well, relaxed was too strong of a word when it came to Zack, because after the sixth round, the man looked like there was something bothering him, but he was reluctant to share, so they didn''t bring up the issue.


    The front doors burst open, and Elysia entered, carrying a stack of papers.


    "Attention." She didn''t need to speak loudly as everybody was solely focused on her words. That was how much presence she had.


    "The test will now begin¡­ should someone be caught cheating, expulsion is in order according to the rules."


    Zaroth didn''t plan to cheat, as he felt confident enough in his knowledge.


    Elysia snapped with her fingers, and the next second there was a test in front of every student in the room.


    "The test will be until the end of the lecture," she spoke as she observed the faces of the students until she stopped at one with white hair and green cat-like eyes. Find your next read on My Virtual Library Empire


    Zaroth.


    Her eyes, that usually didn''t show any kind of emotion, moved, showing clear surprise for a second, though no one noticed, as everybody was focused on their test.


    Elysia''s reaction was because she had seen many demons in her life, so she knew how to recognize them at first glance¡­ and at this moment, she saw that Zaroth had somehow become a part demon.


    Or more exactly, a vampire.


    Meanwhile, oblivious to the fact that Elysia was staring at him, Zaroth began to answer the questions on the test, one by one.


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 Chapter 133 Embrace of the Darkness

    ''Easy!'' Zaroth thought as he solved the questions one by one. While he was sure he was going to make a mistake or two, he was confident that he would pass with flying colors.


    After completing the test, he asked his friends for their opinions, and it seemed that everybody thought they had done well, so they would pass as well.


    ''Well, now that this is done, I can''t wait to brag to Midnight that I have managed to learn Darkgaze!'' he thought.


    After all lectures were over, he headed to where he and Midnight usually held their training.


    Entering the recovery room meant for sparring, he didn''t bother to turn on the light as he sat in the middle of the room and waited.


    Not long after, the doors opened, and a stunning woman with crimson eyes and hair entered the room. Seeing that the room was pitch black, she muttred.


    "I guess¡­ he is late to¡ª" but she stopped mid-sentence as she noticed that Zaroth was sitting in the room, waiting for her with a smile.


    "... Why are you waiting in the darkness?" she asked.


    "Darkness? Oh, it just doesn''t bother me that much anymore¡­"


    She raised an eyebrow at his words, and a moment later, she realized what he was telling her.


    "Are you trying to say that you have learned Darkgaze?" she asked.


    Zaroth smiled even more widely. "Yes! I did. Isn''t it surprising?"


    She scoffed as she crossed her arms. "Not really. We have been sparring for a week in the darkness now. On the contrary, I would have been worried if you hadn''t shown signs of learning at least one of the two skills."


    "Oh, come on! Give me some more credit, at least!" he complained as he got up.


    Midnight sighed. "I will when you learn both of the skills."


    Not waiting for a second more, she was already upon him with her fingers raised to his neck.


    He was startled for a second but didn''t move.


    Her nails made several large wounds on his body, yet the man was smiling.


    If he had managed to learn one skill, then he would surely learn the second.


    *****


    The hour they had for training was close to ending. Zaroth was bleeding profusely, yet he refused to give up.


    He wanted to use Darkveil today. One skill wasn''t enough for him, he was greedy and wanted it all. Discover exclusive content at My Virtual Library Empire


    For the thousandth time today, Midnight was about to attack him, making a large wound on his body.


    But before her nails could reach him, it seemed as if his body trembled. It didn''t want to be hurt anymore. It didn''t want to feel pain anymore. It was going to use everything it could to defend itself.


    The darkness in the room trembled.


    And a part of it moved, wrapping around Zaroth''s body at the spot where Midnight was about to attack.


    Her sharp nails collided with the darkness around his body and created a screeching sound like metal scraping across metal.


    Both Zaroth and Midnight froze as they stared at each other''s eyes. sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A second later, he muttered, "I¡­ did it?"


    The doors opened, and Sylvia¡ªthe healer¡ªshowed her head through the door.


    "Your hour is up," she spoke, and then exited. Originally, Roderic was the one who was supposed to keep an eye on them, as Elysia had instructed, but it seemed that the man had been gone for about a week now, so Sylvia had taken his place for the moment.


    Taking a step back, Midnight sighed. "Well, good job. You did it."


    Zaroth shifted his gaze around the room. "Have I really?" he muttered and tried to command the darkness to wrap around his body, protecting him.


    To his surprise, the darkness obeyed his command. He was able to control the darkness! And not only that, it felt as natural as breathing! Midnight had really been correct.


    Taking a moment to calm himself down, he shifted his gaze to her and flashed her a smile.


    "Now that I have learned them, will you tell me why you''re here in the capital?"


    She raised an eyebrow, and a moment later, she began to walk. "Sure, but not here. Follow me."


    *****


    "Wow," Zaroth muttered in awe.


    She had led him to a secluded place with a clear view of the beautiful moon in the sky.


    "It''s not really that interesting, to be honest," she spoke, not shifting her gaze from the moon.


    "In my country, there was a problem that arose, and it seemed that everybody, including those who were supposed to be my family, have abandoned me and have the sole goal of killing me."


    By the heavy breaths she was taking, it was clear that it wasn''t easy for her to remember the past, but she continued nonetheless.


    "I was hunted, and you could even say that there has been a price set on my head, so I was left with no choice but to run¡­ but it seemed that the price for my head was so grand that a lot of vampires began to follow me wherever I went. In the end, I concluded that the demon continents were too dangerous for me to remain in. As such, the only option left was to go where demons were hated and hunted, the human continents."


    Her voice began to show a hint of anger. "But I didn''t want to run. I want revenge¡­ and for that revenge, I need strength, so I came here. There are Purifiers here, and while they exist to hunt demons and vampires like myself, I''ve found that drinking their blood greatly powers me up and takes me closer to evolution."


    Parting his lips, Zaroth finally spoke, "So, basically, you have to hunt people here to evolve, and once you do, you''ll go back and get your revenge on those who have wronged you?"


    She nodded her head.


    His lips curved into a smile. "I¡­ like that."


    Midnight''s eyes widened as she shifted her gaze to him. "You like that? That I am killing so many innocent humans just to get stronger and get my revenge on my kind?"


    Zaroth burst into laughter when he heard her words. "Innocent? The Purifiers are as far from that as you could get!"


    After taking a moment to calm down, he added, "Plus, don''t you know me already? I don''t care what happens to people I don''t know personally."


    "I¡­ just¡­ you''re the first person that I''ve told my plan to, and¡­ I didn''t expect to receive support," she trailed off, lost for words.


    Zaroth''s eyes widened for a moment as he got an idea. "Hey¡­ say, to get stronger, you just have to drink blood, right? Not kill?"


    Midnight took a moment to respond. "Yes, that is correct."


    "And if I''m not mistaken, from what you told me, if I began to kill people, then the demonic skills I learn will get stronger, right?"


    "Yeah, if the voice you hear in your head before really wants you to kill, then that is certainly the case."


    ''Then¡­ I can kill a few birds with one stone.'' Before he proposed his plan, he messaged Elysia just to make sure. It might have been late into the night, but from what he knew, she rarely slept.


    -----


    Zaroth: Just a quick question¡ªare Purifiers allies or foes?


    Elysia: Foes


    Zaroth: Let''s say that their number begins to dwindle. Would this benefit you, and would I earn a reward?


    Elysia: Possibly.


    -----


    Zaroth smiled. He now had all the information he needed. Shifting his gaze to Midnight, he spoke.


    "Hey, you just have to drink their blood, right? While I just have to kill them. What do you say that I join you in these hunts that you do against the Purifiers?"


    Midnight''s crimson eyes widened for a moment.


    "Join me? You really want to help me?"


    She was so shocked that he had offered his help that she didn''t even think to question how he knew she had been going out and regularly hunting the Purifiers.


    "Yeah, our goals align, so it will benefit us both, wouldn''t it? I kill them, you suck their blood. Not to mention, if it''s the two of us, we''ll be able to kill more rather than if we fight alone."


    Midnight glared at him, considering his words.


    She had spent so long alone, watching over her shoulder as even her own kind wanted her dead.


    And yet, a human was offering his help? When she had been taught that she should be most careful around humans, it turned out that she could rely on one more than on her own kind?


    She had been struggling with her emotions for so long, wondering if it was right for her to be with him.


    Midnight opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out.


    Zaroth watched her beautiful face that was illuminated by the moonlight.


    Before he realized it, he had placed his hand on her shoulder and went for a kiss.


    She didn''t stop him as she used both her hands to wrap around him and sat on his lap, both of them in each other''s embrace.


    In that moment, Midnight had made her choice.


    She would trust him. She would trust the human.


    She was going to trust Zaroth.

 Chapter 134 Round 7

    Zaroth opened his eyes. The first thing he did was shift his gaze to the left.


    There, naked, a beauty with crimson eyes and hair slept next to him on the bed.


    Getting up quietly, trying not to disturb her, he admired her beauty for a moment.


    Even though she was a vampire and not a human, her charm was out of this world, few would be able to hold a candle to her.


    Entering the shower, he turned on the hot water and let it fall, washing his worries away and making him ready for the day.


    Once he was done, he dried himself and put his bracelet back on, only for his eyes to widen as he saw that he had gotten a message.


    Once he read it, his lips curved into a smile. It seemed that the seventh round was today.


    It couldn''t have come at a better time, as now he would be able to test the new skills he had acquired.


    "First things first, breakfast," he muttered as he opened the shelves, seeing what ingredients he had.


    "I wonder what Midnight would like? She is a vampire after all¡­" he spent a few minutes pondering and, in the end, he decided to go with pancakes.


    After all, everybody loved them!


    Once Midnight woke up, she took a shower as well before starting to eat with Zaroth.


    Seeing her still-wet hair that was over one of her shoulders, he had to take a deep breath and control himself.


    He needed all the energy for the upcoming fight, after all.


    "So, you say that your fight is today?" she spoke.


    Zaroth coughed awkwardly before replying, "Yeah, it is."


    She raised an eyebrow, wondering why he was acting so strangely, until she noticed that he was staring at her breasts.


    Her lips curved into an alluring smile. She was enjoying the moment, so she didn''t hide them or scold Zaroth at all.


    After composing himself, he spoke, "Well, I''ve already revealed that I am a beast master during the previous round, as such, I will not spare strength. I intend to crush my opponent fast."


    He quickly added, "Meaning that I shouldn''t be too exhausted, and we can go hunt some Purifiers after that."


    Midnight had finished her food, so she stood up and approached Zaroth from the side.


    She brought her face close to his ear, her breasts brushing against his side as she whispered in an alluring voice,


    "So you have the stamina for so much action? I like that."


    From her teasing, he was about to lose control but managed to compose himself, remembering that he would need to preserve his energy as much as possible.


    "Why are you surprised about my stamina? Didn''t you see it first-hand last night?" he teased back.


    She didn''t flinch back, "Yeah, I did. I wouldn''t mind seeing it again, though."


    Taking a deep breath, Zaroth thought, ''Focus! You can''t lose control now!''


    This was one long morning.


    *****


    Zaroth studied his opponent.


    It was a tall man with blue eyes.


    Once the battle began, the man''s eyes shined, and Zaroth was frozen in place.


    ''What?'' he thought, trying to figure out why he wasn''t able to move.


    Shifting his gaze to his opponent, he saw that the man''s eyes were glowing bright blue as he slowly approached him.


    ''Oh¡­ I see. That man is able to freeze his opponents by just looking at them.''


    It wasn''t surprising that the man had reached so far in the tournament. It was one nasty power, Zaroth had to admit that.


    Most people wouldn''t be able to do anything as they would become helpless under the man''s gaze.


    The blue-eyed man stopped in shock as he saw that on Zaroth''s face, instead of despair, there was a menacing smile.


    ''Too bad for you, but I am not most people.''


    A second later, several wolves surrounded the frozen body of Zaroth, and there was one wolf that was twice the size of the others. S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''He may be able to freeze me in place, but what about my beasts? Is he able to freeze only one target at a time or can he freeze multiples?'' Zaroth wondered.


    And seeing the terrified expression of his opponent, it seemed that the answer to his question was clear.


    After that, it was a one-sided fight. Zaroth''s wolves beat his opponent in the span of a minute, and he didn''t even have to lift a finger.


    Seeing the bloodied body laying on the ground, Zaroth sighed in regret. He hoped to use his new powers, but it seemed that it wasn''t needed in today''s fight.


    "Oh well, it''s not like I don''t have another opportunity to use them today," he muttered with a smile.


    *****


    Zaroth was wearing a black robe, allowing him to blend with the darkness of the night.


    Shifting his gaze to Midnight, he asked, "So, do we attack now?"


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    They were in front of a church. Granted, it was a pretty small church, but still a church nonetheless.


    He was following Midnight''s commands now as she needed to show him the ropes.


    The most important thing was to not get spotted. This was the reason he was wearing the black cloak.


    At the beginning, it felt a bit weird, but he began to like it.


    "Yes, be quiet," she spoke as she took a step forward, Zaroth not far behind her.


    There were two reasons why they were attacking at night. The first one was that when the moon was at its peak, it meant that Midnight would be empowered by it.


    The second and biggest reason was that most people would be asleep, meaning that there were not only smaller chances of being spotted, but also there wouldn''t be civilians in the church.


    Of course, neither Zaroth nor Midnight would blink at killing civilians if it would benefit them, but the more people inside the building, the more potential problems.


    "So we just open the door?" he raised an eyebrow.


    "Yes, once we enter, the Purifiers will quickly recognize why we''re hiding ourselves. As such, we attack immediately,"


    He nodded, and Midnight turned the knob of the door, opening it.


    Zaroth licked his lips as he felt his heart beat increasing. He was able to feel it.


    Tonight, he was going to kill.

 Chapter 135 Blood and Darkness

    Zaroth gazed at the interior of the building.


    The first thing that he noticed were the pristine walls, white as snow, and so spotless that it was like they were glowing.


    The ceiling was decorated with beautiful paintings that no doubt depicted different gods and their tales.


    On the floor, there was a beautiful red carpet. In the air, the scent of burning candles lingered.


    There were about a dozen rows with wooden benches on each side, they were all positioned looking at the big statue from across the room, in front of which there were three humans kneeling.


    One was a woman wearing a pristine white robe, and on both of her sides were men with silver armor.


    There was one old man checking something in a drawer, and the last person was a woman that was positioned close to the doors from which Zaroth and Midnight had entered.


    Hearing the doors open, she turned with a smile.


    "Oh? We have believers at such t-"


    She stopped mid-sentence as she saw the two figures that were completely hidden by black coats.


    Her body trembled as she realized what was about to happen. She opened her mouth to scream, but before she could, her throat was pierced by a short dagger.


    In that moment, Zaroth was grateful he had learned to wield daggers. If he had been carrying a spear or sword, he wouldn''t have been able to move with such speed and precision.


    The moment his blade pierced the woman''s throat, Zaroth saw the way her eyes dimmed, indicating that she was dead.


    He had killed before¡­ but then he hadn''t yet acquired any demonic skills.


    As the woman''s soul left her body, Zaroth''s eyes shined, as did the crimson symbol on the back of his hand.


    He opened his mouth in awe, as it felt like he got a deeper understanding of how to use Darkveil and Darkgaze.


    A menacing smile spread across his face. In that moment, he knew that killing a person, even if just slightly, did increase his proficiency with his demonic skills.


    Taking the blade out of the woman''s throat, she collapsed on the ground, and the sound alerted the other four people in the church¡­


    Well, they were now three, as Midnight had moved as fast as Zaroth, if not faster, and had managed to eliminate the old man without him being able to understand what was happening.


    "We are being attacked!" one of the two men clad in silver armor shouted as he took a step to the side, covering the woman with his body.


    "You take care of the man with the daggers, I will take the vampire!" the other, slightly older man spoke.


    A second later, both of them lunged toward their targets, while the woman that was kneeling in front of the statue just a second ago brought her hands to her chest as she began to mutter something.


    She was most likely praying, preparing some kind of spell.


    In response to her actions, the two men with silver armor seemed to begin to glow as if they had just received a buff.


    Zaroth grinned, ''So that woman is able to buff the people on her side¡­ I can see why they are trying to protect her¡­'' he thought as he moved to the side just in time to dodge the man''s sword.


    ''The heavy armor he wears, as well as the big shield in his left hand and the big sword in his right¡­ is that man a paladin?'' Zaroth came to that conclusion after observing the man and his equipment.


    This was going to be a tough match. He was sure that the Purifiers had some kind of system in place that differentiated individuals from different levels of power like beasts, demons and vampires had. And Zaroth was pretty sure that his opponent was high on that hierarchy.


    ''Not to mention the fact that he is buffed¡­'' he thought as he dodged another strike from the man.


    Not needing a long time to come up with a plan, he took a step back and sent a fireball.


    Sadly, it seemed that the fireball he fired missed its mark and hit one of the candelabrum that was holding the candles that illuminated the corner they were standing in.


    He fired several more, but all of them missed their mark, hitting the candelabrums behind the paladin.


    Meanwhile, the paladin, seeing that his enemy had such a bad aim, scoffed.


    "How many times have you missed, sinner? You made a stupid mistake attacking when a priestess is here," the man spoke mockingly as he approached Zaroth, who was slowly backing out into the corner, devoid of light.


    Zaroth smiled behind the hood as his eyes narrowed like a hunter''s.


    In response to the paladin''s provocation, he spat, "Don''t you find it hard to see in the dark?"


    Not paying any attention to his words, the paladin was about to attack, but before he could, he froze as he realized that his body wasn''t glowing anymore.


    He shifted his gaze to see why the priestess wasn''t providing him with buffs anymore. Only for his eyes to widen in horror.


    There was a large wolf, about double the size of a normal one, over the body of the dead priestess, with its massive jaws closed on her throat.


    Zaroth made use of the darkness that he had created to summon Silverfang behind the paladin''s back and send it toward the woman who had been providing his enemies with buffs.


    Thankfully, it seemed that she was physically weak, so Silvefan didn''t have a hard time getting rid of her.


    "YOU SINNER! YOU SHALL SUFFER IN HELL!" the paladin shouted as he charged at Zaroth with full fury and slashed with all the might he had.


    Zaroth, not planning to dodge, met the man''s attack as he used Darkveil to command the darkness he had just created to wrap around his body.


    The paladin''s sword pierced Zaroth''s coat, as well as his clothes underneath, and hit the darkness commanded by Darkveil.


    He felt his shoulder being wounded as blood began to fall from the injury, yet Zaroth couldn''t help but smile as he took a step, getting even closer to the paladin.


    His skill Darkveil had given out, but it had significantly reduced the amount of damage he received. Under normal circumstances, his left hand would have been cut off completely, or at least the paladin''s sword would have reached his bone. Yet, thanks to Darkveil, it only made a shallow wound.


    Feeling proud that his new skill was so useful, Zaroth used his right hand to drive his dagger deep into the man''s throat, killing him on the spot.


    Zaroth smiled even wider, making sure that the last thing the paladin was going to see before he died was his face.


    Letting the dead body of the man collapse on the ground, Zaroth took a glance at his right dagger and the blood that was still on the blade.


    He had learned three things today.


    First, killing humans really made his demonic skills stronger.


    Second, he had killed the woman close to the entrance, as well as the paladin, yet he felt more power flowing into him as he killed the paladin.


    Meaning that the stronger the individual he kills, the more power he would get.


    He shifted his gaze to the woman laying in front of the statue and Silverfang, who was waiting for more orders.


    And the third thing was that sadly his beasts'' kills didn''t count. He had to kill the individual himself if he wanted to gain a portion of their strength. S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


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    "Actually¡­ scratch that, make it four," he muttered as he shifted his gaze to Midnight.


    Her opponent was lying on the ground with a scared expression on his face, blood dripping from his two empty eye sockets.


    The paladin was trying to scream, but Midnight was preventing him as she had her hand over his mouth.


    Shifting her gaze to Zaroth, she smiled as she spoke, "I managed to keep him alive, so he''s yours to finish."


    Zaroth grinned widely as he felt his body getting hotter at the sight of how dangerous the woman he was sleeping with was.


    The fourth thing he learned that day was that Midnight can be much more scary than one might originally believe.

 Chapter 136 Under the Churchs Shadow

    "Thanks for leaving him for me," Zaroth said as he walked over and pierced the man''s head with one of his daggers.


    His eyes widened as he felt more power flowing into him.


    A second later, Midnight bit down on the man''s neck with her fangs as she began to drink.


    Zaroth didn''t bother her as she fed, he observed the church. Now that he wasn''t in the middle of a fight, he was able to pay more attention to the surroundings.


    The more he looked, the more his expression changed.


    Everything was spotless, beautiful, pristine¡­ expensive.


    How could this small church afford so many expensive items? The only money they should have been receiving were supposed to be donations meant for the less fortunate.


    He got closer to the body of the dead woman that Silverfang had killed.


    The first thing he noticed was that she was beautiful¡­ the next second, he realized that she was wearing a heavy amount of makeup.


    On her neck, there was a golden necklace with a diamond in the middle. At her wrists, there were bracelets made from gold and decorated with gems as well.


    It was clear that this woman hadn''t spared expenses for buying luxuries for herself.


    With the amount of money she had spent on these things, there was no doubt in Zaroth''s mind that these jewelries would have been enough to supply at least a dozen starving families with food for more than a year.


    And yet this money was used on something so meaningless¡­


    He wouldn''t have cared if not for the fact that this money would have come from donations. There were surely a lot of people who were giving money to the church, thinking that they were helping the less fortunate, while in actuality, the money was just being pocketed by high-standing members of the Purifiers.


    He felt rage deep in his soul. He had been one of those less fortunate ones, maybe if the church actually did its job correctly, his mother wouldn''t have died¡­ or at least, she wouldn''t have had to endure so much hunger in her last days. Maybe if he hadn''t been starving for so much of his childhood, he would have grown taller.


    And the worst part was that if the church didn''t exist at all, then there was a possibility that those who really wanted to help would have gone out of their way to do it personally¡­ but due to the church''s existence, no one bothered. Why would they? Just give money, think that you''ve done good, and now you''re considered a good person.


    Before he realized it, his fists had clenched tight as his fingers began to pierce his skin so deep that he began to bleed.


    Was it because the Purifiers were connected to the gods that he felt so much rage against them?


    "Zaroth?"


    Midnight''s voice broke him out of his trance. He shifted his gaze to her.


    The bodies of the men looked white as ghosts, most likely as a result of losing most of their blood.


    "Are you done?" he asked.


    "Yes, we better get out of here. Even if no one has seen us, it isn''t smart to linger at the scene of the crime,"


    Zaroth nodded as he put his hood back on his head and quickly left the church with Midnight.


    They walked far, making sure to remain unseen by the few people who were still on the streets at such late hours.


    Finally, making sure that they were far enough, they took a rest at a bench.


    "Thanks for coming," Midnight spoke. "It would have been difficult to get rid of them alone."


    Zaroth simply nodded as he shifted his gaze to the back of his hand, making sure that there wasn''t anyone nearby. He made his symbol appear.


    He wasn''t completely sure, but it seemed that it shined brighter crimson than before.


    "So, you''ve killed three humans, is there any defect?" Midnight asked.


    "I think so," he muttered as he used Darkveil, and the surrounding darkness wrapped around his body.


    "But it is pretty hard to tell," he admitted.


    She scanned his body for a moment or two, then put her hand on his head, making his hair messy.


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    "The change is little, but the darkness seems more potent around your body. It really seems that just killing makes your demonic skills stronger."


    Zaroth smiled a little.


    "So any demonic skill I learn from now on should be empowered, right?"


    "Yes, but to have any significant change, you will have to kill much more."


    His eyes widened for a moment. He imagined killing more of these Purifiers, and at just the thought, a smile appeared on his face.


    Was there something wrong with him? He didn''t mind killing before¡­ but now just the thought made him excited? When had this happened, or was he always like this and just figured it out now?


    His thoughts were interrupted as he felt a pair of eyes on him.


    Shifting his gaze to the cause, he saw a girl with a white mask and shoulder-length blonde hair. She was walking around with a beautiful woman with blue eyes and hair.


    A second later, he recognized them as Vera and Sofia. Considering that Sofia had been the one to lead the Epic Beast Master to his fighters during the hunting competition, he couldn''t say that they were on good terms with one another, but they weren''t on bad terms either.


    Zaroth knew that if he were in their situation, he would have done the same, so he couldn''t blame them.


    Once the girls saw that Zaroth had sensed that he was being watched, they took a step backward and went on their way.


    "That was weird," he muttered under his breath.


    A second later, he forgot about it as he decided that it wasn''t worth remembering.


    *****


    "We just had to meet Zaroth during our night walk!" Sofia complained as she marched forward.


    She knew that Vera disliked looking at the man, so she was now probably in a bad mood.


    ''And just when she was starting to get better!'' Sofia cursed as she shifted her gaze to her friend.


    "Forget about him alright? We are here to relax, so don''t-"


    "He seems different," Vera spoke softly.


    Sofia raised an eyebrow, "different how?"


    "Like¡­ I know that he''s a human, but at the same time, he looked like something different."


    Sofia sighed as she nudged Vera with her elbow, "We know that he''s weird, so just don''t worry about him," she advised. Then stopped as she saw that Vera was trembling.


    "What is it?"


    Vera''s voice trembled a little as she spoke, "That woman¡­ the one with crimson hair and eyes¡­ I think she isn''t human."


    Sofia put her hand on Vera''s shoulder.


    "What do you mean?"


    "She¡­ gave off a feeling similar to a demon¡­ a powerful one at that. And I think that Zaroth was giving similar but much weaker energy."


    "Vera, listen to me," Sofia spoke as she went in front of her, preventing her from walking forward.


    "Do not discuss this with anyone, okay?"


    "But we-"


    "Are too weak to do anything about it even if it is true," Sofia interrupted.


    She didn''t like the idea that if her friend was right, there was a demon in the capital walking freely, but there wasn''t much that she was able to do. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Even if she was a princess, without her father''s support, she was nobody¡ªless than nobody. So all she could do was grit her teeth and pretend that she hadn''t witnessed anything this night.

 Chapter 137 The Quiet Strike

    "Alexander, the leader of the White Fang clan has become impatient, you need to strike sooner," the salesman spoke coldly as he glanced at the body that the black entity had taken control over.


    "I will act when I decide it''s time, do not forget¡ª," the entity leaned closer to the salesman as it spoke without any kind of emotion in its voice.


    "I do not serve you or your boss."


    The salesman smiled widely as he responded.


    "Indeed you do not, but if you want that thing, then you should obey the emperor''s command."


    With a scoff, the entity exited the room.


    "I will attack today, after that, what happens is on you."


    The salesman watched the thing wearing human skin exit the room, and then he shifted his gaze to a man with purple eyes waiting on the sofa.


    "We need to recruit more people," He spoke as he got up from his chair.


    David scoffed, "So that is what you''re calling it? Recruiting people? More like abducting."


    Not paying him any attention, the salesman headed for the door but was stopped by David''s question.


    "I know there are some things I shouldn''t know, but I want to understand¡ªwhy are we working with that thing pretending to be human? It gives me the creeps, and the fact that it''s getting better at mimicking humans, making it harder to tell the difference, isn''t a pleasant thought." S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "We are just using everything that we can get our hands on¡­ do not worry, it will not dare to go against us¡­ at least until we have what it wants."


    The conversation was over, so David stood up as well. It was time to recruit more people.


    *****


    Each movement was precise, its voice was the same as any normal human.


    It had been living among humans for some time now, as such, it was able to almost perfectly replicate their movements.


    A part of the reason for that was his¡­ or at least this body''s daughter¡ªEmily. It turned out that taking care of a child while pretending to be her father had made it learn a lot of things when it came to humans. Especially when it came to their emotions.


    Emily, being a kid, didn''t have a good grasp of her emotions yet, meaning that she found it hard to suppress them.


    The entity just had to silently watch her as it was learning at an abnormal rate the way humans behaved and thought.


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    It had reached such a high level of pretending to be a human that it was now confident that it could have conversations with everyday people without anyone noticing that something was amiss.


    At the beginning, it thought that there was a chance that it would stumble on a Purifier and its cover would have been exposed. But to its luck, it seemed that a lot of the churches had been attacked recently, so the number of Purifiers had drastically dwindled.


    They couldn''t be found anywhere else except in the few big churches that remained, meaning as long as it didn''t go to those locations, it would be safe.


    Everything had aligned perfectly, so the day to strike Zack had come.


    Coincidentally, it seemed that today was the day when its target was going to participate in the tournament, so feeling confident that it appeared like a human, it had decided to enter the arena and watch the fight, hoping to see what kind of other power Zack possessed.


    Sadly, the man didn''t use any powers at all. He simply overwhelmed his opponent with his mastery of sword fighting.


    There was only one thing that concerned the entity.


    In the arena, there was somebody very powerful. It was a man with crimson eyes that seemed to watch Zack intensely. Were they related in any kind of shape or form?


    Despite knowing that it was a bad idea, it glanced for a second at the man.


    In that moment, the man with crimson eyes seemed to have sensed that he was being watched and matched the being''s gaze.


    The thing wearing human skin felt its spine getting cold as just staring at the man''s eyes spoke about how strong he was. Not only that, but the man had surely realized that he wasn''t being stared at by a human but by a demon instead.


    And yet, betraying expectations, the man smiled almost as if he were happy to have seen the demon.


    The entity asked itself why, and then realizing it, this was probably Alexander, the leader of the White Fang clan. The man had probably deduced that the thing was the assassin the emperor had sent.


    Then, a second later, the man''s smile disappeared as he stood up. The match was over, so his work was done as well.


    The thing wearing human skin shifted its gaze to Zack.


    Even though the man had won, he had done it without using his powers at all, meaning that he had numerous wounds on his body. Strangely enough, though, he didn''t bleed despite them.


    ''No matter, he must be at least exhausted.'' The thing stood up from its seat as well.


    The time to strike had come.


    *****


    Following Zack, the thing walked slowly, making sure to not look directly at the man to not arouse suspicion.


    To kill Zack, it had to enter his body, meaning it would have to leave the current one it was using.


    It was probably never going to see Emily again.


    The fact didn''t bother it in the slightest. There was no way that it had grown attached to a human.


    ''Now,''


    Reaching a secluded place and making use of the fact that it was night, meaning there were no people around, it sat on the bench and then exited the body of the man it was using.


    The black mass moved quickly, climbing down the wall of the house.


    It traveled from one to another quickly as it finally positioned itself above Zack.


    With no hesitation, it lunged toward the man.


    Zack noticed it, but because he was exhausted from the fight he had just endured, his reaction speed was too slow.


    The being landed on Zack''s head as it began to enter into his eyes and mouth.


    The moment had finally come. It was going to take full control over Zack.

 Chapter 138 A Demons Defeat

    The process wasn''t complicated in the slightest.


    It enters the body of a creature, making its way into its nerves, muscles, tendons, and takes full control of them.


    It also enters the brain as it infects it, taking full control over all motor functions of the body and killing the being in the process.


    The whole thing shouldn''t take more than ten seconds on average.


    And yet something happened. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Something that it hadn''t ever experienced.


    Ten seconds passed, twenty seconds, thirty seconds, a minute, and yet it hadn''t taken control yet.


    Something was stopping it. Like there was a wall that didn''t allow it to go deeper. Not metaphorical¡ªa literal wall.


    ''Is that blood?'' the thing asked itself. The blood of the man had moved in such a way that it didn''t allow it to gain access to the brain or the nerves.


    It had previously seen that Zack had a way to manifest a blood sword, meaning that he could command blood to some extent. But to be able to control it so masterfully that he denied the entity access to his own body?


    This was something it hadn''t expected in the slightest.


    Zack, finally recovering from the shock that something had entered him and was trying to take control, opened his mouth and, using his hand, dug deep into his throat.


    Catching the black mass with his hand, he pulled with all his strength. A moment later, the black mass let go, and the entity was thrown to the side. Stay tuned to My Virtual Library Empire


    ''I wasn''t able to take control of a human? I was denied access?'' Not giving a chance for the black mass that had entered him to catch a break, Zack manifested his blood sword and lunged toward the entity.


    Sadly, he was too slow, as the thing managed to enter a shaft, disappearing from view just before his sword reached it.


    "FUCK!" Zack shouted as he began to search for the thing, but it was nowhere in sight.


    After confirming that he was indeed alone, he could only kneel as he took ragged breaths. He had been expecting an attack, but for something to literally try and take control over his body? Even in his wildest dreams, he wouldn''t have thought this was possible.


    "Thank god for my powers, I guess," he muttered under his breath.


    Despite managing to stop an attack, he wasn''t in a good mood as he knew that the thing that attacked him wasn''t human. Meaning that his uncle was even willing to use demons to get rid of him.


    "I think¡­ I have to ask for help after all," he had to admit.


    *****


    Returning to the body of the father, the entity''s emotionless expression was replaced by a grim one.


    "I¡­ failed?" It was still having a hard time accepting the fact that there existed a human that was able to resist its influence.


    "Well, I did what I could. They are on their own now." It didn''t know how the salesman was planning to get rid of Zack since it had now failed, nor did it truly care.


    As its work was done, it began to head home to where Emily was.


    It caught a glance of its reflection in a street window, and its eyes widened in surprise.


    Why was it smiling despite failing its mission?


    Was it because it was glad that even though it had failed, the job was considered done, meaning that it could forget about it?


    Or was it because it was glad it failed, meaning that it would spend more time with this body''s daughter?


    "Yeah, no way," the thing muttered as it moved forward.


    There was no way that it had become attached to a human.


    *****


    "I think we can do one more," the salesman muttered as he observed the poor district.


    "Isn''t there a better way of recruiting people?" David asked.


    "It''s not like we''re forcing them, are we? They are choosing this of their own volition," the man replied.


    "I don''t think they have much of a choice though," David muttered under his breath. Thankfully, the salesman didn''t hear him as he saw his next prey.


    "Watch and learn, you''ll soon do the same," the salesman spoke as he approached a clearly homeless man lying on a bench.


    "Excuse me, sir," he spoke, stopping before the homeless man.


    The man had ragged old clothes, a beard that he hadn''t shaved off in a long time, and marks on his hands hinting that he had a history of abusing certain substances in the past.


    Or in other words, the perfect person they needed.


    "I don''t have any money," the homeless man grunted as he stood up, clearly alarmed.


    The salesman smiled in response. "No, I am not selling anything actually, you see¡­"


    He opened his suitcase and handed a bottle containing red pills and a business card to the man.


    "This is entirely free, no strings attached. If you happen to desire more, you can find them at the address on the card."


    The homeless man, despite feeling suspicious, took the pills.


    "Good day, sir," the salesman spoke as he left the man alone, and David followed as well.


    "Why are you frowning?" the man asked, seeing the expression on David''s face.


    "These pills¡­ what exactly are they?"


    The salesman spoke, "Again, asking questions about things you shouldn''t know¡­ well, think of them as chaos."


    "Chaos?" David raised an eyebrow.


    "Yes, chaos, in its most natural form," the man replied.


    David frowned even more, he hated it when people were being mysterious. But sadly, he wasn''t in a position where he could demand a satisfactory answer, so he didn''t ask any further questions.


    "How funny, working for them and not being given such basic information," the Spectral Warden mocked him. In response, David could only bit his lower lip in frustration.


    ''This is for my sister,'' he kept repeating in his mind, a reminder of why he was doing this.


    Seeing that the man wasn''t planning on speaking, the Spectral Warden sighed in regret.


    "You''re no fun."

 Chapter 139 The Approaching Crimson River

    "I want to express my utmost gratitude for joining me in my endeavor," Althea spoke as she bowed a little.


    "Please raise your head," Roderic immediately replied. "These were Elysia''s orders, if you have to thank somebody, then thank her, not me."


    "I see¡­ Nevertheless, thank you for coming." Althea raised her head and went on her way as Roderic walked behind her.


    He was assigned as a bodyguard for the queen. The second Elysia had heard that Althea had been sent to the frontline, she commanded Roderic to go and join her.


    Despite being sent to aid the queen, he still kept his distance. There was a rumor that if somebody were to touch her, they would get her curse, so nobody wanted to take the risk.


    Althea seemed to realize it but didn''t seem bothered by the fact. She had probably gotten used to people keeping their distance from her.


    "Another day had passed. We are going to examine the battlefield," Althea commanded as she marched forward.


    Roderic raised an eyebrow. "But is it wise to get so close to it? Shouldn''t we be keeping a safe distance? If the enemy realized that one of the queens were present here, they would no doubt do anything in their power to get their hands on you."


    Althea couldn''t help but scoff at his words.


    "Should I feel flattered by your words, Sir Roderic? I doubt anybody would go out of their way to try and kidnap me, not to mention that even if they did, nobody would bat an eye."


    A second later, she added, "Plus, I am here to calm down the worried civilians and soldiers close to the frontline. I can''t exactly do that if I have no idea how the war is progressing, can I?"


    Roderic wanted to respond, but in the end, he kept his mouth shut, knowing that every word that came out of Althea''s mouth was correct.


    Reaching the city gates, they climbed on top of them. Once they did, the horizon made Roderic grimace.


    Althea didn''t seem much affected as her face remained neutral as ever.


    After a moment, Roderic couldn''t help but mutter, "God¡­ there must be thousands at least."


    The beautiful field up to the north was gone, nowhere to be found. Instead, it had been replaced with thousands of dead soldiers lying on the ground, painting it with their blood. Most of them wore black armor decorated with red armaments, meaning that the Crimson Sun Empire had taken more casualties this time.


    This didn''t mean that there hadn''t been a large loss to their side, however.


    In the vicinity of the walls, there were civilians embracing the bodies of their dead family members and friends.


    There was one fellow who looked like a ghost, he was carrying his severed left hand in his right as he sat patiently, awaiting a healer to come help him.


    He was one of the less severe cases.


    "There aren''t any more survivors!" one man shouted.


    "Understood," another nodded, understanding what was meant.


    A moment later, several flames engulfed the lying-on-the-ground bodies.


    Once they got the majority of the bodies from their side, they would burn the rest of them¡ªprimarily the enemy ones.


    It wasn''t like they were going to allow their enemy to get close and collect the bodies of their slain brothers and sisters. The more these bodies were on the field close to the city, the higher the chance a disease was going to spread.


    Considering that the city was in the middle of a siege, a disease was the last thing they needed at the moment.


    As the bodies of the dead soldiers caught aflame, ash soared high into the sky.


    "Isn''t it funny?" Althea exclaimed, catching Roderic by surprise.


    "What is it?" he asked, after taking a moment to compose himself.


    "I am sent here meant to reassure the people that everything would be fine, but considering the situation, there''s only one way to do it, to convince them that the city would get reinforcements or financial aid."


    "¡­And from what I have heard¡­"


    "The emperor hasn''t announced anything similar. Meaning that I have to use my charisma to convince these struggling people that everything will be fine," Althea spoke as she shifted her gaze to Roderic.


    "And yet the one who has been sent is me. The one who is the furthest from charisma as one could go."


    Roderic''s eyes widened a little. He had been married for a long time, so he knew that in situations like this, one was supposed to comfort the person, but he knew deep down that no matter what he said, it was going to be useless. Continue your adventure with My Virtual Library Empire


    The queen knew how much she was despised by those around her, so lying to her face would be both insulting and pointless.


    After the queen calmed down a little, she began to head down.


    "Come, the people require my presence."


    *****


    Ten thousand soldiers clad in black armor with red armaments. One man in front of them, carrying two great swords on his back¡ªvery few people would be able to wield them effectively¡­ but this man didn''t have any trouble. He was taller than two meters, after all, so any normal sword looked like a child''s toy in his hands.


    The enemy general.


    Shifting his gaze, he saw that the sun was high in the sky¡ªthe perfect time to attack.


    "They dare to kidnap our princess!" His shout was so forceful that it seemed as if the surroundings died out completely due to the man''s power.


    "Not only that, but they don''t even dare to meet us in a fair fight, cowardly hiding themselves in their pathetic cities!" The ten thousand soldiers present were listening intently as a new emotion began to show in their eyes¡ªbloodlust.


    "It is time we show them the might of our empire! We will show them what happens when they go against us! We will kill their men, burn their cities, desecrate their legends and their gods. Nothing shall remain from them. We will erase them from the course of history!"


    "Let the crimson river flow!"


    "Let the crimson river flow!"


    The shout of the soldiers echoed across dozens of kilometers.


    "We thirst for their blood, and the Sun shall drink!" S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "We thirst for their blood, and the Sun shall drink!"


    A menacing smile appeared on the general''s face.


    "We are getting our princess back. Kill without mercy!"


    The attack on the city had begun.

 Chapter 140 A Dangerous Alliance

    "But thanks to my powers, I somehow managed to deny its control. After that, I threw it to the side and tried to attack it, but it seemed that I was too slow, so it managed to escape."


    Once Zack had finished explaining how he was attacked, silence fell on the table where he and his friends were sitting.


    Lily was the first one to manage to speak. "Something tried to take control of you? We expected you to be attacked, but... this is..." She wasn''t able to finish her words, unsure of how to express them.


    "But you are fine, aren''t you? There aren''t any side effects or something similar?" Roran asked as he leaned back in his chair.


    "No, thankfully, I am fine," Zack replied.


    Zaroth, meanwhile, was busy thinking. ''Something that enters your body and tries to take full control of it...'' The first thing that came to mind was that creature he had seen once¡ªthe one that was wearing human skin.


    ''But from what I know, it is supposed to work for the emperor... unless he and Zack''s family have joined sides, trying to get rid of him¡­''


    This was the only logical conclusion. But if that was true, it meant that Zack was alone¡ªnot only fighting against his family, which was already hard enough, considering it was a very powerful clan, but now, if the emperor enters the picture...


    Massaging his forehead, Zaroth sighed as he leaned back in his chair.


    ''What do you think, Luna?'' he asked, eager to hear another opinion.


    ''Zack is pretty much screwed. I find it hard to imagine him surviving... Well, there does come one solution to mind¡­''


    "Yeah, figures..." he muttered under his breath.


    The only way for Zack¡ªhis friend¡ªto survive fighting against such a large and powerful force was to join another equal in power... or in other words...


    "Zack," Zaroth spoke, shifting his gaze to the man. "I know that you may want to fight alone against your family. Maybe it''s pride or something similar¡ª"


    "Actually," Zack interrupted him, "I have to admit, I think I will need help from now on. It was stupid of me to think that I would be fine on my own."


    ''Well, that certainly makes things easier,'' Zaroth thought as he continued.


    "I suspect that there is a very large force targeting you, even bigger than your family clan," he spoke as no one interrupted him. Zack, as well as Roran and Lily, were listening to him intensely.


    "So the only way I see for you to survive is to join a powerful force of your own."


    Before he spoke his next words, he sent Elysia a message.


    -----


    Zaroth: Do you perhaps need more allies?


    Elysia: Elaborate.


    Zaroth: My friend has reached a point where if he doesn''t get some kind of support, there is a huge chance he is assassinated. And I believe he will be very useful.


    Elysia: Names?


    Zaroth: Zack, Roran, Lily. The ones that made it possible for me to kill the Epic Beast Master.


    Elysia: ... S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Elysia: If they know what they are getting into, then they are more than welcome.


    -----


    Sighing with relief, Zaroth glanced around his friends. "Considering that Zack is being targeted, there is a chance that you are caught in the crossfire as well," he spoke, glancing at Roran and Lily.


    "So if you agree to support the chairwoman¡ªElysia¡ªthen she can more or less guarantee your survival, at least for now."


    His friends'' eyes widened for a moment at the mention of the woman. Suddenly, everything began to make sense. Why and how he had managed to get a date with her.


    If they were working together, then it seemed more plausible.


    The first to reply was Roran. "Support her?" He raised an eyebrow. "If we are supporting her, then this means she is an enemy of somebody. Who is it?"


    Zaroth observed their surroundings, making sure that there wasn''t anybody listening to their conversation. After a moment, he spoke.


    "The emperor."


    "We are in," Lily replied without any hesitation, which wasn''t really expected, considering that she was usually the most cautious person of the group.


    "Wait, let''s think about this logically!" Roran whispered as he heard her answer.


    "No," she replied firmly. "This is a chance we can''t miss, and you know that, Roran."


    Roran wanted to respond, but it seemed that the words got caught in his throat, and as such, he wasn''t able to.


    After a moment, Zack asked.


    "If... If I join Elysia, would she help me get my revenge on my family? On the clan?"


    Zaroth studied the man before replying. "If my suspicions are correct, then your family clan is working with the emperor, making them Elysia''s enemy. As such, they are as good as dead."


    Zack''s eyes seemed to brighten, as if he had just seen a glimmer of hope for the first time in a long while.


    "Then I''m in as well," he answered firmly.


    *****


    Zaroth had to admit that it was weird. Usually, when he was in Elysia''s office, he was always alone. But this time, he wasn''t, as Zack, Roran, and Lily were here as well.


    Leaning back in her chair, Elysia observed the four students in front of her. She knew what Zaroth was capable of, but what about the other three?


    "It''s good that you have decided to join me, but first, you have to reveal what your powers are. After all, to know how useful you are going to be, I have to know what you''re capable of."


    Zaroth would have argued that it wouldn''t matter since she knew they were strong enough to assist him in killing the Epic Beast Master, but in truth, he was curious to know what their powers actually were, so he didn''t speak up.


    "I can control blood," Zack was the first one to speak up.


    "There are many ways to use it. First, I can make my body faster and stronger by increasing the speed at which my blood flows through my veins. I can also command it to transform into armor, weapons, and other objects, but if I''m not familiar with the object, then creating it would be too difficult."


    Elysia raised an eyebrow. "Can you control the blood of your enemies? Effectively turning them into your puppets?"


    Zack grimaced for a moment before replying, "In theory, yes. In practice, I lack the strength to do it. It would require too much mana, and better control than the one I currently possess."


    After Zack was done speaking, Elysia shifted her gaze to Roran.


    Your next read is at My Virtual Library Empire


    The man took a deep breath before speaking. "I can make things levitate, and the blessing I''ve received allows me to summon heavenly swords... but I don''t know the details, so I can''t exactly use it properly."


    Elysia sighed. It was common for people, especially as young as them, to not have a very good grasp of their powers or how to use them, so she wasn''t going to press for more.


    Lastly, it was Lily''s turn. The one Elysia was the most interested in.


    Lily glanced briefly at Roran with hesitation.


    "At this point, we''re too far gone to hesitate."


    Nodding, Lily parted her lips and spoke, revealing her powers.


    Listening to her, Zaroth felt a chill run down his spine.


    He had expected Lily to be a force to be reckoned with¡­ but this went far beyond any expectation he had.

 Chapter 141 Obstructed Memories

    With a gasp, he rose up from his bed as he put his trembling hand on his forehead.


    Zaroth took a minute or two to calm down his heart.


    By instinct, he had summoned Luna, so he shifted his gaze to her as he asked,


    "What the fuck happened?"


    Just a second ago, he was in Elysia''s office with Zack, Roran, and Lily.


    Lily was about to say what kind of powers she had, but then he found himself back in his room?


    Luna, hearing his question, raised an eyebrow as she looked out the window. It was already night.


    "I think Lily told us what her powers were¡­ and then we forgot."


    "Forgot?" Zaroth repeated her words, trying to make sense of the situation.


    "Yes¡­ if I am not mistaken, you alongside everybody in the room with the exception of Elysia were terrified when they heard what Lily''s powers were¡­ and then everybody forgot¡­ I think it was part of her powers about not allowing anyone to remember them."


    With a grunt, Zaroth sat on the bed, deep in thought.


    ''Her powers have something to do with memories? Is that why I can''t seem to recall the events clearly? If I am affected, should I take it as that she is unable to control them and everybody is affected by it?''


    After a few minutes of pondering, he asked,


    "Did I¡­ say something to you before I forgot everything?"


    Luna sighed as she sat next to him on the bed. "Even if you did, I wouldn''t have remembered¡­ well, you did actually ask me something."


    He raised an eyebrow. "What was it?"


    "You asked if you will be able to win against her if you used me," she replied.


    "And your answer?"


    "We would lose."


    "Lose?" he muttered her words under his breath. He knew that Lily had been hiding her true strength¡­ but she was stronger than him? He possessed a mythical dragon! Even if his dragon wasn''t at full power currently, it was still a dragon nonetheless!


    Zaroth began to feel frustrated, so he walked over to the bathroom, undressed, and turned on the shower. He had woken up sweaty, so maybe the shower would be able to calm him down and help him remember.


    Slowly his memories began to resurface, but it was hard to keep them, it felt like if he wasn''t focusing solely on them, they were going to disappear again.


    "Lily said something¡­ Zack was visibly shocked, Roran didn''t change his expression much, meaning that he knew a part of her powers, which wasn''t a surprise considering that she was his girlfriend¡­ and Elysia¡­ she had a smile on her face¡­ one that I have never seen her with."


    A part of the conversation came back to him, but he wasn''t able to remember the most important thing, what were Lily''s powers exactly?


    "Everything is pointing toward being able to manipulate memories to some extent¡­ but then what about the spells she is able to use? If they aren''t connected to her class or blessing in any way, it would mean that she had learned them the hard way¡­ but why do I feel like this isn''t the case?"


    It was safe to say that he was becoming frustrated with himself, feeling like he wasn''t able to think clearly, like something was obstructing his memories. It wasn''t a nice feeling.


    He had become cocky, he didn''t know what Lily was capable of before, but he assumed that he was stronger than her¡­ and yet the opposite was the case?


    ''Stronger. I need to be stronger¡­'' Again, it all came down to strength in the end. The feeling that he wasn''t the strongest wasn''t a pleasant feeling. So he felt a dire need to acquire more power.


    "Let''s summarize what I can do right now."


    First, it was his mana core. It had three aspects that he would be able to improve, his mana output, capacity, and regeneration. The more he improved that part, the more spells he would be able to use.


    Then it came the amount of sparks connected to his core. They wouldn''t increase the number of spells he could use, but they increased the firepower¡ªor in other words, the effectiveness of his skills.


    Then it came the demonic skills that he had learned from Midnight. If he wanted to become more familiar with them, he had to kill more people.


    It was important not to forget his physical body, he had become stronger and was able to use, somewhat proficiently, swords, spears, and daggers.


    And lastly was the fact that he was a Beast Master, with the ability to resurrect and tame dead beasts.


    "If I want to get stronger, I have to strengthen one of these areas¡­" he muttered under his breath.


    But the truth of the matter was that he hadn''t ever stopped training his mana core and connecting sparks to it. He had also been training his body constantly. If he wished to, he could go on a rampage killing people, making his demonic skills stronger, but that was going to take too much time.


    "So I guess I have to tame more beasts?" Considering that his mana core had grown considerably, he was probably ready to support even more beasts now. The question was, where was he going to find them?


    Searching for beasts himself would probably take too much time.


    He accidentally touched the showerhead and made the water go from hot to icy cold.


    "FUCK!" he shouted, irritated. The cold water reminded him of his old life when he was outside the capital.


    "Wait, the capital?" he muttered under his breath.


    A moment later, his eyes narrowed in realization. Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire


    "I am in the capital for fuck''s sake! Why didn''t I think to search if there were beasts for sale?!"


    In that moment, he felt like an idiot. He had been thinking about so many things at the same time that the most obvious thing had escaped his mind. There was bound to be a way to buy beasts somewhere in the capital. There were millions of people living here, after all.


    Quickly drying himself, he put on his bracelet and sent Elysia a message.


    -----


    Zaroth: Is there a way to buy beasts in the capital?


    Elysia: I have heard that there are some illegal beast fights happening somewhere away from the emperor''s gaze. Apparently, they let beasts fight it out among themselves while rich folks are watching the spectacle from above and betting on who is going to win.


    Elysia: Some even buy a beast or two if they catch their eyes.


    Zaroth: What makes them illegal? Is it because they are considered inhumane?


    Elysia: No, it is because they are not paying taxes.


    Zaroth: ¡­


    Zaroth: Do you perchance know where to find these places?


    Elysia: Of course. I was actually wondering why you hadn''t asked yet. I will make some modifications to the map in your bracelet.


    Zaroth: ¡­


    Zaroth: By the way, these beasts could cost a hefty amount, I assume? I wouldn''t mind some financial aid.


    Elysia: ¡­


    Elysia: You want me to give you more credits for free?


    Zaroth: Well, it''s not really free, is it? I introduced you to three people who have joined your side. Plus, the amount of Purifiers in the area has dwindled a lot recently, hasn''t it? You can thank me for that.


    Elysia: ¡­ S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Elysia: True, you indeed have been useful as of late.


    -----


    [You have received a transfer of 10,000 credits]


    [Your map has been updated]


    Seeing the amount of money and the updates on the map, Zaroth couldn''t help but grin.


    It was time to go shopping for some beasts.

 Chapter 142 Where the Rich Bet

    Zaroth didn''t even wait for the sun to show itself before he went to the place where they were holding beast fights.


    Surprisingly, it wasn''t located in the poor places of the capital like he had expected, the opposite, in fact, it was located where the most wealthy individuals were living.


    Was it because they were that confident that the emperor wouldn''t find them, or was it just because the rich folk were too lazy to go out of their way far from their homes?


    Shifting his gaze from the map, he saw the massive building in front of him. The first thing he noticed was that it was at least twenty floors tall.


    The second thing he noticed were the big words that were carved above the entrance.


    "This is a bank?!" he muttered under his breath. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A bank was holding these illegal fights?


    Read exclusive content at My Virtual Library Empire


    ''Actually, it makes sense,'' a moment later he realized.


    If there were massive fights with a lot of rich folks watching and betting, then the organizers would have to somehow explain the vast amount of money they possessed. What better way to do that than by acting as a bank?


    They surely handled a vast amount of money regularly, making it easy to disguise the wealth they had acquired through the betting.


    Taking a deep breath, he entered the building.


    A second later, his eyes widened in surprise. This was the most beautiful interior of a building he had ever seen.


    The walls were made from beautiful dark wood, was the floor was laid with sleek black stone, and atop it rested carpets that seemed to be woven by a master.


    The ceiling was unbelievably high, at least 25 meters, and from it, golden chandeliers hung that illuminated the grand room.


    After he recovered from the beautiful sight, he shifted his gaze to the reception in front.


    Curiously, the only person in the room was the woman behind the desk. She was dressed in a white suit.


    She was alone, likely because it was late at night... but it struck him as odd that there seemed to be no security at all. This was a bank, after all¡ªwhere was the security?


    Shaking his head off the unnecessary thought, Zaroth approached the woman as he flashed her a smile.


    "Hello, are you here to create an account with us?" the woman returned his smile with one of her own. Unlike his, hers didn''t seem forced in the slightest, it was clear that she was a pro.


    He would have been in a pinch if it wasn''t for Elysia and the instructions she had given him. Even if he knew that there were illegal activities going on here, he had to find a way to be allowed access.


    Taking a deep breath, he repeated what Elysia had told him to say.


    "Actually, a bird has told me that there''s something extraordinary happening here, so I just had to come and see it for myself."


    This was the code to show that you knew the fights were going on here.


    The woman''s eyes narrowed for a split second before she asked,


    "And who is that bird?"


    She was basically asking who had recommended him to the place. The only way to be allowed entry is if a member of the organization had recommended you.


    Zaroth didn''t falter as he answered, "The one that has it all yet seeks even more."


    He wasn''t sure who that person was, but it was likely Elysia herself, if this was her code name¡ªor something along those lines.


    The receptionist''s hand trembled a little when he mentioned the name, then she clapped with her hands.


    Instantly after, one of the doors to the side opened, and an old gentleman appeared in view.


    "You can speak with him about the matter," the receptionist spoke as she pointed to the old man.


    Zaroth muttered a quiet thank you as he approached him.


    "Entry is a thousand credits," was the first thing the old man told him once they were facing one another.


    ''A thousand credits?!'' Zaroth felt insulted. This was ten percent of all his money, and they were asking that much just for entry?!


    Of course, his emotions didn''t show on his face as he paid with his bracelet.


    Once he did, the old man stepped aside, allowing Zaroth to enter.


    The room was pretty much empty with the only exception being a staircase that led down.


    ''I''m supposed to go there?'' he asked himself as he took a step forward, only to be stopped as he felt a hand on his shoulder.


    "Do not forget your mask, sir," the old man spoke as he handed him a half-mask with a gem in the center.


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow as he took it.


    ''I guess this is supposed to hide my identity?'' he thought as he put it on.


    "Is this your first time here?" the old man asked, and Zaroth nodded in reply.


    "I see, then in short, once you go down, you will be able to witness fights live, and if you wish to, you can bet on who the winner will be. Once the fights are done, you can buy a creature if you are interested. It may be the winner of the fight or the loser. Though unless you are planning to skin them for their hide, I do not recommend you buy dead beasts," the man advised.


    "I see. Thank you for the explanation," Zaroth replied as he went downstairs.


    *****


    "How long are these damn stairs?" he muttered quietly.


    It felt like he had gone down multiple floors now, and yet there was no end in sight.


    ''I just hope I have enough money to buy anything,'' he thought. If the entrance was so expensive, he worried that the credits Elysia had given him wouldn''t be enough.


    Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Zaroth reached the bottom of the stairs where a large metal door blocked his path.


    The door didn''t have a handle, so the only thing he was able to do was knock.


    Once he did, a part of the door slid open and a pair of eyes from the other side studied him carefully.


    A second or two later, the door opened, allowing him to enter.


    Immediately, the sounds of cheers and roars reached his ears, while the stench of alcohol and blood lingered in the air.


    Taking a step forward, he observed the massive room, if he even could call it that.


    The ceiling was high, and it seemed that there were multiple paths that he could take.


    Not really sure where he was supposed to go, he went toward where he heard the most cheers.


    There were a lot of people all around¡ªsome were walking with a clear purpose, others were engaged in conversation, and some were busy drinking large amounts of alcohol. But the one thing that united them all was that every single one of them was wearing the same type of mask he had.


    Zaroth spent some time wandering around, studying the interior of the place.


    There were multiple small arenas present, and each one had its seats almost full as the rich onlookers were observing the fights below.


    Finally finding an empty spot, he sighed as he sat down, focusing on the fight that was about to happen.


    Truthfully, it felt weird. He was usually the one that fought in an arena, not the one that observed them.


    "Thank you for coming, ladies and gentlemen!" a man shouted as he entered the arena, and the whole place became dead silent as everybody observed with interest.


    "On one side, we have the Nightclaw Panther, and on the other, we have the Gorehorn Minotaur. Who will win? Place your bets now!"


    Zaroth held his breath as he saw the two beasts enter the arena from opposite sides.


    This was certainly going to be an interesting match.

 Chapter 143 Clash of Beasts

    "Who do you think will win?" one woman leaned to the side as she asked the man who was seated next to her.


    Zaroth wasn''t planning to bet as he was too poor for that, but nevertheless felt interested to hear what the rich folks were thinking, so he concentrated his attention on the conversation happening around him.


    "It''s obvious, actually. Every person that has at least a shred of understanding will know how the match will play out," the man scoffed as he pointed with his finger forward.


    "The Nightclaw Panther is an incredible beast. From its name alone, it should be obvious that it is proficient for hunting in the dark. It is a silent hunter that attacks before the prey even registers that there is an aggressor."


    Zaroth had to agree with the knowledgeable man. The panther had black fur that could blend into the darkness of the night perfectly. Its yellow eyes were most likely perfect for seeing in the dark, and from its slender but muscular body, it was clear the beast could move with incredible stealth and precision.


    ''Or in other words, now in the arena where there are countless lights above its head, making it exposed to its opponent, its advantage is gone. Meanwhile, the minotaur...''


    "It is a powerful beast, but sadly, in the confines of the arena, it is unable to show its true potential," the man explained to the woman as he pointed his finger to the minotaur.


    "Meanwhile, the Gorehorn Minotaur is in the perfect place to show its true strength. It has a clear view of its target, and it''s locked with it in a confined space. No matter how deadly the panther is, without the element of surprise, it wouldn''t have a chance against the minotaur."


    "I see¡­ so that is why we should bet on the minotaur?" the woman asked. Experience tales with My Virtual Library Empire


    "Yep, you can go all out. The victory is certain," the man advised.


    Even if the knowledgeable man was correct, Zaroth still didn''t want to risk it, so he decided to simply stay in his seat and observe the fight.


    "Both of these beasts are Rare¡­" he muttered under his breath, and a second later, both beasts charged at one another.


    The minotaur let out a menacing roar as it raised the axe it was carrying in its right hand and brought it down.


    When the axe hit the arena floor, Zaroth felt his seat¡ªfar from the impact¡ªshake as the shockwave traveled all the way to him


    He was impressed. The raw power the minotaur was displaying was something that he definitely needed. No matter the situation, if he was able to command a creature capable of producing so much force, it was bound to be helpful.


    Of course, that didn''t mean he was unimpressed by the panther as well. Despite the incredible speed with which the minotaur was attacking, the panther was able to dodge the strikes smoothly without any trouble.


    The speed the beast was showing was simply incredible. It didn''t have much destructive force, as it was probably weaker than Silverfang when it came to raw strength, but the panther made up the difference with speed alone.


    Not to mention, thanks to its black fur and the heavy padding on its legs, it was like it was made for assassinations. Which could come in handy if Zaroth had to kill something at night¡­ like the Purifiers, for example.


    In short, both of these beasts were incredible, and should he be able to acquire even one of them, his overall strength would increase significantly.


    The minotaur seemed to get angrier with each swing that missed its target, so in an attempt to change its approach, it brought its massive head forward, its two sharp horns focused on the panther, and then the minotaur charged with all its might.


    The arena seemed to shake with each of its steps. S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The panther''s eyes widened for a moment, clearly surprised by the sudden burst of speed the minotaur had shown it was capable of, and dodged to the side.


    Its reaction time was lightning fast, and yet it seemed to have made a miscalculation. Once the minotaur saw that the panther had dodged to the side, it threw its massive axe at the panther.


    Managing to sense the attack in time, the panther twisted its body in an unnatural way, making the axe miss its mark. But sadly, due to its awkward way of bending its body, it didn''t give it a chance to dodge the minotaur''s kick.


    Even from afar, Zaroth was able to hear the panther''s ribs break from the pressure as it was sent flying, and a second later, it collided with the wall of the arena.


    The panther tried to stand up, but due to the heavy injury it had sustained, it was unable to.


    Before it could move, the minotaur was already before it. The beast brought down its leg on the panther''s head, killing it immediately.


    "And the winner is the Gorehorn Minotaur!" The man entered the arena again, as the collar around the minotaur''s neck glowed brightly, forcing it to kneel, unable to move.


    Cheers erupted around the arena. It seemed that the rich folks had enjoyed the match immensely.


    "You know so much when it comes to beasts! Thank you for sharing the information!" the woman exclaimed. She was most likely happy that she had won the bet.


    "This is just a hobby of mine, don''t mention it," the knowledgeable man responded.


    "Now that the match is over, is there somebody that wishes to buy the Gorehorn Minotaur? The beast not only showed incredible raw strength, but also its ability to use an axe effectively!"


    Zaroth tensed his muscles as he leaned forward. He was now going to hear the price for buying the winner of the fight. He had about nine thousand credits, so he hoped he would be able to afford something.


    "The bidding shall start with a hundred thousand credits!" the man in the middle of the arena proclaimed.


    In that moment, Zaroth couldn''t help but curse silently. "Fuck."


    It seemed that his money were greatly insufficient.

 Chapter 144 One Mans Trash, Anothers Treasure

    ''A hundred thousand credits is the start of the bidding?! There is no way anybody would pay that large sum of money, right?!'' Zaroth felt insulted just hearing the price.


    "Here!" a man far from Zaroth''s view raised his hand.


    "One hundred twenty thousand?" the man at the center of the arena spoke.


    "Here!" a woman shouted from another place in the arena.


    "One hundred fifty thousand here!"


    "One hundred eighty thousand here!"


    "Two hundred thousand here!"


    Zaroth would have massaged his forehead if it wasn''t hidden behind the mask he was wearing.


    These people were willing to pay so much for the minotaur? Even if it was a Rare beast, he found it hard to believe how they could afford to bid so much without batting an eye.


    ''Should I ask Elysia for more credits?'' he wondered. This wasn''t something that he enjoyed doing, as it probably gave the impression that he wasn''t smart with his money. Since he wanted to court her, he knew he had to appear mature, and being irresponsible with his money was the complete opposite of that.


    Deciding to see how the bidding would end, he gritted his teeth and waited.


    After two minutes passed, it seemed that the deal was made. S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Sold for four hundred fifty thousand credits!" the man in the middle of the arena proclaimed.


    Afterward, the everyone began to clap, so Zaroth did as well. Were they celebrating the successful bidding? He wondered. It was hard to understand how the rich thought.


    "This was less than I expected, honestly," the woman whispered to the knowledgeable man.


    "Well, it''s only natural. During the fight with the panther, the minotaur took several hits, making the beasts bleed. Even if they aren''t serious wounds, they are still wounds nonetheless," he explained.


    ''So the beast strength isn''t the only thing they consider before buying, but its current condition as well,'' Zaroth thought, paying attention to the conversation


    "I see, then tell me how much do you think the panther would sell for?"


    Hearing the woman''s question, the man scoffed.


    "Honestly? I doubt that anyone would bother to buy it. The beast is dead, and unlike the others, this one doesn''t really have much value to offer. The only thing that may be desired is its black fur, but considering how much the body of the beast is damaged, no one would want to buy it. It is simply trash."


    Zaroth didn''t know how to feel hearing the words of the knowledgeable man, that was until he noticed that the body of the panther was giving a certain type of energy.


    A second later, he realized that he would be able to resurrect the beast.


    Suddenly his heart rate quickened, at the thought of acquiring the panther.


    If what the knowledgeable man said was true, then wouldn''t that mean Zaroth could buy the body of the dead beast, since nobody would bother to bid for it?


    "The bidding for the body of the panther shall start for twenty thousand credits!"


    Deadly silence fell upon the arena. No one seemed to want to buy the panther as the knowledgeable man had predicted.


    Which, while good news for Zaroth, didn''t mean that he would be able to buy the beast, as the bidding had started at twenty thousand, while he had just nine thousand.


    The man in the center of the arena coughed awkwardly. "Seeing that there isn''t interest, let''s lower the price. What about fifteen thousand?"


    There was still silence in the arena.


    "A pity," the knowledgeable man sighed. "Nobody would buy the body of the beast, and in the end, they would either burn it or give it as food for the other ones."


    Zaroth couldn''t help but grimace. They were going to get rid of the body of the beast that had so much potential?


    While he did understand that he was the only one that would be able to use the body of the panther to its full potential, as he doubted that there was anyone else capable of reviving the dead, that didn''t mean that he didn''t find the situation weird.


    These rich people who were ready to throw hundreds of thousands of credits into buying the minotaur didn''t even think twice when it came to the body of the panther.


    While Zaroth desperately hoped that they would decrease the price so he would be able to buy it.


    Was this what they called one man''s trash is another''s treasure?


    "Twelve thousand, anyone?" the man reduced the price again, but no one called out.


    A few seconds passed as he sighed, "Last offer, eight thousand credits."


    Zaroth raised his hand so quickly that he wondered if he had ever moved with such speed in his life.


    The man at the center of the arena smiled a little as he saw Zaroth''s hand, most likely glad that they were going to make some profit from the worthless body of the beast.


    The knowledgeable man threw a glance backward at Zaroth as he muttered,


    "Well, I guess somebody did buy it after all."


    *****


    After the bidding was done, Zaroth was escorted to a small room where the body of the panther was placed on a table like some kind of object¡­ Continue reading at My Virtual Library Empire


    Well, considering that it was dead, it was probably counted as an object.


    Nevertheless, Zaroth paid with the credits.


    "Thank you for the successful bidding. Do you wish us to transport the body of the beast somewhere?" the man asked.


    Zaroth smiled as he replied, "No need."


    The man was surprised a little, as usually, everyone that bought a beast, dead or alive, would require it to be sent to their home, which was how they managed to charge even more money for the transportation.


    "If¡ªif you say so, sir," the man bowed a little as he exited the room.


    Zaroth, watching the man leave, took a deep breath as he approached the body of the panther.


    Stopping an arm''s length away from it, he couldn''t help but gasp a little.


    He hadn''t realized it before, but the beast was giving off incredibly strong energy, most likely testament to how much it wanted to live. It probably had things that it still wanted to achieve.


    "Well, if you want to live so much, then join me. Let me become your master, and in return, I will grant you your wish," he spoke firmly as he placed his hand on the beast, Its body didn''t have any warmth, it was cold.


    He had already granted the wish of Silverfang, making him evolve from Uncommon to Rare, so Zaroth was pretty sure that if the panther had some kind of wish and he managed to grant it, there was a real chance for the panther to evolve from a Rare beast to an Epic one.


    He held his breath as he listened to the words of the system. Even if he had bought the body of the beast, it didn''t mean that the panther would want to serve him, so it was now all up to luck. Would his purchase turn out to be meaningless, or would he hit the jackpot?


    [Nightclaw Panther judges your soul]


    [What is your purpose?]

 Chapter 145 Nightshade

    Zaroth had already answered questions like this in the past, so he didn''t need a lot of time to think.


    "My purpose is to kill those who have wronged me and to live for my desires."


    [Nightclaw Panther desires dominance over the arena]


    [Its killer must pay]


    He couldn''t help but smile as he heard what the beast desired.


    ''It wants more than just revenge, it wants much more. If it is ''Dominance,'' then it would probably mean that it wants to dominate everything,'' Zaroth thought. It was like the panther and him were fated to find each other¡ªthey had very similar goals, after all.


    "Join me and your desire would be fulfilled," he spoke firmly, without any hesitation.


    He was sincere, even if some beast masters were taught not to give in to their beast''s desires. He had already done it once when it came to Silverfang, and the result was extraordinary. The wolf had evolved a whole rank, making him much stronger and deadlier.


    So it was a no-brainer that Zaroth would try to fulfill his beast''s desires, as doing so would make them much stronger.


    [Nightclaw Panther is moved by your determination] S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [Nightclaw Panther responds to your call]


    [Nightclaw Panther forms a pact with you]


    [You have formed a contract with Nightclaw Panther]


    [Dominance]


    Zaroth''s eyes narrowed as they began to emit a green light, and his mouth twisted into a menacing smile.


    The body of the panther trembled, and a second later, it moved.


    Thankfully, it seemed that before the beast had been sold to Zaroth, the people running the place had used some kind of magic to fix the damage done to the panther''s head, which had been crushed by the minotaur.


    "Oh, this is one scary cat," Zaroth muttered as his gaze met the golden eyes of the panther.


    In response, the beast tilted its head as it began to study the face of its master.


    Then, without hesitation, it brought its face closer and licked Zaroth''s face.


    "God! What is with you beasts and licking me all over?!" he cried in frustration.


    ''Hey! I have never licked you!'' Luna retorted in his mind.


    Zaroth grimaced in turn, "yes, sadly you haven''t¡­" he muttered in frustration.


    Ignoring Luna''s laughter that echoed in his head, he returned his attention to the panther.


    "I will have to name you¡­"


    He, of course, wasn''t planning to name every beast he tamed. For example, the pack of wolves he had tamed in the forest had been left without names.


    It was clear that, in the future, he would tame many more beasts, and naming each one wouldn''t be feasible. Therefore, he decided that only beasts with desires he could fulfill¡ªones that would make them stronger¡ªwould truly deserve a name. Find exclusive stories on My Virtual Library Empire


    So since the wolves didn''t have any kind of desires, he had decided to leave them without names.


    It was a good decision, as his mind often juggled multiple thoughts at once, and remembering the names of so many beasts would have only added an unnecessary burden.


    Using his right hand to pat the panther on the head, he sighed, as there wasn''t anything that came to mind. So, seeing that the naming would be left for later, Zaroth desummoned the beast.


    In that moment, the door opened as the man who had sold him the beast returned.


    "Sir, I am sorry to intrude, but this room will be needed, so if you¡ª" the man stopped mid-sentence as his eyes widened when he saw that the panther was nowhere to be found.


    "Um, sir, where is the beast?" the man asked, clearly confused.


    Zaroth was grateful that he had desummoned the panther just before the man had entered, not allowing the secret that he was able to tame dead beasts to get out.


    He approached the clearly confused man and patted him on the shoulder.


    "Don''t worry about it," he answered as he made his way out of the room, leaving the man who had opened his mouth a little in awe.


    *****


    While he could have spent more time in that place, he wasn''t in the mood for watching beasts fight to the death. Besides, it was important not to forget that, as always, he had lectures today.


    Of course, if he didn''t feel like going, he simply could have skipped a day. But today was a special day, as he was pretty sure that Elysia was going to announce the results of the tests.


    He wasn''t sure why she had waited so long to return them, as she could have graded them in a matter of minutes. Maybe she had to wait for a specific day to announce them? Or maybe it was because she was just that busy?


    "No matter," he muttered as he shook off his head.


    Thankfully, exiting the bank had been pretty straightforward, he just used the same way he came there. The only thing he had to do was return the mask.


    Glancing at the time, he realized it was still too early to head to the academy, so it would be wiser to go home and take a quick rest.


    Once he did, he immediately summoned the panther as he sat on his bed and began to ponder how he should name the beast.


    "¡­its kind is Nightclaw Panther, its fur is black, has golden eyes¡­" he muttered as he scratched the back of his head.


    It turned out that coming up with names was much harder than he thought.


    ''Summon me,'' Luna''s voice echoed in his head, so with a sigh, he did as she requested.


    Once her body materialized, she shifted her gaze to the panther.


    In the next instant, she was beside the beast, one hand resting on its head while the other scratched gently under its chin.


    "Oh, it''s so cute!" She said with a smile.


    The panther seemed shocked for a moment, but then it moved its ears back as it began to make purring sounds.


    "Look! Isn''t this the cutest cat?!" Luna asked, not shifting her gaze from the beast.


    Zaroth''s eyes widened for a moment, ''Cat? She is calling this panther, a beast that is considered a deadly assassin, a cat?''


    A second later, he realized that it must appear that way to her, as she was a dragon, so no matter if it was a cat or a panther, it was all the same thing in her eyes.


    Zaroth sighed. "Yes, the cat is cute, but how should we name it?"


    Luna''s eyes seemed to brighten even more as she heard his question.


    "Can I name it?"


    Raising an eyebrow, Zaroth scratched his chin. A moment later, he decided to leave it to Luna, as he trusted her enough.


    She smiled widely as she suggested, "Then how about Nightshade? Isn''t it perfect?"


    The panther wasn''t able to react, as it was still too busy purring due to Luna''s petting, but considering that the beast didn''t try to protest, it probably meant that it liked the name.


    Zaroth smiled slightly. It was a simple yet pleasant-sounding name, easy to remember. In that moment, he was glad that Luna had a good sense for naming, unlike him.


    "Well, Nightshade, welcome to the family."

 Chapter 146 Desires and Evolutions

    "Okay, I know that it''s cute, but will you leave it alone for a second?!" Zaroth complained as he threw a glance at Luna.


    "How can I?! Just look at how cute it is!" she responded, her hands never stopping as she continued to pet Nightshade.


    Seeing that she wasn''t planning to let go, he sighed and, a second later, desummoned her.


    ''How dare you! I was just getting started!'' her complained echoed in his head.


    He didn''t pay her much attention as he shifted his gaze to Nightshade. The panther looked disappointed that Luna wasn''t petting it anymore, but there wasn''t anything that could be done about that.


    "Okay, I want to test something," Zaroth muttered as he summoned Silverfang.


    The wolf materialized and then fixed its gaze on Nightshade. The panther did the same.


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    Even if Silverfang was a wolf, it was still, in a way, a dog, while Nightshade, despite being a panther, was a cat. Zaroth wanted to see how the two would interact with each other.


    After a few seconds, Silverfang wiggled its tail as he approached Nightshade. The panther tilted its head sideways as it did the same.


    Once he was close enough, Silverfang sniffed the panther and shifted its gaze to Zaroth as he barked.


    ''I guess that means they aren''t hostile to each other?'' He thought, and a second later, he spoke.


    "Well, Silverfang, you have a new¡­" Zaroth began to speak but stopped mid-sentence as he wasn''t sure if the panther was male or female.


    ''It''s female,'' Luna answered his question before he could even ask it.


    "She really knows me well¡­" he muttered as he gazed at the wolf.


    "Well, Silverfang, you have a new sister. Make her feel at home."


    *****


    Leaning his back against the chair, Zaroth awaited Elysia patiently.


    He had a feeling that today she was going to return the tests, and he wanted to see that he had passed with flying colors. There wasn''t a doubt in his mind that he had aced it.


    As the front door opened, Elysia entered carrying a stack of papers. All the students in the lecture room held their breath, as they all knew what that meant.


    The results of the tests were going to be announced today.


    Stopping in front of the podium, Elysia began to read what was written on the first paper.


    "Elrionthar Valindorath Velarion Thalrithar Vorniel, sixty out of a hundred, pass."


    It seemed that the chairwoman was intending to show the whole class which one failed and which one passed.


    ''Seeing by the long name, it must mean it''s the son of a wealthy family,'' Zaroth thought.


    A nervous-looking boy stood up and approached the chairwoman to receive his test. Even from a distance, it was clear he was struggling to keep himself from shaking.


    Elysia then began to call out each and everyone that had taken the test, and finally, it was time for Zaroth.


    "Zaroth, ninety-three out of a hundred, pass."


    Hearing the result, he couldn''t help but smile as he stood up and approached the chairwoman.


    Unlike the other students, there wasn''t even a hint of fear in his posture.


    Once he went to her and grabbed his test, their eyes met as if having a silent conversation.


    ''Ninety-three, isn''t that impressive?'' he was trying to sound proud but not arrogant. It was part of the plan to appear more mature, but sadly it seemed that Elysia wasn''t convinced.


    ''It will be impressive if you got full marks, that is just natural.'' her eyes spoke.


    With a sigh, Zaroth went back to his seat.


    Now that he had gotten his test result, he didn''t have much to look forward to or do as he awaited the others to get theirs as well. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Of course, he always could have talked with his friends or at least sent them a message in the group chat. But he was pretty sure that Elysia would have noticed, so he didn''t want to anger her needlessly.


    Not having anything to focus on, his mind naturally went to his new acquired beast, Nightshade.


    He knew that the panther was a Rare beast and was almost certain that once he granted his beast''s desire, she would evolve to Epic rank.


    If that happened, it was safe to say that Zaroth would become a menace. He would not only have a dragon under his command but an Epic beast as well.


    The problem was granting the beast''s wish. It was very unclear, but the system had made it a bit easier by saying that the beast desired dominance over the arena, meaning that Zaroth would have to return to that arena where the rich bet.


    But what did he have to do so his beast would be satisfied?


    The system had said that Nightshade wanted to kill its killer, but it also wanted dominance over the arena. Did that mean that Zaroth had to ensure that his beast was going to kill every other beast in the arena?


    He had to admit that it sounded like a tall task. Considering how big the place was, he wasn''t going to be surprised if he learned that there were hundreds of beasts there.


    "It is not going to be easy¡­ but evolving from a Rare to an Epic beast is a substantial change, so I guess that makes sense¡­" he muttered quietly enough so nobody would hear him.


    He began to summarize what he knew about his beasts. Silverfang''s wish had been granted, so he had evolved. Zaroth wasn''t sure if his beast could evolve again, but even if he didn''t, a Rare beast wasn''t anything to scoff at.


    The wolves that he had tamed in the forest didn''t have any desires, so they couldn''t become stronger¡­ well, one actually did have a desire. Zaroth hadn''t forgotten that he had allowed one of the wolves to live in the forest with its family. He hadn''t desummoned it, letting the beast roam free. Maybe one day it would return in another evolved form?


    He wasn''t sure, but it didn''t hurt to try. The fact that he felt a small part of his mana being consumed by keeping the beast active meant that it at least was doing something.


    Then there was Nightshade, though the beast had yet to evolve.


    "This is pretty much it¡­" he began but stopped mid-sentence as he realized something.


    He had another beast, didn''t he?


    The first beast he had tamed, the one that had saved his life and the reason he was able to live so much better than before¡ªLuna.


    But she was already a Mythic beast, so there wasn''t a way for her to evolve. Not to mention, it wasn''t like she had a desire of her own¡ª


    Zaroth''s eyes narrowed as he recalled the countless times she had said that she wanted to kill the gods.


    ''If¡­ killing the gods is her desire, then¡­ what will happen when I grant it? What would she evolve into?'' he asked himself as he felt goosebumps all over his body.


    If in her natural state, she had the ability to disrupt the world order¡­ then what would she be able to do if she evolved?


    In that moment, Zaroth felt like he began to understand Luna and her actions a bit better than before.

 Chapter 147 Hangover and Chaos

    The rest of the lectures passed as normal until it was time for the Live Combat Practice.


    Zaroth didn''t miss the chance to show off Nightshade to Zack, Roran, and Lily.


    As suspected, all of them wanted to try and fight off the beast, but not before wanting an explanation on how he had acquired it.


    "This is pretty much how it went down," he sighed as he finished recalling the events.


    Roran scratched his chin as he spoke, "A bank holding illegal fights?" He shifted his gaze to Zack as he asked, "Did you know about this?"


    It was a natural question, even if Zack didn''t have a good connection with his family, he was still a part of a rich clan, so there was always the possibility that he knew about it.


    "No, honestly that kind of thing doesn''t interest me," Zack shrugged as he admitted.


    "Well, if you say so¡­"


    Lily raised an eyebrow as she stared at Roran, most likely already guessing what he was going to say next.


    "Now that you''ve tamed a new beast, doesn''t that¡ª"


    "Yeah, sure, let''s get drunk tonight," Zaroth answered Roran''s question before he could even ask it.


    Roran''s eyes narrowed for a moment, clearly surprised. A second later, he burst into laughter.


    "God, am I that obvious?" he managed to mutter, holding his stomach.


    With a sigh, Lily answered, "Yeah, pretty much."


    After the Live Combat Practice, they agreed that they were going to meet at 21:00 o''clock at the bar, as Zaroth still had some work to do.


    Stopping in front of Elysia''s office, he knocked.


    She was the one who had provided him with the funds to purchase Nightshade, so she had every right to be informed¡­ or at least, that''s what a decent person would have done. But Zaroth had an ulterior motive. He hoped that sharing the story would inspire her to give him more money, enabling him to acquire even more beasts.


    "This is pretty much it," he leaned back in his chair as he finished recalling the story.


    Elysia took a second or two to respond, "Well, it''s good that you have another beast at least."


    Zaroth felt disappointment as she didn''t offer him more money, but he told himself that he shouldn''t get too greedy, as rushing too fast could have its own consequences.


    A moment later, Elysia''s gaze shifted to his right hand for a moment, before she spoke, "That vampire¡­ how are things going with her?"


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow in confusion, ''She must be asking about the Purifiers, I guess,'' he thought as he answered her question.


    "Good, we are steadily dwindling their numbers."


    Surprisingly, Elysia didn''t seem satisfied with that answer, so she made herself more clear. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Find your next read on My Virtual Library Empire


    "I know about that. I meant, how do you feel? Have you¡­ felt any changes in your personality or body?"


    Zaroth scratched the back of his head; he wasn''t sure where the weird question was coming from.


    "I mean, I feel like I always have¡­ just maybe more powerful? But that''s it," he answered firmly.


    Elysia studied him carefully for a moment, checking to see if he was lying.


    Concluding that he had, in fact, told the truth, she sighed as she leaned back in her chair.


    "If you say so," she gestured with her finger toward the door.


    So, taking the suggestion and not wanting to take up too much of her time, he left.


    Watching his back as he left, Elysia couldn''t help but mutter,


    "It feels like he''s slowly becoming a part demon¡­ is it because of that woman, Midnight?"


    Shifting her gaze to the red pills that Zaroth had given her before, she scoffed.


    "Well, I guess as long as it''s in the name of strength, people would do anything to get it."


    *****


    If he was thinking logically, the best course of action was to attack another church with Midnight, making use of Nightshade and the beast''s ability to kill silently.


    But he had gotten sick of fighting, so Zaroth decided that he wanted to spend this night just relaxing.


    It had been far too long since he''d last gotten drunk¡­


    "This is the best!" Roran proclaimed as he slammed the empty cup loudly on the old wooden table.


    "Goddammit, you''re right!" Zack spoke as he did the same, almost falling off his chair.


    "Fuck it! It''s been too long!" Lily exclaimed as she ordered two more bottles of alcohol.


    It seemed that Zaroth''s friends also thought the same way, as all of them were drinking much more than usual.


    Deciding to follow their example, he released his constraints as well.


    He had already found himself almost naked on the roof of the academy after getting drunk. What''s the chance that something worse happens?


    *****


    His head felt like it was splitting into a million pieces, while his stomach ached in pain.


    "Never again!" Zaroth muttered as he opened his eyes.


    The first thing he realized was that he wasn''t in the bar anymore, but in an old-fashioned room.


    The second thing that grabbed his attention were the dozens of men that lay on the ground, all passed out. Most of them had heavy injuries.


    Feeling pain in his hands, he saw that his knuckles were bloody red¡­ almost like he had punched the shit out of a dozen men¡­


    Observing the surroundings, he noticed that Roran was sleeping on a counter, and Lily was on top of him, sleeping as well.


    Zack wasn''t far, as he was taking a nap in an almost broken wooden chair.


    He groaned as he stood up.


    "Did we take down a gang or something?" he asked himself as he glanced at his bracelet, only to curse out loud.


    It seemed that the eighth round was today, and considering the time, he was almost late.


    Massaging his forehead, he waited for the hangover to pass.


    "Man¡­ why do I always regret getting drunk, only to do it the next day as well?" he asked himself.


    But unfortunately, no one knew the answer to the question.

 Chapter 148 Round 8

    Seeing as everybody were passed out around him, the only one that he could ask for information was Luna.


    "What the hell happened?" Considering that she was currently in his soul, he could have communicated with her using his mind, but due to the pain he was experiencing thanks to the hangover, it was easier to speak out loud.


    ''You decided to punish a gang of members that happened,'' she answered indifferently.


    Zaroth grimaced as Luna seemed reluctant to share the details.


    "Just tell me everything from the beginning," he spoke, sitting on one of the wooden chairs, clutching his head, waiting for the hangover to pass.


    Though to his regret, his head wasn''t the only thing that hurt, as his stomach seemed to ache strongly as well.


    Luna sigh echoed in his head, and a second later, she began,


    ''You were having a good time with your friends¡­ Honestly, maybe too good a time. The four of you probably drank more than six bottles of pretty strong liquor.''


    "I guess this explains the hangover," he muttered quietly not to interrupt her.


    ''After some time, your bracelet shined, and you saw that you had received a message that the eighth round was going to be the next day, so you got pissed.''


    Luna''s voice began to carry a faint hint of amusement as she recalled the events.


    ''You began to curse about how stupid the system that the emperor had created for the tournament was, saying things like why do we get less than twenty-four hours to prepare, and other stuff like that.''


    Zaroth crossed his arms as he leaned back in his chair. He had to admit, even if he had been drunk at the time, he was right. After all, if someone wanted the students to truly prepare themselves, they would be given a warning earlier. Find exclusive stories on My Virtual Library Empire


    There was a chance that the emperor wanted to test how the students would react to unexpected situations, which would probably prepare them better for a war.


    Shaking off the unnecessary thoughts, he focused on listening to Luna.


    ''With a curse, you got up from the chair and said to your friends that you had to go earlier than planned because you had to be ready for the fight tomorrow¡­ until suddenly the doors of the bar burst open, and a few men with tattoos on their necks entered the bar.


    Zaroth shifted his gaze to the men lying unconscious on the floor. As he focused his still blurry vision, he realized they had bear tattoos on the sides of their necks.


    ''Long story short, it turned out that this gang, who called themselves the Bearborn or whatever, had been harassing the bar for protection services. So, hearing this, you did the most sensible thing.''


    Raising an eyebrow, he asked, ''Ignore the situation and walk home?'' This was certainly what he would have done under normal circumstances.


    ''No, you were still pretty pissed¡­ and drunk, so you decided to vent your frustration on the men, and funnily enough, once your friends saw you fighting, they too joined the fight without asking any questions.''


    He threw a quick glance at his friends.


    ''After you beat them up, the owner came out and began to speak about how they were going to harass his bar even more now, and Lily got the idea to find their hideout and just get rid of them.


    Zaroth scoffed. "But why would she do that? And why would we agree with her idea?"


    ''A lot of alcohol, remember?'' she replied immediately.


    "Fair enough." he had to admit that she was right.


    ''Well, you found one of their hideouts, beat them up, and then went to sleep. That''s pretty much it.''


    With a grunt, he stood up and shook Lily''s body, then Roran''s. After they woke up, he explained the situation to them.


    Considering that he had taken time to let the hangover pass, there was a serious chance he was going to miss his match now, meaning he could be disqualified. He could imagine what Elysia was going to do to him if she learned that he had failed to advance in the tournament for such a stupid reason, which motivated him to run even faster.


    "Barely made it!" he muttered as he took ragged breaths and entered the arena.


    He was in a pitiful state. He had run all the way to the arena, hadn''t had time to put on his armor, and for weapons, he only had the two daggers that he had started carrying everywhere he went. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''I hope my opponent is a weakling,'' he thought as he shifted his gaze to his opponent.


    It was a man of average height with red hair.


    Zaroth''s opponent seemed offended that he had arrived already exhausted, but it wasn''t like there was much to be done about that.


    "Come, Ignis!" the red-haired man spoke, and a second later, some weird mass of fire appeared right next to the man''s side.


    "Is that a spirit?" Zaroth asked himself.


    Not giving Zaroth a chance to recover, the red-haired man commanded the spirit to attack with a fireball.


    Seeing the fireball fly toward him, Zaroth raised an eyebrow as he sent one of his own.


    The two fireballs collided and disappeared.


    Judging by the puzzled expression on his face, the red-haired man didn''t seem to know how to react. Seeing this, Zaroth couldn''t help but smile as he licked his dry lips.


    It seemed that his opponent had turned out to be a weakling after all.


    *****


    Looking at the beaten body of the man, Zaroth didn''t bat an eye as he glanced around the arena at the crowd cheering for the fight that had just taken place.


    "Honestly, arriving here on time was more difficult than the actual fight," Zaroth muttered as he began to make his leave.


    He felt bad considering that he had left his friends to deal with the mess with the Bearborn gang, and he wanted to talk with them about the fight that had transpired.


    Just like that, the eighth round was over.

 Chapter 149 Crimson Resolve

    "Sir, Roderic¡­ do you think I did everything I could have?" Hearing Althea question, Roderic''s stomach began to ache.


    He coughed awkwardly before replying.


    "The city had been under siege for too long, we didn''t receive any amount of help, be it finance or more manpower¡­ it is a miracle that we managed to hold out for so long." Experience new stories on My Virtual Library Empire


    Silence befell the carriage that was transporting the two people. Under normal circumstances, they should have used a teleportation circle, but considering that it was destroyed because of the surprise attack, there wasn''t much to be done about that.


    Leaning forward, Althea clutched her head with both of her hands as tears began to fall.


    "It is frustrating, so many people died for this meaningless war¡­ while I am unable to help my people in any way, shape, or form."


    Roderic gritted his teeth, in situations like this, he was supposed to comfort the grieving person¡­ but he had a wife who was soon going to give birth. So, he wasn''t going to risk touching Althea, even if there was a one-in-a-million chance that touching her could infect him with her curse. He wasn''t going to take the chance.


    In the end, he could only shift his gaze to the small window and observe the once-proud city that was now engulfed in flames.


    That was until the driver of the carriage shouted, his voice filled with terror.


    "We are being followed!"


    Not hesitating even for a second, Roderic exited the still-moving carriage and shifted his gaze to their pursuers.


    There were five soldiers riding atop horseback.


    His eyes darkened for a moment. There were fewer than he expected, and as such, he wasn''t going to have trouble getting rid of them.


    In less than two minutes, their pursuers were already dead. So, Roderic, running full speed ahead, managed to catch up to the carriage and sit back in his spot.


    Less than a second was needed for observation to conclude that Althea had managed to get her emotions sorted.


    She was back to sitting calmly in her seat, with her back against the carriage''s wall.


    "I must thank you again, Sir Roderic, if it wasn''t for your involvement, then I doubt I would have been able to survive."


    He studied the queen for a second before replying, "As I told you, I am not the one that should receive your gratitude, but Elysia."


    A faint smile appeared on the queen''s face as she replied, "Yes, you are right."


    It seemed that she would still need a bit of time to process the reality.


    The Draconian Empire had lost yet another city, and the Crimson Sun Empire was slowly advancing.


    *****


    He couldn''t help but smile, standing atop the corpses of the dead soldiers of The Draconian Empire. In that moment, he felt like he was on top of the world. That was until a male voice broke him from his trance.


    "General Hadrik," the soldier spoke firmly as he bowed at a ninety-degree angle.


    It wasn''t because he was scared, on the contrary, everybody had nothing but respect for their general.


    "So? What happened with the men we sent after what we suspect to be one of their queens?" the general asked, not shifting his gaze from the corpses.


    "Sadly, we have lost contact with them."


    "They were skilled men, meaning they had someone much more skilled to get rid of them¡­ only a queen would be able to have such strong bodyguards, so our theories were correct."


    "I am sorry, sir! We are going to send another, much larger¡ª"


    "No need," the general cut him off as he took a step forward. sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    With a confused look on the soldier''s face, he followed.


    "If there was a queen in a city that was under siege, this meant that it was no doubt Althea¡­ why would we waste our men to try and kidnap a defective woman?"


    The soldier grimaced for a moment. Most people in the continent knew about Althea and her condition, which in time had earned her the term ''defective woman.''


    The soldier knew that his general was right, but nevertheless wanted to voice his opinion on the matter.


    "Even if she is defective, if we managed to kidnap her, wouldn''t that give us a chance to trade her with Princess Solara Virelia?"


    The general stopped and abruptly shifted his gaze to the soldier, there was a clear anger in his eyes, one that he rarely displayed against his soldiers.


    In turn, the soldier could only freeze in fear.


    "Listen to yourself," the general began as he took a few steps toward the man, stopping an arm''s length away from him.


    "To make an exchange would mean that two sides offer things of equal value."


    The general''s voice grew even colder, "There is nothing in this world that will be equal to Princess Solara. Did I make myself clear?"


    Gulping audibly, the man managed to nod slightly.


    With a sigh, General Hadrik returned to his usual voice.


    "You don''t have to worry about our princess, she will be fine."


    "Even if you say that, sir, I can''t help but worry!"


    The general scoffed as he stopped and pointed with his finger.


    Following the gesture, the soldier''s gaze fell upon the battlefield.


    Tens of thousands of men were lying dead on the ground. There was so much blood that a small river had begun to form from it.


    The smell of ash lingered in the air as countless of the city''s houses burned.


    And all of it was illuminated by the beautiful sun at the top of the sky.


    "We did this, in less than a month," the general began.


    "We made our enemies fear us, resent us, hate us. As we killed them, their brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, and everybody they knew and loved."


    Hadrik''s eyes brightened up as he met his soldier''s gaze.


    "We are capable of such destruction! And yet this isn''t even our main army!" His voice was so loud that the other soldiers in the vicinity had stopped what they were doing as they shifted their gazes to the general.


    "Our main army is still back home, getting ready to deliver a devastating strike, one that will put a stop to The Draconian Empire! And all of this because they dared to kidnap Solara Virelia, our princess and the future queen of our empire. She isn''t a woman that could be intimidated in any way, shape, or form. At this moment, she is waiting, waiting for our arrival!"


    The general glanced around the area, looking each and every soldier present in the eyes.


    "We have already proved that we don''t need the main army to bring The Draconian Empire to its knees! I say we are enough to conquer the capital on our own!"


    Moved by the words of their general, the soldiers began to chant in unison.


    "Let the crimson river flow!"


    The general smiled as he extended his arms to the side. He couldn''t help but express pleasure of the highest degree. How could he not? After all¡­


    "We thirst for their blood, and the Sun shall drink!"


    They were soon going to take their princess back.

 Chapter 150 Echoes of War

    "So what did you do?" Finally managing to reunite with his friends, they decided to go for coffee together. They still had a hangover from the previous night, and as such, they mutually agreed to skip the day of lectures.


    Hopefully, Elysia wasn''t going to be mad, considering that skipping had become a daily occurrence for them.


    Taking a sip of her coffee, Lily replied, "Nothing much. We just left."


    "Just left?" Zaroth raised an eyebrow. "Didn''t you try to learn what happened or...?"


    "It''s just as we suspected. We found one of the Bearborn hideouts, entered, and beat them to a pulp," Zack joined in.


    "And the most important thing is that the gang seemed to have been scared by our actions. As such, they''ve come to the owner of the bar and promised that they wouldn''t try to nag him for money any longer. Thanks to this, as a reward, we can now drink as much as we want at the place without having to pay for anything," Roran exclaimed.


    Just looking at the man, it was clear that he had somehow already recovered from the previous night. No doubt eager to go and enjoy the free drinks.


    Lily nudged him with her elbow. "Until the end of the week, we are not going out to drink," she commanded.


    Roran was about to protest, but she interrupted him. "You might not need a long time to recover, but we do. So unless you want to go alone and get drunk, you''ll have to wait."


    At her words, Roran could only grimace as he had to accept his fate.


    Meanwhile, Zaroth was watching them with amusement. After which, he shifted his gaze to Zack and asked, "...So, has anyone tried to get to you?"


    Zack met his gaze as he answered. "Surprisingly, no. I''m not sure what Elysia did, but at least for now, the assassin''s attempts seem to have stopped."


    "Do not let your guard down yet," Roran advised, his face suddenly turning cold. "You should always be prepared for an attack. Because if you aren''t, this could cost you your life."


    "Roran is right," Zaroth had to agree. "Even if the danger is lifted for now, you will soon, no doubt, have to fight with your family in the future."


    Zack nodded at his words. "Yes¡­ and when that moment comes, I hope that I can count on you for help."


    Zaroth couldn''t help but smile slightly at his words. "Of course you can¡­ but to help you, we need to know what we are going against. So, can you tell us what your uncle and his subordinates are capable of?"


    Taking a deep breath, Zack leaned back in his chair as he began, "You, as outsiders of our clan, might not know, but we operate in a certain manner. In short, my uncle¡­ Alexander, he is the leader of the White Fang Clan, and as such, opposing him is the same as opposing the clan."


    Lily scoffed at his words. "Yes, we know. About that, you don''t have to worry about it," she reassured.


    Seeing that Zaroth and Roran were agreeing with her, Zack continued, "I''m going to tell you how our clan functions."


    *****


    "Report," Draconis spoke coldly as he gazed at the man.


    Taking a deep breath, Warren began, "The city that Althea had been sent to has fallen, my Majesty."


    Seeing that the emperor''s eyes began to shine with hope, Warren quickly added, "And Althea is currently returning safely to the capital."


    Draconis'' easy demeanor seemed to darken at the news, but nevertheless, he spoke, "So what you''re telling me is that the Crimson Sun Empire is getting closer?"


    Warren nodded a little. "Yes, and due to the fact that they are getting dangerously close, the White Fang Clan has deployed their troops close to the border, alongside their head leader, with the hope of slowing down their advancement."


    "That is good. At least until Alexander is there, he won''t pester me about getting rid of his nephew¡­" S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The old man awaited further orders, but seeing that the emperor wasn''t saying anything, he spoke up.


    "If I may ask, Your Majesty, what do you think the best course of action is?"


    Draconis raised an eyebrow as he studied the old man in front of him. "Keep things as they are right now."


    Warren wanted to protest but stopped as he sensed that the emperor wasn''t done.


    "The tournament would soon be entering its final stage. Once that happens, my plan would be nearly completed. You and your army just have to grit their teeth and wait patiently."


    The old man grimaced as he bowed. "Understood."


    The situation on the border was catastrophic. They needed more time, money, and manpower, but it seemed that the emperor wasn''t planning to grant it to them, meaning they were on their own.


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    "Warren," hearing his name being called by the emperor, the old man froze as he turned back to face him.


    "You may think that it is unfair that you are fighting a losing war with so little resources, but that is precisely why you are standing there."


    The old man listened to the words of the emperor intensely.


    "You have to prove yourself. If you manage to lead our troops to victory despite the big disadvantage you possess, then you may be worthy to join me. You may be worthy to learn how I am going to conquer an entire continent alone."


    "I am thankful for the trust you have in me, my Majesty," the old man replied as he lifted his head high and exited the room.


    Before he came to speak with Draconis, he felt nervous, like there wasn''t a way out for him and his army. But if his Majesty had placed his trust in him, it would mean that there was clearly a way for him to win.


    The question was, how was he going to achieve that when the odds were so stacked against him?


    This was certainly going to be one difficult challenge to overcome.

 Chapter 151 The Nature of the Elves

    "You can say that we have been neglecting the elves as we haven''t talked much about them. As such, today''s lecture would be focused solely on them," Elysia''s voice echoed around the room as the students listened closely to her words.


    "First, is there somebody that knows something about their physical appearance?"


    Seeing that nobody had raised their hands, the chairwoman sighed as she began,


    "The easiest way to spot an elf is by their ears¡­ is what some of you may think," Elysia spoke as she pointed to one of her ears.


    "I hope that most of you at least know that elves have longer and pointier ears than us humans¡­ but if you think that you will spot an elf that way, you are mistaken." sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Elysia moved her finger from her ear to her hair,


    "Remember, nearly all elves, regardless of gender, have long hair, which allows them to easily conceal their ears if they choose. As a result, it becomes difficult to tell whether you''re looking at an elf or a human, even without them using magic to disguise their ears as ordinary."


    "So how is the best way to tell them apart?" Zaroth spoke up, his voice echoing around the room.


    He was the only one bold enough to ask questions during Elysia''s lectures. This was an opportunity he was going to take¡ªif he showed that he wasn''t scared of asking questions, he would surely appear mature, no?


    A small smile appeared on Elysia''s face before she explained further, "The face, or more accurately, their skin."


    "Their skin?" Zaroth raised an eyebrow as he muttered.


    Seeing the confused faces on the students, Elysia brought her finger to her cheek.


    "All of you, do the same."


    Following the command, they did. The chairwoman began to drag her finger across her cheek, and so did the students.


    "What did you feel?" she asked.


    "... bumps?" After hesitating for a moment, Zaroth called out. While his skin was relatively smooth, there were small bumps that made his skin uneven.


    "That is right. One thing that differentiates us from the elves is our skin. While a human''s skin, no matter how smooth, will always have small bumps, an elf''s skin is the epitome of perfection. If you drag your finger on their skin, it would be like glass¡ªperfect with no imperfections. This is something that is much harder to mask with magic, so the best way to spot an elf is by examining their skin."


    Seeing that Zaroth had raised a hand, Elysia permitted him to speak.


    "So there isn''t a human that has skin as smooth as an elf''s?"


    Elysia nodded, "Yes, it is simply in our biology. Our skin will always have imperfections unlike the elves."


    Zaroth''s eyes suddenly narrowed as he sensed a chance¡ªcould he finally tease her?


    "But your skin looks perfect to me, and you''re a human, not an elf."


    Elysia raised an eyebrow at his statement, "This is called makeup, Zaroth. In the morning without it, I don''t look that way."


    Funnily enough, since Zaroth was sitting in the front and the other students were sitting so far away, if he wished to, he could whisper something that only he and Elysia would be able to hear.


    And, of course, he made use of that opportunity.


    "Frankly, I don''t believe you. I guess I will have to wait for the moment when I can see your face right after waking up."


    At his words, Zack coughed awkwardly, while Roran massaged his forehead as his head began to hurt. Meanwhile, Lily''s gaze was shifting between Zaroth and Elysia, utterly captivated by the way Zaroth was so forward with flirting with her.


    With a sigh, Elysia turned toward the white desk, not paying attention to Zaroth''s advances. She probably didn''t want to scold him in front of the whole class.


    "Next is the way they use magic," the chairwoman approached the white desk and drew a weird-looking symbol¡ªone that Zaroth had never seen.


    "Does anybody know what this is?"


    Judging by the silence in the room, it seemed that nobody had an idea.


    "This is one of the primary ways elves use magic¡ªrunes."


    Zaroth''s interest was immediately piqued. This was something he had heard of but didn''t know much about, as there were sadly no books on the topic in the library.


    "Not much is known about them, but the little information we know about them is enough to categorize them as a very powerful tool."


    Shifting her gaze to the students, she spoke, "Do you remember how you were teleported to the forest when the hunting competition took place? This was only possible with the work of the runes."


    Feeling his heart rate increase, Zaroth''s eyes began to shine. How couldn''t they? If a rune was capable of such incredible magic, then he would want to learn how to use them.


    "If it is something so powerful, why aren''t we learning it? This is probably what you are asking yourself, am I right?" Elysia seemed to be able to guess Zaroth''s thought pattern perfectly.


    "It''s because we humans can''t use them. Or at least, to my knowledge, there has never been a human who could use them. It is a secret that is kept strictly among the elves, meaning that if we want to establish more of the teleporting circles in our empire, then we would have to pay a hefty amount to one of the elf kingdoms."


    ''I guess we humans aren''t on good terms with them too¡­ figures,'' Zaroth thought.


    Realizing that if he wanted to learn more about these runes, he would need to speak with an elf for an explanation, it seemed one more mission had been added to his list.


    Glancing at the clock and seeing that they didn''t have much time left, Elysia sped up.


    "What else differentiates us from the elves? They don''t receive blessings from the gods like we do. They live much longer and don''t physically age, no matter how old they are. So, an elf who looks young could actually be several hundred years old."


    ''Wait, this doesn''t make sense,'' Zaroth thought as he interrupted Elysia.


    "But if that is the case, shouldn''t it mean that there are so many of them that they could overrun us if they wanted?"


    Elysia couldn''t help but smile, seeing that Zaroth had finally asked a sensible question.


    "If you think like a human, it doesn''t make sense, indeed. But there''s something fundamentally different that sets us apart from the elves."


    She pointed to her heart as she continued,


    "We humans are lucky to live to a hundred years old, and most of these years, we have already aged, unable to do much. While the elves do not have that problem. Death is so far away from them that they do not feel the need to rush their stages in life, meaning that they have a low sex drive and take a long time to reproduce." Discover exclusive tales on My Virtual Library Empire


    "So¡­ they are just lazy?" Zaroth couldn''t help but ask.


    Elysia scoffed at his words, "Yes, if you look at it that way. If elves felt the constant fear of death that humans do, perhaps things would be different."


    "...Then what would happen if they made it their goal to conquer more continents?" He asked.


    Elysia''s eyes seemed to darken even more than usual.


    "Frankly, in that case, humanity wouldn''t stand a chance against them."

 Chapter 152 Nightshades hunt

    Something has awoken. Something that shouldn''t have been disturbed.


    And it''s coming. For all of us.


    ¡­


    Opening her eyes, Vera took shallow breaths. Getting out of the bed, she took slow and steady steps towards the bathroom.


    Entering it and locking the door, she undressed as she turned on the hot water.


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    Despite the fact that her sweat was being washed off, it couldn''t be said about her worries. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "So many dreams, what is real anymore and what is not?" she muttered.


    Over the past few days¡­ weeks¡­ months she had been suffering from unimaginable nightmares, each and every time they ended with millions of people dying.


    It was to the point she had begun to wonder, were these those visions that she often got, or were they just unrelated nightmares?


    Nevertheless, she still felt exhausted beyond belief. Naturally, she wanted to vent her feelings and frustrations, and the only person that came to mind was Sofia.


    Remembering her friend, a small smile appeared on Vera''s face. "I want to see her," she muttered.


    After her shower was done, she dried herself and approached the mirror. She hadn''t placed her mask yet as she wanted to see how she looked.


    The moment she did, her mood became even worse. There were heavy bags under her eyes, clearly due to sleep deprivation.


    Not wanting to look at herself anymore, she sighed and put her mask back on.


    It didn''t matter how much she was suffering as today was the start of a new day.


    *****


    "It really is weird how little Purifies around there are, it''s like their numbers are dwindling," Sofia muttered to herself. A second later, her eyes darkened, remembering Midnight and Zaroth, who were most likely the reason something like this was happening.


    "Do you not like this change?" Vera asked quietly.


    Sofia hesitated for a second before replying, "I¡­ you know that I don''t really like them, but even so, it is-"


    "It''s just that you know they are supporting the emperor and there is a part of you that wishes you could help them, earning the approval of your father in the process?" Vera interrupted her.


    Sofia''s eyes widened for a moment. It seemed that Vera''s words had hit a sore spot.


    "You might think my words are harsh, but it is time you see reason, Sofia," Vera spoke softly as she leaned back in her chair.


    Taking a few moments she needed to think, Sofia shifted her gaze to her friend only to see that she was sleeping.


    "Gosh, how tired can you be to drift to sleep in the middle of a conversation?" Sofia chuckled as she brushed Vera''s hair to the side.


    Seeing that there was no point in trying to wake her up, since Vera was sleeping like a log, Sofia realized she had to carry her.


    She sighed as she stood up, "You have to be thankful you have a friend like me."


    *****


    The tournament had almost entered its final stage, and Zack''s family was also a threat. As such, Zaroth didn''t plan to play around.


    He needed more strength, as such, he was going for another hunt with Midnight that night.


    Looking at the big church, his eyes studied the exterior of the building carefully. Thanks to Darkgaze, a skill that allowed him to see well in the darkness, he was able to see almost as well as it was daytime.


    "This is a big one," he muttered under his breath.


    Midnight threw him a glance before responding, "Yes, we''ve more or less dealt with the small churches. Now it''s time to start handling the bigger ones."


    Taking a step closer to her, he whispered, "How many people can we expect?"


    After a few seconds of thinking, she answered, "At least ten, if not more, so don''t let your guard down."


    He nodded as both of them took a step forward.


    A second later, they stopped as the doors of the church opened and a man wearing silver armor exited.


    Stopping in front of the doors, the man began to scan the surroundings.


    "Is¡­ he guarding the entrance?" Zaroth asked himself.


    "Not surprised, considering that so many of the small churches have been attacked. They would surely have tightened up the security," Midnight muttered.


    Taking a few moments to ponder the issue, she shook her head.


    "Let''s get out of here. Attacking now is too risky."


    But Zaroth didn''t pay attention to her as he realized that this was the perfect opportunity to test his new beast.


    His eyes narrowed and began to shine green, and a second later, a panther materialized next to him.


    The panther''s fur was so dark that it blended seamlessly with the cover of the night. The only thing that was visible were the beast''s golden eyes.


    Patting Nightshade on the head, Zaroth gave his command.


    "Kill this man without alerting the others."


    With a quiet grunt, the beast lowered itself and began to approach its new target.


    Zaroth watched with anticipation, until he felt Midnight''s hand on his shoulder.


    He turned around.


    "When did you get a new beast?" she whispered.


    Scratching the back of his head, he smiled awkwardly, "I guess I haven''t told you about that¡­ when we''re done here, I''ll explain."


    Despite the concerned look on her face, she nodded a little.


    Seeing her reaction, Zaroth returned his gaze to Nightshade. Seeing that the beast had gotten close to its target, he held his breath.


    The purifier that was outside was probably using some kind of magic to see in the dark, considering the fact that his eyes were glowing.


    And yet he was looking in front of him and not to the side, where Nightshade was slowly creeping up from.


    Thanks to its instincts, keeping its belly low to the ground, the man wasn''t able to see the danger that had approached him with his peripheral vision.


    Before the man realized what was happening, Nightshade jumped toward him, bringing down her large white fangs on the man''s neck. The beast closed its mouth with considerable force.


    The bite might have been weaker than Silverfang''s, but it was enough, considering that it was a suprise attack.


    Blood began to fall down from the man''s mouth as his eyes widened in horror. He had finally realized what situation he was in, but alas, it was too late, as his body went numb.


    Nightshade didn''t let the body fall to the ground, however, as this would surely create a loud sound. So, the beast made sure to quietly place the dead man on the ground.


    Approaching Nightshade with a smile, Zaroth patted the panther on the head.


    "Oh, you''re so much better than I thought you would be!"


    Despite watching the hunt from close up, he didn''t hear a single sound the entire time.


    This was how quiet Nightshade was when she attacked.


    Shifting his gaze to Midnight, he smiled,


    "Well, one man is already down, so I say we just get rid of the rest in the church. What do you say?"


    Midnight raised an eyebrow as she approached Nightshade and placed her delicate hand on the beast''s fur. With a sigh, she spoke.


    "Okay, let''s kill them."

 Chapter 153 Beneath the Sacred Roof

    Not wasting any time, Zaroth placed his hand on the doorknob.


    "Wait!" he heard Midnight, so he froze.


    "Don''t forget that this isn''t like the small churches that we attacked before. This one will no doubt be full. We can''t just attack recklessly!"


    Letting go of the doorknob, Zaroth shifted his gaze to her.


    "Then what do we do?" he asked.


    Unless he was mistaken, there was no other entrance to the church other than the main one.


    Midnight pointed with her finger upwards, so Zaroth followed the gesture.


    His eyes landed on a window close to the top of the building.


    "Cool and all, but how do we reach it? It''s at least thirty-five meters away from us!" he complained.


    Without saying anything, Midnight approached the body of the man that Nightshade had killed, and she brought her fangs down on the man.


    Quickly drinking a few liters of blood, it seemed like her hair got more beautiful while her face became even more breathtaking.


    Taking a step toward Zaroth, she embraced him.


    Raising an eyebrow, he muttered, "I mean, it''s not like I don''t like it, but it isn''t the time for this sort of¡ª"


    He stopped mid-sentence as suddenly two large wings appeared out of Midnight''s back.


    Before he had realized it, his mouth had opened a little in awe. He had seen her naked body multiple times at this point, but he was surely going to remember if there were wings that she kept hidden.


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    Did she have some way to make them manifest from nothing?


    Zaroth didn''t have time to ponder on the question as he was lifted high from the ground. Truthfully, he had never experienced flying up to that point, and it was safe to say it was both terrifying and amazing.


    Terrifying because watching the ground get farther away from him was like he was experiencing a nightmare.


    While amazing because Midnight was embracing him so tightly that he was able to feel her body pressed against his.


    ''Everything has its pros and cons, I guess,'' he thought, shifting his gaze to Midnight''s face, trying to forget about the fact that he was flying.


    A second later, they reached the window that was thankfully opened and entered undetected.


    Letting go of Zaroth, Midnight retracted her wings and fixed a part of her clothing.


    After she was done, she realized that Zaroth was staring at her with his mouth still open in awe.


    With a smirk, she asked, "What?"


    "What¡­ what do you mean, what?! You can fly?! You can have wings?! Since when? Why did you not tell me?!" Despite whispering, it was clear that he was feeling frustrated.


    "I mean¡­ you didn''t tell me that you had a new beast, did you?" she retorted.


    Being taken aback for a second or two, he replied, "I¡ªthis¡ªif I had known about this, then we might have acted differently from the beginning! This changes so many things! Have you even explored this power?"


    Taking a step closer to him, she embraced him in her arms as she whispered, "If that''s what you''re into, you can explore it later in the night once we go to your bed."


    Feeling his body get hotter, he muttered, "Stop with your distractions, we have Purifiers to kill."


    Laughing quickly, she let him go.


    "This woman!" he cursed silently as he observed where he had found himself.


    They were in what appeared to be some kind of attic, considering that the air was heavy and there was a lot of dust in the air.


    After waiting for Midnight to calm down, they found a staircase that led downward, so they took it.


    Once they descended to the next floor, Zaroth grimaced. Sadly, it seemed that the interior of the building was well-lit, so Nightshade''s advantage was gone here.


    "No matter," he muttered as he summoned everyone excluding Luna.


    Nightshade appeared to his right, Silverfang appeared to his left, and the other four wolves appeared behind him.


    "Is it a good idea to summon them so early?" Midnight whispered.


    "It''s too well-lit to be stealthy at this point, plus summoning takes time, and it''s better to have them out than not."


    Midnight knew that he was right, so she didn''t protest as they continued their walk in the church.


    "Wait!" Midnight muttered as she extended her arm to the side, so Zaroth and his beasts complied.


    Shifting his gaze to the front, he saw that there was what looked like a balcony that overlooked a large room.


    Moving quickly to make sure that he wasn''t spotted, Zaroth observed how many Purifiers were in the grand room.


    His face darkened as he began to count.


    ''One, two, three.'' At the end, he counted ten Purifiers.


    It was clear that this wasn''t going to be an easy battle.


    "Do you have a plan?" Midnight spoke.


    Scratching his chin, deep in thought, a second later, a plan came to mind.


    "Yes, it might sound a bit risky, but it''s worth a try."


    *****


    "What could be the reason for all these recent attacks?" a priestess whispered quietly at the statue that she was kneeling in front of. S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "It must be the work of sinners. No need to worry, the gods will surely protect us." another priestess answered back.


    Due to the recent events, the number of personnel that was employed in the churches rose significantly.


    Usually, it was rare for a church to have even one priestess present, but at the moment, there were three here.


    Not to mention the seven paladins that had been tasked with keeping them safe.


    One thing was for certain, nothing was going to get through them.


    They had even stationed one man at the entrance, so surely they would have been alerted if they were under attack.


    Or, that was what they thought until a figure wearing a black robe jumped from the second floor to the first one.


    The man immediately removed his robe, allowing the Purifiers to see his white hair and green-cat-like eyes.


    Zaroth smiled as he shouted with all his might, making sure that he had gotten the attention of everybody in the room.


    "Behold, your nightmare has arrived!"

 Chapter 154 Cornered

    The paladins took a second to register what had happened.


    A man had jumped from the second floor to their level. How had this individual managed to enter the building without opening the front gates? Why didn''t the paladin at the front gates alert them that an individual had gotten so close? Was he perhaps dead?


    A second later, they all charged at Zaroth with their swords raised high.


    It was clear that the white-haired man wasn''t a believer, and as such, there was no doubt in their minds that it was a threat.


    One that needed to be eliminated as fast as humanly possible, as it could pose a danger to the three priestesses.


    Zaroth''s eyes widened for a moment. The instant the three priestesses began their prayers, the paladins surged into motion, moving at twice the speed they had just a moment before.


    Taking hold of his daggers firmly in his hands, he brought them to his side as he smiled darkly.


    "This will be interesting," he muttered under his breath.


    In a blink of an eye, there were already three paladins upon him.


    Forcing his foot to move faster than it should have been possible, he managed to dodge their strikes, although it was a close call.


    He didn''t even have a second of rest, however, as there was already a paladin on the place he had dodged into.


    Seeing the giant sword heading toward his direction, Zaroth grimaced as he used his daggers to block the paladin''s strike.


    A shockwave spread around his body, it was clear that the paladins weren''t just two times faster than normal due to the spells the priestesses were casting, but two times stronger as well.


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    Seeing a kick directed toward his ribs, Zaroth managed to twist his body and put one of his arms in the way with the intention to take the hit.


    He was sent flying, and a second later, he collided with the wall.


    Wearing a light armor under his robe was clearly the right move, as it managed to protect his back somewhat, leaving him with just a light bruise.


    Knowing that it was a bad idea to try and rest, he opened his mouth and let out a fire breath while firing two fireballs from each of his hands. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Sadly, the spells didn''t seem to have much of an effect, as the fireballs disappeared upon contact with the paladins'' armor, while his fiery breath was rendered useless as well.


    With a grimace, he tried to take a step back as he was surrounded on all sides, only for his foot to hit the wall behind him.


    He was cornered.


    ''You sure that you don''t need help?'' Luna''s voice echoed in his mind.


    He didn''t need a time to think before responding, ''Yeah, I am just fine on my own.''


    Honestly, it was a humbling experience, one that he desperately needed. It was clear that his powers were going to his head, and he was beginning to act arrogant, but in this situation, as he was surrounded by the seven paladins that were empowered by the priestesses'' prayers, he literally had his back against the wall, cornered.


    It was a reminder that he had so much more growth to achieve.


    In this situation, a sane person would have displayed despair, or at least some degree of nervousness.


    And yet, before he realized it, Zaroth''s mouth had turned into a menacing smile.


    One of the paladins'' eyes widened as realization hit him.


    The seven paladins had surrounded the man who had just infiltrated the church, but in doing so¡­ they had left the priestesses alone.


    Without hesitating, he turned his whole body toward the three priestesses, only for his eyes to widen in shock.


    There was one woman with crimson eyes and hair, with bared fangs into one of the priestesses.


    The other was being torn apart by a pack of wolves, led by a larger, more formidable one.


    And the last one was already dead, as a panther with dark fur stood above her corpse.


    A second later, the overwhelming power that the paladins were feeling disappeared. Their faces darkened as realization hit them that the priestesses were already dead.


    "Not too shabby of a plan, no?" Zaroth muttered under his breath.


    His plan was simple. He was going to jump from one side of the balcony and attract the attention of the paladins. They would surely all move toward him with the intention to attack.


    Meanwhile, Midnight and his beasts would jump down from the other side of the room.


    At that point, the paladins would be too far away from the priestesses, who were already facing Zaroth, meaning that they wouldn''t sense the attack until it was too late.


    And as a result, the priestesses were dead.


    The only problem was that Zaroth was surrounded by the paladins, and he would need to hold them off for a few seconds until his beasts and Midnight arrived.


    "Let''s see what you''ve got," he muttered, dashing toward the closest paladin.


    His main goal should have been defense, but as everybody knew, there wasn''t a better defense than attack.


    Now that the paladins weren''t empowered as the priestesses were dead, their reaction time was slowed, and he had lunged toward one of the paladins who had his back against him.


    As a result, before anybody could reach Zaroth, his daggers had already pierced the man''s throat, killing him on the spot.


    Zaroth''s eyes narrowed like hunters as he suddenly got a deeper understanding of how to use his demonic skills.


    Shifting his gaze to the next target, he smiled darkly.


    "One down, six more to go."


    The remain paladins took a step backward, trying to compose themselves as they had just seen their comrade be killed in cold blood.


    But Zaroth wasn''t going to be nice enough to give them time to rest, as he lunged toward his next target.


    Meanwhile, Midnight and Zaroth''s beasts were just seconds away from joining the fight.


    The paladins gulped audibly as the possibility that they would all die came to them.


    They had been serving the church and the gods for so long, and their lives would end as two individuals¡ªone a Beast Master and the other a vampire¡ªwere going to use them to gain even more strength.


    At this moment, a thought came into their minds, a doubt about what they had been doing their whole lives.


    Had they perhaps been mistaken to believe in the gods?


    Had they... wasted their entire lives?

 Chapter 155 Fun Interpreted

    "One!" Zaroth shouted as he charged at his second target.


    The paladin raised his sword, ready to meet Zaroth''s daggers.


    A second after a metallic sound echoed around the grand room.


    Both Zaroth and the paladin felt a small shockwave spreading around their arms, but Zaroth, thanks to the fact that the blades on his weapons were smaller, meant that he would feel less resistance.


    Mimicking the things that he had read in that book when he was in the library, he twisted his body in an unnatural angle, and a split second later, his left dagger had pierced the paladin''s arm, making use of the small crack in the man''s armor.


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    Bringing his face close to his enemy, Zaroth opened his mouth and let out a fire breath.


    His skill might have been ineffective earlier, but what about now when they were so close to one another?


    The man screamed as he felt his skin catching aflame, and the way his skull began to melt.


    And sadly for the man, the other five paladins, despite wanting to help, could not as Midnight and Zaroth''s beasts had already reached them, so all of them were occupied.


    "SHIT!" one of the paladins cursed as he was forced to deal with two wolves that no matter how much he hurt them, just got back up almost as if they didn''t feel pain. Almost as if they weren''t alive.


    Making use of the chance, Zaroth jumped behind the man and brought both of his daggers down on the man''s head, killing him instantly.


    The feeling of understanding his demonic skills better didn''t stop him, however, as he had already dashed to his next target.


    One of the paladins that was busy dealing with Nightshade was attacked from behind, as such, he died before he even realized what had happened.


    So was the one that was fighting with Silverfang.


    It seemed that Midnight had long killed her opponent, as she was clearly having trouble injuring her enemy just enough to immobilize them, but leaving them alive for Zaroth to finish.


    It didn''t take long until all of the paladins were dead, and an eerie silence fell upon the church''s grand room.


    Taking an exhausted sigh, Zaroth sat on the ground as he watched Midnight begin to drink the blood of the slain Purifiers.


    Deciding to see his progress with his demonic skills, he closed his eyes and commanded the darkness to wrap around his body.


    Despite the room being fairly well-lit, he still managed to move a part of the darkness. He was getting a better grasp of Darkveil. Meaning all the killing he had been doing up until now hadn''t been for nothing.


    "Still a long way to go, though," he muttered as he dismissed all of his beasts, leaving him alone with Midnight, though she didn''t pay him much attention as she was too busy drinking blood.


    ''Crazy how vampires work, just by drinking blood she gets stronger¡­ I wonder what else she can do besides using wings?'' he wondered.


    The more blood she drank, the closer to evolution she got, so she surely had more skills at her disposal... Maybe he could ask her to teach him more stuff?


    Seeing that Midnight was going to take her sweet time, Zaroth began to study the interior of the church.


    Everything was beautiful and pristine as expected¡­ excluding the large amount of blood that was spilled on the floor.


    "What even is the point of this stuff?" he muttered as his gaze stopped at a large statue of a woman.


    The statue depicted a woman with a spear in her right hand and a shield in her left. Was this supposed to be a god? Or some kind of legendary warrior?


    Zaroth wasn''t an expert when it came to history and religion, and honestly, he didn''t care. He wouldn''t pay a second thought to the statue if it wasn''t for Luna''s sudden words.


    ''Summon me,''


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow. He wasn''t expecting that Luna would want to wander around the church, much less considering that Midnight was here.


    But honestly, he was too curious to see what would happen, so he summoned her.


    Midnight shuddered for a second as she shifted her gaze to the menacing dragon in human form.


    This was the second time she was seeing Zaroth''s strongest summon, so even if she didn''t want to, she felt nervous.


    "Relax, bloodsucker, I am not here for you," Luna spoke coldly as she approached the statue.


    Zaroth smiled a little at the unexpected comment. Calling Midnight "bloodsucker" was certainly funnier than it had any right to be.


    Luna, not paying any attention to Midnight''s gaze, stopped in front of the statue.


    And suddenly, she turned into a dragon.


    Not expecting that, Zaroth clutched his heart as he felt a dangerous amount of mana leave his core at an alarmingly fast rate.


    Midnight''s eyes had widened a lot as just witnessing Luna''s dragon form filled her with dread. And the fact that the dragon''s body wasn''t made of anything other than bones clearly didn''t make it any less menacing. sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Not wasting any time, once Luna''s transformation was complete, she slashed with her claws and broke the statue into dozens of pieces. Once she was done, she turned back into her human form.


    Taking a few ragged breaths, Zaroth spat, "Hey, at least warn me if you''re going to do something like this!"


    Putting on an alluring smile, Luna responded, "Alright, I will keep it in mind."


    Zaroth was clearly not done, but before he could retort again, Luna approached him and made him lay his head on her lap.


    "Shh, you are exhausted, you can just relax for a moment."


    Zaroth''s eyes widened as he realized that his body ached, so he didn''t move and closed his eyes, taking the break as advised.


    "What do you think you are doing?" Hearing Midnight''s voice, Zaroth opened his eyes only to see her staring down at him and Luna.


    "I am letting my master rest on my lap," Luna immediately replied.


    "This is something that I will do, not you," Midnight retorted.


    It seems that, for some reason, Midnight forgot the fear she was feeling just seconds ago¡­ Was this perhaps¡­ jealousy?


    Luna raised an eyebrow and pressed her finger to her lips. "Sure, you should have, but since you were too busy drinking the blood of the corpses, it seemed like you weren''t going to do it. So, I took care of it instead"


    Seeing the two beauties fight over him, Zaroth couldn''t get rid of the grin on his face.


    ''I might be popular with the ladies, eh?'' he asked himself as he observed them silently.


    His mood quickly soured, however, as his bracelet shined, indicating that he had gotten a message.


    Once he read it, he massaged his forehead.


    Tomorrow morning was going to be the next round, the last one before the matches started to be held in the grand arena, observed by the emperor.


    And considering that it was so late at night, he wouldn''t be able to be in peak condition tomorrow if he didn''t begin to sleep immediately, which wouldn''t happen considering that he was still in the church.


    It seemed that he really had shit luck.

 Chapter 156 Round 9

    "Remember, this is for your father," Sam whispered as he tightened his grip on the old sword he was carrying.


    Some would ask him why he would bring such an old sword to the tournament. The answer was simple, it was a family treasure. This was the sword that his father had used to slay an Epic creature in the past.


    Originally, Sam wouldn''t have wanted to use the sword as he didn''t feel worthy yet¡­ but that changed about a year ago when his father had gotten an illness.


    The healers told him that unless a healer of the highest level performed a skill on the sick man, he would die.


    And Sam and his family, being poor, couldn''t afford such things¡­ that was until the emperor announced the tournament.


    Sam might not have been part of the most prestigious academy in the empire, and yet he didn''t give up. He trained endlessly until exhaustion and beyond, all in the name of winning the tournament, all so his father could walk again.


    He wanted to repay his father for all the time he had taken care of him, Sam felt it was his duty as his only son


    "This is the ninth round. After this, the rounds would be held in the grand arena, watched by the emperor," Sam hyped himself up as he entered the center of the arena.


    His gaze immediately fell upon the audience. At the beginning, there were hardly any people who watched the matches, but now, as time passed and the amount of matches decreased, the small arenas were barely able to contain the thousands of people who had come to watch the fight.


    Sam froze when his gaze fell upon a woman with crimson eyes and hair.


    He didn''t know her, but in that moment, he fell for her. He had seen his fair share of beauties in the capital, but nobody could hold a candle to her.


    "Another reason to not lose," he muttered as he shifted his gaze to his opponent. Now, he didn''t just want to win because of his father, but he also wanted to ask the girl out after the match.


    "¡­?" His mouth opened a little in confusion.


    Sam was in the ninth round, so he was expecting to see giant, rough-looking men and dangerously cunning women¡­


    And yet, the man in front of him didn''t seem that threatening, in all honesty.


    True, the man had unique outer appearance as he was on the shorter side with white hair and green cat-like eyes.


    "Is he dragon descendant?" Sam asked himself. He didn''t know a lot about these people, but from the few rumors he had heard, they were a dangerous bunch.


    "I shouldn''t underestimate him¡­" Sam scolded himself as he got into battle pose.


    "Ladies and gentlemen!" The announcer stepped into the middle of the area as his shout sliced through the muttering around the arena.


    "Today we shall witness another fight in the name of the emperor!" the announcer spoke as he shifted his gaze to the side.


    "On one side we have Sam!"


    A few people cheered at the mentioning of his name, which made Sam feel nice. Sadly, it seemed that the crimson beauty didn''t react when his name was called out.


    "A pity¡­" he muttered under his breath.


    "And on the other side we have Zaroth!"


    A lot more people cheered than before, most likely because they had remembered Zaroth and his actions in the other rounds.


    Sam felt his heart ache as he saw that the crimson beauty was also one of the people who were clapping enthusiastically.


    Shaking his head off of the unnecessary thought, Sam focused on his opponent.


    "For father," he spoke as the ground around him shook, and a second later, two humanoid creatures made from the earth, each about two meters tall, rose.


    Even if Sam hadn''t received a very strong blessing from the gods, that didn''t mean he would give up.


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow as he saw Sam''s abilities.


    Then he smiled.


    A few moments later, Zaroth was surrounded by his beasts, four normal-sized wolves and one much bigger than the rest.


    "He is a Beast Master?" Sam asked himself.


    "Well, if that is the case, he must be weak up close!" Coming to that conclusion, Sam charged toward Zaroth, with his two golems to his sides.


    ''I will reach it! I will reach the end of the tournament and wish for my father to be healed!'' With that thought, Sam used every fiber of his body to run forward.


    Contrary to his expectations, Zaroth, rather than trying to make space between them, unsheathed the two daggers and met Sam''s charge with his own.


    ''Is he confident or just delusional?'' Sam asked himself. Usually, a Beast Master was weak in close combat, so why was his opponent rushing toward him?


    "No matter." Sam muttered as a smile appeared on his face. This was clearly going to be an easy fight.


    Reaching Zaroth, he swung horizontally.


    Zaroth moved so fast that he appeared like a blur. Thanks to his short height, he had an easier time going below the strike.


    "What¡ª" Sam certainly didn''t expect the Beast Master to be so agile.


    Before he could react in any way, Zaroth used his left dagger to pierce Sam''s side.


    "Fuck!" Sam shouted as he tried to make some distance between them. But Zaroth wasn''t letting go, using his other dagger to pierce Sam''s leg, making it much harder to move.


    "Help!" he shouted as he shifted his gaze to his golems. It seemed that he had underestimated Zaroth, so he was going to have to rely on his golems to close the gap.


    Or at least, that was the plan until he saw that both of his golems were already broken. As a result, he was currently being swarmed by a pack of wolves.


    ''I¡­ lost? What about my wish? What about father?'' Sam had a hard time registering what had just transpired.


    And he didn''t have the luxury to think about it as he saw a dagger heading toward his head.


    ''I am going to die?''


    Before the dagger killed him, however, it was stopped by the observer of the fight.


    "Zaroth wins! He advances to the tenth round!"


    Cheers burst all around the arena as Sam fell on his bottom, clutching his wounds in pain.


    "No¡­ NO NO NO! I can''t lose! I can''t!" he screamed in frustration. He was supposed to win! He was supposed to use his wish to make his father better! Not lose before even the main fights started!


    "You fuck!" Sam shouted, his voice burning with fury as he glared at the person who had shattered his dreams, Zaroth.


    Hearing the insult, Zaroth smiled menacingly as he answered.


    "Oh? What is this? You''re salty? Then I guess you should have trained better." Zaroth mocked him as he began to head out of the arena, not paying attention to the cheers around him.


    Meanwhile, Sam lay on the ground, taking ragged breaths. He was losing too much blood, and he had to wait for a healer to come and fix him up.


    Before he realized it, his eyes had teared up. His dream was broken¡­ shattered¡­ he would be forgotten, and his father would die, all because he was too weak. sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    This truly was an unfair world.


    *****


    "What the hell was that?!" Zaroth complained as he walked side by side with Midnight.


    Raising an eyebrow, she asked, "What is it?"


    "I thought that there was supposed to be some kind of sportsmanship when we fought in the tournament! Why must my enemy curse me when he loses? It''s his fault he was too weak anyway," he answered.


    Midnight smirked, "Zaroth, you know that each person has a dream they wish to achieve, and by winning, you are shattering other people''s dreams."


    Zaroth scratched the back of his head, "Oh, I know¡­ and honestly, I don''t give a shit about other people that I''m not close to."


    "Really?" Midnight whispered, putting her hand on his shoulder and leaning in closer.


    "What about me?"


    Feeling his body getting hotter, he replied, "You are... one of the people that I''m close with."


    After a second, he added, "... You know, after this fight, I feel pretty tired. I''m planning to go to bed¡­ want to join me?"


    Her lips curved into an alluring smile as she answered Explore hidden tales at My Virtual Library Empire


    "Sure."

 Chapter 157 Breaking the Faith

    "I deeply apologize for the interruption, Your Majesty, especially at such a critical moment when the tournament is about to enter its final stage." Elowen spoke, she was wearing a black robe, unlike the other Purifiers who usually wore white. Her long silver hair fell to the side, and her mouth and nose was covered by a black mask.


    Her body, face, and voice were all mesmerizing, as if she were blessed by the gods themselves, given her striking appearance. It was a shame that she was hiding half of her face with the mask.


    Was it her beauty that led her to join the Purifiers, or was there another reason?


    "I will always make time when it comes to speaking with the Purifiers," Draconis replied, watching the woman from his throne.


    Both of them knew the reason why she was here, but he was supposed to act oblivious to the situation, as if he hadn''t planned all this from the very start.


    Leaning back, he spoke coldly. "As you know, the tournament isn''t the only thing on my mind. As such, don''t beat around the bush and say what you want to say."


    He was trying to appear as threatening as he could, but sadly it seemed that it didn''t have any effect on the woman in front of him.


    Which wasn''t surprising, considering that this woman was one of, if not the highest-standing member of the Purifiers.


    As such, he wasn''t arrogant enough to try and read her thoughts. The woman before him was like a wild card, one that he would try not to make enemies with... at least for now.


    Pursing her lips, she spoke softly, her voice sounding pleasant to the ears, like a melody.


    "We have received numerous reports of churches being attacked, leading to the deaths of hundreds of Purifiers. The Elders granted you enough time to address this threat, yet you have failed to act. Therefore, we will cease our support of the Draconian Empire. This decision is final, and we will withdraw the stationed Purifiers immediately"


    Draconis'' facial expression didn''t change as he listened to the woman. After she was done, he pretended to think for a moment and then sighed.


    "And what about the millions of believers in our lands? You plan to just abandon them?" he asked.


    "We didn''t want to, but the fact that you have allowed so many of our people to be slaughtered without being able to stop it is a clear indication that we are not welcome in your lands."


    Extending his finger to the door, the Emperor spoke coldly, "If that is all, leave."


    Elowen did just that, not bothering to bow to the man in front of her.


    Once she left, Draconis couldn''t hide the happiness he was feeling at the moment as his lips curved into a menacing smile.


    "Ah, my people!" he began to practice his speech for when he would observe the tournament personally.


    "Unfortunately, the Purifiers have abandoned us! But fear not! You have me, your Emperor, and the creator of this grand tournament! I understand that you must feel heartbroken and betrayed, that the religion you''ve trusted for so long has left our lands. But this only reveals their true colors! It''s because we are in the midst of war with our neighbors, at a time when we need faith and hope to guide us forward, that they chose to abandon us!"


    He stopped for a second to add dramatic effect.


    "They have proven to us that we don''t need their twisted religion! For we have one another¡ªand me, as your unifier! Now, let us put aside our struggles and enjoy the battles of the tournament!"


    His plan was slowly growing into fruition. He didn''t know who this vampire was that was suddenly running rampant and killing Purifiers left and right, but it was too beneficial to try and stop the demon.


    Now, thanks to the demon''s actions, the Purifiers would stop supporting his empire, making the citizens that believed in them feel hurt and betrayed.


    And who was going to listen to their struggles now? How and where were they going to vent their frustration now?


    Of course, what better place than the tournament he had created for this exact purpose? The people would begin to favor the Emperor even more, their faith in him would increase, while their faith in the outside forces would plummet.


    And the more they believed in him, the easier it would be to manipulate them for his own gain. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He could practically taste it.


    How close he was to completing his plan.


    *****


    "And on the other side, we have the person that was in third place in the hunting competition! Grace!"


    Once the announcer spoke the name of the blonde woman with blue eyes, the audience burst into cheers. This was no doubt their favorite participant in the tournament. Explore stories at My Virtual Library Empire


    She was not only beautiful but extremely deadly as well.


    As the match started, Grace''s opponent dug his foot in the ground and dashed toward her.


    Raising his scythe high in the air, the skilled man was prepared to go for the kill.


    But after four steps, he found himself unable to move. He was caught in something.


    A golden thread that had wrapped all around the arena in an instant.


    The man''s eyes widened in horror, and before he could react in any way, shape, or form, Grace pulled a certain thread that was close to her, which made the threads her opponent was caught in tighten as they all began to dig deep into his flesh, causing severe wounds.


    She released the man seconds before he was killed, and he collapsed on the ground, barely alive.


    "And the winner is Grace!"


    The audience cheered once again in celebration.


    Grace smiled as she raised her gaze to the beautiful sky.


    The ninth round was over, she had advanced to the next round, where she was going to be observed by tens of thousands of people, alongside the Emperor.


    The main event was about to start.

 Chapter 158 A Strategic Gamble

    Bored, Zaroth had no other choice but to pass the time talking to Luna.


    It was that the lecture didn''t interest him, especially since it was about geography. While he understood it might be important as they taught it, he''d rather ignore the professor''s teachings.


    ''Do you think it''s wise for me to go and ask Elysia for more credits?''


    ''To be honest, I think she was correct. If you had saved more credits, you wouldn''t have to wonder if it is okay to go and pester her for more,'' Luna responded.


    ''Yeah, yeah, I know, but after acquiring Nightshade so easily, I want to buy more and more beasts. Plus, Nightshade would surely like to go to the arena and tear his enemies apart.''


    ''Can you even support more beasts?''


    Luna was asking the valid question. Even though he had gotten stronger, he had Silverfang and Nightshade, both of which were Rare beasts, that wouldn''t even count the four other wolves he had at his disposal. There was the possibility that his mana core wouldn''t be able to keep up with them.


    ''But isn''t this the way I train my core to begin with? I use more mana than I''m supposed to, and slowly my core becomes stronger,'' he retorted.


    ''Well, if you want another beast, two options come to mind. One is to go and pester Elysia for more money, though if you plan on courting her, that''s a bad idea. The other is to use your savings and place a bet in the beast arena.''


    Zaroth''s eyes widened for a moment. For some reason, this option never occurred to him.


    He needed more money¡ªwhat better way to get them than betting?


    But of course, there was always the chance that he would lose, leaving him broke¡­


    "Wait, lose?" he muttered as he scratched his chin.


    He wasn''t well informed about how the betting in the beast arena proceeded.


    But what if he could enter with his own beast? Nightshade was now undead, meaning no matter how badly hurt, the panther would just get up like nothing had happened as long as Zaroth had mana.


    He could always bet on his beast to win, knowing defeat was impossible, and in time that would massively increase his funds.


    Not only that, but this was exactly Nightshade''s desire, to dominate the arena.


    So that way, Zaroth would be killing two birds with one stone¡ªhe would become richer while his beast would advance further toward evolution.


    ''Luna, you might be a genius,'' he had to praise her.


    Even though he wasn''t looking at her, as she was in his soul, it felt like she had raised her eyebrow.


    ''Might? I am and always will be.''


    Zaroth grinned a little. It seemed that she was not only immensely beautiful and deadly, but also had the confidence to back that up.


    "You there, why are you grinning?"


    Hearing the professor''s question, Zaroth realized that he was still in the middle of the lecture.


    Trying his hardest to come up with an excuse, he spoke.


    "I just remembered an old memory."


    At his answer, the professor seemed to grimace.


    "I see. I guess my class is so easy that you think focusing on it isn''t important, huh? Then how about you come up here and solve the question on the whiteboard?"


    Ignoring the stares that the whole classroom was giving him, Zaroth stood up with a sigh. Not missing the fact that Zack was barely able to contain his laughter while Roran was massaging his forehead in disappointment.


    Taking the marker out of the professor''s hand, Zaroth stopped before the whiteboard as he read the question,


    ''Draw a map of the Eldorwyn continent.''


    Was this even a question? he wondered.


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    "This is the continent that we''re on, right?" he muttered as he began to draw.


    He wasn''t an artist of any kind, but the answer wasn''t going to be judged on beauty, but on how accurate it was.


    Zaroth first drew the Draconian Empire that was next to the ocean. Then he drew the Crimson Sun Empire and how they roughly bordered each other¡­ and then his mind went blank as he realized that he knew jack shit when it came to geography.


    ''Were there like three or four more? Fuck it, let''s improvise,'' he thought as he began to draw whatever came to mind.


    Even if he upset the professor, it wasn''t like Zaroth would suffer any consequences for his actions.


    *****


    "This was so exhausting!" Zaroth complained as he walked with his friends. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "It is every day as normal. You just feel impatient because the tournament is about to enter its main stage," Lily responded.


    "But you''re right, it does feel like the academy is starting to feel more and more like a chore," Zack agreed.


    "If you feel so exhausted, we can quickly hit the bar, you know?" Roran suggested.


    Considering that it had been about a week since the incident where they had beat up a gang, it was high time to go and relax a bit before the fights started.


    "Plus, there is something that we should discuss," Roran added as his expression grew darker.


    Zaroth, of course, knew what he was referring to. Before, when the tournament had started, there were 65,536 participants, but now only 128 would remain, meaning the best of the best¡ªthe very crop of the empire.


    So it would be egotistic to think that Zack, Roran, and Lily would advance to the later rounds if they don''t use their true powers. Honestly, it was surprising that they had made it so far without using them.


    But the problem arose, revealing that the extent of their powers would mean that the emperor would see it and know exactly what they are able to do, which in the future could screw them over considering that they were with Elysia and she was planning to get rid of the emperor.


    "Roran is right, we must relax a little before speaking about the important stuff," Zaroth spoke as he activated his bracelet.


    He was going to spend the night with his friends, meaning that tonight he wouldn''t be able to hunt Purifiers alongside Midnight, so he had to inform her about that fact.


    Or at least, that was his intention until he saw, with his peripheral vision, a striking beauty with crimson eyes and hair walk hurriedly towards him.


    He would have been happy to see her if it weren''t for the fact that his friends were with him¡­


    It looked like they were about to meet each other for the first time.


    Hopefully, they weren''t going to create problems about the fact that he was sleeping with a vampire.

 Chapter 159 A Moment of Truth

    Not wasting any time, Midnight addressed Zaroth as soon as she reached him.


    Grabbing his hand, she spoke, "We have to talk."


    He raised an eyebrow in response, "Sure, about what?"


    Midnight shifted her gaze to the three people that were alongside him as she whispered, "It has to be in private."


    Lily immediately put her hand over her mouth as she pieced that this was the woman that Zaroth had been most likely talking about for such a long time.


    Roran was watching them silently with unreadable emotion on his face.


    Meanwhile, Zack''s eyes had widened significantly, he had the gift to be able to see what kind of blessing an individual possessed.


    But what did he see when he was looking at a demon? They didn''t possess blessings of any kind.


    Would he be able to see beyond it, realizing that the woman in front of him wasn''t human, but a vampire instead?


    Sensing trouble, Zaroth went with Midnight to somewhere private, reassuring his friends that he would soon be back.


    "What is it?" he asked as he gazed at Midnight.


    By her serious facial expression, it was clear that it wasn''t good news, especially as she approached him so openly in public.


    Parting her lips, she spoke, "They¡­ are gone."


    "What? Who are they?" he asked in confusion.


    "The Purifiers, they have deserted all the churches."


    "Wha¡ª" Zaroth began to speak but stopped midway as he wasn''t sure how to take the information.


    The Purifiers were gone? Just like that? How and why? What would happen to the millions of believers in the empire?


    "What do you mean they are gone?" he asked, just to make sure.


    "I mean that they are gone. One day they were in churches, now no matter how hard I look, all the churches are closed with not a single member of their organization in sight," she replied.


    "Could¡­ we be the reason for that?" he asked.


    "Maybe. For all I know, the Purifiers are operating in several continents across dozens of empires, so if they thought being here was too much of a chore, they might have left."


    Zaroth massaged his forehead as it suddenly began to hurt.


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    A second later, his heart skipped a beat as realization hit him.


    Midnight was here because she was hunting Purifiers, but what happens now when all of them aren''t in the empire anymore? Would she leave?


    "What do you plan to do now?" he asked as his gaze fell on her.


    She might have been a vampire, but he had gotten attached to her. Not to mention that he was sure he could still learn more demonic skills from her. So he would want to keep her close to him as long as possible.


    With a sigh, she responded, "I¡­ am not sure, honestly. Do I go to another empire and start my hunt there? But considering that I will have to find a way to blend in all over again, it would be troublesome¡­"


    Staring, he put his hand out and grabbed hers. Her crimson eyes widened for a moment in surprise as she met his gaze.


    "Stay," he spoke firmly as he took a step toward her.


    She looked away in response, "I¡­ Zaroth, I am a demon¡­ a vampire, so I need to feed on humans, even if it''s not for me to get stronger, at the very least to survive, and now that my source of food is gone, I wouldn''t be able to stay here much longer."


    Hearing her words, he grimaced, he knew that she was right. Elysia no doubt knew that she was a vampire but had let her roam free because she was killing Purifiers that had sided with the emperor.


    But would she overlook it if Midnight started to hunt normal people? He wouldn''t care in the slightest, but it was hard to say when it came to Elysia¡­


    "Fuck!" Zaroth cursed in frustration. No matter how hard he thought, nothing came to mind. How could he find a source of food for Midnight that Elysia wouldn''t object to?


    And seeing that Luna was keeping silent, she didn''t have an idea either.


    Or she had one, but was reluctant to share, as maybe she didn''t like Midnight all that much¡­


    Zaroth''s thoughts were interrupted as he heard footsteps behind him.


    As he turned his head, he saw his three friends looking at him with hostile gazes¡­ no, not him, but behind him¡­ they were looking at Midnight.


    After a second of silence, Zack began to speak.


    "Zaroth, do you know th-"


    "I know everything," Zaroth immediately responded as he got between them and Midnight.


    "It''s a long story," he added with a grin, trying to lighten the mood.


    Now he not only had to worry about finding food for Midnight, but also had to see if his friends would object to him dating a demon.


    "How long?" Lily questioned, catching everybody off guard.


    Was she asking how long they knew each other or how long they were dating?


    "About a few months," Zaroth responded, truthfully, he was bad when it came to remembering dates, so this was the best answer he could give.


    Taking a step forward, Lily approached Midnight. Roran seemed on edge but didn''t move, most likely because he had talked with Lily before this.


    "What are you to Zaroth?" Lily asked, stopping before Midnight.


    After a second, she responded, "A fri-... a lover."


    "And why are you here?"


    After a moment of hesitation, Midnight responded, "To get stronger."


    A brief silence fell on them, until Lily sighed.


    "Well, if he is fine with it¡­" Lily spoke as she took a step backward. S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I mean, we''re all aware that we''re abnormal, so accepting another abnormality isn''t that difficult." she added.


    Zaroth sighed in relief, at least it seemed his friends didn''t seem to be hostile towards Midnight anymore.


    But his relief didn''t last long, as he still had to come up with a way to find Midnight''s source of food.


    An idea suddenly came to his head. He had been thinking about too many things at once and wasn''t making any progress. So the solution was to relax a little, and maybe something would come to mind.


    Shifting his gaze between his friends and Midnight, he sighed.


    ''Fuck it, things have been crazy enough already, there isn''t a way to make it worse,'' with that thought, he spoke.


    "We were actually planning to get hammered at a bar¡­" his gaze stopped at Midnight.


    "Do you want to come along?"


    Midnight seemed stunned for a second as she gazed at Zaroth''s friends for a moment.


    "I¡­ doubt that they would want me to come."


    "Ridiculous!" Lily spoke as she met Midnight''s gaze. "There is not a chance that I''m going to miss the chance to speak with the woman Zaroth is seeing!"


    Grabbing her hand, Lily pulled Midnight along firmly.


    "You are coming with us no matter what!"


    Midnight''s eyes widened, moving her gaze, she stared at Roran and Zack, Who were watching silently.


    They didn''t agree¡­ but they didn''t seem to be against the idea as they didn''t object.


    It seemed that today, the four legends had gained a new member.

 Chapter 160 The Night of Revelations

    Honestly, it was weird. Zaroth had gotten used to when he was sitting on a table to be either alone or with his three friends. But this time Midnight was here as well, this was certainly going to take some time to get used to.


    "I love him! I really do! But sometimes he just gets so unbelievably lazy that it irritates me to no end! But if you just happen to mention alcohol, he suddenly seems to get sudden bursts of power!" Lily complained as she slammed down the empty cup on the wooden table.


    Midnight was clearly having trouble getting used to the situation as well, she had most likely never entered into a bar, nor had she happened to chat with a woman in such a friendly manner.


    At least Lily seemed happy. She had probably been fed up going out with only boys, so she could finally vent her frustrations to another person of the same gender.


    Shifting his gaze to Zack, Zaroth saw that the man was massaging his forehead.


    "What is the matter?" he asked.


    Meeting his gaze, Zack complained, but not before taking another sip out of the mostly empty bottle.


    "I saw her! When we were in the forest during the hunting competition! I saw her, and yet I didn''t notice that she was a vampire then!"


    Leaning back in his chair, Zack groaned in frustration. "Gods, I''m really that distracted?! How could I miss a demon when I meet it so close up?!"


    Leaving the man to his own thoughts, Zaroth shifted his gaze to Roran, who, despite being in the bar, seemed to be the most serious of all of them, which was clearly a rarity, usually, the alcohol would have boosted his mood.


    Not to mention, this was the bar they had helped to deal with that gang, meaning that the alcohol was free! ¡­Not the food though, just the drinks.


    "Something on your mind?" Zaroth asked.


    Roran shifted his gaze from Lily and Midnight to Zaroth as he responded.


    "It''s weird¡­ so many different people have come together and are chatting like friends. I''m not sure how to feel about that¡­" Roran admitted.


    By the look in his eyes, it seemed that something was weighing on his mind¡­ no, this weight had been there since Zaroth had met him for the first time, it was just that now, as Roran seemed more comfortable, he wasn''t putting on a brave face constantly.


    "We can always talk," Zaroth spoke with a smile as he handed his friend a newly opened bottle.


    Taking it from his hands, Roran looked at his reflection in the glass for a moment before taking a few heavy sips.


    "There isn''t much to talk about, honestly¡­ it''s just that once I lost everything¡­ almost everything, I thought that from now on I wouldn''t have time to truly relax." S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "And yet you do now," Zack joined in as he tapped Roran on the shoulder.


    In response, Roran smiled slightly. "You''re right¡­"


    Zack and Zaroth grinned as they watched Roran gulp down the bottle without a second thought.


    Thankfully, they managed to cheer him up. Now, the alcohol was hopefully going to do the rest.


    After he was done, he slammed it loudly on the table as he shifted his gaze to the cute waitress that was nearby.


    "One more bottle!" he shouted amidst the loud bar as he held up a finger.


    "Make it two!" Zaroth shouted as he raised two fingers.


    "Three!" replied Zack, holding up three fingers.


    After the cute waitress brought them three orders, they began to see who was going to outdrink each other.


    As time passed, the girls seemed to start getting along more and more.


    "I want to say the truth!" Midnight spoke as she put the glass down. She didn''t have much experience when it came to drinking alcohol, but truth be told, she enjoyed it.


    Lily turned her head, only for her eyes to widen as she felt Midnight embrace her.


    "I didn''t know that I would find humans that would accept me! You guys are the best!"


    Thankfully, it was late at night, and everyone in the bar was so utterly drunk that no one paid any attention to the table of five.


    That meant they could chat about anything, without the fear of being overheard.


    Tapping at Midnight''s shoulder, Lily managed to mutter, "Okay, okay. Let go! You''ll break my ribs at this rate!"


    Midnight did as instructed as she muttered a quiet, Sorry.


    "The fuck did you just say?!" Zaroth shouted as he got up on the table.


    It was a mystery as to why he was naked above the waist.


    "I said that you haven''t beaten me yet!" Roran responded as he did the same motion.


    It was a mystery why the two seemed to remove their shirts when things got heated in their drinking match, but at this point, it had almost become a tradition.


    It seemed that Zack had decided he had enough for now and headed to the toilet. But, for some reason, he had gotten into an argument with some drunkards. There was most likely going to be a fight soon, which, strangely enough, had also become a tradition.


    "By the way, I wanted to say how beautiful your nails are!" Lily spoke, only to raise an eyebrow as she saw how red Midnight''s face had gotten.


    For some reason, the vampire was looking to the side, wearing an alluring smile on her face, while her crimson eyes shone like a hunter ready to devour its prey.


    Following her gaze, Lily saw that Midnight was busy staring at Zaroth''s naked body.


    Was this how vampires looked when they got heated? Or was it because she had had a lot of alcohol to drink?


    Lily usually wouldn''t have scolded Roran and Zaroth for getting up on the table under normal circumstances, but with Midnight there now, she wanted to avoid attracting attention. If someone else discovered that Midnight was a vampire, it could prove disastrous.


    "Get down!" Lily spoke as she grabbed Roran''s hand.


    "Not until I show him that he can''t beat me!" Roran shouted in response.


    "Gods! Just because of the free alcohol, you''re embarrassing yourself! At least show some dignity in front of Zaroth''s girlfriend!"


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    Hearing Lily''s words, Zaroth''s eyes widened as he suddenly felt an idea pop into his head.


    Getting off the table with a silent jump, he shifted his gaze to Midnight, who, for some reason, was red¡­ more than usual, and took ragged breaths as she looked at him.


    Trying not to pay attention to the alluring face she was making, he approached her with a smile.


    "I figured it out!" he proclaimed, stopping in front of her.


    Taking a few seconds to compose herself, Midnight spoke without lifting her gaze, which was locked on his chest and abs. "Figured out what?"


    Zaroth''s smile seemed to get even wider, clearly pleased with himself.


    "Where to find you a source of food, one that no one would object to!"


    It seemed that his plan to get drunk and forget the uncertain thoughts had worked much better than expected.

 Chapter 1: Another One

    "Zaroth, please do not resist," a sick, malnourished woman spoke. Her calm voice, pleasant as a melody.


    "I can''t! There is no way I am ever giving up, mother! I prefer to die here and right now!" her son snapped back, trying to suppress his tears.


    Due to the boy''s white hair, he had often been made fun of by the other kids¡­ S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Not that he was a kid anymore. He had recently turned 18, making him an adult, but due to the lack of food, his body didn''t resemble that of an adult.


    "Our empire has lost the nearby battle, so as a result, the Crimson Sun Empire will soon invade these lands. I want you to surrender."


    "And what? Become a slave? Death seems like a better option!"


    "Zaroth!" the mother screamed, scaring the boy for a moment.


    "I¡­ I want you to live. I know it''s selfish, I couldn''t give you a good childhood or education. Still, I want proof¡­ proof that your father and I have lived in this world. You are that proof. I don''t want our bloodline to end."


    Zaroth couldn''t respond; all he could do was stare at his dying mother.


    "I know it would be hard, but I have faith that you will survive."


    "FAITH?" Zaroth snapped.


    "I had faith once too! When I awakened, I was supposed to be a Beast Master, but the gods had other plans for me! No one gave me their blessing. I couldn''t tame even the rats that were eating the last of our provisions! After the life I have lived¡­ how could I have faith?!"


    "What reason do I even have to live?!" Tears began to fall from his brown eyes.


    "I know, son." She put her trembling hand on his white hair.


    "I remember when your father died, when we had to eat rats so we wouldn''t die from starvation, how not a single god gave you their blessing."


    "But that''s why I have faith, because despite all that, you survived. You will live no matter what disaster strikes you."


    Her breathing was getting shallower, but she didn''t stop talking.


    "You want a reason to live? I will give you one." She turned his chin, forcing him to look into her crying eyes.


    "Prove them wrong. It has been taken from you for too long. It''s time you take back what is yours, and then more. Forget morals and any kind of lie the gods have fed us. Live for your desires."


    "I¡­" Zaroth couldn''t find the words to respond to his mother.


    "Promise me¡­ that you will live¡­ that you will not give up."


    Casting aside all doubts, he grasped the pale hand of his mother.


    "I swear it."


    Hearing him say that, her cracked mouth curved slightly into a smile¡ªthe most beautiful smile Zaroth had ever seen.


    "Thank you¡­ now go. Forget about me, you shall not be burdened by me any longer."


    "I love you." With these words, he parted with his mother, leaving the small hut they had been living in.


    "I love you too," were the last words he heard before he closed the door, never to see his mother again.


    Soon after, a horn was blown, announcing the arrival of the approaching army. Zaroth and the few dozen residents of the village came out and knelt on the ground with their hands on their heads, announcing their surrender.


    As the soldiers got closer, Zaroth was able to see their black armor decorated with red armaments.


    Soon after, he and the others were put in chains and escorted to a carriage, where they were being transported to some location¡ªmost likely to be sold off as slaves.


    "These bastards, I swear I will kill every single one of them," he muttered.


    The chains were too tight, pressing into his skin and causing him pain, but he was too angry to care. The only thing he was thinking about was his escape and his mother.


    "She is probably dead, isn''t she?"


    His mother had been sick for a few years with muscle rot disease, making her unable to walk¡­ A slave that is unable to move is useless, so¡­


    They probably got rid of her.


    "Live for my desires, huh?" he muttered under his breath.


    "If that is your wish, mother, then I have to grant it."


    A few hours passed, and his lips were starting to get dry. Of course, no one had given them any water. Why would they? They were just slaves now.


    Suddenly, the carriage stopped, and a rough-looking soldier entered.


    "Outside, now!" His voice was harsh and commanding. Left with no choice, the prisoners exited one by one.


    As Zaroth''s pupils adjusted to the difference in light, he saw that they were in some kind of camp¡­ the enemy war camp.


    If they were going to be sold as slaves, why were they here?


    Glancing around, his eyes caught a glimpse of something, and then he froze¡­


    In the middle of the camp, there was something dead¡­


    It had been there for a long time, so its flesh had long since fallen off. But looking at its bones and massive head¡­ it was clear.


    It was the corpse of a long-slain dragon.


    He was placed in a row of inmates facing the dragon. Before them stood a man with a massive build and red armor.


    "REJOICE, SCUM!" he shouted, making everyone freeze in place.


    "Today, your worthless lives have meaning! A decade ago, the great hero Starfyr slayed this magnificent creature!"


    "BUT!" He raised his voice and pointed to the ground. "Since then, the land around this area has been unable to grow any food. It must have been a curse cast by the dragon before he was slain."


    Unleashing his sword from its sheath, he continued, "So today, a brave individual will volunteer to sacrifice his life in the name of the gods, so they may lift this terrible curse! May the one who wishes to volunteer step forward!"


    Unsurprisingly, no one stepped forward.


    "I will be forced to pick someone if no one volunteers!" the man warned.


    Not wanting to be exposed to danger, the prisoners looked around until they saw a weak, malnourished boy with white hair. Without hesitation, they kicked Zaroth, making him stagger forward.


    "AH, YOU!" The soldier clad in red said with a smile, as he apprehended Zaroth. "Such a brave individual to sacrifice yourself in the name of the gods!"


    "No! This is a mistake!" Zaroth screamed.


    Ignoring him, the soldier picked up his weak body and threw him in front of the dragon.


    "Mistake? NO! The gods must have planned this; there can''t possibly be a mistake!"


    "You and your blind obsession with the useless gods!" Zaroth cried out.


    "Useless?!" The man shouted, offended by Zaroth''s words.


    He approached him in an instant and hit him in the stomach.


    "I can''t allow you to insult the gods on this holy land! You must repent!"


    Zaroth was taken aback by the hit and staggered to the ground.


    "I would never take back those words! You are all blind to¡ª"


    Not giving him time to continue, the soldier hit him again.


    "REPENT!"


    Zaroth''s rib broke.


    "REPENT!"


    As did his arm.


    "REPENT!"


    And his other arm


    "REPENT!"


    ''Somehow¡­ there has to be a way to survive.'' He could barely think as he was losing too much blood.


    "REPENT!"


    He was hit again and sent flying, colliding with the head of the dragon.


    "Why must I have such shit luck? Why must I suffer so much?" He grunted as he stood up.


    "I even awakened as a Beast Tamer. It might not be the best class, but I thought I would be able to make some money and help my mother. But the gods!


    When I went to receive my blessing, not even one! Not a single one of the countless gods granted me their blessing!


    I wasn''t able to tame anything without a blessing!"


    He was using the head of the dragon as support, painting it with his blood.


    Upon seeing that, the soldier shouted, "Not only have you insulted the gods, but you''ve even dirtied the sacred bones! So be it! There will be no forgiveness for your sins!"


    Gripping his sword tighter, he approached Zaroth with the intention to kill.


    "Forgiveness?!" Zaroth shouted angrily at the man.


    "What have the gods done for me? They have taken everything I loved! They are the ones who should beg for my forgiveness!"


    "Shut your mouth, sinner!" The soldier screamed, getting closer.


    Seeing his inevitable death, Zaroth was terrified, but he didn''t stop shouting.


    "I will kill you!"


    The prisoners were looking at him with distant expressions. They were the ones who had put him in this situation. The ones he was supposed to relate to had doomed him from the start.


    "All of you¡­ I will kill all of you! Your army, your empire, your gods, I will massacre you like the dogs you all are!"


    As his blood spread around the skull of the dragon, he heard a voice.


    [Ah¡­ it''s not too late. There is another one¡­ so be it, you can have it.]


    [My blessing]


    Zaroth sensed a change within him, something he couldn''t quite explain.


    [Luna responds to your call]


    [Luna forms a pact with you]


    [You have formed a contract with Luna]


    [Protecting master]


    The soldier who was approaching Zaroth froze, as did everyone watching the spectacle. Not because Zaroth''s eyes shined green,


    but because the dragon''s skull shined as well and then¡­


    It moved.

 Chapter 2: Undead beast master

    As everybody watched in horror, the bones of the giant dragon suddenly rose. Its green eyes pierced their souls.


    The dragon shifted its gaze to the boy¡ªhis master¡ªawaiting orders.


    Zaroth was on the ground, clutching his chest with his hand. He was in intense pain; it felt like he was being torn apart from the inside.


    A mana scarcity ¡ªa phenomenon that occurs when a person uses all their mana and tries to surpass their limit. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Zaroth had never experienced something like this because, up until now, he had never been able to use mana. Not to mention, supporting the body of a dragon was going to kill him soon enough.


    But pushing through the pain, he raised his head, locking eyes with the dragon.


    "Kill them all!" It was the only thing he could manage to say as blood began to spill from his mouth. He couldn''t sustain the creature much longer.


    The creature, receiving the order, stared at the red-clad soldier, who had pissed his pants from fear.


    The dragon opened its massive jaws, and a green flame shot out, immediately melting the soldier into nothingness.


    The flame didn''t stop there¡ªit surged past the man and reached the prisoners behind him.


    The carriages were melted, and the horses were immediately burned.


    The dragon began rotating its head in a circular motion, setting the camp ablaze.


    The armor of the soldiers, too slow to react, melted and sank into their flesh.


    Not even a minute had passed after the dragon had been raised from the dead, and the entire war camp was aflame. The only two survivors were Zaroth and the dragon above him, at the center of the camp.


    Despite the feeling that his soul was being destroyed, Zaroth smiled as he watched the destruction.


    The ones who had taken him from his home were here, too. So, if someone had killed his mother, that person would be here as well.


    The violent screams of people burning were like a pleasant melody to his ears.


    As he looked up, he saw the green eyes of the dragon staring at him. Despite being a mythical creature, currently composed only of bone, one that would send fear into the soul of any individual, Zaroth saw something different.


    "Beautiful," he muttered as he stared at the dragon.


    Exhaustion overwhelmed him, and with his final thoughts, he closed his eyes and fell into sleep.


    *****


    "Hmmm, hmmm, hmmm¡­"


    After some time, he was awoken by a pleasant humming. Despite having slept on the hard ground, he found his head resting on something incredibly soft. Someone was playing with his hair.


    Slowly opening his eyes, he saw a woman with white hair and green, cat-like eyes. He was lying on her lap as she playfully toyed with his hair.


    She was barely clothed, wearing only a black bra connected to a collar around her neck. It was hard to see much due to his blurry vision, but one thing was certain: he had never seen a more beautiful woman in his life.


    Noticing his gaze, her red lips curved into a breathtaking smile.


    "Oh, you''re awake, Master."


    "What happened?" he asked, trying to remember.


    "Well, seeing as I am your first," her smile widened slightly as she said that, "you must not be familiar with how this works. In short, once you touched me, you tried to form a pact with me. Once I judged your soul as worthy, I formed a contract with you."


    "A contract?" he asked, still confused.


    "Yes, you''ve formed a contract with a dragon... Not many can say that. Not only that, but I was the first creature you tamed, so we have a much deeper connection than any other creature you''ll tame in the future."


    "A connection?"


    "Yes, I''ve taken your hair, and you''ve taken my eyes."


    "So, I have green, cat-like eyes now?"


    "Yes, that''s correct!" She replied happily. "As expected, my master is quick-minded!"


    Slowly sitting up, he looked at the woman, and his heart skipped a beat. No, for a moment, it stopped altogether.


    Her figure was so enchanting that no one could possibly ignore her. Not only that, but her provocative outfit, which covered only her breasts, hands, and a little of her waist, fit her perfectly¡ªas if it had been made just for her.


    "Why am I so stunning, you might wonder?" she said in response to his gaze.


    "Earlier, when you looked at my dragon form, you said ''beautiful.'' Because I hadn''t yet assumed a human form, I became the most beautiful thing your mind could comprehend."


    He was still staring at her, caught in some sort of trance. This made her blush slightly, though she seemed content nonetheless.


    "In human form, I don''t require that much mana, so I assumed one as soon as you were safe from any danger."


    ''I want her,'' this was the only thought in his mind now. Remembering the words of his mother¡ª''Live for your desires.''


    He stretched his hand with the intention of touching her, only to collapse to his knees, his body screaming in pain.


    She managed to catch him before he could fall completely, as she did her breasts pressed against his chest.


    "Be more careful!" she commanded. "I''ve used my powers to heal as much as I could, but your mana core is beyond empty. You need to rest!"


    "What¡­ what is your name?" he grated between clenched teeth.


    Gently putting him back on her lap and patting his head, she answered, "Luna. But you should already know that."


    "What was that thing I heard before? And not only that, but I am not blessed, so I can''t tame beasts¡ªmuch less undead beasts."


    "You heard the system announcing your successful contract with me. So, congratulations, you''re officially a tamer¡ªan undead one. I knew from the moment you touched me that you weren''t blessed, but for some reason, a god decided to grant you their blessing."


    "Now that you mention it, I remember someone being surprised that there was another," Zaroth replied.


    "It''s possible it was a long-forgotten god," she mused. "Not that I''ve ever heard of a god being able to raise the dead."


    As Zaroth lay on her lap, he couldn''t control himself anymore. With a finger, he poked the side of her exposed breast. Her breasts were too large for the bra, causing the sides to spill out.


    Luna seemed surprised for a moment but didn''t object.


    "Aren''t you going to stop me? Zaroth asked.


    "Zaroth, I was dead, you know? There''s no fate worse than that. You''re the one who revived me; I owe everything to you. Why would I object?"


    "Doesn''t ''not objecting'' and ''liking'' mean two different things? So which one are you?"


    Smiling widely, she leaned toward his ear. Her breasts came dangerously close to his face as she whispered softly in his ear, "I don''t know, you tell me."


    Hearing that, something began to rise within Zaroth, but it was quickly halted as she straightened her back and traced her delicate finger to where his heart was located.


    "But we''re not doing anything with your heart being so weak right now. Its mana is barely able to sustain both of us, so you might actually die if we try anything... inappropriate right now."


    She blushed slightly as she said the last part.


    "So, what do I have to do?" Zaroth asked, clearly excited at the idea of doing something inappropriate with the woman in front of him.


    "You must strengthen your mana core. I think you humans have something specifically designed for that¡­ I believe you call it an academy."


    He sighed slightly. "Well, Mother always regretted not being able to send me to an academy, and I don''t think there''s a better motivation than the one you just gave me¡­ so, I guess it''s academy, then!"


    "I can''t wait for that moment, you know?" she said flirtatiously, playing with his hair.


    "But I''m curious about something."


    "Hm? What is it?" Luna asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "You said you judged me. How did you do that? Why was I worthy?"


    Luna''s smile darkened, her eyes glowing with a dangerous intensity


    "Despite knowing you would die, you didn''t pray to the gods. On the contrary, you declared you would kill every single one of them like the dogs they are. In my life, you''re the only one who''s ever made such a declaration, so I couldn''t leave alone someone who shares my dream, you see."


    "Oh!" Suddenly, she was back to her usual playful self. "Of course, we''ll spare the one who blessed you and made my revival possible."

 Chapter 3: Motivation

    After enjoying the softness of Luna''s things for some time, Zaroth decided he had gotten enough rest and got up.


    "So, what now?" she asked him.


    "Well, this depends on your answer to this question: can you assume dragon form, and for how long?"


    "Yes, I can, for about a minute. After that, your core would need to recharge, or I would risk your life. From what I''ve seen, your core would need about 10 hours to fully recharge. If you eat food, it should take less than that."


    "From what I know, I can desummon and summon you at will, right?"


    "Yes, by desummoning me, you are storing me in your soul, and your mana would refill faster. But it''s not recommended, because summoning takes time, and in an emergency, you might die before being able to summon me."


    "Because I am too weak?" Zaroth asked.


    "Tamers rely on their summons, so usually their physical and magical abilities aren''t as strong as their peers from different classes."


    "Could I change that? I don''t want to always be weak."


    "Of course you could." She smiled widely. "But it would take more time than the average person."


    Surveying the area around him, he couldn''t see much except the ash that had remained after the entire camp had been obliterated by Luna''s flame.


    Scanning the ground, he saw the trail that the carriage had left as it transported the prisoners.


    "This is where we would go," he said confidently.


    "From where you came?" Luna asked, intrigued.


    "Yes, I suspect we are in the Crimson Sun Empire, and I can''t speak their language, so going home is the better option."


    "If I''m not mistaken, in that direction is the Draconian Empire. So we''re going to a place where they worship dragons? I don''t object," Luna grinned when she heard the news.


    "But what is the plan exactly?" She couldn''t help but feel a bit curious.


    "Following the trail left by the carriage, we will arrive at my home. Once there, I will bury my mother''s body if it''s still there and then head to the capital of the Draconian Empire, where I''ll enter one of the many magic academies."


    He took a deep breath before adding, "To enter it, the most important thing I will need is money, which I plan to steal after killing the people we come across on our journey."


    Luna raised an eyebrow slightly. "Have you ever killed someone?"


    Zaroth shrugged. "Not really, but I don''t plan on letting morals stop me."


    Glancing at Luna''s tempting body, he added with a smile, "Plus, I''m too weak to kill anybody, so I''m sure my loyal dragon wouldn''t object to doing the deed for me."


    Deciding it''s better to walk rather than chat while standing still, they began following the trail, still engaged in their conversation.


    "But there is a problem," Zaroth admitted, looking at Luna.


    "Which is?" she asked, noticing his gaze on her body.


    "Frankly, you are too hot. Your body is too tempting. So many men would try their luck with you, which is something I don''t want happening."


    Luna grinned from ear to ear as she spoke. "So, what do you suggest then?"


    Zaroth stopped and removed the old coat he was wearing, then put it on Luna''s body, cursing himself inwardly that he wouldn''t be able to glance at her anymore.


    ''It''s for the greater good,'' he tried to convince himself with that thought.


    Something he had realized too late was that while he himself was around 170 centimeters, Luna was easily pushing 190 centimeters. So, the act of putting his coat on her not only brought his face closer to her breasts, which were at his eye level, but also it wouldn''t cover her completely, leaving her feet exposed a bit.


    "I like it; it smells like you!" Luna seemed to like it, though Zaroth didn''t pay it much attention.


    It was strangely calming as they walked together, following the trail. They were engaged in a pleasant chat, so time passed pretty quickly.


    After a few hours, Luna stopped, which made Zaroth follow her action.


    "People ahead."


    "How many?"


    "Three, they are pretty weak."


    Deciding, Zaroth wanted to approach them, he changed their course a bit, leaving the trail. After following the directions Luna gave, they finally arrived at the place where the humans were located.


    Three men sat around a fire and chattered happily, eating animal meat they had caught not too long ago. Looking at their armor, one could guess they were part of the Crimson Sun Empire. The reason they were here was simple: they had deserted the army.


    Taking a deep breath, Zaroth revealed himself from the shadows.


    Upon seeing him, the three men immediately stood up, grasping their swords tightly.


    "Hello, how far are we from reaching Draconian Empire land?" he asked with a smile.


    Two men muttered something, and then the one at the front spoke in a language Zaroth could understand.


    "You¡­ your eyes! You must be from the Draconian Empire!"


    "How far are we from reaching Draconian Empire land?" he asked again, but this time with a hint of aggression in his voice, a hint the men failed to pick up on.


    Instead of answering, the man in front spoke, "Die, scum!"


    "Luna, kill them¡­ but don''t melt them. We want their food and money, whole."


    Seeing a stranger emerge from the bushes, hidden by a black coat, the men hesitated. Then, the stranger swiftly removed his coat, revealing a breathtakingly beautiful woman. The men couldn''t appreciate her beauty, though, because in the next moment, she transformed into a giant dragon made entirely of bones.


    In an instant, the dragon slashed three times, killing the men by splitting them in half.


    As Luna returned to her human form, she found Zaroth sitting on the ground, his forehead drenched in sweat.


    "Huh, it didn''t hurt much this time," he said weakly, offering a faint smile.


    "Of course I work fast."


    "It''s getting dark. Let''s spend the night here. Tomorrow, we should be able to reach my homeland."


    After he finished speaking, Zaroth checked the makeshift camp the three deserter soldiers had created and found a few gold coins.


    "This... this is so much money! This is going straight into my savings for the academy!" he exclaimed, happily.


    Luckily, the men had a lot of food prepared, so all Luna and Zaroth had to do was cook it over the fire.


    The night had long settled, so Zaroth''s vision was limited by the fire that lit the surroundings around him. As he ate his food, he secretly threw glances at Luna''s body. She had removed her coat since she didn''t need to hide in the dark. As a result, her almost naked body was being illuminated by the fire.


    Her flawless skin made Zaroth''s blood heat up.


    "Like the view?" Noticing his gaze, she grinned flirtatiously.


    Gulping loudly, he replied, "Very much so."


    "Do you want to see more?" she asked, pointing to her bra, clearly implying she might remove it if he asked.


    "Yes," instant answer, without hesitation.


    Luna placed a finger to her lips, making a humming sound as though she was thinking. After a moment, she said, "One hundred push-ups, pull-ups, and squats. If you can do them all without a break, I''ll take it off."


    The confusion on Zaroth''s face was clear, so Luna explained, "You wanted to get stronger, right? I''m giving you the motivation you need." S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "One hundred, huh¡­" Zaroth had trained before, so he knew how hard this request was.


    "But I''m your master. If I order you, wouldn''t you have to do it?" he asked.


    "Technically yes, but I know you wouldn''t," she replied quickly with a smirk.


    "Why are you so certain?"


    Leaning close, almost touch his ear, she whispered, "Because it''s not as fun getting the reward without the struggle."


    Getting back into position, she added, " Besides, who doesn''t like getting stronger?"


    With a sigh, he got up and began. After about 10 minutes, he was completely spent. Overall, he had managed to do 30 squats, 15 push-ups, and 3 pull-ups. It was clear his malnourished body was weak. Not only that, but these numbers were overall; he had to stop countless times to rest in between.


    "Hm¡­ I guess we also have to work on your stamina," Luna said, blushing slightly.


    Zaroth wanted to respond, but his body was too spent, and he drifted into sleep.


    Seeing him sleeping peacefully, Luna grinned.


    "Good night."


    The next morning, Zaroth was awoken by two soft things pressing tightly against his face.

 Chapter 4: Home

    The next morning, Zaroth was awoken by two soft things pressing tightly against his face.


    Grasping for air, due to the lack of oxygen, was not the ideal way to wake up. But considering the life he had lived up to this point, he could say he was used to things that would normally bother him.


    After finally getting some air and his vision becoming clearer, he saw that Luna was hugging him tightly, her breasts positioned exactly in front of his face.


    "Wake up!" he grunted between his teeth. Luna was pressing so tightly against him that it felt like he could snap in two any second.


    "Hm?" Slowly letting go, she got up, rubbing her eyes. Her hair was a little messy, which somehow made her look even more attractive.


    "Look, just because you''re gorgeous¡ª" Zaroth started, but stopped mid-sentence, staring at Luna''s body.


    "Where the hell did you get those clothes from?"


    Before, she had been barely clothed, but now she was wearing a black suit that covered almost her entire body, leaving only the top of her breasts exposed.


    "Hm? Oh, this?" She was still half asleep, but despite that, her voice was like music to his ears.


    "You slept for a long time. After eating all that food, your core recharged much faster than I expected. So, not wanting to miss the opportunity, I used some of your mana to create clothes for myself."


    As she said that, she struck various poses to show off her new outfit. "Pretty cool, right?"


    Zaroth was still staring at her, trying to formulate his thoughts.


    ''How the heck did she make herself look hotter with clothes?! This must be some kind of sorcery only dragons know about!''


    "It suits you, I guess," he replied, trying to appear calm.


    "Zaroth," Luna said, looking at him with a smirk. "Do you not remember? I told you we''re connected. I can more or less guess what you''re thinking."


    Trying to escape the situation, he replied, "I feel like you''re lying, but I don''t want to waste energy trying to figure it out. Let''s just follow the trail."


    Quickly taking the money and putting it in his pocket, he turned his back to her, internally screaming.


    ''FUUUUUU-''


    *****


    They had long ago returned to the trail and were back to following it. Soon after, Zaroth realized he found the scenery familiar, so he quickly picked up his pace, with Luna following closely.


    "I am almost there!"


    After a few minutes, he exited the forest and before him stood his village¡­ his home.


    Zaroth was trying to steel his resolve for what was about to come. He didn''t think he would return so soon, if ever.


    "Scared?" Luna asked him.


    "No," he replied firmly.


    "There''s no shame in showing weakness from time to time," Luna responded, clearly seeing through him.


    "There''s no shame, but there are consequences," he muttered under his breath.


    *****


    Walking through his home village was a surreal experience. It was a small place with no more than a hundred people, but now it was completely deserted.


    Watching quietly from the back, Luna observed him walking unbothered until he stopped in front of a small hut that was beginning to fall apart, showcasing its age.


    ''This must be his house,'' she thought.


    Quietly opening the door, he took a step forward, then suddenly stopped.


    Luna kept her distance, not wanting to disturb her master.


    Zaroth slowly tilted his head in her direction.


    "You can come in," he said emotionlessly.


    "Are you sure?" she asked. "Isn''t this something you don''t want anyone to see?"


    "The only... the only reason I''m alive right now is because of you... so I believe my mother would have wanted to see her son''s savior."


    Nodding, Luna entered the hut with Zaroth. The scent of medicine and death immediately reached her nostrils.


    Glancing around, she saw herbs scattered on the ground and on the cheap furniture, most likely used by Zaroth while trying to cure his mother.


    Seeing how he stood motionless, she followed his gaze, and her eyes landed on a woman...


    Or what once was a woman.


    In the bed lay a corpse. Her entire skin was gone, revealing the weak muscles underneath. Her left eye was gone, and her legs had begun to rot.


    She had suspicions when Zaroth explained his mother''s condition, and she was right.


    She had the muscle rot disease. sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It was a painful sight until she noticed something with her vision, which was much better than her master''s.


    "She''s breathing, she''s alive," she said.


    Upon hearing that, Zaroth broke out of his mental haze and ran straight to his mother.


    "MOTHER! I came back!"


    Upon hearing his voice, the woman''s head slowly moved, her breathing shallow.


    "Ah¡­ son? How¡­?" Her voice was weak, as she could barely speak.


    "I killed them all, mother!" he shouted, grasping her rotting hand. "The entire war camp! Everyone!"


    "Thank goodness¡­ you''re alive."


    Looking quietly at the scene, Luna wondered, ''How strong is that woman? She should have died a long time ago.''


    "I''m here, everything will be fine now, I swear!" Zaroth shouted, then turned to Luna.


    "You can help her, right? Like how you helped me before!"


    Approaching him, Luna put her hand on his shoulder.


    "I can only heal you since you''re my master."


    "Then I''m sure you know some combination of herbs that can help her, right?" Zaroth screamed, barely holding himself together.


    "Zaroth," Luna said gently, her grip on his shoulder tightening. "Do you know what she''s suffering from?"


    "Yes, I know it''s the muscle rot disease! You must know a way to help her!"


    "Zaroth¡­ this is not a disease... this is a curse cast by the gods¡­ there''s no way to help her."


    "Huh?" Zaroth couldn''t believe his ears. A curse? How was that possible?


    Suddenly, Zaroth''s mother let go of his hand and placed it on top of Luna''s hand.


    "You¡­ are you a dragon? What are you doing here?"


    The sudden movement of the sick woman startled Luna for a moment, but she didn''t move her hand.


    "I am a dragon, mas¡­ your son saved and tamed me."


    "He tamed a dragon?" Suddenly, the woman lifted her hand and placed it on Zaroth''s cheek.


    "See? I told you everything would be fine, didn''t I?"


    "Mother, I-"


    "Ah, finally," his mother interrupted him. "I can die at peace." She spoke, her hand falling lifeless to the side of the bed.


    "MOTHER?! MOTHER?!" Zaroth cried.


    All Luna could do was watch in silence.


    After a few minutes, Zaroth stood up silently, picking up a nearby shovel. Glancing at Luna, he spoke,


    "Come. We have a grave to dig."


    *****


    Rain was falling, disturbing the silence.


    Both of them were quietly looking at the grave they had dug. His mother was buried in it, finally at peace.


    "Which one?" Zaroth asked.


    "Which god dared to curse my family?" His voice was irritated as he spoke.


    "I don''t know," she replied. "But I know one thing for certain: the other gods didn''t stop him."


    Taking a deep breath, Zaroth turned his face to Luna, tears flowing from his eyes.


    "Then¡­ every single one of them, I will slaughter every single one of them. This is my biggest desire."


    Looking at him for some reason made Luna cry. Placing her hand on his cold cheek, she looked into his emotionless eyes and smiled sadly.


    "This was the plan from the start, dummy."

 Chapter 5: Third member

    After they buried Zaroth''s mother, they left his home, going deeper into the empire.


    It would have been smarter to spend the approaching night there, but Zaroth didn''t want to remain in his home longer than necessary.


    "I need another one," Zaroth said.


    "Another beast? What, am I not enough for you?" Luna responded, feigning an offended tone.


    "It''s not that. Imagine we get to the academy, and I have to reveal I''ve tamed a mythical dragon that was once dead. They''d probably lock me up or kill me on the spot, fearing the damage I could cause. Even if I summoned you, my mana core is weak. After a few minutes, I wouldn''t be able to sustain you, leaving me defenseless."


    "So, in other words, you want to tame a second beast and present it as your primary one. Smart," Luna said, clearly pleased her master had a clever plan.


    "But I''m not sure how to do it. Do I just approach a dead beast and try to tame it? Or are there other conditions?"


    "There''s one thing I''m certain about: you can''t just revive and tame any dead creature. I suspect, for the revival to work, the beast must have a strong longing to return to the world, even after death¡ªlike in my case."


    "I guess so. Well, this is for tomorrow. It''s too dark already, so let''s spend the night here."


    After finding a comfortable spot surrounded by trees, Zaroth collected some branches and placed them in the center. Luna opened her mouth, releasing a green flame that ignited the wood, creating a pleasant heat.


    "So, you can breathe fire even in human form?" he asked, turning to Luna.


    "I can do pretty much everything in my human form that I can in my dragon form, but¡­" She placed her delicate finger on Zaroth''s chest, exactly where his heart was. The sudden gesture made his heart skip a beat.


    "How does your mana feel?" she asked.


    Focusing on his heart, he responded, "Like half of it is suddenly gone."


    "Yes," she said with a dark smile. "As long as your mana core sustains me, I can do most things. Perhaps, in time, I''ll regain my original strength."


    "Wait, when you''re in your dragon form, aren''t you at your peak?"


    Hearing this, Luna burst into laughter. "Zaroth, if I were at my peak strength, your heart and mana core would have immediately burst, killing you on the spot. You didn''t think your mana core could support a dragon at full power, did you?"


    Normally, Zaroth would have retorted, but he was lost in thought.


    "So, you''re telling me you destroyed an entire enemy camp in less than a minute, and you''re not even close to your full power?"


    "Precisely." Luna smiled proudly.


    "Now, enough talking¡ªmore training!"


    Ten minutes later, Zaroth lay on the ground, drenched in sweat. He had removed his T-shirt, as the training had been too intense.


    "Oh, this feels good. Who knew exercise could be so enjoyable?"


    As he lay on his back, gazing at the sky, Luna suddenly sat on top of him. Her white hair, falling to the side, obscured his vision, leaving only her face in view.


    Her body pressed against his, greedily, almost as if she wanted to devour him.


    Her face was red, and her breathing was irregular.


    "Looking at you shirtless on the ground makes me want to do things to you that your heart wouldn''t survive," she whispered.


    She lowered her face until it was just a few centimeters from his and pressed her body harder against his.


    "So, get stronger for me¡ªfaster, okay? I''m not sure how long I can wait."


    As soon as she said that, she stood up as if nothing had happened.


    Zaroth lay on his back, trying to process what had just happened. His body felt as hot as a furnace.


    "I guess I just found more strength," he muttered quietly, resuming his training. It seemed Luna was excellent at providing motivation¡­


    *****


    The next day, they walked for hours but found nothing noteworthy.


    "How long until we reach the town where we can take a carriage to the capital?" Luna asked.


    "I''m not sure," Zaroth replied, glancing around. They had come across a few wolf corpses earlier, but Zaroth''s attempts to resurrect and tame them had been unsuccessful.


    "What is this system, anyway? Can''t you teach me how it works?" Zaroth asked, irritated.


    "I''m a dragon; you''re a human. The system works completely differently for different species. Your best bet is getting to that academy."


    "Oh, is that another pack?" Zaroth asked, noticing more wolf corpses up ahead. Judging by the wounds, it seemed they''d been attacked by a bear.


    Shifting his gaze over each of the wolves, Zaroth didn''t feel anything out of the ordinary.


    "No luck here either, huh?"


    He and Luna were about to move past the area when Zaroth''s gaze caught something. A bear with numerous wounds lay dead on the ground, and near it was the body of a wolf¡ªabout twice the size of the others.


    Following Zaroth''s gaze, Luna thought, ''This one must have been the leader of the pack. That would explain its size, but to be able to take down a bear? Impressive.''


    Luna continued forward until she realized her master was still staring at the corpses.


    "Is something the matter?" she asked.


    Without saying anything, Zaroth stretched out his hand and pointed at the wolf. "There''s some kind of energy in the wolf''s body," he said.


    Curiosity getting the better of him, Zaroth approached the wolf and placed his hand on the beast''s corpse.


    Suddenly, a voice rang in his head:


    [Greater Wolf judges your soul]


    [What is your purpose?]


    "My purpose?" he muttered under his breath, surprised by the sudden question. Taking a deep breath, he responded, "My purpose is to kill those who have wronged me and to live for my desires."


    After a moment, he added, "Would you accompany me on my journey?"


    [Greater Wolf responds to your call]


    [Greater Wolf forms a pact with you]


    [You have formed a contract with Greater Wolf]


    [Revenge]


    With that thought, the wolf''s body shuddered before it slowly stood up. Unlike Luna''s, the wolf hadn''t been dead for long, so its body still had flesh on its bones¡ªeven if it was slightly rotten.


    Zaroth turned his head to meet Luna''s gaze, a smile spreading across his face.


    "It seems we''ve got a third member!" Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 6: Civilization

    "It seems we''ve got a third member!" Zaroth said with a smile, then immediately collapsed onto his knees.


    "What is this?" he grunted from his spot on the ground.


    The wolf that had just been suddenly revived tilted its head, looking at its master and wondering what was wrong with him.


    "Your mana core is overwhelmed," Luna responded. "It was barely able to support the two of us, and now that it sustains three organisms, it''s being stretched too thin."


    "So am I supposed to desummon one of you two?" Zaroth asked.


    "I would recommend against it," she said, sitting down on the ground and gently placing Zaroth''s head on her lap.


    "What you are feeling right now is pain."


    "Really? What gave you that idea?" Zaroth asked sarcastically, trying to suppress a scream. It felt like his very being was being torn apart.


    "I''m not sure how you humans train your mana cores," Luna continued, "but what you''re currently experiencing is your core growing stronger."


    "Stronger?" he asked, eyes narrowing in confusion.


    "Yes. A core has three main functions: how much mana it can contain, how quickly it regenerates said mana, and how much output it can provide at once." She paused briefly before continuing.


    "Imagine a cup. At the bottom of that cup, there''s a small hole. The water that flows out through that hole is like your mana output."


    "So how is this training?" he grunted.


    "You are outputting more mana than your core is designed for, so over time, that ''hole'' will expand, allowing you to channel more mana at once."


    Zaroth''s forehead was drenched in sweat, but he managed to stay quiet as he listened to her explanation.


    "Usually, a person is proficient in one of these three aspects. By observing you, I''ve concluded that your specialty is mana regeneration. So, the regeneration speed should roughly match the mana you''re using, but¡­"


    "But my output isn''t strong enough, so I''m suffering?" he interrupted.


    With a smile, she replied, "Precisely."


    "So, basically, tough it out in the name of strength?"


    "Yes, pretty much. But keep in mind, if you put too much stress on your mana core, it could lead to death. You have to find the right balance."


    As Zaroth lay on Luna''s thighs, he might have been embarrassed by the situation if he wasn''t so focused on his new companion.


    The wolf approached its master and licked his face.


    "Ah, stop!" Zaroth cried out, causing the wolf to stop immediately.


    "I suspected as much," he muttered. "Not every beast I tame can transform into a human form or communicate with me, right?"


    Luna grinned proudly before explaining, "Of course not! Few creatures are as strong or as smart as me!"


    As Zaroth began to adjust to the pain, he got up from Luna''s lap with a grunt and approached the wolf.


    "Hey, little buddy, what should I call you?"


    Calling the wolf "little buddy" felt strange, considering it was massive¡ªmuch larger than the other wolves Zaroth had encountered. There was a reason the system referred to it as a Great Wolf.


    The creature''s white fur was streaked with crimson blood, and its body bore numerous wounds. However, these injuries didn''t seem to bother it, likely because it had already died once.


    Despite its ferocious appearance, the wolf tilted its head, mimicking the behavior of a curious dog. That endearing action was why Zaroth decided to call it "little buddy."


    "You can think of a name for your pet later," Luna interjected. "For now, you need to desummon someone. Your core is getting unstable."


    "So soon?" he asked, frustrated.


    "Getting stronger is a slow process, Zaroth. To desummon someone, just focus, and it should happen."


    Feeling a little defeated by his weakness, he was about to desummon the wolf when Luna stopped him.


    "Wait, desummon me instead," she said.


    "But-


    "Now that this guy is here, I want to see the inside of your soul," she interrupted.


    "Okay, I guess," Zaroth said hesitantly.


    "It''s just a little regretful," she murmured, blushing slightly.


    "What is it?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.


    Approaching him quickly, she leaned close to his ear and whispered, "That I''m about to enter you. I''d prefer it the other way around."


    "What?" Zaroth stammered, but before he could react, Luna smiled and disappeared, entering his soul.


    "That woman!" he cried out loud.


    Now alone with the wolf, he decided to play catch with his new pet. After some time, his core stabilized, and he summoned Luna again. A few sparks appeared before she materialized from thin air.


    "It was surprisingly comfy in there," she said with a smile.


    "Cool. Now let''s go. We must be close to reaching the city."


    They were, in fact, not close. It took two more nights of traveling to approach it. During that time, Zaroth trained his mana core by day and his body by night. sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Seeing the city from afar, he remarked, "I guess the war hasn''t reached this far into the Draconian Empire''s territory. Alright, get ready, you two. I''m about to desummon you."


    "Hm?" Luna responded. "Jealous someone might like me and try to fight you for me?" she teased with a flirtatious grin.


    "Yeah, actually, so I''m not taking any unnecessary risks."


    "Alright, but summon me the moment you''re alone somewhere."


    "Sure, sure." Zaroth patted the wolf on the head and desummoned both of his companions. His core felt at peace without the constant strain.


    Approaching the massive city gates, he waited his turn in line before addressing the guards on duty.


    "Entry costs a silver coin," one of the knights said.


    ''A silver coin to enter? What a rip-off!'' he thought.


    Without saying anything, Zaroth pulled a gold coin from his pocket and handed it to the knight.


    The knight''s eyes widened briefly before he pocketed the gold coin and handed Zaroth nine silver coins in return. Moving aside to let him pass, the knight nodded.


    With a sigh, Zaroth stepped forward into the bustling city. Thousands of people filled the streets. While it might not be massive by the Empire''s standards, for Zaroth, this place was incredible. And the capital was supposed to be a hundred times bigger!


    With a smile, he walked through the streets, a thought echoing in his head:


    "Ah¡­ finally back to civilization."

 Chapter 7: Alone in a room

    The moment Zaroth entered, the sky was beginning to dim, signaling the approaching night.


    "Better find a place to spend the night," he thought as he began walking through the city. The streets were bustling with all kinds of people¡ªhumans, elves, and even beastfolk could be seen from time to time.


    After some time, he stopped in front of a nice-looking tavern. Considering how long it had been since he''d spent a night in comfort, he decided he wasn''t going to spare any expense this time.


    Upon entering, an old, muscular man with a gray beard greeted him.


    "Kid, I won''t give you any money," the man said, looking Zaroth up and down.


    It wasn''t surprising; his clothes resembled rags, fit for a homeless person, and his malnourished frame made him look like a child despite being an adult.


    "I''m here to rent a room," Zaroth said, ignoring the insult.


    "Rent? Do you have the money?" The old man''s eyes filled with suspicion.


    Without answering, Zaroth pulled a silver coin from his pocket and handed it to the man.


    "The best room you have available. Oh, and keep the change."


    *****


    "Ah¡­ This is the best!" Zaroth exclaimed as he lay on the massive, soft bed.


    It might not be considered a luxury compared to the extravagant beds some royalty owned, but for Zaroth, it was pure bliss¡ªsomething he hadn''t felt in a long time.


    ¡­ S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Well, I guess Luna''s thighs are more comfortable¡­'' he mused.


    With that thought, he summoned Luna. The room shimmered slightly as her beautiful figure materialized from thin air.


    "This is comfy!" she said, looking around the room, which was much larger than the humble hut Zaroth had previously lived in.


    Luna quickly approached the door and locked it with the key already in the keyhole. Then, without hesitation, she immediately placed herself on Zaroth''s lap, causing his face to flush.


    "Zaroth¡­" she said with a mischievous grin. "It''s night, and we''re alone in a room. Do you know what this means?"


    The sudden move startled Zaroth. Gulping, he asked, "No¡­ what does it mean?"


    Her smile widened.


    "The perfect time to continue your physical training!"


    Fifteen minutes later, Zaroth had managed a total of 60 squats and 30 push-ups. Unfortunately, there weren''t any branches in the room like in the forest, so pull-ups were out of the question.


    "I''ve gotten stronger," he said happily as he stood up.


    "And you still have a long way to go," Luna replied, stepping out of the bathroom. While he had been suffering, she had been enjoying a hot shower!


    Looking at her wet body wrapped in a thin towel, Zaroth felt his heartbeat quicken. Trying to hide his embarrassment, he stood up and approached her.


    "Are you finally done? I want to take a shower too."


    Once inside the bathroom, he realized there were no towels left.


    "Oh, it seems since you rented the room alone, they only left one towel, so¡­" Luna said, cracking the door open and handing him a semi-wet towel.


    "I guess you''ll have to use mine."


    With a sigh, he took it and had the most refreshing shower of his life.


    All the blood, mud, and pain he had experienced over the past week were being washed from his body and swirling down the drain.


    When he finished and exited the bathroom, he found Luna lying on the bed in her revealing outfit.


    Her hair, still slightly wet from the hot shower she had taken earlier, coupled with her outfit, made her look like some kind of divinity descended to the mortal realm. Looking at her, Zaroth found it hard to control himself.


    "Where''s the black outfit that covered your entire body?" he asked, trying not to show his excitement.


    Pointing at his clothes on the chair and the towel around his waist, she grinned.


    "Since you''re about to change, I thought I''d see how my current look affects you."


    ''I''m too tired for these stupid games,'' Zaroth thought as he began changing, keeping eye contact with Luna the entire time.


    ''If you think I''ll act embarrassed, you''re wrong!''


    Luna''s confident expression faltered, replaced by bewilderment. Then, her face adopted a peculiar look as her eyes scanned his body. She bit her lower lip slightly, leaving Zaroth confused.


    "So¡­ this is what we''re working with, huh?" she said slyly, glancing downward.


    Ignoring her, Zaroth finished dressing and lay on the bed beside her, closing his eyes. Before she could tease him again, he said,


    "Too tired to care. Just let me sleep."


    Luna relented, letting him rest.


    *****


    The next morning, Zaroth went to a clothing shop and bought a good-looking suit that was on sale. It was black, with a white shirt and a red tie.


    Now that he no longer looked homeless, he began searching for a carriage driver to take him to the capital.


    "Sir, this is a long journey, so it''ll cost two gold coins," the driver said.


    Zaroth checked his savings and saw that he had three gold coins left. Without hesitation, he handed them over.


    The driver''s eyes lit up. "Pleasure doing business with you, sir!"


    As the driver prepared to leave, Zaroth stopped him.


    "Is there a problem, sir?" the driver asked.


    "If you hear me talking or hear multiple voices from the back of the carriage, you haven''t heard anything. Am I clear?"


    "Yes! Of course, sir!"


    Positioning himself comfortably in the carriage, Zaroth summoned Luna.


    "Finally going to the capital?" she asked excitedly.


    "Yes, finally. Although, I doubt one gold coin will be enough to join the academy, so I might have to steal some more money," he complained.


    "There''s no need for that anymore," she replied.


    "Huh? Why''s that?" Zaroth asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "From what I know, you only pay if you lack the ability to use your class," she explained, pointing at his chest. "But you''ve already tamed a wolf, so you shouldn''t need to pay for training."


    With a sigh of relief, Zaroth stretched.


    "That''s good. Ah¡­ I can finally relax."

 Chapter 8: Capital

    The journey was supposed to take around a week. Zaroth initially thought he was going to relax in the meantime, but it looked like he had been mistaken.


    "Oh? Are you done already? But this was too fast¡­" Luna said, grinning while looking at the exhausted body of Zaroth, which was drenched in sweat.


    He had removed his suit, not wanting to ruin it, so now he was in his underwear.


    "I can''t go on!" he grunted between his teeth, his body suffering from exhaustion.


    "Come on! Just one more! Get it up once more!" Luna commanded.


    Grunting heavily, he strained his muscles and managed to do one more push-up before immediately collapsing on the hard floor of the carriage.


    "35 without stopping, great progress!" Luna exclaimed.


    "WUF! WUF!" Zaroth''s wolf agreed with her. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Because Zaroth was traveling by carriage, he didn''t have much to do except train, so now he had summoned Luna and his wolf to train his core while also working on his physical body at the same time.


    "I guess this is it, I''m done for now," Zaroth said, happy that even if his core hurt like crazy, he could let his body rest for a few hours.


    Upon hearing that, Luna raised an eyebrow and asked, "Done? What about your pull-ups?"


    Irritated, Zaroth spat, "We are not in the forest, Luna! There aren''t any branches I could use in the carriage!"


    "But there is something you could use."


    "And what is it?!" Zaroth asked sarcastically. "There''s nothing in this carriage that can be used for doing pull-ups!"


    Without saying anything, Luna extended her hand to the side.


    Seeing that gesture made Zaroth''s eyes widen in surprise.


    "I don''t care how strong you are, there is no way your arms are so strong that I could just do pull-ups on them!" he cried.


    Grinning from ear to ear, she answered, "Why don''t you find out?"


    With a sigh, he stood up and approached Luna. She was taller than him by about 20 centimeters, so after placing his hands on her arms, he had to bend his knees backward to avoid hitting the ground.


    After that, he used his back muscles and pulled himself upward, noticing how Luna''s arm didn''t move even a centimeter.


    Unable to believe what he was seeing, he shifted his gaze to Luna and asked her,


    "How the hell are you so strong?"


    With a mischievous grin, she answered,


    "Less talking, more pulling!"


    Needless to say, the week they spent traveling was akin to torture. Zaroth''s mana core and body were stretched to their limits at the same time!


    But considering that it was all in pursuit of strength, Zaroth didn''t complain even once.


    During the whole journey, Zaroth felt weird calling his great wolf "little buddy," so after consulting with Luna for her opinion, his pet would be called Silverfang from now on. It was a fitting name, considering the color of his fur and fangs.


    On the last day of their journey, Zaroth stripped naked, and Luna examined his body. "Yes, the changes are obvious. You''ve definitely put on some muscle mass."


    It wasn''t surprising. One week of doing nothing but training nonstop would transform your body. But alas, he was still far from reaching his goal. He could now do 100 squats without a problem, but his push-ups were stuck at 50, and his pull-ups at 20.


    Luna reassured him that once he entered the academy, his progress would drastically increase.


    As the carriage came to a stop, Zaroth dismissed his companions, and then a voice was heard from the door,


    "Sir, we have arrived at the capital."


    Exiting, Zaroth put on a smile and thanked the man for the ride. The entire time, the man didn''t comment on how behind him there were a woman''s and a wolf''s voices, but it was only natural. He had promised that he would ignore every noise after all.


    After the man left, Zaroth glanced at the massive walls of the capital. They were close to fifty meters in height.


    He was mesmerized for some time until Luna broke him out of his haze.


    "I know it''s beautiful, but you don''t want to look like a country bumpkin, you know?"


    She was using a new method of communication that they had found during their travel to the capital.


    If Luna was dismissed, she could communicate with him using her thoughts. It was also possible if she was summoned, but it was much harder. He had also tested it on Silverfang and was able to send him some of his thoughts as well.


    As they approached the gates, Zaroth patiently waited his turn until a guard called him over.


    "Your name?" the knight asked.


    "Zaroth," Zaroth replied. The knight began writing something in his mysterious magical device.


    "Your cat-like eyes, are you related to the dragons'' descendants?"


    "Something like that," Zaroth answered with an innocent smile.


    "Reason for visiting?"


    "I plan to enter one of the magic academies."


    Raising an eyebrow, the knight responded, "You know how many people want to join every year, right? You don''t have a high chance unless you are gifted or of noble birth."


    With a smile, Zaroth responded confidently, "I''ll figure it out."


    "Well, if you are related to the dragon descendants, I guess you have a chance." Muttering under his breath, the knight raised his hand, signaling that Zaroth was allowed to pass.


    "All right, welcome to the capital of the Draconian Empire, boy."


    Advancing forward, Zaroth spoke with Luna in his head,


    "It''s a good thing you warned me about the eyes. Who knew these eyes were only meant for the dragon descendants?"


    "Yes, it''s better for them to think you''re related to the dragon descendants in some way in the Draconian Empire. That alone should earn you some respect."


    Entering the capital was like entering another world. The buildings, the people¡ªeverything was advanced, almost like Zaroth had entered a new era.


    He had energy. It was still morning, and he was dressed in the suit he had bought, meaning he was ready.


    "All right, it''s time I enter this academy."

 Chapter 9: Simple question

    The capital was much bigger than Zaroth had been accustomed to, so he had some trouble finding his way.


    ''Did you get lost?'' Luna asked sarcastically, making Zaroth blush slightly.


    ''Of course not!'' he responded immediately.


    But after an hour of mindless walking, he had to admit defeat and ask a stranger for directions.


    "So, this is the academy, huh?"


    He was standing before a building of truly colossal scale. The building must have had dozens of floors. The walls were decorated with gold, and to reach the academy, he had to walk through the massive garden surrounding it.


    ''Are you sure you want to try for the most prestigious one?'' Luna asked.


    ''If a person wants to achieve great things, he has to aim high or whatever. Plus, even if they reject me, I''m sure I''ll have better luck with the other, less prestigious ones.''


    ''But from what they told us, this is the elite. Even the royals are apparently learning here.'' S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''I''m sure it will be fine. If not, we''ll just make it fine.''


    Zaroth entered the building and was now waiting in his seat for them to call his name. The room he was in was very big, and it currently held more than a hundred people close to his age, all waiting to take the same kind of test.


    Looking around, he saw that while some wore simple suits like him, others were dressed in clothes that only nobles, or maybe even royals, could afford.


    When he had bought the suit, he had thought he looked quite good, but his simple dress paled in comparison to theirs.


    Observing the surroundings, he saw that there were three big groups sticking together.


    The first group consisted of the incredibly well-dressed people, who were most likely nobles.


    The second group was the largest one; the people there were dressed modestly, like him, and were throwing hostile glances at the nobles.


    The third group was the smallest, and these people wore clothes that seemed to be picked from trash bins, or in other words, they were homeless. They were most likely here with the faint hope that they could turn their lives around.


    Deciding it was boring to just sit in his seat, he approached the second group with the intention of making small talk.


    "Hello, I''m Zaroth," he said as he approached a group of people.


    "Hello¡ª" The tall man with blonde hair was about to respond but stopped mid-sentence. As he gazed at Zaroth''s eyes, his own widened slightly.


    "Are you related to the dragons'' descendants?" the man asked. It was obvious from his tone that he was on guard.


    Zaroth had decided to pretend he was, otherwise, he would have to reveal that he had tamed a dragon, which wasn''t a smart decision right now.


    "Something like that," he said, trying to put on an innocent smile.


    "I''m sorry, but would you please not speak to us?" the girl standing close to the tall blonde man responded before he could.


    "Lily! We can''t speak with people like that!" he turned his face to hers.


    "Roran, you know how dangerous these people can be! We don''t want to be associated with them!" she said as she grasped the man''s hand and led him away from Zaroth.


    ''Luna¡­ didn''t you say that these eyes would earn me some respect?'' he asked, irritated.


    ''Well¡­'' Luna was going to blush if she wasn''t currently in Zaroth''s soul. ''I guess some things change, who knew?''


    With a sigh, he scraped the idea of making friends. It seemed that he wasn''t going to be able to communicate with the average people, and there was no way he was going to go and speak willingly to those rich fucks called ''nobles.''


    Thankfully, no one seemed to pay him any attention. Despite his white hair and green, cat-like eyes, most likely because everyone was stressed about the upcoming test.


    For Zaroth, there wasn''t really any pressure, as he didn''t particularly care if he joined the best academy in the empire or the worst one, since he already had a dragon at his disposal. But the others wouldn''t be able to say the same thing.


    Soon, the number on the door changed to the number of the paper Zaroth held in his hand, so he stood up and approached the door.


    Opening the door, Zaroth felt his whole body scream in fear, as if what was beyond it would spell his doom. But since he didn''t want to chicken out now that he had come so far, he pressed on anyway.


    Entering the room, he saw a table with five people sitting across from it. There was a woman with black hair and pupils sitting at the center.


    Despite how beautiful she seemed at first glance, her appearance made her look like an incarnation of death. Just staring at her made Zaroth feel as if he was about to die.


    ''This woman¡­ she is strong¡­ be careful,'' Luna commented.


    Zaroth wanted to ask if Luna could beat her, but the woman suddenly interrupted his line of thinking.


    "Hello¡­" She looked down at the paper in front of her before continuing. "Zaroth, you have been given a chance to enter our academy." Her voice was serious and stern, almost as if she were ready to kill him at any moment if he stepped out of line.


    "I am Elysia and the person in charge of this academy. I will observe the process of your examination without stepping in unless need arises."


    ''So, I meet the most powerful and influential person in the whole fucking empire from the start. What shitty luck I have!'' he cursed in his mind.


    "Young man, you are going to be tested to see if you are worthy of being accepted as a student of our academy. But don''t be nervous; I''m sure if you''ve done your homework, there''s nothing to worry about." An old man in his 80s spoke as he looked at Zaroth with a relaxed gaze.


    ''Homework?'' Zaroth thought, surprised. He wasn''t expecting anything like this.


    "First of all, answer the questions right if you want to proceed. Don''t worry, they are all formalities, so you won''t have a hard time answering them. Let''s begin with the easiest one:


    What is the name of this academy?"


    ''Crap.'' All Zaroth knew was that he was going to be tested for his class and how well he could use it, not answering some useless questions like he was on an actual written test!


    Zaroth was a person who only remembered information that concerned him, and the name of some academy wasn''t on that list!


    Taking a deep breath, he smiled innocently before answering.


    "I have absolutely no clue."

 Chapter 10: Lucky?

    ''What do you mean you don''t know?!'' Luna shouted in his head.


    ''I really don''t!" Zaroth spat back. ''If it was such important information, I thought you would remember it!''


    ''Just because I live in your head doesn''t mean¡ª''


    "Excuse me, what did you just say?" The old man who had asked the question seemed shocked by Zaroth''s blunt response.


    ''Ah, I really screwed it up from the start, didn''t I?'' Zaroth cursed himself. ''Well, at this point, let''s just go with the flow. I doubt anything worse could happen.''


    "I mean exactly what I said. Why would I waste my time learning the name of some insignificant place?" Zaroth answered, making the old man darken his expression.


    The only person whose demeanor didn''t change was Elysia, who continued to look at him, emotionless as ever.


    "Insignificant place, you say?!" The old man''s voice rose. "How dare you speak like that about the most prestigious academy in the entire empire!"


    The teachers¡ªor so Zaroth presumed they were¡ªstared daggers at him. He quickly made a mental note, asking Luna for her opinion.


    ''With the exception of the woman at the center, I can kill everyone else in this room,'' Luna said confidently. Zaroth didn''t question her further.


    Having a dragon capable of protecting you seemed to make Zaroth much stronger mentally, as he didn''t feel any fear from the gazes of the teachers, who under normal circumstances could kill him with a single spell.


    "Again, why should I care?" Zaroth straightened his back as much as possible and raised his head high before answering.


    "All I''ve been told is that this is the best place to learn magic and attend classes. That alone is enough for me. I thought everyone was given a fair shot at the start, especially since I saw even homeless people participating in the selection."


    He took a deep breath before continuing.


    "The questions you''re asking are likely only known to nobles and people of higher birth. This test is just a formality to place those of lesser birth lower, isn''t it?"


    "How dare you accuse us of unfair¡ª"


    "I will continue the examination from now." Elysia''s commanding voice instantly silenced the old man.


    *****


    ''The plan we''ve been operating under until now is simple,'' Elysia thought. ''A person, likely stressed because of the examination, comes in. They see my appearance and instantly start shaking in their boots¡ªuntil the old man reassures them with a gentle smile that they have nothing to worry about.


    ''Then, we give them a question they''re bound to fail because the answer¡ªWhat is the name of this academy?¡ªis a trick. There are countless false names deliberately spread around, and only a few know the actual one.


    ''But this boy¡­ Zaroth. He met my gaze from the start and didn''t even flinch. There''s something special about him. Maybe he''s the perfect person I need for the job.'' Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "We''ll stop with the questions here. Show us your class," Elysia said, her voice firm.


    The boy didn''t blink. With a sigh, he moved his arm slightly.


    Then something began to materialize from thin air. After about five seconds, a giant wolf manifested before them.


    It was obvious Zaroth was a tamer, but something was off. Why did his summoned beast look¡­ dead?


    "This is Silverfang, my first pet," Zaroth declared with a smile.


    "So, you''re a tamer. Was this the first beast you tamed?"


    ''If this is his first tame, it''s impressive,'' Elysia thought. ''The way we classify beasts is as follows:


    Mundane


    Lesser


    Uncommon


    Rare


    Epic


    Legendary


    Mythic


    ''The gray wolf he summoned is an Uncommon beast. I can see why he''s confident.''


    "Yes, I got lucky to have such a strong summon in my arsenal," Zaroth answered.


    For the first time, Elysia''s neutral expression shifted into a smile.


    Only Zaroth noticed her smile, and it visibly startled him. For a second, he wondered if he had done something wrong. But there was no way Zaroth could have known¡­


    Elysia always knew when someone was lying.


    "I see... do you possess stronger beasts in your soul?"


    "No, this is the only beast I currently possess."


    Elysia''s smile widened.


    ''Finally! I found him! This one is the last piece of my plan!''


    "One last question," Elysia said. "You seemed unaffected by my presence. Why?"


    This was the only thing that still concerned Elysia. Usually, a person coming for examination would be overwhelmed by the magical aura of those stronger than them. Yet, he looked her in the eyes as if it didn''t bother him¡­ almost as if he had faced something far more terrifying before.


    "Well¡­" Zaroth scratched the back of his head, unsure of how to answer. "I guess it''s because, unlike the old man, who looked like he was about to scam me, you don''t seem to have any ill intent. So¡­ you''re just easy on the eyes?"


    *****


    One week later, after the examination process was over, Zaroth stood in front of a giant billboard announcing the results.


    ''I totally bombed the examination. Is there any point in checking if I got in?'' Zaroth asked.


    ''Of course! Look on the bright side¡­ examining you must have been¡­ unique,'' Luna said, attempting to sound reassuring but failing miserably.


    With a sigh, Zaroth turned to the board. The classes were listed as A, B, C, D, E, and F.


    A-class was reserved for nobles and the best students, so Zaroth started scanning from the bottom up.


    He didn''t find his name in F, E, D, or C.


    ''Why do they have to make the text so small?! I can barely read these names!''


    After finishing B, he gave up hope. There was no way he was assigned to the top class.


    ''For fuck''s sake, Zaroth! Don''t be lazy¡ªread the whole list!'' Luna commanded.


    With a sigh, he turned his attention to the board. It was ridiculous. There was an easy way to see how wealthy a person was¡­


    It was their names.


    A-class was mostly filled with nobles, and some were wealthier than others. Some of the names were so long they looked like entire sentences!


    Scanning the names was more trouble than it was worth¡­ until Zaroth froze.


    Luna was grinning from ear to ear, though it wasn''t visible since she wasn''t summoned and was resting in Zaroth''s soul.


    "See?! What did I tell you?"


    Zaroth paid her no attention. He was finding it hard to believe, but there it was. His name was listed in A-class¡ªthe top of the top, the elite of the empire.


    He had been assigned to A-class.

 Chapter 11: Not so lucky

    Some students cried tears of joy, others of sorrow, while Zaroth stood frozen, struggling to believe what had just happened.


    ''This doesn''t make any sense! It''s not like I told them I have a dragon at my disposal. They know I''m not some kind of rich noble¡ªso why the hell did they put me in A-Class?''


    ''Zaroth, this is the third time you''ve asked me the same question¡ª''


    "Attention, everyone!" a man in a red robe called out, stepping forward to address the students and interrupting Zaroth and Luna''s conversation.


    "To everyone who passed the test, please come here to receive your bracelet!"


    After waiting half an hour in line, Zaroth was handed a golden bracelet with a red gem embedded in it.


    "This bracelet will be the device teachers use to contact you, Mister Zaroth," said the person handing out the bracelets.


    Zaroth wasn''t sure how to use it, so he shamefully stole a glance at the other students. It seemed to activate by rotating the gem 90 degrees. When he did, a hologram appeared before him.


    It displayed three sections:


    -----


    Identity:


    Name: Zaroth


    Age: 18


    Class: A


    -----


    ''How do they know my age?'' he wondered. He had never disclosed that information. Was it just a guess? Or did they have some way of finding out everyone''s age?


    The second section was labeled Schedule, likely containing the classes he would take from now on. The last section was called Messages.


    "Hm?" Zaroth noticed a red dot on the Messages section. ''Have I already received one? so soon?''


    Opening it, he read:


    -----


    Sender: Chairwoman Elysia


    Once you see this message, report to my office immediately¡ªRoom 13/13. Failure to show up will result in severe sanctions.


    -----


    "What kind of mess have I gotten myself into now?" he muttered under his breath as he entered the colossal building known as the academy.


    *****


    ''13/13¡­ So does that mean the thirteenth floor, thirteenth room?'' Zaroth asked. He had never been inside a building this large and struggled to navigate the floors.


    ''Zaroth¡­ I''m a dragon. Do you really think I have a clue how humans live?'' Luna responded immediately.


    "Well, sure, the building is big, but how hard can it be to find a single room?" he muttered under his breath.


    Half an hour later, he was finally standing in front of the door.


    ''Idiot! What kind of idiot designed this building?! Why are there stairs that don''t lead to the top floor? Why are some sections accessible only through specific doorways?!''


    Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he knocked on the beautifully decorated door.


    "Come in," a stern voice responded immediately, as if waiting for him.


    Zaroth steeled his resolve and entered.


    ''Remember, Luna said she wouldn''t be able to defeat the Chairwoman, so I better behave.''


    Upon entering, Zaroth saw Elysia seated in a chair, a cup of coffee in her hand. Now that he wasnt under the stress of the exam, he could take a closer look at her.


    She appeared to be in her early thirties, wearing dark clothes that matched the color of her hair and pupils, which highlighted her pale, flawless skin. The fabric of her outfit seemed tight around her chest, and while Zaroth might have been tempted to steal a glance, he found himself captivated by her eyes instead.


    "Hello again," Zaroth said with a polite smile as he approached Elysia''s desk.


    "You can sit," she said, gesturing to the chair across from her. He complied, sitting down as instructed.


    She didn''t seem in any hurry, sipping her coffee leisurely until she suddenly locked eyes with Zaroth.


    "You must be wondering why you were assigned to A-Class," she began firmly.


    Zaroth didn''t dare interrupt and simply met her gaze.


    "In short, I judged you to have sufficient strength."


    "I''m honored you have such a high opinion of me, but what led you to believe I was worthy of studying with the elites? After all, I only have a single wolf as a summon."


    Upon hearing his question, Elysia set her coffee down and smiled, resting her chin on her hands. Zaroth felt like prey about to be devoured by a predator.


    ''Zaroth, this is bad!'' Luna cried out in his mind. Without changing his expression, he asked her,


    ''What is it?''


    ''I didn''t sense it before, but this woman¡­ she can tell when someone is lying!''


    Despite Zaroth''s efforts to remain calm, his face lost color. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''So you''re telling me she knows I lied about not having a second beast?!''


    ''Listen, you ha¡ª''


    "Let''s cut to the chase, shall we?" Elysia''s voice interrupted Luna.


    "The second beast under your possession... is it Rare?"


    Not daring to answer, he simply stared into her eyes.


    "Not answering, huh? Well, it''s surprising you figured it out so quickly..."


    ''Zaroth!'' Luna''s voice came again. ''When she asks if it''s Epic, twitch your eye a little as if she''s correct! We can''t let her know you have a Mythic creature!''


    "Is it Epic?"


    As instructed, Zaroth made his eye twitch slightly, as if affirming her guess.


    Seeing his reaction, Elysia''s eyes widened briefly, but her smile grew broader as she continued.


    "Is it Legendary?"


    Zaroth didn''t move, trying to appear as calm as possible.


    "Is it Mythic?"


    Zaroth tried to appear as calm as possible, despite panicking inside.


    After a moment of observation, Elysia leaned back in her chair, seemingly deep in thought.


    *****


    ''So¡­ he either has a beast of the Epic class¡­ or the Mythic class,'' Elysia thought.


    Her heart raced faster. She had suspected something from the moment she first saw him, but this¡­ this was far beyond her expectations.


    ''If it''s the former, he would be an invaluable ally to help me achieve my goals¡­''


    Her smile widened even more, though it was hidden behind her hand.


    ''And if it''s the latter¡­ if he truly commands a Mythic beast¡­ then he has the potential to shift the world''s power dynamics in any way he sees fit.''


    ''In other words¡­ I must have him at any cost!''


    Finishing her thoughts, Elysia looked back at Zaroth, who was clearly having a minor panic attack.


    With a pleasant smile, devoid of hostility, she spoke:


    "Mister Zaroth, I have an offer. Would you happen to be interested?"

 Chapter 12: Lucky!

    "An offer?" Zaroth asked, clearly on guard.


    Elysia leaned back in her chair and sighed. "Would you like to work for me?"


    "Work for you? What do you want me to do?"


    "It''s simple, really. Judging by the way you act and dress, I can guess you''ve spent your life in some village in the middle of nowhere, only to awaken an impressive talent and try your luck at the academy."


    With each word Elysia spoke, Zaroth''s hair stood on end. ''How the heck can she guess so accurately?'' he wondered.


    "So, you don''t have any connections to the world''s politics, and you despise the rich. I''ve placed you in A-Class¡ªa spot usually reserved for the children of the wealthiest families¡ªbecause I want you to cause chaos in this corrupt system. Considering your past, you must hate the rich as much as I do, if not more."


    ''She''s right... I do hate them. And it would be pretty satisfying to mess up their plans.''


    "What exactly do you want me to do?" he asked.


    Studying him for a moment, Elysia continued, "After your first lesson tomorrow, all the students in the academy will be summoned to the arena by the emperor. He''ll announce a tournament that will take place in a month, with the winner granted a wish by the emperor himself.


    But it''s just a pretext. The winner has already been decided. Their plan is for that person to use their wish to ask for the emperor''s daughter''s hand in marriage."


    "And¡­ my mission is?"


    "To win the tournament and prevent that marriage from happening."


    "But why would you want that?"


    "It would boost my influence and diminish the emperor''s. If you want more details, you''ll have to earn my trust by completing the task first."


    ''She wants me to win the tournament? That would mean beating every single person in the academy. Even with Luna''s help, could I achieve something that remarkable?''


    "And what would I gain in return?" Zaroth asked. If the task was this difficult, the reward had to be equally grand.


    "Aside from having your wish granted by the emperor, I''ll also grant you a wish. And believe me, just because he''s the emperor doesn''t mean I don''t have more influence than him in certain areas."


    ''That doesn''t sound like a bad deal¡­ though nothing even comes to mind for what I''d wish for.''


    "Oh, and also," she added, "agreeing to the offer means you''ll get my support. This won''t just make your life easier at the academy, but it''ll also come with significant financial benefits, plus¡ª"


    "I''m in," Zaroth interrupted, his instant answer surprising even himself. But it was expected. He was facing a great challenge ahead¡­ he was poor.


    He used the last of his money to rent a room for the week while waiting for the results. Being sponsored by the chairwoman would mean no longer worrying about money. And the most important part? He''d finally be able to buy as much food as he wanted.


    Elysia was startled by his quick response but smiled as she extended her hand, shaking his.


    "And one more thing," she added, placing a photo in front of him. It was of a girl with red eyes and hair, wearing tattered clothes, clearly homeless.


    "This girl is in C-Class. If given the chance, I want you to keep an eye on her, just in case."


    "So, get stronger to win the tournament and keep an eye on the girl?" he asked, wanting to confirm he''d understood everything.


    "Yes, pretty much. And if you can, anger the rich nobles as much as possible while being in A-Class. It''s not a priority, but it would be highly amusing for me."


    "I see." Zaroth stood up from his seat, intending to leave. ''I''m so tired. I just want to sleep.''


    As he moved, Elysia also stood. "For your accommodation, your bracelet should have received a map showing the location."


    "Got it. Thanks. Good evening," he said, turning his back to her¡ªonly to freeze in fear.


    Elysia was suddenly standing right in front of him. It looked like she''d moved so fast it was as if she''d teleported.


    ''What? When did she move? She was behind me a second ago, and now she''s centimeters away from my face!''


    Leaning close, her breasts brushed against his chest, and he was able feel her heartbeat. Elysia spoke, her deadly gaze locking with his, rendering him too scared to move.


    "Don''t forget, you work for me now. Not anyone else. Am I clear?"


    Her delicate hand had somehow found its way behind Zaroth''s neck, gently touching it. The message was clear, she could erase him in an instant, should she choose to.


    "Y-yes, ma''am," he responded, both scared and embarrassed.


    Seeing his reaction, Elysia smiled. "Good. Don''t forget it. Good evening."


    As Zaroth exited her office, he gasped for air. ''That was so scary!''


    ''Zaroth¡­'' Luna''s voice broke through his thoughts.


    ''What is it?'' he asked.


    ''If you''re scared¡­ why are you aroused?''


    ''Wha-''


    Zaroth wasn''t sure how or when this had happened, but it seemed he was discovering new things about himself every day.


    Certain thoughts flowed through his mind, imagining what he might use the wish granted by Elysia for...


    "Whatever, let''s just follow the map and find this place," he muttered.


    Thankfully, the map was easy to follow, so he didn''t get lost. He stopped in front of a large apartment building. ''It says mine is on the tenth floor. More climbing, huh?''


    Once he reached the apartment, he saw that the door didn''t have a knob. Unsure how to open it, he noticed his bracelet glowing along with the door. It opened automatically.


    Entering, he saw that the apartment was quite large, with a kitchen, a table big enough for eight people, and a double bed. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I like it here!" Luna said as she manifested into existence.


    Zaroth quickly went through his training routine, took a shower in the bathroom, and went to sleep. The bed was large and comfortable, and as soon as he lay down, he drifted off.


    He would need all the strength he could muster, because tomorrow, his life at the academy would begin.


    *****


    "That went better than expected," Elysia muttered, sitting comfortably in her chair.


    "Still¡­ it''s better if the fact that he can tame strong creatures remains a secret for now. After the incident with the lost continent, people have been quick to execute anyone showing promise as a tamer."


    She sighed, taking a sip of her coffee. It seemed another sleepless night awaited her.


    "Not that I can blame them," she added. "If a single legendary beast tamer could cause such devastation¡­ anyone would tremble at the chance of a mythical beast tamer appearing, and what they might do should they succumb to their beasts'' temptations.


    And for me to be the only one who noticed his potential... this boy seems to be quite lucky."

 Chapter 13: Commoner

    Zaroth was sleeping peacefully until he felt a cold finger gently poke his cheek. After several attempts, he grunted and opened his eyes.


    "Good morning," Luna said with a smile.


    "Isn''t it too early to wake me up?" Zaroth asked, pulling his pillow over his head in an attempt to get more sleep.


    "It''s 7 o''clock right now. Yesterday, we checked your schedule, and it said your classes start at 8. So you''d better get up!" Luna said as she grasped his hand and lifted him effortlessly.


    ''I keep forgetting she''s a dragon. The strength she has despite being in human form is astonishing,'' he thought as he got to his feet, stretching his body.


    "Oh, also, there seemed to be clothes placed on the table. We didn''t even notice them yesterday," Luna added, pointing at the table.


    Walking over, Zaroth picked up an elegant suit woven with both red and white threads. "So they''re giving us uniforms. I guess that''s good¡ªI won''t stand out that way."


    After a quick breakfast, he put on the student uniform. At first, it was too large, but unexpectedly, the clothes glowed slightly and tightened around his body, adjusting to fit him perfectly.


    Luna whistled with a grin as she watched him. "This suits you pretty well."


    After checking that he had everything, he exited his room and summoned the map on his bracelet. As he walked toward his destination, he also opened his schedule. It was simple:


    -----


    8:00-9:30 ¨C Basics of Magic and Its Effect on Human Society


    9:45-11:15 ¨C Practical Use of Magical Abilities


    11:30-13:00 ¨C Physical Body Training


    14:00-15:30 ¨C Familiarization with Specific Classes


    15:30-17:00 ¨C Live Combat Practice


    -----


    It seemed he had fifteen minutes between classes to get around, with an hour for lunch between 13:00 and 14:00. The schedule also listed the rooms for each lecture.


    From what he could tell, there weren''t any breaks on the weekends¡ªbut that wasn''t surprising. There was a reason this academy was considered the most prestigious, after all.


    Exiting the apartment complex, Zaroth traversed the garden on the way to the academy. Along the way, he saw many people.


    Some seemed much better off than others¡ªjust the way their skin shone and their hair was styled made it clear who was noble and who was a lucky citizen accepted into this place.


    Finally entering the academy, Zaroth wandered around until he found himself in front of the door to his lecture room: 7/24.


    Taking a deep breath, Zaroth steeled his resolve. ''This room will be full of nobles¡ªmost likely the rich and arrogant kind¡ªand it will probably be obvious that I''m the only one of ''lower status.'' I need to be ready to face anything.''


    Placing his hand on the doorknob, he grinned, remembering Elysia''s words, ''And if you can, anger the rich nobles as much as possible while being in A-Class. It''s not a priority, but it would be highly amusing for me.''


    ''Oh¡­ believe me, I''ll anger them alright.''


    *****


    Zack was currently in conversation with one of the rich nobles in A-Class.


    Just looking at the fat man, sweat dripping from his forehead, filled Zack with disgust. But he didn''t have much choice¡ªthis guy was the son of an influential figure, so befriending him could be beneficial.


    "As I was saying!" the fat man¡ªwhose name Zack hadn''t bothered to remember¡ªcontinued,


    "I saw the announcement, and I''m sure there''s a mistake! There''s a person with just a single name appointed to A-Class! He doesn''t even have a family name! There''s no way they''d accept a poor street rat into the top of the academy, right?"


    "Well¡­" Zack began, "To be honest, I don''t really care about social standings. Look at it this way, if he was really accepted, it means his abilities are so unbelievably powerful they had no choice!"


    "Even if that''s the case!" the fat man¡ªkid? It was hard to tell; he looked more like a child despite supposedly being an adult¡ªsnapped. "We must not accept just anyone into our ranks! There are social hierarchies for a reason!" S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''You''re one to talk,'' thought Zack. ''The only reason you''re here is because your father is stuffed with money.''


    Glancing at his expensive watch, Zack saw there were two minutes left until the lecture began. He glanced around, counting the students. There were 95 in the room, but the board listed 96 assigned to A-Class. It seemed they were one person short.


    The large doors at the front suddenly opened, and a man in his fifties walked in, stopping at the podium. Checking his watch, it seemed he was waiting for the clock to hit exactly 8:00.


    Zack returned to his seat. One minute left. ''It seems it was a mistake after all,'' he thought. ''And here I got my hopes up that they really had accepted someone of lower status in this class.''


    The room was dead silent, waiting for the professor to begin the lecture, when the knob on the back door suddenly turned. Because of the silence, everyone heard it and turned to see who was entering.


    A man on the shorter side, with white hair and green, cat-like eyes, entered. Scanning the room without hesitation, he seemed unfazed by the stares directed at him as he walked down the steps.


    Zack shuddered for a moment, looking into those eyes. It wasn''t because they marked him as dragon-descendant but for another reason. He knew those eyes from looking at his father and brothers.


    Those were the eyes of a killer¡ªcold and calculating.


    The white-haired man found an empty spot at the back and sat down, crossing one leg over the other just as the clock struck 8:00.


    The professor opened his mouth to begin, but a sudden shout interrupted him. The fat noble stood up, his body shaking with exertion.


    "Disgrace! How can a mere commoner like you be accepted into the highest elite academy of the empire?!" His outburst forced him to pause and gasp for air several times.


    A few girls burst into laughter at the insult.


    Zack shifted his gaze to the white-haired commoner, who was smiling as though expecting this reaction. Without missing a beat, he responded in a voice cold and devoid of emotion.


    "If fat people like you, who can''t even stand or speak without gasping for air, are considered the elite, then our empire truly is on the brink of collapse."

 Chapter 14: Legendary beast master

    "If fat people like you, who can''t even stand or speak without gasping for air, are considered the elite, then our empire truly is on the brink of collapse."


    It wasn''t a lie¡ªZaroth felt incredible, insulting a noble straight to his face. From another point of view, he had merely defended his honor against discrimination.


    "You!" the angry fat man continued. "You dare insult the son of a¡ª"


    "That''s enough!" the professor shouted, his voice cutting through the commotion. He stared directly at the noble, who nearly toppled over under the sudden pressure.


    "Not only did you interrupt my lecture, but you dare to speak of status, despite knowing it''s prohibited in this academy? See me after the lecture is over."


    "Y-yes, sir," the noble responded , quickly sitting on his seat.


    "And you!" The professor turned his gaze to Zaroth, who, unlike the noble, met his eyes without flinching. Zaroth interrupted before the professor could continue.


    "All I did was protect my honor¡­ or is that also prohibited?"


    Slightly surprised by the first-year commoner''s unwavering confidence, the professor sighed. "Refrain from speaking in my class."


    With that, the lecture began, and no one dared interrupt again unless it was to ask a question.


    "So, as you all know, there are countless classes in this world," the professor said, writing on the whiteboard,


    Knight


    Mage


    "We divide them into two broad categories. Knights focus on their physical prowess, using magic to enhance their abilities, while mages prioritize magical firepower, often at the expense of physical capabilities.


    This doesn''t mean you can''t become proficient in both areas, but some paths will be more challenging than others."


    He glanced around the room before continuing. "Now, can someone tell me why classes are useless on their own?"


    "Because without a blessing from the gods, we are just vessels, sir!" a timid-looking boy with glasses answered.


    "That''s correct. Without a blessing, your class is effectively worthless. The class determines your potential as a vessel, while the blessing grants you actual power.


    Depending on the god who blesses you, your abilities will differ. For example, a person with the Healer class might heal injuries if blessed by the God of Life. But if blessed by the God of Nature, they might heal plants instead."


    He raised his voice before continuing, "However, keep in mind this is only at the beginning. As you grow stronger, new opportunities will become available¡ªeven beyond the boundaries of your class. For example, a mage could train with a sword and develop knight-like abilities if they put in the effort!"


    ''Huh, neat,'' Zaroth thought. ''If I can learn any abilities, which should I choose? Taming mythical beasts would put me at the pinnacle of beast tamers¡­ but learning knight skills might cover my weaknesses.''


    "Now let''s talk about influential figures¡ªor what you might call heroes."


    The mood in the room lifted as the professor began recounting tales of legendary heroes and their deeds: a monk, an archer, a healer, an elementalist, and many others. Zaroth was surprised to learn about countless classes he hadn''t known existed.


    The professor''s face darkened for a moment before he added, "Of course, there have been others¡ªindividuals we don''t worship as heroes but rather the opposite. Take, for example, the Legendary Beast Master."


    At the mention of that name, the classroom fell into a heavy silence, the air growing tense and suffocating.


    Zaroth wanted to ask for an explanation but reconsidered, thinking it unwise to remind the professor of his presence after the earlier fiasco.


    "Could you remind us of the incident?" a boy with black hair and white eyes asked.


    "Sure, if you wish," the professor said, taking a deep breath before continuing.


    "We''re short on time, so I''ll summarize. A century ago, a man was discovered with an incredible gift¡ªthe ability to tame legendary creatures. As you all know, legendary beasts are among the strongest, surpassed only by mythical beasts.


    At first, everything was wonderful. He quickly became famous, earning glory and admiration. But as time passed, humanity discovered a horrifying truth about beast masters.


    A beast, once tamed, isn''t completely harmless¡ª specially toward its master. At lower levels, this might not pose a problem. But at higher levels, a beast, despite being tamed, gains a degree of consciousness and begins communicating with its master¡ªparticularly if the first beast they tame is of legendary rank.


    This communication slowly drove him insane. In the end, the Legendary Beast Master succumbed to the influence of his tamed beasts and went on a rampage, destroying an entire continent.


    Since then, anyone found taming a first creature stronger than Rare rank has been executed to prevent such an incident from happening again."


    Zaroth listened intently, his face growing grimmer with each word. If a Legendary Beast Master had succumbed to his tamed beasts, what about him¡ªsomeone capable of taming mythical beasts?


    He wanted to ask Luna for reassurance, to hear that she didn''t plan to corrupt him or manipulate him in any way. But in his mind, there was nothing.


    Luna was silent, and Zaroth was too afraid to ask.


    Trying to distract himself, a thought came to Zaroth''s mind¡ªthe chairwoman, Elysia. If she hadn''t figured out that he was a mythical beast master, she must be under the assumption that he had tamed at least an Epic beast, and yet she hadn''t executed him.


    Maybe he was truly lucky to have stumbled upon her first. Zaroth suddenly began to view Elysia in a new light¡ªa person he could trust. She had placed her faith in him¡­ and yet he was scared to ask his beast a simple question? Pathetic!


    ''Luna,'' Zaroth began a conversation through their mental connection.


    ''Yes?'' she responded, her tone as carefree as ever.


    ''Do you plan to manipulate me in any way?'' Before she could answer, he added, ''I order you to tell me only the truth from now on.''


    There was silence for a moment before she replied.


    ''Yes, I do. And I''ve already begun.''


    For some reason, Zaroth wasn''t surprised by her answer.


    ''Does it involve me getting stronger so we can kill the gods?'' he asked. S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Pretty much. But unlike that ''legendary beast master'' who tamed living beasts, you resurrected me from the dead. Considering that I''m forever indebted to you, I will never do anything that could cause you harm.''


    ''I see... well, I can''t blame you, and it''s not like I don''t share the same goal. But I''m curious¡ª''


    Luna interrupted him, answering his question before he could even ask it.


    ''No, Zaroth, I didn''t lie. If you want us to sleep together, your heart really needs to become stronger, or you''ll die.''


    "Damn it! I really wish you''d lied about that!" Zaroth muttered under his breath.


    As the lecture ended, Zaroth wondered, ''If that legendary beast master could destroy an entire continent, what would I be able to achieve at my peak?''


    ''You¡­ we would kill the gods, of course!'' Luna answered immediately, making him curve his lips into a pleasant smile.


    He got up from his seat, intending to leave. It wasn''t like any of the nobles would want to talk to a commoner like him¡­


    Or at least that''s what he thought, until¡ª


    "Hello."


    A male voice called out, drawing Zaroth''s attention. He turned his head to see the black-haired, white-eyed man who had asked the professor about the legendary beast master.


    The man extended his right hand for a handshake. "My name is Zack. What''s yours?"

 Chapter 15: Friendship?

    ''Zack?'' Zaroth was surprised¡ªnot only because a noble had gone out of his way to talk to him, but also because he had introduced himself as ''Zack.''


    ''Considering he''s a noble, I would think his name would be something longer, like Zackariah Maximilian Theodore Augustus Montgomery Cunningham Worthington IV The Great. No¡­ considering the expensive watch on his hand, his name should be even longer!''


    With a confused look on his face, Zaroth returned the handshake.


    "Oh, are you surprised about my name? I do have a long name, but unlike the other nobles, I don''t enjoy wasting everyone''s time by saying it every single time I want to introduce myself."


    Zack smile before adding, "So, I just go by Zack."


    "I see... my name is Zaroth."


    "That''s a nice name. I just wanted us to get familiar with each other. Oh, and also, thank you for putting that noble in his place earlier, he really got on my nerves," Zack said as he released his hand.


    "No need to thank me. I just defended my honor, that''s all there was to it." Despite his words, Zaroth''s thoughts were completely different: ''Honor? Who gives a crap about that! It just felt good humiliating the rich!''


    "If you don''t have plans, what do you say we walk to the room where our next lecture will take place together?" Zack asked.


    Zaroth felt weird talking to a noble as if they were equals, but he didn''t really have any plans. Besides, if he followed Zack, he''d find the room faster.


    "Sure, lead the way," Zaroth said, trying to keep a friendly tone. It was at that moment he realized he lacked experience talking to people his age.


    Zaroth, with his white hair and green, cat-like eyes, and Zack, with his raven-black hair and white eyes, made quite the unexpected pair as they walked through the academy corridors.


    Zaroth wasn''t sure, but he felt he was being stared at more than usual. Most of these stares weren''t from men but from women. ''Are they staring at me or at him?'' he wondered. ''Or maybe we just make for a weird pair.''


    "I''m really glad, you know," Zack spoke, breaking Zaroth out of his thoughts.


    "Glad about what?" Zaroth asked.


    "Before I came here, I thought no one would have a high-tier blessing like me. Or if they did, they''d just be some arrogant rich kid¡­ Looking at you, I''m happy my assumptions were wrong."


    Zaroth couldn''t contain his curiosity and asked, "A¡­ high-tier blessing?"


    Zack''s eyes narrowed slightly before answering. "Oh, yeah. Considering you aren''t a noble, you wouldn''t know. This information isn''t shared with the public. You see, unlike what the masses have been told, there exist different tiers of blessings."


    Zaroth, hungry for information, didn''t interrupt Zack and tried to absorb as much as he could.


    "There are low-, mid-, and high-tier blessings. It depends on the god you are associated with. The higher the tier of the blessing, the more powerful your class becomes," Zack explained.


    "But¡­ why would you think I have a high-tier blessing?" Zaroth asked curiously.


    "Because my class and god''s blessing allow me to see it," Zack said, stopping and pointing at one of his white eyes.


    Strangely, now that Zaroth was able to take a closer look, Zack''s gaze was almost unsettling, as if he could peer into Zaroth''s very soul without issue.


    "Apart from me and Elysia, the chairwoman, I thought no one else was gifted with such strength until¡­" He shifted his gaze to Zaroth with a smile. "I met you. Now I see how a commoner could enter the academy as an A-class student, no less!"


    Zaroth had learned valuable information. Now he knew not only that he had a high-tier blessing but also that Elysia and Zack possessed one as well.


    But the ability to obtain that kind of information just by looking at someone? Zaroth couldn''t hold back his curiosity.


    "To be able to see so much... What is your class and god''s blessing?" Zaroth asked. S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Zack''s eyes narrowed slightly, and his smile disappeared. "I can''t blame you for asking, since you''re not a noble, but asking someone to disclose that information is very disrespectful. Knowing it would allow you to guess their weaknesses."


    This was news to Zaroth. ''So I guess I have to conceal that I''m a beast tamer, huh?''


    "Oh, I guess we''ve arrived," Zack said, stopping in front of a door.


    ''What? How did we get here so fast?'' Zaroth wondered. Activating his bracelet, which also included a time-telling function, he saw the time was 9:44¡ªone minute before the lecture was set to start.


    ''Did time speed up or something?'' he wondered.


    "Hey, what do you say we grab lunch later?" Zack asked, entering the room.


    "Sure, why not," Zaroth responded.


    "Sweet," Zack said as he went to the front to take a seat, while Zaroth found a spot near the back.


    ''Zaroth¡­ I can''t believe it!'' Luna''s voice resonated in his mind as he sat down, startling him for a moment.


    ''What? Is something the matter?''


    ''Yes! You, of all people, managed to make a friend!''


    *****


    The class passed without much trouble. The main topic of discussion was the ''system'' that they sometimes heard in their heads. The class was taught by an old woman in her 60s.


    In short, the system responded only when a person gained their blessing, used it in a unique way, or when the gods decided to communicate directly with an individual.


    The stronger a person was, the more often they could theoretically interact with the system.


    The woman also tried to explain how to use mana to cast spells, but it seemed Zaroth didn''t have much luck in that regard.


    When the next lesson began¡ªthe Physical Body Training class¡ªZaroth found himself outside the academy on the training field. The A-class students had formed four lines, and somehow, Zaroth ended up at the front, with Zack on his right.


    In front of them stood a man with a large build who appeared to be in his mid-40s. He had a large scar over his left eye. Today, there weren''t any clouds in the sky, so the bald man''s head shone, reflecting the rays of the sun and illuminating the surrounding area.


    "Maggots!" the man shouted, pacing back and forth. "Even if you are A-class, here you are nothing! Today, you will witness what truly hard training is!"


    He extended his arm and pointed to the running field. "This running field has a 500-meter circumference. I want you to quickly warm up before we start our main training regime!"


    A menacing smile appeared on his face. "Let''s see¡­ since it''s your first day, I suppose I should go easy on you. Make fifty laps around the running field!"

 Chapter 16: Rival

    The entirety of the students moved, running through the field in the union, under the teacher''s watchful gaze. Zaroth was one hand''s distance from Zack, so he asked him,


    "So, other than how strong a blessing is, can you see something else about a person? For instance, their class or something similar?"


    Zack smiled, as though unbothered by the constant pressure of running, and answered, "Unfortunately, no, but maybe I will be able to in the future as I get stronger. Who knows?"


    ''Good, he won''t be able to see that I''m a Beast Tamer.''


    After they completed the first lap, the teacher shouted, "Alright, you can run as fast as you want from now on! The first twenty people that finish will get a reward!"


    Upon hearing that, about half of the students sped up, while the other half slowed their pace. The reason was clear, this exercise was about to test whether the class of an individual was in the knight or mage category.


    Zaroth, being a Beast Tamer, was also part of the mage category, but despite his peers, he didn''t slow down. No¡­ he sped up, matching Zack''s speed, who continued to look unbothered.


    ''Breathe in, breathe out,'' Zaroth was running with everything he had, trying to match Zack''s speed, and it showed, his breathing was irregular.


    Zack noticed the fact that Zaroth was trying to match his speed. With a smile, he said, "Let''s see if you can keep up," and then immediately sped up, placing himself at the front of the students. With a silent curse, Zaroth followed.


    ''Luna was right, I really have neglected my stamina!''


    His muscles ached badly, but he continued regardless of that.


    Shifting his gaze to Zack, he thought, ''Considering the stamina he shows, his class must enhance his body, so he is of the knight category¡­ It''s stupid to compare myself to him, but for some reason, I don''t want to stay behind.''


    After the tenth lap, there was a clear order. At last place was a group of about 40 people clearly struggling with the challenge; they were of the mage category. Next was another group of around 40 people. These ones were much farther ahead and didn''t seem to be giving it their all.


    In fact, no one seemed to be giving it their all, with one exception¡­


    At the front of everyone were two men running. One was on the shorter side, with white hair and green cat-like eyes. It was clear that he was giving it his all. The way he moved seemed as though he was about to pass out, but he simply refused to fall behind.


    And at the very front, a tall man with raven-black hair and white eyes was running with a bored expression, clearly showing that he didn''t count this as an exercise at all.


    The only time his expression changed was when he would glance back to see that the white-haired boy continued to follow him, not wanting to give up.


    ''Don''t stop now! You wanted strength, didn''t you?! This is the perfect place for it! Now you are training the most important thing after your mana core, your stamina!'' Luna said in Zaroth''s head, trying to keep him motivated.


    ''I''ve run 25 laps already! Isn''t that enough?!'' Zaroth complained. His body was on the verge of shutting down.


    Glancing back, he saw that already dozens of students had given up and were resting on their backs while the teacher was looking at them with disappointment.


    ''Tell me, why would I need so much stamina?!'' Zaroth was becoming irritated, not only because he was exhausted, but because the entire time, Zack was in front of him, running. It looked like the man hadn''t even dropped a sweat, as if running this much was nothing to him.


    ''Zaroth¡­ you know I''m a greedy woman¡­'' Luna commented during their conversation. Zaroth was too exhausted to even communicate with her, but deciding it was better to distract himself somehow from the pain, he answered.


    ''What¡­ are you even saying?''


    ''What I''m saying, dummy, is that once your mana core becomes strong enough to allow us to sleep together, I don''t think your current stamina will be enough to satisfy me...''


    Zaroth''s face became red. He wasn''t sure if it was because of embarrassment, anger, or both. ''I''m going to kill the gods, aren''t I?! I will not let a measly half a marathon stop me!''


    A bit more than an hour after the running began, Zack finished in first place, and Zaroth not much behind in second place.


    Zaroth was now lying on his back, breathing heavily, while Zack stood tall next to him, seemingly unbothered by the physical energy they had just exerted, drinking from a bottle of water.


    "Thirsty¡­" Zaroth whispered slightly, watching Zack.


    "Hm?" Zack raised an eyebrow. "Do you want water?"


    Zaroth nodded slightly, but he was too tired to move. Seeing that, Zack picked a new bottle of water, unscrewed the cap, and poured the cold liquid over Zaroth''s head.


    "Ah, heaven!" Zaroth might have complained in another situation, but now most of the water was entering his mouth, while some of it was falling on his forehead, cooling it.


    Zack burst into laughter as soon as the water bottle ran out of liquid.


    "What is it?" Zaroth asked. He felt a bit better now that he had drunk something cold.


    "Nothing," Zack responded, still holding his stomach. "It''s just that it''s clear your class is of the mage category, yet you kept my pace." He continued as he held out his hand, intending to offer Zaroth support. "So I wonder how well you can use your mana, rival."


    Zaroth smiled slightly as he took his hand. "You haven''t seen even half of what I''m capable of¡­ rival."


    There were about thirty minutes until the end of the lesson, but the teacher decided to let them go so they could take a shower without having to sacrifice time from their lunch break.


    ''This is what I call a good teacher!'' Zaroth thought, seeing his teacher in a new light.


    Now the men were in the shower room, of course, separated from the women. Naturally, when you are about to shower, you had to take your own clothes off. Zaroth used that time to get a better representation of the fitness level of the students.


    ''So¡­ I was right¡­'' He had trained for some time, so he had some muscles, but there were some who had simply absorbed a level of musculature, and Zack was one of them. But one other notable thing was that Zaroth was the leanest.


    Which wasn''t surprising considering how much time he had spent without food, but he was so lean it was considered dangerous. His veins were visible on his abs.


    ''I guess I really need to bulk up¡­''


    *****


    After the shower, Zaroth and Zack went to the dining area. It was a huge place, but despite that, there weren''t almost any free tables. After finally finding a place, they sat down.


    Zaroth let out an exhausted sigh. His muscles'' soreness was just starting to hit him, but despite that, he was smiling because the reward for finishing second in the race was in front of him¡­ a steak!


    Zaroth had never seen, much less eaten, something that was supposed to be reserved only for the richest. He was about to dig in until a male voice came from his side.


    "Hello, is that seat available? If it''s okay with you, can I sit here?"


    Zaroth shifted his gaze to the tall man. He had a handsome face with blonde hair and blue eyes... ''Wait, haven''t I seen him somewhere?'' he wondered until he remembered.


    ''Wait, isn''t that the guy I approached on the day of the test? How was he called¡­ Roran?''


    Before he could respond, a voice came behind him.


    "It''s available¡­ you can sit here." It was Zack. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    With a nod, Roran pulled the chair back and sat at their table, while Zack watched him with a smile, his white eyes shining with a dangerous intensity.


    "To think¡­ there was a third one¡­" he muttered under his breath.

 Chapter 17: New goal

    "Hm?" Zaroth raised an eyebrow. "A third one¡­ wait, don''t tell me that guy also has a high-tier blessing!" he said, turning his head to Zack.


    "Yeah, I didn''t know there would be another one in our year¡­ much less one that isn''t in A-class. You are?" Zack asked, turning to Roran, who was looking at them with an unreadable expression.


    "From B-class. And what was that you said about blessings?" Roran responded.


    Zack quickly explained to him how blessings were actually divided into tiers. Surprisingly, at the end of the explanation, Roran didn''t look too surprised. S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "You¡­ don''t look too surprised," Zaroth remarked, glancing at Roran.


    At the question, Roran awkwardly scratched the back of his head before answering. "Well¡­ I''ve suspected that I''m different from the others¡­" His blue eyes shone slightly, emitting a menacing glow.


    "After all, most of my peers are too weak."


    While Zack and Roran chatted happily, Zaroth didn''t miss the chance to enjoy every second of his steak.


    ''Man! To think some people eat something like this every day! If I succeed in accomplishing my mission and gaining Elysia''s support, would I be able to eat something like this every day too?''


    While the trio chatted happily, a thought came into Zaroth''s mind.


    ''I, a person able to control a mythical dragon, have a high-tier blessing¡­ if these two also have blessings of similar power, how strong are they really?''


    He wanted to ask until his bracelet activated. In fact, glancing around, it seemed the bracelets of every student had activated.


    A message appeared before Zaroth''s eyes,


    [Announcement]


    [To every student in every academy, from the first to the last year: All are to appear in the grand arena by 14:30, where the Emperor will make a grand announcement.]


    ''So it has begun¡­'' Zaroth thought, seeing the message.


    "Ah, thank goodness!" Roran sighed, stretching his arms over his head. "This means the other classes for the day have been canceled."


    "Guys, you know what this means, right?" Zack said, clearly excited.


    "What?" Zaroth asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "If the Emperor is making an announcement, his whole family will be there! Including his daughters! So we must be at the top of our game!" Zack proclaimed, standing up. "We need to get dressed up!"


    "I don''t really care about that. I have Lily," Roran yawned as he got up.


    ''Lily? Oh, the girl that was staying close to Roran before the start of the exam,'' Zaroth remembered. "Where is she?" he asked curiously. They looked close, so it was weird that they weren''t together.


    "She went to make friends, and I didn''t want to bother her," Roran responded.


    "Listen, I don''t care about that. We three need to make the best impression possible," Zack said, placing his hand on Roran''s shoulder.


    "So what do you think we should do to achieve that?" Zaroth asked curiously. There was about an hour left before the meeting¡ªwhat could they possibly change in that amount of time?


    Zack smiled, and his white eyes seemed to become even brighter. "Oh¡­ you''ll see. I know a place¡­"


    *****


    At the arena, thousands of students were already seated. Curiously, the seats at the very front were left empty out of respect for the Emperor and his family.


    The belief was that their family was so pure that even standing close to them¡ªeven by occupying the row of seats nearest to theirs¡ªwould be disrespectful.


    All around, students were engaged in conversations, speculating about the grand announcement.


    Despite the large crowd, they had managed to organize themselves¡ªfirst by the academy they attended, and then by class and year.


    The more experienced students and those from higher-ranking classes sat closer to the front, while others were positioned farther back.


    It wasn''t a requirement to wear the student uniform, but almost everyone did. It was a way to showcase one''s status by academy, class, and year.


    The noble world operated in a way that didn''t rely on written rules, what mattered most was what was left unspoken.


    Even the few citizens and commoners who had managed to enter the academies quickly picked up on this from their very first day, obediently following the unspoken norms¡­


    Of course, there were always exceptions¡­


    "Who are those three sitting at the very front?" asked an irritated third-year male student.


    "I don''t know. They aren''t wearing the uniforms provided by the academies, so we can''t tell," a fourth-year student replied.


    "But aren''t they hot?" a third-year female student asked, blushing slightly as she watched them.


    "Yeah, especially that one with the white hair! Gosh, he''s so cute!" a second-year female student added, clearly fond of cute things.


    *****


    ''How the hell did it come to this?'' Zaroth wondered. He, Zack, and Roran were the only ones sitting at the very front of the arena. To add insult to injury, they were the only ones not wearing their uniforms!


    ''Though, seeing the amount of hostile gazes from male students and questionable stares from women, I guess we''ve managed to attract attention. Though, I wonder if this is what Zack wanted.''


    Shifting his gaze, Zaroth saw Zack sitting calmly, almost like a statue. ''Is this guy trying to appear mysterious or something?!''


    Deciding to shift his focus, Zaroth glanced at Roran, who was resting his head on his hand.


    "After this, I''m taking you two to a bar. We''re getting blackout drunk so we can forget this ever happened. Understood?"


    Zaroth was surprised that someone who looked like a stereotypical hero from a heroic tale would want to get blackout drunk at a bar. He was about to respond when¡ª


    "Hello, students and future of our mighty empire," the Emperor began his speech, and the entire stadium fell silent to avoid disturbing him.


    Even though Zaroth and his friends were in the front row, the center of the arena separated them from the Emperor and his family. Still, he was able to see the Emperor''s daughters. Suddenly, Zack''s earlier comments about the women began to make sense.


    Each of them was breathtakingly beautiful.


    ''So I have to prevent one of these women from getting married?'' Zaroth wondered. Why didn''t Elysia give him more information? Maybe it was her way of testing him...


    Shifting his gaze to Zack, Zaroth almost burst out laughing. Zack had become even more motionless, practically a statue, staring at the Emperor''s daughters.


    ''This guy really wants to appear mysterious!''


    Roran, on the other hand, looked bored out of his mind.


    Zaroth was once again looking at the princesses, trying to determine which one was most likely to be asked for her hand, until his gaze froze¡ªhis body and breath along with it.


    His heart skipped a beat when he noticed one of the women sitting close to the Emperor.


    "Is that one of the queens?" he muttered under his breath.


    ''Zaroth,'' Luna suddenly spoke in his mind. ''Seeing your attraction to me and Elysia, it''s clear you have a thing for more mature women, but please don''t get any crazy id¡ª''


    ''Too late,'' he responded, a smile spreading across his face.


    ''I guess coming here and trying to stand out was worth it after all.''


    It seemed Zaroth had found one more person he desired...


    The Queen.

 Chapter 18: Chat

    ''I, Emperor Draconis VII, love our empire and, above all, our people! Because of the worsening relationships with our neighbor, I am sure many of you fear the potential war. But! With this tournament, I want to¡ª"


    Zaroth found it hard to pay much attention to the emperor''s speech as he was too mesmerized by the appearance of the queen. There was something that seemed familiar to him¡­ something that reminded him of home¡­


    Even though the woman tried to hide her appearance with a lot of clothes and was hidden by her family, Zaroth instantly knew the moment he laid his eyes upon her.


    She, just like his mother, was also cursed by the muscle-rot curse.


    Was this the reason he felt immediate attraction to her? Because she reminded him of his mother? He didn''t know.


    Suddenly, in front of his eyes, a message appeared. It seemed the bracelet had notified him about a message. It read:


    [Roran has sent you a friend request and invited you to a chat room. Do you accept?]


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow but, curious to see what would happen, accepted.


    Another window appeared before him. It was a white window, and on the right side was written:


    [Current members: Zaroth (You), Zack, Roran.]


    Roran: This speech is so boring.


    Zaroth, surprised by the message, used his mind to try to respond. Surprisingly, it worked. It seemed the bracelet was indeed connected to his consciousness.


    Zaroth: What is this?


    Roran: A chat room. It would be rude to speak during the speech, but I have no intention of listening to this man for the next four hours.


    Zack: Holy shit! The princesses looks even better than I remember.


    Zaroth glanced around and saw that both Zack and Roran had neutral expressions, not showing that they were currently having a conversation.


    Zaroth: How did you invite us here?


    Roran: There are two ways you can send a friend request or, in other words, chat if you''re near the person, like in our case, or if they have written to you in the past.


    Curious to see if this would work, he checked the message sent by Elysia and saw that he could send her a friend request.


    ''Sending a friend request to the chairwoman can''t be a bad thing, right?'' Zaroth wondered. ''Eh, what''s the worst thing that could happen?'' he thought as he sent her a friend request and went back to the chat with the boys.


    Now that he was bored, he asked,


    Zaroth: Yo Zack, now that you''re ogling the princesses, is there someone to your fancy?


    Zack: Fuck yeah, you see that one to the left? That''s the one.


    Zaroth shifted his gaze, focusing on the individual Zack was talking about.


    Roran: Isn''t she a bit too old for you? You''re what? 18, and she looks at least 25.


    Zack: Man, shut up! You don''t have good taste!


    Roran: The fuck do you mean I don''t have taste?! I have Lily. You talk like that ''cause you haven''t seen her.


    Zack: Whatever. What about you, Zaroth? Is there someone that caught your eye?


    Zaroth: Yeah, you see that woman in the back that looks almost like she''s trying to stay hidden?


    As Roran and Zack shifted their gazes searching for the woman, after finding her, their eyes involuntarily narrowed, and their mouths opened slightly in shock.


    Zack: Dude, isn''t that one of the Queens? You want one of the Emperor''s wives?


    Roran: Plus, isn''t she in her early forties? Isn''t she too old for you?


    Zaroth: Old? We''re both adults. You just can''t recognize true beauty.


    Zack: Hey man, you gotta dream big.


    Roran: I really need a drink after this¡­


    Zack: What, can''t we talk a bit about romance?


    Roran: Romance?! Mate, you dressed us in some expensive suits that I have no idea where you found, and then dragged us to this mess RIGHT at the front of the seats where WE are the only ones here.


    Roran: And now one of you is trying to get the attention of the princesses by staying completely still like a dumbass, while the other has already begun his master plan to fuck the Queen. So, considering the situation, I REALLY want to get hammered tonight. I want to forget today even happened.


    Zack: Well¡­ if you put it like that¡­


    The next four hours were long and boring. Zaroth wasn''t sure why they spent so much time explaining so little information. Basically, after a month, a tournament would take place, lasting a quarter of a year. The winner would get their wish granted by the emperor''s family.


    Zaroth spent this time chatting with Roran and Zack about nothing in particular, while the rest of the time was spent admiring the queen''s beauty from afar.


    He wasn''t sure, but it felt like, for some time, the queen returned his gaze. Though it was hard to tell, considering the distance between them.


    After the whole announcement was made, the three quickly and masterfully evaded all the older students that no doubt wanted to put them in their place for daring to sit at the front.


    "How long until we reach the bar?" Zaroth asked.


    "Not much¡­ oh, do you have credits? Don''t think this is a threat."


    "Credits?"


    "Yes, check your bracelet. It has a tab showing the amount of money in it."


    Zaroth did just that and saw that he possessed 0 credits.


    ''Shit¡­ what do I do now?'' He was about to ask for some from Zack until he saw he had a notification.


    [Elysia has accepted a friend request and started a chat]


    Elysia: Very few dare to message me privately, is something the matter?


    Zaroth: Not really, just thought it would be a more convenient form of communication.


    Elysia: I see. By the way, good job handling that noble in your first lecture. It was a great pleasure to announce to his parents that he had been expelled from the academy for breaking the rules about talking about status during class.


    ''He got expelled just like that? Man, Elysia truly is scary¡­''


    Seeing that she had so much power, Zaroth felt a bit stupid for what he was about to ask, but¡­


    Zaroth: Um¡­ these things, credits? Is there a way to transfer me some?


    Elysia: Sure, for what?


    Zaroth: ¡­ I need it for a bar.


    Elysia: WHAT? It''s the first day and you''re already planning on getting drunk?


    Zaroth: NO, no, it''s not like that! I''m making friends that could help me in my mission, so I thought it would be a good idea¡­


    There was silence for some time until.


    [You have received a transfer of 100 credits]


    Elysia: Don''t overdrink, and don''t spend it all on alcohol.


    Zaroth: Thanks!


    As soon as his chat was done, Roran said, "We''re here!"


    They were standing in front of a building made of wood, with a large cup above the front door.


    Zaroth felt excited, despite being an adult, he had never drunk alcohol before because he was too poor, and in the place where he lived, there wasn''t even people who produced it.


    "Well, how bad could it be?" he muttered under his breath as he approached the building.


    *****


    ''Zaroth, Zaroth!''


    ''Ah, my head¡­''


    ''ZAROTH!'' Hearing Luna shout in his head, Zaroth immediately woke up.


    "Where am I? Ah, my head!" He grabbed his head with both hands. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Why am I so cold?" he muttered under his breath as he looked down only to see he was in his underwear.


    "WHAT?" In confusion, he observed his surroundings only to see Roran and Zack in the same state as him, lying on the cold concrete.


    "Where the fuck am I?" he asked, trying to stand up while being assaulted by a terrible hangover.


    ''You are on the roof of the academy,'' Luna responded.


    "WHAT? WHY?" he shouted, finding it hard to believe.


    ''The three of you thought it would be funny¡­ oh, by the way, there''s only an hour until the start of your first lecture, so¡­ good luck!''


    Glancing around at his body and then at the bodies of his companions, who were still out cold with bottles of liquor in their hands, a single word escaped Zaroth''s mouth.


    "FUCK!"

 Chapter 19: Last night

    Zaroth''s head felt like it was going to explode, but considering the situation he found himself in, he was too angry to care.


    "RORAN!" he approached Roran, who was peacefully sleeping in his underwear with a bottle of liquor in his hand. "Wake the fuck up!"


    "Hmmmm, Lily, one more minute, please," Roran muttered under his breath, trying to roll away from Zaroth.


    "I am not your fucking Lily! Get the fuck up!"


    "Ah¡­ Zaroth¡­ why are you in your underwear?" Roran said as he slowly sat up, glancing down. His eyes narrowed slightly. "Why the fuck am I in my underwear?"


    "I don''t know! It was your idea to get hammered! Now we''re on the roof of the academy, and the lecture starts in an hour!"


    Zack, who had also woken up from Zaroth''s shouting, began laughing hysterically, holding his stomach with one hand. "Oh gods, I can''t! This is too funny!"


    "What did we even do last night?" Zaroth muttered under his breath.


    Zack was too busy dying of laughter, so after groaning and standing up, Roran responded.


    "We went to a bar, got drunk, then they kicked us out. We decided we hadn''t had enough, so we went to a store to buy more liquor. After that, we thought it would be funny to sneak into the academy and go to the roof¡­ so we did."


    "Why are we in underwear then? Where are those ridiculously expensive suits Zack got us?" Zaroth asked, clearly frustrated.


    "I think we burned them," Zack answered after finally calming his laughter.


    "We burned them? Why?" Roran asked, frowning at Zack.


    "I probably thought it would be funny to burn something that expensive."


    "All right, I get it¡­ but right now, the three of us are practically naked on the roof of the academy, and classes start in an hour. What the fuck are we supposed to do?" Zaroth asked with a sigh.


    After brainstorming some ideas, they came up with this: Roran would write a message to Lily, asking her to bring three male suits to the roof of the academy.


    While they waited, Zaroth''s face suddenly lost color as he quickly opened his chat messages.


    ''Please! Tell me I didn''t write something stupid to Elysia while I was drunk.''


    Upon opening the chat with Elysia, Zaroth shuddered as his worst fears came true.


    -----


    Zaroth: Elysia, I want to say you terrify me¡­


    Elysia: Zaroth, are you alright?


    Zaroth: But I find this incredibly hot¡­ Tell me¡­ are you single?


    Elysia: Great¡­ so you got drunk on your first day at the academy.


    Zaroth: Forget about that! Answer my question!


    Elysia: After you sober up, I want you in my office.


    -----


    After that, Elysia stopped responding.


    Zaroth was resting his head on his hand, which was currently pulsating with pain.


    "Ah¡­ I really fucked this up, didn''t I?" he muttered under his breath.


    "What, you sent an idiotic message to a woman?" Zack asked, smirking at Zaroth.


    "Something like that, I guess¡­"


    "Oh fuck, I still remember how we made fools of ourselves in front of the whole stadium of students!" Roran cried, smacking his forehead. "And now Lily is going to nag me about this for the next week!"


    Just as he said that, the door to the roof opened, and a woman appeared carrying three student uniforms.


    Zaroth had seen her before when they were waiting for the exam, but considering how little time they had spent together, he hadn''t registered her well.


    Now that he had time to look, he understood why Roran spoke so highly of Lily. Her golden hair and eyes gave her an appearance so striking it could easily rival the princess.


    "Lily! Thank you!" Roran said as he got up and approached her.


    "Roran, you stink of booze!" she said, looking at him, clearly frustrated. "I should have known from the first day when you made a fool of yourself in front of every student here!" S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    She shifted her gaze toward Zaroth and pointed a finger at him. "Didn''t I tell you people like him¡ªthose dragon descendants¡ªbring trouble?" Then she turned to Zack. "And this one is some rich noble, isn''t he?! Why did you get involved with them when we were supposed to stay low?"


    "Now, now, you don''t need to talk about my friends like that," Roran responded, approaching Lily.


    "Friends?! You''ve known these people for only about a day! What makes them your friends?!"


    "Well¡­" Roran smiled as his eyes shone with dangerous intensity. "I found them, Lily¡ªpeople with the potential to get as strong as me¡­"


    *****


    After thirty minutes of nagging from Lily, she finally handed them their clothes.


    Zaroth was supposed to start his classes, but it turned out that every student had been summoned to the auditorium for an announcement. Zaroth and Zack quickly reached the auditorium and sat side by side, while Roran and Lily, who were from B-class, were seated in a different section.


    Of course, they received a lot of stares, probably due to the fiasco at the announcement of the tournament, but they tried to pay it no mind.


    "Hello, students," Elysia said, capturing the attention of everyone in the auditorium. "I''m sure you are all aware of the tournament that has been announced by the Emperor."


    She glanced at the students until her gaze landed on Zaroth. For a brief moment, their eyes met, and he felt a murderous intent directed his way. Even in that fleeting moment, he understood what she wanted to convey,


    ''After this, meet me in my office.''


    Returning to her speech as if nothing had happened, she continued,


    "However, there are tens of thousands of students across the Empire. We can''t allow everyone to participate in the tournament. Therefore, in a week, we will begin a hunting competition where you will need to hunt beasts and monsters.


    Those who bring back the strongest foes will be granted the privilege of entering the tournament."


    ''I see¡­ so I really need to get stronger, faster,'' Zaroth thought, shifting his gaze around the auditorium. There were probably a few thousand students here alone.


    He would need to surpass them all, even the older ones with more experience, like the third- and fourth-years.


    "You may participate solo or in a team when you hunt¡ªit''s entirely up to you."


    With that, Elysia''s speech ended. Now that Zaroth had time, he had no choice but to head to the chairwoman''s office.


    Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door.


    "Enter," came a menacing voice from the other side. Steeling his resolve, Zaroth opened the door and stepped inside.


    The murderous aura directed at him almost made him pass out the moment he stepped into the room.


    Elysia sat calmly in her chair, her head resting on her delicate hands. Just one look into her black eyes made it abundantly clear¡ªshe was beyond angry.


    "Sit," she commanded. "We have a lot to discuss."

 Chapter 20: Stupid question

    ''She looks pissed,'' Zaroth cursed himself in his mind as he sat down in the chair. ''Whatever, I''ll just bullshit my way out of this¡­ hopefully unscratched.''


    Sitting down in the chair, he looked at Elysia, who had comfortably leaned back, her eyes closed, most likely thinking about how to approach the situation.


    "Zaroth," she said, looking him in the eyes. It seemed she was done thinking.


    "Yes?" he replied awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head.


    "So, may I know why you got drunk on the first day of the academy?" she asked, her eyes becoming darker, clearly not pleased with his actions.


    ''Okay, think about this rationally. She can sense when a person is lying, so the best way to get out of this situation is probably to tell the truth, but change it a little.''


    "It was necessary for completing the mission you gave me," he said, straightening his back and meeting her gaze. Despite being scared out of his wits, he tried to appear calm and composed.


    Seeing that he had indeed not lied, Elysia raised an eyebrow before saying, "Explain."


    "Well, I have to win that tournament, right? But to do that, I need information. As I''m sure you already know, I didn''t have the most normal childhood, so as a result, I''m missing some basic knowledge. On my first day, I met two individuals who have the potential to reach incredible power, and I thought the best course of action would be to befriend them."


    After he finished speaking, he gulped loudly, waiting to see his fate.


    "So let me get this straight," Elysia said, placing both of her hands on the desk and leaning forward.


    "To befriend these individuals, you first attracted the attention of everyone present in the stadium, including the emperor''s family, by not following the unwritten rules, and that same day, you went and got drunk with them?"


    He gulped again before answering, "Yeah, pretty much." S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Elysia sighed before answering, "I see¡­ well, if you judge these two people worthy, then I guess it was worth it. Just don''t lose sight of the original goal, you have to win the tournament and prevent that marriage from happening."


    "Um, about that¡­" he began. "Between who should I prevent the marriage? Yesterday, I learned that the emperor has multiple daughters, not to mention there are thousands of students who will try their luck in the tournament."


    "You don''t have to worry about that," she stood up, most likely getting ready to escort him out. "There will be a lot of enemies, but if you just win the tournament, you will have prevented what I don''t want to happen."


    Seeing that he was free to go, he stood up as well, intending to leave, until he stopped. He wanted to ask a question but was wondering if it was a smart idea.


    ''No,'' Luna''s voice immediately answered for him. ''You''ve been forgiven, so don''t jinx it by asking THAT question again.''


    ''She is absolutely right,'' he thought. It was a stupid thing to ask¡­ but he was leaving for a stupid reason to begin with¡ªhis desires, so¡­


    Turning around, he met the gaze of Elysia, who seemed to have sensed that he was about to ask something.


    "Can you answer my question?"


    "What question?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "You know, the one that I wrote to you when I was drunk."


    Her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to remember what he was talking about until she remembered.


    ''But I find this incredibly hot¡­ Tell me¡­ are you single?''


    "Are you serious?" she asked him, her anger seemingly reappearing.


    "Absolutely." He responded instantly, almost surprising Zaroth himself.


    After reconsidering whether she should answer or not, she sighed and said,


    "Zaroth, do you have any idea how many hours I work every single day? Even if there was someone that I liked or who dared to approach me, I simply don''t have time for such things."


    "I see," he said as he exited the room. Soon after, the door closed behind him, a cheerful voice was heard screaming in the hallway. Elysia heard it clearly, of course, though it wasn''t because of her enhanced hearing¡ªit was just that Zaroth was so excited, his scream was hard to miss.


    "FUCK YEAAAAA¡ª"


    *****


    ''Pay more attention,'' Luna said to Zaroth, who was currently comfortably sitting in his seat, lost in thought.


    ''Don''t wanna,'' he answered. ''This is beyond boring.''


    After the talk with Elysia, he had gone to the rest of the classes but was suffering from something terrible¡ªboredom.


    ''The professors simply don''t know how to teach! Something that could be explained in a sentence, they take more than 20 minutes to discuss!'' he complained.


    With no other option, he had to endure what seemed like an endless torture.


    After the lecture was done, the next class was physical training. Unlike the lecture, Zaroth waited it with excitement.


    The bald instructor again made them run fifty laps around the track.


    "Do you know why the only thing you''re doing in my classes is running, maggots?!" the bald man shouted at the running students.


    "Sir! No, sir!" they answered in unison.


    "Because stamina is most important to survive! No matter how strong, if you can''t fight for a long time, you die. No matter how fast, if you can''t run for a long time, you die!"


    "So you better be grateful, maggots!"


    "Sir! We are grateful, sir!"


    After the running was done, everyone was too exhausted to continue, and they went to shower. Afterward, Zaroth and Zack met up with Roran for lunch, where they talked about nothing in particular.


    "Now, Zaroth was excited because he was going to have a class he hadn''t managed to attend on the first day."


    This was, personally, the class that interested him the most¡ªFamiliarization with Specific Classes.


    Here, he would not only be able to learn more about his own class as a Beast Tamer, but he would also learn a lot about the other classes, which should come in handy when battling against other students.


    As he sat at the back and patiently waited, a short woman with glasses entered the room. She was clearly the teacher, though it was surprising because she might be the youngest teacher Zaroth had seen at this academy.


    "Hello, students," she said, gaining the attention of everyone in the room.


    "Due to the sudden announcement, yesterday''s classes were canceled, so we have some material we need to catch up on."


    She said as she placed her book on her desk.


    "So, without further ado, let the Familiarization with Specific Classes begin!"

 Chapter 21: Specific Classes

    Zaroth''s head still hurt because of the hangover, but despite that, he focused as much as he could, trying to absorb as much information as possible.


    Thankfully, unlike the other teachers, this one seemed to be able to convey information quite effectively and didn''t need to waste an hour explaining basic things over and over again.


    "So, in summary," she said, raising her voice enough so even the people in the back, like Zaroth, could hear. She continued.


    "There are thousands of known classes and hundreds of known gods, so predicting the abilities of a person just by knowing one of them is almost impossible."


    She adjusted her glasses before continuing. "For instance, you know the class Bard, right? Many would assume it''s a weak class that uses music to boost morale or buff allies, and you would be correct¡­ if you don''t take the gods'' blessings into account."


    Her eyes darkened for a moment, almost like recalling a horrific memory.


    "The Bards make use of music to produce their abilities. Do you know why this could be extremely dangerous?" she asked.


    After a moment of silence, a timid-looking boy with glasses stood up, trying to answer.


    "Because potential attacks are hard to dodge?"


    The teacher smiled before replying, "No, because unless you have a special combination of class and a god''s blessing, it''s impossible to dodge.


    Music travels through the air, right? And we all breathe air to survive¡­ Imagine an enemy that, just by playing a flute, makes every single one of your friends¡­ loved ones¡­ collapse on the ground, lifeless¡­ dead¡­ without any explanation or reason.


    This is what happens when you underestimate an individual."


    The atmosphere of the room became dark and grim, but Zaroth, unaware¡ªor just not caring¡ªraised his voice, asking,


    "So you''ve fought a battle against such an individual?"


    The short woman, surprised by the question, met his gaze, unmoving, neither denying nor confirming his guess.


    And yet, he asked, "How did you win such a battle?"


    Some students turned back to see who asked the question, only to be irritated when they saw the white-haired man with green cat-like eyes. But probably because everyone present in the lesson was curious, everyone held their breath, awaiting the answer of their teacher.


    "What is your name, student?" she asked.


    "Zaroth," he answered immediately.


    Unseen by anyone, Zack, who was sitting in the front, smiled slightly at the question his friend had asked.


    The woman sighed before answering.


    "Zaroth¡­ all of you, this is the most important lesson you will learn today¡­ maybe in your entire lives."


    She said, her gaze turning from a friendly teacher to one that looked like a seasoned fighter, ready to kill the foe before her.


    "There are battles you cannot win. In that case, you have to run, sacrificing everything dear to your heart, with only one thing in your mind¡ªthe most important thing you should cherish before all else, sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Your life."


    *****


    Zaroth was not disappointed in the class. No, he was even impressed. He had learned a lot about how deadly the right combination of class and a god''s blessing could be.


    He was even surprised to learn that, depending on the blessing, a healer could turn into a deadly foe. Instead of using holy light to heal the wounded, they could use some kind of menacing energy to make their enemy''s skin and muscles rot.


    "Huh¡­ this sounds like the god that put a curse on my mother," he muttered under his breath.


    "Did you say something?" Zack asked, he was currently standing close to Zaroth because he had an unexpected problem...


    Yesterday, he ran 25 kilometers, and today he did the same, so after sitting in his seat for more than an hour, he could barely move his legs.


    "Yeah, how the heck am I supposed to participate in the live combat practice now?" he asked.


    Zack raised an eyebrow. "Why don''t you just go to a healer who can heal your fatigue and hangover?"


    "YOU CAN DO THAT?" Zaroth shouted in surprise. "Why the heck didn''t you say so earlier?!"


    Zack scratched the back of his head before answering with a smile, "Because you didn''t ask?"


    "OH FOR FU¡ª just lead the way!" Zaroth cried, using Zack for support.


    "Sure, sure."


    Soon after, Zaroth found himself in a dimly lit room that smelled like nicotine.


    "Who are you, and why are you here?" a blonde woman with dark circles under her eyes, probably due to overworking, asked, holding a lit cigarette in her left hand.


    "My legs are sore from overtraining¡­ and I have a hangover."


    Upon hearing that, the woman burst into laughter. "Oh gods! You got drunk on your first day in the academy?"


    After she calmed down, she stood up from her seat. "Seeing your uniform, I can guess you''re from A-class. So you have the right to up to three healings a month. After that, you''ll have to pay five credits every time you want to be healed."


    After she finished speaking, a flower began to grow exponentially quickly behind him. It was made of some kind of green energy and was glowing. After a second, spores began to fall from it down to Zaroth''s body.


    In the next second, it was gone, and Zaroth felt like he had slept nine hours the previous night.


    "Wow, thanks! You guys are really lifesavers," Zaroth said with a smile as he stood up, stretching his legs and finding it hard to believe the pain was gone so quickly.


    The woman smiled before replying, "Finally, someone who recognizes the value of healers!"


    Now that he could walk again, he and Zack went to the training room where they were supposed to take part in the Live Combat Practice. Being a little late, they managed to enter without attracting attention.


    Only to be surprised to see that they weren''t the only class there; there was a portion of B-class as well.


    Zaroth scanned the room of students until his eyes stopped on a couple that was standing a bit behind the rest¡ªLily and Roran.


    He smiled as he looked at them and shifted his gaze to Zack, who was smiling as well. They were most likely thinking the same thing.


    ''Today, I get to see how strong these two really are!''

 Chapter 22: Duel

    "Hello, class. I am Roderic, your teacher for this course."


    The tall man with brown hair and green eyes spoke, his commanding voice capturing everyone''s attention.


    "As you might have noticed, this is a joint class between A-Class and the first part of B-Class."


    Zaroth turned to Zack and whispered low enough not to be heard by the instructor, who, despite looking quite young, also had the aura of a seasoned veteran¡ªprobably more powerful than any instructor here, excluding Elysia.


    "What''s this about the first part of B-Class?"


    "Unlike A-Class, the other class has too many students, so they''re split into parts. The first part consists of the most promising students of B-Class." Zack explained quietly enough so the instructor wouldn''t notice their talking... or maybe he did and just didn''t care.


    Nodding slightly, Zaroth returned his attention to the instructor.


    "You are not stupid¡­ well, most of you aren''t stupid, so you should know this is the most important class of all," Roderic began, his tone calm as he paced, looking at the students in front of him.


    "I''m not saying this because I teach it or because I''m biased. Everything you learn here¡ªhow to control your powers, how to control your bodies¡ªis to prepare you for combat."


    Suddenly, he stopped and raised his voice, startling most of the students.


    "Before me stands the most promising individuals of this year! But don''t think this will be easy. There''s a reason 30% of students drop out in the first year¡ªit''s simply because they don''t have what it takes."


    Some students glanced around nervously but remained silent.


    "From you, I will require complete discipline, unwavering focus, and indomitable spirit. If you give me that, I promise you¡ª"


    His eyes glowed faintly, and a menacing aura began to surround him.


    "You will become one of the strongest in this empire."


    "That''s not enough," Zaroth muttered under his breath. "One of the strongest is not enough¡­ I will become the strongest."


    If Luna had been summoned, she would have grinned from ear to ear, listening to her master.


    After his speech, Roderic announced that, to understand what kind of people he would be teaching, he wanted everyone to pair up with whomever they wished and fight as they saw fit.


    Naturally, Zaroth and Zack immediately approached Lily and Roran.


    "So, are you up for the challenge?" Zaroth asked with a smile.


    "You bet," Roran responded immediately, returning the smile.


    "Even if Roran says you are strong, I still need to see it for myself," Lily said, her tone as cold as ever.


    "Then I shall be your opponent," Zack replied, meeting her coldness with a smile of his own.


    Because this was the most prestigious academy and the participants were among the most promising students of the year, being in A and B-Class, Roderic assigned them a private training room. Any group of more than two students was granted their own space.


    "Wow," Zaroth muttered involuntarily as they entered the room. Weapons of all kinds were displayed, ready to be used, short and long swords, shields, bows, hammers, axes, daggers, whips, spears, and more.


    As they entered the room, Lily was the first to break the silence. S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Before we begin, let''s say the oath."


    "The oath?" Zaroth asked.


    "Yes," Zack immediately answered. "Knowing someone''s abilities can also reveal their weaknesses, right? So, in duels like this, we swear on the god who blessed us that we won''t use the information we gain today against them."


    "I see¡­" Zaroth wasn''t entirely sure he understood.


    Seeing his confusion, Lily commanded, "Just do as I do and repeat after me."


    Lily placed both hands on her chest, and the others followed suit. Together, they spoke in unison,


    "In the name of the god who bestowed power upon me, I hereby declare that any information I learn here and now shall never be shared, neither with a foe nor an ally."


    Once the oath was complete, they split the room into two sections, one for Zaroth and Roran''s duel, and another for Zack and Lily''s.


    "So, what weapon do you use?" Roran asked, approaching the weapons on display and picking up a sword.


    "To be honest, I don''t really have much experience with weapons. I guess I can use pretty much anything," Zaroth replied, grabbing a similar sword.


    ''If he chose it, then I guess it''s good, right? Though I thought this was training¡ªwhy are these weapons sharp metal instead of wood?'' he thought. Deciding it didn''t matter, he straightened his back and faced Roran.


    Suddenly, a fireball erupted to his right. Turning, Zaroth saw that Lily and Zack had already begun their fight.


    "You can use pretty much anything?" Roran''s sudden question snapped Zaroth''s attention back to him.


    "I see¡­" Roran smiled, his eyes shining with dangerous intensity.


    ''Aside from hiding Luna, I don''t think I can afford to hold back,'' Zaroth thought, studying his opponent.


    "Well, Zaroth, you see¡­" A menacing smile spread across Roran''s face. "I use everything."


    Roran dug his foot into the wooden floor and launched himself at Zaroth¡ªbut he wasn''t alone. Several weapons on display suddenly shook and flew toward Zaroth, a sword, a spear, and an axe.


    ''Is he using some kind of telekinesis?'' Zaroth wondered, his face mirroring Roran''s menacing grin.


    "This is going to be fun," he muttered, running toward Roran while also trying to avoid the flying weapons.


    "Come, Silverfang." A light appeared beside Zaroth, and a giant silver wolf with numerous scars materialized.


    The next second, their swords collided, sending shockwaves through their bodies. It was clear that Roran possessed the advantage when it came to sword fighting, as the shockwave Zaroth felt was much stronger than the one Roran experienced.


    In the next moment, Roran found himself with a wolf biting his left arm, but it wasn''t all good news for Zaroth, as he himself found that the flying sword had pierced his leg.


    Not even a second had passed since the start of the battle, yet both men, injured heavily, were smiling like maniacs.


    Their thoughts perfectly mirrored one another,


    ''This is going to be fun!''

 Chapter 23: The room

    Zaroth and Roran were currently close to each other, which wasn''t good news for Zaroth, as he had the weaker physique. In an attempt to create some distance between them, he raised his foot and kicked Roran in the chest.


    The action created some space, but Zaroth couldn''t relax because, in the next moment, he had to duck to avoid having his head cut off by the floating axe.


    With no time to rest, the spear that Roran was also controlling appeared near Zaroth, leaving him with no choice but to try to parry it with his sword. His movements were slow because of the sword that pierced his leg, but with no other option, he had to focus. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Because he had to deal with the flying¡ªno, floating¡ªweapons, Zaroth had turned his back to his opponent. Usually, Roran would have used such an opportunity to attack immediately, but he was locked in place with a giant wolf, weighing around 75 kilograms, biting his arm.


    "Try biting that!" Roran muttered under his breath as he brought his sword down, piercing the wolf''s belly.


    The wolf grunted and let go, but without showing any signs of slowing down, it jumped at Roran''s neck, ready to kill if necessary.


    ''What kind of beast is that?!'' Roran wondered. He had managed to deal a devastating blow to Zaroth''s summon, yet it showed no signs of slowing down, as if it couldn''t feel pain¡ªas if it wasn''t alive.


    "Don''t forget about me!" Zaroth''s sudden reappearance forced Roran to split his attention.


    ''How the hell did he deal with the weapons?!'' Roran wondered, only to get his answer the moment he set his eyes on Zaroth.


    The sword was still stuck in his leg, a spear had pierced his thigh, and an axe was buried in his shoulder. Blood poured from the three wounds, yet Zaroth acted as if it didn''t matter.


    ''This guy tanked the hits?!'' Roran was given no time to be surprised as he had to defend himself from Zaroth''s slash.


    Blocking the attack, Roran smirked. ''Just as I thought, he''s weaker than me and doesn''t seem to know how to use a sword properly. He shouldn''t be a problem¡­ however,'' his gaze shifted to the wolf, which was about to attack his blind spot. ''His beast¡­ it must be at least uncommon. This will be tricky.''


    Roran managed to duck below the wolf''s charge, only to be attacked again by Zaroth. This time, however, he had a plan¡ªone that required him to take a hit for it to work.


    Dodging Zaroth''s attack by sidestepping, Roran grabbed his opponent''s sword with his bare hand to stop the next strike. The feeling of his skin being cut wasn''t pleasant, but knowing that he had stopped Zaroth''s sword, he used the chance to slash.


    Raising his sword, Roran created a beautiful arc in the air and inflicted a deep wound on Zaroth''s chest.


    Zaroth, unaccustomed to pain, let go of his sword and collapsed to his knees, his hands trying to cover the deep wound.


    Seeing his actions, Roran raised an eyebrow and said, "Hey¡­ don''t tell me¡­"


    *****


    ''Shit! This hurts!'' Zaroth cursed. He had somehow managed to ignore the three shallow wounds he had received before, but the last one was a deep wound on his chest.


    ''How the hell is this training?! I feel like I''m going to die!'' Zaroth was panicking, and for good reason. With the amount of blood he was losing, death didn''t seem out of reach.


    Roran''s sudden voice broke Zaroth''s frantic thoughts. "Hey¡­ don''t tell me¡­"


    "What?" Zaroth managed to ask, though his voice was weak, and it felt like he might pass out at any moment.


    "Did you enter combat without knowing how this room works?" Roran asked, crossing his arms. "Considering you haven''t lived in the big cities, I guess that''s not too surprising¡­"


    ''What is he talking about?'' Zaroth thought, his vision blurring. ''I''m about to die, and he''s lecturing me?!''


    "You won''t die," Roran interrupted, sitting on the ground and smiling faintly.


    "What¡­ how can you be so sure?" Zaroth asked between shallow breaths.


    Instead of answering, Roran pointed to the ceiling. Zaroth followed his gaze and squinted at something faintly glowing above him¡ªa rune. His eyes widened slightly. ''What is that?'' he wondered.


    A moment later, a strange green light materialized above his head. Warmth enveloped him, and he felt his wounds begin to close at an unnaturally fast rate. Glancing at Roran, he noticed the same light surrounding him, healing his injuries as well.


    After a few minutes, both of them were healed, looking like nothing had happened.


    Zaroth was too bewildered to move, he just stared at his chest, which had been gushing like a fountain not too long ago.


    Seeing his confusion, Roran smiled as he explained,


    "This is Live Combat Practice, right? We can''t exactly use wooden swords because it wouldn''t count as real practice. The only option left is to use real weapons."


    He pointed at the sharp tip of his blade. "But real weapons are dangerous. They can kill someone, right? That''s why we''re in this room. I''m not sure exactly how it works, but it heals all injuries you receive during the duel, patches you up, and lets you fight again."


    "This¡­ isn''t what I expected," Zaroth admitted, still in shock. His words earned a wider smile from Roran.


    "Yeah, it takes some getting used to," Roran said. "But look at the bright side. Here, you gain experience that''s basically the same as real combat, and you also train your pain tolerance."


    "So, you are telling me that everyone in our class would be training the same way?" Zaroth asked, beginning to look at his peers with more respect.


    Only for Roran to crush that respect in an instant, he scratched the back of his head awkwardly before answering,


    "Not really. While the room is intended to be used in that way, most students would chicken out and half-ass their training, most likely because they are scared of the pain."


    Now that he was done explaining, Roran''s eyes suddenly shone brighter blue as he asked Zaroth a question.


    "So, tell me, are you going to chicken out as well? Or¡­"


    "Roran," Zaroth interrupted Roran with a smile, "This class is what? An hour and a half¡­ and not more than five minutes have passed¡­ do you know what this means?"


    Roran raised an eyebrow, "What?"


    Standing with a grunt, Zaroth''s eyes seemed to narrow as a menacing smile appeared on his face. Getting into position, he answered.


    "That you are about to feel a lot of pain."

 Chapter 24: Friendly Duel

    Slash be slashed.


    Cut be cut.


    Give pain, receive pain.


    Roran and Zaroth were locked in combat. Sometimes, Zaroth fell down, overwhelmed by the increasing amount of weapons Roran made to levitate and shoot towards him.


    Sometimes Roran fell by the increasingly better coordination between Zaroth and his beast, which later Roran learned was named Silverfang.


    It was strangely peaceful, usually in combat, you have to protect yourself with the fear of not being injured¡­ but here?


    You can forget all about it. All the pain is meaningless if the wounds you receive heal immediately after the short exchange of blows.


    So, the participants of the duel could focus on getting stronger, forgetting everything else.


    "Try me!" Roran screamed. The next moment, Zaroth was running towards him for the countless time. He was about to be pierced by the dagger that Roran was controlling until¡­


    He spun his body and grabbed it by the wooden handle, effectively making it his own weapon. Without hesitation, he threw it at Roran with dazzling speed, without stopping his charge at full speed.


    Roran blocked the dagger but saw Zaroth''s sword, which he had already raised, ready to strike.


    Left with no other option, Roran used his arm as a shield. The sword cut through his arm but stopped at the bone. Trying to ignore the pain, he immediately thrust his sword into Zaroth''s stomach.


    Only to feel Silverfang on his back the next second, trying to bite off his neck


    At the end, both of them fell to the ground, blood spraying from them like a fountain. This time, the duel was even


    After enduring the agonizing pain for a few minutes, the room healed them, and they stood up.


    "Let''s see..." Roran said with a smile, as if they hadn''t just tried their best to kill each other. "I have 22 wins, you have 14 wins, and there''s 1 even?"


    Zaroth furrowed his eyebrows. "No, it''s 21 wins for you, 14 wins for me, and there are 2 evens."


    "So you call that one even?" Roran asked with a smile.


    "Of course it was even!" Zaroth spat back, irritated.


    "Hey," a voice interrupted their conversation, it was Lily''s. "Let''s switch."


    "Switch?" Zaroth asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "Yes," she said, pointing at Zack, who was lying on the ground. His face was burned, so he had to wait to be healed.


    "I''ve pretty much grasped the extent of his strength, so that leaves only you," said Lily, turning to Zaroth.


    ''Should I feel flattered or offended?'' Zaroth wondered, "It will be my pleasure."


    "No¡­ the pleasure is all mine," said Lily, grinning.


    The next second, there was a fireball a meter before reaching Zaroth''s face.


    "Wow, already?" he muttered under his breath as he dug his foot into the floor and ran toward her location, Silverfang not far behind.


    ''She''s using some kind of spells¡­ so she should be weak against close attacks!'' With that thought, he approached her, raising his sword, ready to deliver a vertical strike.


    Only for her to dodge it by sidestepping and following it with a punch to his stomach. Zaroth had fought against Roran for an hour already and had even had his stomach pierced once by a sword¡­ so he thought he had become somewhat accustomed to pain.


    But now, as he took Lily''s hit, he coughed up blood and was sent back.


    Lily immediately turned, forming some kind of ice sculpture with a sharp tip, which she sent toward the charging Silverfang, effectively stopping his charge.


    "How the fuck?! Does she also have a high-tier blessing? Or is she just that experienced?" he grunted as he stood up. "Whatever the case, I''m not going down without a fight!"


    *****


    "Disappointing¡­" Roderic muttered under his breath as he walked slowly down the hallway.


    "I''ve already checked the situation with this year''s students¡­ and it''s not good¡­" he cursed silently.


    "No one, even in A-class, showed promise or fighting spirit today¡­ All of the students were too cautious of one another and too afraid to get scratched by their opponents¡­ At this rate, we might really lose our status as the most prestigious academy¡­" sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Looking at the time, he saw that it was 17:10, 10 minutes after the end of the lesson.


    "Now that I think about it, wasn''t there one more group?"


    There was one group he had yet to check up on, but considering that it included the three fools who had disrespected the emperor, he didn''t have high hopes for them.


    "Well, better check on them¡­ though I won''t be surprised if they''ve already left."


    Walking toward their assigned room, he stopped in pleasant surprise, as he could still hear the sounds of combat from the other side.


    "So they still haven''t left yet¡­ that''s good."


    Placing both of his hands on his chest, he spoke,


    "In the name of the god who bestowed power upon me, I hereby declare that any information I learn here and now shall never be shared, neither with a foe nor an ally."


    It was a stupid formality to swear an oath, but the noble families required it, so he had little choice.


    With a sigh, he opened the door. Immediately, the smell of blood reached his nostrils.


    "Is that all you''ve got?!" spat a woman whose golden hair and eyes gave her an appearance similar to a princess.


    "You''re the one bleeding from your wrist, Lily! Not me!" shouted a white-haired man with green, cat-like eyes.


    In response, the woman sent a fireball, hitting him in the face. The man, ignoring the pain as he felt his face burn, grinned and charged toward the woman with a giant wolf at his side.


    "What is that ability?" shouted a tall man with blonde hair and blue eyes. It looked like there were multiple floating weapons around him, most likely using them as shields.


    "You''re the one to talk!" spat back a man with raven-black hair and white eyes. He had received multiple wounds, and yet he didn''t seem to bleed. What''s more, he was holding a sword that seemed to be made out of blood.


    Watching the fight before him, Roderic couldn''t help but smile in awe. "This! We might have some students that have what it takes to make it after all!"


    Not wishing to disrupt the focused students, he sat in an empty chair, observing the brutal fight before him.


    With a smile, he said softly, trying not to disturb them, "Let''s see how long they last."

 Chapter 25: Second day

    Elysia was sitting in her chair, having already finished her second coffee of the day. She was now waiting for someone.


    "He''s late¡­" she sighed as she leaned back, glancing at the clock.


    19:35


    "He''s late by a lot¡­ did something happen?" she muttered under her breath, using her golden bracelet to send a message.


    -----


    Elysia: You''re late by about an hour. Did something happen?


    Roderic: Yes, I''m witnessing the birth of something incredible.


    Elysia: What? Did your wife go into labor so soon?!


    Roderic: No


    Elysia: Then what is it? You know I value my time, so this better not be a waste.


    Roderic: I think it''s better if you come here and see for yourself.


    Elysia: This better be worth it.


    -----


    "He wants me to go to the Live Combat Practice room? Why? Usually, at this hour, all facilities are locked."


    With a sigh, she stood up and left her office.


    "This better not waste my time," she muttered under her breath, walking through the academy until she finally reached the Live Combat Practice facility.


    -----


    Elysia: I''m here. Where are you?


    Roderic: Room 72


    -----


    "What''s he doing in the room for team duels?" she cursed softly. "Has the man finally gone insane?"


    Walking through the hallways, she arrived at the door of the room. Across from it, the sound of battle was raging.


    Without hesitation, Elysia turned the knob and entered.


    Her eyes narrowed in shock as she took in the scene before her.


    Roderic, one of the most influential instructors in the academy, was sitting on a chair near the entrance, completely silent and mesmerized by the sight before him.


    A loud, menacing laugh echoed through the room.


    "Is that all you''ve got?!" shouted Zaroth, who was missing his left eye.


    "I''m just warming up!" Zack spat back. His left arm had endured so many attacks that most of the flesh had fallen away, leaving only bone, rendering it useless.


    "Take this seriously, for fuck''s sake!" Lily commanded, standing in front of Roran with a deep wound on her head.


    He smiled faintly before replying, "But I am taking you seriously."


    His answer only irritated the girl further. "Don''t you start lying to me! I know if you were taking this seriously, you would''ve beaten me in mere seconds!" Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Elysia shifted her gaze to Roderic, who was still fixated on the fight. Her voice, dark and threatening, cut through the chaos.


    "What the fuck is this?"


    Finally realizing that the chairwoman had entered, Roderic met her gaze with a smile. "The birth of new geniuses!"


    His answer only worsened her mood.


    Looking at the brutal scene before her, Elysia saw only one thing: four people on the verge of killing one another, even with the healing provided by the room.


    "STOP THIS NONSENSE AT ONCE!" Elysia shouted, her voice cutting through the chaos and finally snapping the four youngsters out of their frenzy as they turned to face her.


    "Did¡­ did we do something wrong?" Lily asked, stuttering. Just looking at Elysia¡ªthe chairwoman and one of the strongest people in the empire¡ªfilled her with dread.


    Elysia shifted her gaze to the timid girl before replying, "Have you done something wrong, you ask?!" Her voice grew angrier with every word.


    "Come. Stand by my side."


    Lily was startled by the sudden request, but with no choice, she obeyed. She took a step forward.


    Then a second.


    On the third step, Lily collapsed, unable to move.


    "Lily!" Roran screamed, rushing to her side¡­ only to collapse after his third step as well.


    "What is going on?" Zaroth muttered, before collapsing, unable to move. Zack followed immediately after.


    Elysia took a deep breath, trying to calm herself before explaining.


    "You fools! The room may heal your injuries, but not your exhaustion! If you had gone any longer, you would have died from sheer overexertion!"


    Zaroth, now lying on the floor, realized that he not only felt physical pain but also a sharp ache in his chest¡ªit was as if his mana core was on the verge of cracking. Without hesitation, he desummoned Silverfang.


    Trying to make sense of the situation, he muttered under his tired breath, "This doesn''t make sense¡­ I was just fighting a moment ago, and now I can''t even move?!"


    Elysia shifted her gaze to him before answering,


    "Yes, because you were all fighting for your lives. You must have been running on adrenaline alone, but even that has its limits! Try standing up."


    The four bodies lying on the floor didn''t move. A terrified voice broke the silence¡ªLily''s.


    "I¡­ I can''t move a muscle," she whispered.


    "There''s a reason this lecture is usually only an hour and a half," Elysia said as she glanced at the current time¡ª20:12.


    "When did you start this class?"


    "15:30, ma''am," Roran replied weakly.


    "Five hours¡­ It''s a miracle you''re still alive," Elysia muttered under her breath. She turned her piercing gaze toward Roderic.


    "You¡­ after I deal with them, I want you in my office."


    Trying to hide the fact that he was sweating bullets, he replied timidly,


    "Yes, ma''am."


    With a sigh, Elysia flicked her finger, and the four students were lifted into the air.


    It was a strange experience for Zaroth. It felt as though he was frozen in time¡ªhe couldn''t even open his mouth to speak. All he could do was observe.


    ''Luna¡­'' he began hesitantly in his mind.


    ''No, it wasn''t wrong. I am proud,'' she replied immediately, cutting off his question.


    ''Proud?'' He would have raised an eyebrow if he wasn''t frozen.


    ''Yes. You must increase your strength faster¡ªmuch faster than everyone else here. Today, not only did you push past the limitations of your physical body, but your coordination with Silverfang also improved, strengthening your core.''


    ''Then¡­''


    ''No, you are still far too weak to handle me,'' Luna answered his unspoken question.


    ''Curses,'' Zaroth thought bitterly.


    *****


    Smoking her cigarette, Sylvia savored the rare moment of peace she had as a healer.


    Until the doors to her room suddenly burst open.


    Shifting her gaze, she saw Elysia enter, bearing a menacing expression.


    "Boss, what''s wrong?" Sylvia asked, cursing internally. ''Shit, she''s not here to scold me for smoking in the infirmary, right?''


    She prepared for anything¡ªor so she thought¡ªuntil four floating bodies entered behind Elysia.


    No, they weren''t corpses. It was just that the sheer amount of dried blood on their bodies and the rips in their clothes easily made them look like ones.


    "What happened? Were we attacked?!" Sylvia shouted, rushing to tend to the wounds of the four students.


    "Yes, we were," Elysia replied instantly, "Attacked by idiocy."


    After placing the four students on the empty beds, Elysia turned her back to leave, but then she suddenly stopped.


    "Sylvia," she said coldly.


    "Y-yes?" Sylvia replied timidly.


    "If I catch you smoking in the infirmary again, you will have a problem."


    "I see. I''ll keep that in mind," Sylvia muttered nervously.


    As Elysia left, Sylvia sighed.


    "How the hell did these four end up so beaten up?"


    Zaroth, too tired to care or think about anything, drifted into sleep.


    This marked the end of his second day at the academy¡ªfrom waking up naked on its roof, to running half a marathon, to fighting for his life, to peacefully sleeping in the infirmary¡ªall in a single day.

 Chapter 26: Team of Four

    The feeling of lying and sleeping on a bed while your body slowly but surely recovers is one of the biggest pleasures in life. Zaroth was enjoying this rare moment of peace and harmony.


    Until he felt a cold finger poke his cheek.


    "Wake up," a tired woman''s voice spoke.


    In response, he grunted and tried to rotate his body to the other side but was too exhausted to manage it.


    "Wake up," she repeated, this time her voice more irritated than tired.


    Left with no other choice, he sighed and slowly opened his eyes.


    The first thing he saw was a blonde woman who clearly hadn''t gotten enough sleep, judging by the dark circles under her eyes. She was the same woman Zaroth had gone to earlier to heal his hangover. It suddenly dawned on him that he didn''t even bother to learn her name...


    "Good morning, ma''am¡­"


    "Sylvia," she replied. Seeing that Zaroth was awake, she took a step back and sat comfortably in her chair. She made a gesture as if she was about to pull out a cigarette, only to stop, seemingly remembering something, and clicked her tongue in annoyance.


    Zaroth, his vision still blurry, glanced around, trying to make sense of his surroundings.


    "Am I in the infirmary?" he muttered under his breath.


    "Yep," a familiar voice came from his right. Shifting his gaze, Zaroth realized it was Zack.


    "What happened?" Zaroth asked.


    "I guess we might have overdone it a little..." This time, the voice came from his left. Turning, Zaroth saw Lily lying on another bed. Not much farther away was Roran.


    "A little?!" Sylvia suddenly shot up from her chair. The tone of her voice made it clear she was angry.


    "You idiots! When I saw you, you looked like survivors of a war! Do you have any idea how much time I spent healing your bodies just so you wouldn''t die?!"


    "We appreciate that, ma''am," Roran replied, trying to calm her down.


    Zaroth wasn''t sure, but for a moment, he thought he heard Roran mutter, "Man, I really need a drink."


    "And you!" Sylvia said, pointing a finger at Zaroth. "You seriously have to have some guts and no brains to appear in my infirmary twice in a single day!"


    All he could do was offer an awkward smile at the accusation.


    "Forget about it," Sylvia muttered as she got up. "You have an hour until your lectures start, so you''d better not linger here much longer... Otherwise, I might get angry."


    With that, she left. It didn''t take a genius to guess she was going for a smoke.


    Suddenly, an awkward silence filled the room.


    Until Zaroth decided to speak. "That was pretty fun, huh?"


    "My only regret is that the chairwoman stopped the duel before I could win it," Zack replied with a weak smile.


    "You? I was going to be the winner of the duel. Your hand was pretty much useless," Zaroth said, irritated.


    "And your eye was gone too," Zack said, meeting Zaroth''s menacing gaze with one of his own.


    "So what do you think? They''re strong, right?" Roran asked, turning his head to Lily.


    "...I guess... They at least get a passing grade," she replied, a bit embarrassed. "But I still think you''re stronger than them."


    He sighed before replying, "Lily, I don''t think anyone was giving it their all in yesterday''s duel... We all have our trump cards that we keep hidden as a last resort."


    ¡­..


    "Well, anyway," Zaroth began, having finished his argument with Zack. He now addressed the entire group.


    "That tournament... I''m going to sign up, and I''m going to win. But before that, we have the hunting competition, where we can participate as a team or solo. I originally thought I''d go solo, but now..."


    "Sure, count me in," Zack interrupted, sensing the question Zaroth was about to ask. "BUT! Do not be mistaken¡ªthe one who will win the tournament is me!"


    "What do you think?" Lily shifted her gaze to Roran, who was still deep in thought.


    "Why are you asking me? Considering our status, you''re the one who should order me around," he said with a faint smile.


    She sighed as she explained, "I don''t care about that anymore... and you know it. Plus, you''re the one who¡ª" S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Roran smiled as he glanced at Zaroth, cutting Lily off before she said something she shouldn''t.


    "We''re in, too."


    And with that, their team of four was formed.


    *****


    After that, they lazed around some more until Sylvia returned and kicked them out.


    Now, Zaroth and Zack were in class. The former, as always, sat in the back, while the latter sat in the front.


    Due to the upcoming hunting competition, the professor was explaining how humans ranked beasts in terms of strength and the danger they posed,


    Mundane ¨C A single weak individual


    Lesser ¨C A small group of people


    Uncommon ¨C A larger group of people


    Rare ¨C A small city or a very large group


    Epic ¨C A country


    Legendary ¨C A continent


    Mythic ¨C The entire world order


    It seemed that in the beginning, a jump in rank didn''t increase the strength of a creature too much. However, anything Rare and above was exponentially stronger.


    ''Hey, Luna,'' Zaroth began. ''You''re a Mythic beast, right?''


    ''Yes? What about it?''


    ''Considering that you''re now limited by the strength of my core, how much can you do right now on the scale the professor provided?''


    ''Well, I''d probably be able to defeat a single Epic beast in combat, but anything beyond that would be pushing it.''


    ''I see¡­''


    ''What, are you disappointed?''


    ''No... I''m excited. If you''re this strong already, I can only imagine how strong you''ll get in the future.''


    With that, he went back to listening to the professor.


    *****


    The air was heavy with the smell of blood.


    Dozens of bodies lay on the ground¡ªsome with crushed heads, others split in two, and others so mutilated that they no longer resembled humans.


    An injured man was desperately trying to stop the bleeding from his stomach with his right hand. He would have used his left hand too¡­ if it were still attached to his body.


    "How¡­? How did this happen?"


    They had been a large group of experienced warriors. Not the best, of course, but their numbers were strong¡ªdozens of seasoned fighters and one veteran, himself!


    "And yet¡­ how were we so quickly wiped out? So close to the capital of the empire, at that?"


    The heavy, thunderous steps of a creature answered his question for him.


    Looming larger than a house, a three-headed beast devoured the corpses of his comrades. It was an epic beast.


    And it wasn''t alone.


    A giant, bird-like creature with metallic feathers glided close to the ground. Another epic beast.


    Why? Why were these creatures of immense strength cooperating with each other? The injured veteran asked himself, until his gaze fell upon a man slowly walking forward.


    The man''s skin was dry and cracked. Foam dripped from the corners of his mouth, his eyes wide and unfocused. Placing a hand on the three-headed beast, he spoke, "Ah¡­ you want more? Sure¡­ The capital is vast. There will be plenty of humans for you to feast upon."


    "No¡­ NO! There''s no way! An epic beast master who has succumbed to his beasts'' desires?!"


    The injured veteran''s mind screamed at him to move. He had to warn the capital! If he didn''t, tens of thousands, maybe even more would die at the hands of these monsters!


    That was what he thought until the bird-like creature landed close to him and poked him with its beak, killing him on the spot.

 Chapter 27: Plan

    After the first two lessons were over, it was time for Physical Body Training. This time, however, the bald teacher decided to be extra hard on them. Or maybe he had just been going easy until now?


    Nevertheless, after the usual half marathon, in which both Zaroth and Zack struggled as their bodies were too exhausted from yesterday''s duels, they were made to do push-ups and pull-ups.


    ''I''m getting closer to 100,'' Zaroth thought as he diligently did his reps.


    Looking around, it seemed most of the students in A-class had finally begun to give it their all. Of course, Zaroth didn''t compare himself to them, as some of them were knights, so their physical bodies were stronger than his own.


    The only person he compared himself to was Zack, which was foolish in its own way, considering Zack was extraordinary even among the knight category.


    After their training was finally over, the students took a quick shower and went to get lunch.


    "So, do we have a plan?" Zaroth asked, currently sitting at a table with Zack, Roran, and Lily.


    "Well, considering our abilities, I think we can push ourselves a little and try to hunt a Rare beast," Lily responded while drinking her coffee.


    "I''m not sure¡­" Roran joined in. "It might be pushing it a little too much¡­"


    "Well, maybe, but considering that second, third, and fourth-year students will be participating as well, I think we have to do at least this much to stand out," Zack said, crossing his arms and furrowing his brows, deep in thought.


    "Considering that one Rare beast might not even be enough, we may have to hunt two or three," Lily agreed with him.


    "Well, you might say that," Zaroth began, "but aren''t beasts ranked higher than Uncommon hard to find? From what I remember in our lectures, the stronger the beast of a rank, the harder it is to find. Do we even know if the forest we''re going to has Rare beasts?"


    "Hm? You haven''t heard the rumors?" Zack raised an eyebrow.


    "What rumors?" Zaroth asked.


    "Well," Zack began, "there''s a rumor that the whole reason they''re holding this hunting competition is because the beasts in the forest near the capital are acting strangely and threatening the city."


    "So what you''re saying is that they''ll use the students'' power to get rid of the upcoming danger by using the hunting competition as a pretext?" Zaroth asked.


    "Pretty much."


    "But why are they acting strange in the first place?"


    "Well," Lily joined in, "the rumor is that there''s something stronger deep in the forest, getting closer to the capital. As a result, it''s scaring the weaker creatures towards the capital."


    "Yeah, apparently the empire even sent a small army of seasoned fighters with a veteran as their leader, but they suddenly lost contact with them," Zack added.


    Roran also seemed a bit surprised, likely because he didn''t bother to listen to mindless rumors.


    Shifting his gaze to Lily, he spoke coldly, "When the hunting begins, I want you to always be in my line of sight." S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Yeah, yeah," Lily replied casually, clearly unfazed by Roran''s overprotective nature.


    *****


    After lunch, they went their separate ways to attend classes. After the Familiarization with Specific Classes, where Zaroth learned a few things, they were supposed to attend Live Combat Practice. But upon arriving, Roderic said to them,


    "Due to the amount of overexertion you did yesterday, you will be forbidden from attending today''s class."


    So now, Zaroth was walking through the academy''s facilities, thinking about what to do next. In the end, he decided to visit the library.


    After spending about half an hour there, he picked up a few books,


    Strengthening Your Body Using Martial Arts


    The Art of Wielding a Sword


    Magic Spells Explained for Dummies


    After checking them out at the counter, he returned to his assigned apartment.


    "Oh¡­ How have I missed walking around freely!" Luna, who had spent more than 50 hours in Zaroth''s soul, was now enjoying the ability to walk around, as he had summoned her.


    Zaroth had decided to try reading the books, even though the academy was helpful. He wanted to learn skills and abilities outside of his own class. The more options he had, the better his position would be.


    He usually didn''t have a problem concentrating, but right now¡­


    "Oh, how good it is to be alive!" Luna proclaimed happily, stretching her leg. She balanced effortlessly on one leg while stretching the other high overhead.


    Just looking at her made Zaroth''s body heat up, and he couldn''t for the life of him break his gaze from her.


    "Will you stop, please?! Someone''s trying to concentrate here!" he cried, irritated, not shifting his gaze.


    Placing her hand over her mouth, which had turned into a grin, she replied, "Oh? Does my body distract you?"


    "Yes, very much so!"


    "But¡­ all I''m doing is stretching¡­ It just seems your mind is that perverted, not allowing you to focus," she said, getting into a middle split.


    Zaroth took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He turned his back to her, attempting to read in peace.


    His actions made Luna burst into laughter. He would have been angry if her laugh didn''t sound as alluring as it did.


    "This woman!" he cursed silently as he focused on the book.


    ''How does one strengthen their own body? Many would say that they have to train their muscles, and that is somewhat correct, but there is one thing that many people neglect.


    There are situations where a person is able to achieve something they previously thought wasn''t possible, like when you perform a spell more advanced than your current level or when you manage to create beautiful music using an instrument you haven''t mastered yet.


    In that moment, the individual has reached what we call their peak. The question is, can a person enter such a state at will, and for how long?


    By the end of this book, you, the reader, will be able to enter this state anytime you wish, for as long as you wish.''


    With Zaroth''s interest piqued and no longer having any problem with concentration, he read further.

 Chapter 28: Book

    With Zaroth''s interest piqued and no longer having any problem with concentration, he read further.


    ''First, one would be mistaken to separate the body, mind, and mana core. These are the three essential components that enable you to reach a state where you can perform at your peak at will. To achieve this, you must master all three.


    In this book, we will focus primarily on the body and touch briefly on the mind. The mana core, being unique to every individual, requires a personal approach to strengthening your connection to it.''


    "Hey, Zaroth¡­" Luna said, leaning back in her chair.


    "¡­What?" he replied, shifting his gaze from the book.


    "I''m bored."


    "So?" He raised an eyebrow. "What do you want me to do about it?"


    "Summon Silverfang. I want to play with him. Plus, it''ll give you a chance to train your mana core a bit too."


    With a sigh, Zaroth did as she asked. Silverfang materialized and immediately went to Luna.


    "Oh! Look at you! Who''s a good boy? Who''s a good boy?" Luna said as she stroked his silver fur.


    ''This guy acts more like a dog than a wolf most of the time,'' Zaroth thought, returning his attention to the book.


    Maintaining focus became more challenging as he sustained his two summons, but he saw it as an excellent opportunity to strengthen his mana core.


    ''The key to achieving that state is absolute focus. When I say focus, I mean complete and perfect concentration¡ªforgetting your past, your surroundings, and everything except your goal.


    In that state, you don''t control your body consciously. It becomes an extension of your soul, acting on instinct without wasting precious time on thought.''


    After about an hour, Zaroth felt he had absorbed enough information. He closed the book and leaned his back against the wall.


    "Focus¡­" he muttered. "I need to focus on something."


    "Luna," he turned his head toward her, "give me an idea of what I can focus on."


    She stopped rubbing Silverfang''s belly for a moment and looked at him thoughtfully. "Hmm¡­ Probably your mana core? You picked up a book on spells, right? Just go ahead and read that."


    "But isn''t it a bad idea to mix books? They teach vastly different content."


    "Not necessarily. Maybe you''ll be able to combine the knowledge in a unique way."


    "Huh, that actually makes sense¡­" he muttered as he picked up Magic Spells Explained for Dummies.


    Opening the book, he flipped to the first page and began reading.


    ''Magic! Everyone wants to use magic, but some have a harder time than others¡ªespecially those in the knight category. This book will explain things in the simplest terms so you can finally learn it.


    First, to even think about using magic spells, you need to strengthen your mana core. Some say this is an individual process, but I, the author, disagree.


    Strengthening your mana core is straightforward. There are three aspects, output, regeneration, and capacity. To improve each, you simply need to use it more often.


    Now, onto the next part.''


    "Wait, that''s it?" Zaroth muttered in irritation. "How is this explained for dummies? They basically skipped the most important part¡ªhow to actually use it!"


    Hearing him complain, Luna grinned and teased, "Maybe explanations for dummies are still too hard for you?"


    With a sigh, he returned to the book.


    ''Once you learn a spell, you''ll ask yourself how to increase its strength.''


    "Again, they skip the important part! How the hell do you learn a spell in the first place?!"


    ''It''s simple, you use the mana core as your central source of power and try to connect it to the small sparks of energy dispersed throughout your body. The more sparks you connect to your core, the stronger your spells will become.


    If we use the beast-ranking system, it would look something like this,''


    Mundane - 100 sparks


    Lesser - 500 sparks


    Uncommon - 5,000 sparks


    Rare - 25,000 sparks


    Epic - 800,000 sparks


    Legendary - No record


    Mythic - No record


    Zaroth closed the book, irritated. "This book is a scam," he grumbled as he stood and sat on the table next to Luna.


    "So? How did it go?" she asked, sipping water from her cup.


    "Bad. I think the book was a scam," he muttered.


    "Don''t be so certain," she replied immediately.


    He raised an eyebrow. "Why?"


    "Mages are weird people, and everyone perceives things in a different way. You can try to improve your mana core using the information in the book as a stepping stone to build your base on."


    "So how do I do that?"


    "I''m a dragon. How should I know? You said you needed to focus on something, so try meditation, I guess? I''ve heard mages often use it."


    Seeing no harm in trying, Zaroth sat on the ground, closed his eyes, and crossed his legs. Taking a deep breath, he focused.


    He found himself in an empty space, with the only exception being a big green orb in the midst of nothingness, shining like a sun.


    ''Is that supposed to be my core?'' he wondered. ''So the book said I have to connect it to something? But I don''t feel anything.''


    He focused on his body, but aside from the mana core, there wasn''t anything else.


    His heart began to ache.


    ''Again¡­ I must have reached my limit. I''ll have to desummon Silverfang,'' he thought.


    He was about to do so when he felt something.


    His mana core was becoming unstable, likely due to the pressure of supporting his two summons, but something in the midst of nothingness shined for a second.


    ''Huh? What is that?'' he wondered. Too curious to let it go, he concentrated on it. There was a spark glowing weakly. The more his mana core became exhausted and its light dimmed, the more Zaroth noticed the spark of light shining in him.


    ''So I''m supposed to connect this to the core?''


    He tried to connect them, and it somehow worked. It was as if his body was responding to his mind. S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The spark of light connected to his mana core with a line of strange glowing energy.


    For a moment, it felt like the little spark of light was consuming mana from his mana core.


    "Zaroth!" Hearing the panicked voice of Luna, he opened his eyes.


    "Desummon Silverfang now!"


    Without questioning her, he did as she suggested and immediately collapsed on his back, clutching his chest.


    "What happened?" he asked through gritted teeth.


    "You kept him summoned for hours! Your mana core was about to crack!"


    ''No, I just meditated for a few minutes¡­'' Zaroth thought, glancing toward the window to see that night had long arrived.


    "How long have I been meditating?" Despite the pain, he managed to ask.


    "About four hours," Luna said, standing up and walking toward him with the intention to comfort him.


    "Did you learn something?" she asked.


    "Yeah." He smiled weakly. "I figured out how magic works."

 Chapter 29: Stubborn

    "You figured out how magic works?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. She had a hard time believing him¡ªnot that Zaroth could blame her.


    "Well¡­ more or less. From what I felt, the mana core is like a sun in my soul. The more I use it, the dimmer it gets. After a certain point, I''m able to sense a spark of energy, and I connect it to my mana core," he explained, using Luna''s hand for support as he stood up.


    "So how does that allow you to use magic?"


    "Not sure, but it''s supposed to help strengthen it and my mana core, so I guess it can''t be bad?"


    Zaroth was exhausted, so after a quick shower, he went to sleep.


    *****


    The next day, after a quick breakfast, he found himself in class, listening to the professor''s lecture.


    "As you all know, we humans primarily live on these three continents," the professor said, pointing to three continents on the world map he had brought out.


    "These two," he continued, pointing to the continents in close proximity to theirs, "are where most of the elf population resides."


    His voice darkened as he continued, "This one, the central continent, is the one we recently lost due to the actions of the legendary beast master. It was the central hub where most races, including humans and elves, lived in peace¡­ until the tragedy happened."


    The room''s atmosphere grew heavy.


    "Seizing the opportunity, the demons took their chance and captured the continent. This means they now control more land than any other race, holding four continents."


    ''Demons¡­'' Zaroth thought. ''Luna, what do you know about demons?''


    ''Not much. I''ve met a few, but most of them didn''t possess the ability to communicate¡ªthey only wanted to destroy,'' Luna replied.


    ''Demons are the enemies of the gods, right? Shouldn''t that mean they could be considered our friends? We have a common enemy, after all.''


    ''Maybe, if we could get them to listen. But intelligent demons are hard to find,'' she said.


    Raising an eyebrow, he asked, ''But considering you''re a mythical beast, you must have met some, right?''


    ''Yeah¡­ I''ve met a few vampires, but let''s just say vampires and dragons don''t get along.''


    ''Vampires¡­'' Zaroth had heard of them before. They were said to appear similar to humans or elves, but unlike them, they didn''t get their powers from blessings. Vampires were also rumored to feed on the blood of the blessed and could somehow turn humans into vampires.


    "You!" the professor suddenly called out, pointing at Zaroth and breaking him from his thoughts. "Are you paying attention?"


    Startled by the sudden question, Zaroth stammered, "Y-yes!"


    "Then tell me¡ªhow does one defeat an intelligent demon?"


    ''What kind of question is that?!'' Zaroth wondered.


    "You make him think you''re on his side and manage to outwit him?"


    "Wrong! Completely the opposite! You can''t outwit demons¡ªthey are cunning and smart! They''ve mastered manipulation to get what they want from humans! You would know this if you paid at least a little attention in my classes!"


    A few students laughed at the fact that Zaroth had gotten such a basic question wrong.


    ''I would''ve paid attention if you knew how to teach, you old fool!'' Zaroth cursed silently, before getting an idea.


    "Speak for yourself! I can outsmart any demon I wish to!" he proclaimed confidently.


    The professor grimaced at his statement and, with a sigh, said, "That''s how you get yourself killed, kid."


    *****


    The next lesson, Zaroth was fully focused on the teacher''s explanation of how to use magic.


    "Once you have a stable connection with your core, you can begin using spells. Usually, the more you understand a subject, the easier it will be to recreate it using magic," she explained.


    Taking a deep breath, she continued, "For first-timers who haven''t used spells before, I recommend starting with something you have a good understanding of¡ªlike the elements, for instance."


    ''The elements, huh? There are four¡­ so which one should I pick?'' Zaroth wondered.


    ''Fire,'' Luna answered immediately.


    He raised an eyebrow. ''Fire? Why?''


    ''I''m a dragon, and we''re connected, so your understanding of fire should be much higher compared to the average person,'' Luna explained.


    "You have to close your eyes, and using your core, imagine what you want to create and what you want this creation to do. For instance, create fire and send it shooting forward to form the spell, fireball," the teacher continued.


    ''Fireball¡­ this will be the thing I focus on from now on,'' Zaroth decided.


    *****


    The rest of the classes went well, and now Zaroth was in the duel room with Zack, Roran, and Lily.


    "So, who''s going to battle who¡ª" Roran began, only to be cut off by Zaroth.


    "Lily, do you want to be my opponent?" Zaroth interrupted.


    "Why? Wouldn''t it be more beneficial for you to battle someone who specializes in close-quarters combat?" Lily asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "Usually, yes, but I''m trying to learn how to use spells. Who could be a better opponent than a spell user?" Zaroth replied with a smile.


    "Are you sure? Considering the wolf you''re able to summon, you''re a beast master. They usually save their mana for their summons," she pointed out.


    "That may be true, but I figured it wouldn''t hurt to be able to use a spell or two," he said.


    Lily agreed, and they began their fight. Zaroth asked her to use exclusively fire attacks so he could get a better grasp of how fire worked. She agreed, on the condition that Zaroth wouldn''t use his wolf in the fight. sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Roderic probably got a lot of scolding from Elysia, so he won''t let us duel as long as last time¡­ I have an hour and a half at most to figure this out,'' Zaroth thought.


    Half an hour had passed, and Zaroth wasn''t making any progress, which left him feeling irritated. Seeing this, Lily tried to encourage him.


    "Don''t expect to learn it in a few hours. Learning a spell outside of your class typically takes a long time."


    ''Even so¡­ I want to get stronger, faster!'' Zaroth suppressed a scream as he slowly stood up. His face had been burned multiple times by Lily''s fire magic. He was starting to get used to the pain, so he didn''t even wait for the room to fully heal him before charging at Lily again.


    An hour had passed since the start of the duel.


    "Why? Why can''t I figure it out?!" Zaroth muttered under his tired breath.


    ''Lily makes it look so easy! She just stretches out her arm with her palm open, and in the next second, there''s a giant fireball ready to fire! I know she must be some kind of magician, but still!''


    Taking yet another spell to his chest, he was sent flying back, landing hard on his back.


    Seeing this, Lily sighed and spoke. "Listen, we''ve been going at it for an hour already. It''s already enough. You''re a beast master, unlike me, so don''t expect to get it immediately."


    Roran and Zack, despite being engaged in their own duel, glanced at Zaroth from time to time, wondering how his progress was going.


    "A beast master?" he muttered under his breath. A grin appeared on his burnt face before he burst into laughter. His unexpected reaction earned strange stares from everyone in the room.


    ''Yes¡­ have I forgotten? Above all, I''m a beast master. And the first beast I tamed¡­ was Luna¡­ a dragon.''


    "Hey, man, I know you want to learn how to use spells as soon as possible, but I think you should take a break. Getting burned endlessly could mess with your mental state," Zack said. He and Roran were taking a quick break, looking at Zaroth with concerned gazes.


    But Zaroth didn''t hear him, he was far too gone. His eyes shone green as he felt a major change within himself.


    What he did next made Lily gasp in surprise.

 Chapter 30: Fireball

    Spells, magic, blessings, mana core, the gods, their system¡ªhow were all of these connected? It didn''t matter. Zaroth wasn''t thinking... or, more accurately, it felt like he wasn''t thinking.


    He was in an empty space, the only thing within him being his mana core and the single spark he had connected earlier.


    His mana core was glowing much dimmer than before. ''Why?'' He wondered.


    He hadn''t managed to use any kind of magic... or maybe his failed attempts had consumed some mana?


    ''Isn''t this dangerous?'' he thought. From what he felt, it was like his mana core was seconds away from cracking¡­


    But his thought quickly disappeared as he felt something shine within him. Focusing on the feeling, he noticed several sparks glowing weakly inside, almost impossible to notice.


    Instinctively, he made them connect to his mana core.


    ''Yes... have I forgotten? Above all, I''m a beast master. And the first beast I tamed¡­ was Luna¡­ a dragon.''


    His thoughts shifted again.


    ''What''s the difference between the beast master class and every other class? The answer is simple... I am able to tame beasts. This isn''t a skill that can be learned from other classes. In a way, this is my exclusive skill.''


    ''Connection...'' He remembered one of the first things Luna said to him upon assuming her human form,


    "I was the first creature you tamed, so we have a much deeper connection than any other creatures you''ll tame in the future."


    ''Connection? What connection? How are we connected?'' Zaroth''s mind was working at full speed. It felt like he was just a few pieces short of solving a puzzle.


    ''Fire... I want to create a fireball, but what is fire?'' He asked himself.


    It was a simple question, yet an important one. What did fire mean to him?


    ''Fire...'' The first thing he remembered when thinking about the element was when he was seconds away from dying, when he managed to tame Luna.


    How her beautiful green flames destroyed the camp and burned everybody in it. He remembered the joy he felt in that moment.


    ...Was fire equal to destruction?


    Maybe or maybe not, but it didn''t matter. All that mattered was that Zaroth understood something.


    ''Fire, destruction, dragon... Yes, I am a beast tamer, so I shouldn''t try to copy how others do it.''


    ''What if I don''t copy other people? What if I copy the beasts I possess instead?''


    Suddenly, the newly connected sparks to his mana core shone, as did his eyes.


    ''But I am a human, not a dragon. How can I copy her? Unless... she said it herself. We have a deep connection. So what if I just used that connection?''


    Zaroth gasped as he raised his trembling right hand.


    "Alright, that''s enough! Zaroth, rest for a bit!" Roran commanded, getting closer to him.


    But Zaroth didn''t hear him. He was completely and utterly focused... In that moment, he had achieved his peak.


    ''My right hand, if it acts the same as the jaws of a dragon...''


    He closed his hand into a fist.


    ''Now the jaws are closed.''


    His eyes began shining like stars. Slowly opening his palm, a menacing green flame began forming in it.


    ''And now the jaws are open.''


    Seeing the green flame coming out of Zaroth''s palm, Lily gasped in surprise.


    "I understand it now," he muttered under his breath, not missing the voice that suddenly rang in his head.


    [You have learned a new spell]


    [Fireball]


    Letting out a shaky, tired breath, he relaxed his body. Then a menacing green fireball shot toward Lily with dazzling speed.


    In an instant, she created two ice walls between herself and the fireball. The fireball melted and pushed past the first wall but stopped at the second.


    A silence fell over the room.


    Roran, Zack, and Lily were staring with wide eyes at Zaroth, who had started to bleed from his eyes due to his mana scarcity.


    "Did he just... learn a spell outside his class in a single day?" Lily muttered, unbelieving.


    Zaroth slowly looked at his palm, processing what had just happened¡ªwhat he had finally managed to achieve¡ªand then...


    "FUCK YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA¡ª" he screamed at the top of his lungs in happiness before immediately collapsing due to exhaustion.


    ***** S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Zaroth felt his exhausted core and the few sparks that he had connected to it. It was strange¡ªboth empowering him and, at the same time, exhausting him.


    ''Did I really do it?'' he wondered. After being granted the Beast Master class, he thought he''d never be able to use spells. So, in a way, he had accomplished something he once thought impossible.


    ''So this is how it feels, to reach your peak,'' Zaroth thought, remembering the book and its content he had read before.


    ''Can I do it again?'' he wondered.


    ''Good job,'' he heard, the voice of Luna.


    ''What? I can speak to you even if I''m passed out?'' he asked.


    ''You used our connection, deepening it in the process. So yes, now you can,'' Luna explained.


    He was about to ask something else when he felt a shadow looming over him. So he opened his eyes.


    Only to see Sylvia standing over him, her expression irritated.


    "Kid," she spoke, "this is the third time you''ve visited the infirmary. From now until the end of the month, you''ll have to pay."


    She stepped back, giving him some room.


    ''I''m in the infirmary?'' he grunted as he sat up, supporting his head with his right hand.


    As his vision cleared, he saw Zack, Roran, and Lily staring at him with bewildered eyes.


    Without hesitation, Lily asked, "How did you do it? How did you learn a spell outside your class in a single day?"


    ''Wow, harsh. She didn''t even ask if I''m okay first. Shouldn''t I feel offended? It''s not like I can tell her I tamed a dragon and used our connection to learn the skill...''


    Zaroth scratched the back of his head awkwardly as he answered, "I guess I''m just that good?"

 Chapter 31: Anticipation

    Lily wasn''t satisfied with that answer, but in the end, she let it go, seeing that Zaroth was reluctant to share.


    After making sure he was fine, Sylvia let him go to his apartment, where he was now sitting on his bed, reading the books he had gotten from the library.


    "These things actually work," he muttered under his breath.


    "What did I tell you?" Luna responded with a smirk.


    ''She was right. I can combine the information in these books in a coherent way and apply it to my class,'' Zaroth thought.


    "By the way¡­" Luna began, which made Zaroth shift his attention from the book.


    "What?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "I think I''m able to come outside now."


    "What do you mean?" S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I mean that if other people see me, they won''t recognize that I''m a dragon. They''ll just think I''m an incredibly strong, beautiful human."


    Zaroth, not expecting this information, put his book down and focused on Luna. "How did you learn that?"


    "What? Did you think I was merely playing all this time when I was outside your soul? No, I was trying to control my aura so it looks human. I guess I just succeeded," she said with a hint of pride.


    ''This¡­ is unexpected, but a welcome surprise nonetheless,'' Zaroth thought, returning to the books.


    As the night set, his fourth day at the academy came to an end, and he went to sleep.


    *****


    The next few days were quite normal. Zaroth attended his lectures, trained his body''s muscles and stamina, had lunch with his friends, practiced in the Live Combat room with them¡ªrefining his mastery over several melee weapons and the spell Fireball¡ªthen went home and read books until he fell asleep.


    Of course, Zaroth, Zack, Roran, and Lily had notified a teacher that they would be participating in the upcoming hunting competition as a team.


    On the seventh day, he woke up, stripped off his clothes, and approached a full-body mirror to inspect himself.


    A grin found its way onto his face. He no longer looked like a malnourished child. He had gained a good amount of muscle and a little bit of fat, giving him an athletic appearance.


    Grinning as he inspected his body, he felt proud of himself. He still had a long way to go, but it was clear his training was bearing fruit.


    Suddenly, he was caught in the embrace of a woman over twenty centimeters taller than him. She pressed him hard against her body, letting out a quiet, almost moaning sound.


    Placing her mouth dangerously close to his ear, Luna whispered,


    "Get stronger, faster, okay? I''m not sure how much longer I can contain myself."


    Zaroth didn''t particularly mind the situation, so he didn''t move. He could feel Luna''s heartbeat through the thin fabric of her clothes.


    ''This is like heaven,'' he thought, until his golden bracelet shone, displaying an announcement.


    -----


    [Announcement]


    To every student,


    Today we head toward the forest near the capital for the hunting competition challenge. There will be a camp where you''ll have time to prepare with your team before searching for prey.


    The hunting competition will last fourteen days. During this time, you are to hunt as many powerful beasts as you can to earn a higher score, increasing your chance to participate in the tournament.


    I, along with other teachers, will be spread around the forest, while some will remain at the camp in case of emergencies.


    IMPORTANT,


    Requesting rescue for yourself or a member of your squad will result in disqualification for you and your entire team.


    Happy hunting!


    From, Elysia.


    -----


    "So, it''s starting, huh?" Zaroth muttered under his breath. Getting out of Luna''s embrace, he got dressed, had breakfast, and headed to the auditorium where everyone was supposed to gather.


    *****


    Zaroth was waiting patiently for his friends before going in.


    "Where the hell are they?!" he muttered irritably. Usually, he was the one who was late, so having to wait felt quite unpleasant.


    Finally, after some time, he saw Lily and Roran walking toward him.


    Weirdly enough, Lily seemed to be in quite a good mood, even though her hair looked a bit messy¡ªlike she had styled it quickly after waking up. Meanwhile, Roran looked tired and exhausted, as if he had just run a marathon that morning.


    "Yo, guys! Why are you so late, and why do you look so different?" Zaroth asked, raising an eyebrow.


    Lily crossed her arms, but her tone was surprisingly pleasant, which was unexpected since she was often cold. "What? Can''t I be in a good mood for once?"


    Not buying it, Zaroth shifted his gaze to Roran, silently waiting for an explanation.


    Roran threw an irritated look at Lily before explaining, "Well¡­ someone woke up today and didn''t let me leave until she''d had ''enough.'' I''ll let you interpret that however you like."


    "I see," Zaroth scratched his cheek awkwardly, thinking inwardly,


    ''So, they were fucking.''


    ''Fucking indeed,'' Luna immediately agreed.


    ''Lucky bastard,'' Zaroth thought, feeling quite frustrated by Luna''s actions earlier that morning. ''It must be nice to do it whenever they want... SHIT! I have to get stronger, faster!''


    A few minutes later, Zack finally showed up. He was bleeding a little from his left palm, which was surprising since he almost never did. Naturally, they asked him what had happened.


    "Let''s just say it was a complicated family matter," he said, heading into the auditorium, clearly unwilling to explain further.


    Now the four of them stood amidst the thousands of students at the academy. Maybe because it was so packed, or because everyone was too nervous about the upcoming competition, no one bothered with their usual hostile gazes.


    When Elysia stepped onto the podium, her cold and harsh voice silenced the auditorium instantly, drawing everyone''s attention.


    "You already know the rules, so without further ado, get ready to be teleported," she announced.


    ''Teleported?'' Zaroth was surprised. He had never experienced teleportation before, and he''d heard that the first time could make you dizzy.


    "Don''t worry about it," Zack said, noticing Zaroth''s unease. "As long as you don''t move, you should be fine."


    The next moment, the entire auditorium shone brightly as the teleportation magic activated. Zaroth held his breath in anticipation.


    ''So it''s really starting¡­ the hunting competition.''

 Chapter 32: The Start

    In one moment, Zaroth was standing in the auditorium, and in the next, he found himself in a vast field. Looking down, he noticed some kind of circle¡ªwas it a rune? It was beginning to disappear. It was probably the residual effect of the teleportation magic.


    "Who is strong enough to transport so many people just like that?" he wondered. It wasn''t Elysia because it didn''t look like she did anything, so it must mean there was another powerful teacher in the academy, or maybe there was something else that Zaroth was yet unable to grasp...


    The students began chatting with one another. Some were excited,


    "I can''t wait! I''m telling you, I''ll catch an Uncommon beast all by myself!" said the clearly excited man.


    "I doubt it, mate," his friend immediately replied, doubting his friend''s words.


    Others were exhausted and anxious, S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "We''re first years! How the hell are we supposed to compete against the third and fourth years? They''re on another level!" cried a first-year woman.


    "I know, right?! Especially the Princess and her entire team. I heard each of her party members is strong enough to kill a Rare beast all by themselves!" her friend agreed on the spot.


    "How the hell do you compete against that?"


    It wasn''t an understatement to say the chatter was growing quite loud.


    "SILENCE!"


    With a single word from Elysia, everyone fell quiet in the blink of an eye.


    "This is where the camp is," she began. "I know you were expecting more, but this is all you get. Everyone will be provided with tents, but you''ll have to build them yourselves. Whether you choose to build them here at the camp or somewhere in the forest, that''s up to you."


    She turned and pointed at a few large tents that had already been set up.


    "This is where you''ll find me and the other teachers, should the need for help arise. This is also where the infirmary is located. If you get injured, you can come here for treatment¡ªthough it will cost you credits, and the price will be twice the usual amount. That is all."


    There was a moment of silence until a woman, who seemed slightly older than most of the other students¡ªlikely a fourth-year¡ªspoke up.


    "What about food, water, and other basic necessities, ma''am?"


    Elysia shifted her gaze to the girl, smiling as she replied,


    "Ah, Princess, this is a hunting competition, you know? ''Hunting.'' So, you''ll act like real hunters and acquire those necessities for yourselves."


    She then added, "Of course, you can request such things from us, but doing so will disqualify your team. Do with that information what you will."


    With that, the chairwoman turned her back on the students, leaving them to fend for themselves.


    *****


    Elysia was sitting in her chair, lost in thought, sipping coffee.


    Suddenly, the delicate cup cracked and exploded.


    "That fucking bastard!" she muttered under her breath. "I knew the emperor was insane, but to try to deal with the problem by using the students¡ªfucking pathetic."


    She threw the broken cup aside and grabbed some documents, beginning to read through the information on her students. Her gaze stopped on a few individuals.


    One of these individuals was one of the princesses studying at their academy, along with the members of her team. They were probably going to get the highest score in this competition.


    Her gaze then moved to a few other teams. It seemed everyone considered extraordinary had decided to take the challenge as a team¡ªespecially¡­


    Her gaze stopped on a certain document for a special team: Zaroth, Zack, Roran, and Lily.


    "These three are the ones that battled for quite some time with Zaroth in the duel room¡­ curious¡­ we are missing a lot of information. Not just Zaroth, who came from outside the capital¡­ these three as well¡­ especially the girl¡ªwhy does she look so familiar? Have I seen her somewhere?"


    Sensing a shadow waiting at the entrance of her tent, she stored the documents and spoke coldly,


    "Enter."


    A tall man with brown hair and green eyes entered and bowed slightly.


    "Roderic, how did the mission go?" Elysia asked him with cold eyes. She was still irritated by how he had let the students get so close to death during their duel.


    "I dug up some information and¡­ the news is not pleasant," he spoke, his voice tired, as were his eyes. "There have already been three teams sent into the forest. All of them have disappeared, lost contact¡ªno one knows what happened to them."


    Elysia''s eyes became even colder. "I see. You can take a rest."


    Roderic bowed again before exiting.


    "Just you wait¡­" Elysia gritted her teeth. "Soon, the time to answer for your crimes will come, emperor!"


    *****


    A man with dry, cracked skin was sitting on the ground, gently massaging the back fur of his three-headed beast as it tore through the corpses of the next unfortunate victims who dared to cross its path.


    "Are they getting desperate? They''re sending stronger and stronger warriors to stop us, yet all have failed." Foam dripped from the corners of his mouth as he spoke, his eyes wide and unfocused.


    Suddenly, the beast stopped eating, raising its three heads and looking into the distance as blood from its victims fell from its mouth to the ground.


    A giant, bird-like creature with metallic feathers¡ªpainted red by the blood of its enemies¡ªlanded close to them, also staring into the distance.


    "Hm? You say that you feel a few thousand people have appeared on the other side of the forest, as if they got teleported?"


    The beast grunted as if agreeing.


    "I see¡­ so you want to devour them next? Sure, if that''s what you wish for."


    A tired laugh escaped the mouth of the man as he began walking forward, stepping over the mutilated bodies of his enemies. "If that''s your wish, we will massacre them all!"


    The beast grunted as it began walking forward, while the bird-like creature produced clicking noises as it flapped its massive wings, taking flight into the sky.


    "We will kill them all. We will not spare a single one!"

 Chapter 33: Discussion

    The teachers had made multiple lines, where the students were now waiting for their turn to take their assigned tents. From the looks of it, depending on the number of people in a party, the bigger the tent they would receive.


    So, while the people who had decided to challenge the competition solo were given smaller tents, the ones with large teams¡ªsome with more than eight people¡ªwere given gigantic tents that required multiple people to carry.


    Currently, Zaroth and his squad were waiting for their turn to be given their tent.


    "So, what do you think?" Zaroth asked, turning to his friends.


    "While it may be good to set up our tent here in the assigned zone¡ªclose to the teachers and the infirmary¡ªit would be disadvantageous, as there will be too many people here," Zack began.


    "Yet going deep into the forest could bring unforeseen challenges that we haven''t accounted for¡­" Roran spoke firmly.


    "But we have to take some risks if we actually want a shot at being chosen to participate in the tournament. Plus," Lily said, her face turning grim as she shifted her gaze to a breathtaking woman with blue hair and eyes that radiated an aura of mysterious strength.


    "We have an actual princess participating in the competition. She, along with the other fourth-year students, would be a challenge to surpass in achievements."


    "I agree," Zaroth spoke firmly. "I think we should risk it and go deep into the forest, where there would be fewer students to take our prey."


    "I see. Then, I guess going deep into the forest it is," Roran said with a sigh. It seemed he was the only one worried about the beasts roaming the forest.


    "Still," he shifted his gaze to Lily, speaking coldly, almost like a command, "I want you always in my line of sight."


    After waiting for almost half an hour, their turn finally came.


    "Okay, here is your tent. I just need the signature of your leader confirming that you have received it," the teacher said.


    ''Leader?'' Zaroth thought. They hadn''t discussed anything like this, so he turned to his companions, only to see all of them staring at him.


    Raising an eyebrow, he asked, "What?"


    "You''re the leader," Zack said with a smile on his face.


    "Why me?" Zaroth asked.


    "You were the one who suggested we team up in the first place. Don''t get cold feet now¡ªaccept the role!" Lily commanded.


    Glancing back, Zaroth noticed that many of the students waiting in line looked irritated as they waited for their turn. Seeing that it wasn''t a good idea to hold up the line, Zaroth sighed and signed the form.


    "As leader, you will be responsible for your team''s safety and condition should anything happen to them," the teacher explained as he handed them the tent.


    ''Great. Responsibility I didn''t ask for,'' Zaroth cursed inwardly as he took the tent from the teacher''s hands.


    After checking if everyone had gathered what they needed, including weapons and other necessities, Zaroth sighed in relief and spoke,


    "All right, deep into the forest it is."


    He and his party headed towards the forest in search of a place to set up camp.


    *****


    "Hey, carry the tent," Zaroth said, turning his head to Zack.


    "Eh? Why me?" Zack asked, not wanting to deal with the trouble.


    "First, because I''m sure you''re of the knight category, making you physically stronger than me. And second, because I''m now the leader, and I said so," Zaroth replied with a grin.


    "Sure, we have a tyrant on our hands now¡­" Zack muttered as he took the tent from Zaroth''s hands.


    "Hey! I heard that," Zaroth cried, staring daggers at Zack.


    In response, the man smiled widely.


    "I know. I said it just loud enough so you could hear," Zack said.


    As they slowly entered the forest, the loud chatter of the students became distant, fading away as they pushed further and further into the woods.


    "So, where should we set up our tent?" Zaroth asked, turning to his companions to hear their opinions.


    "First and foremost, the most important thing is water. We won''t last if we die of thirst in the middle of the competition," Roran replied firmly. It seemed he had thought this through before.


    "So, near a river would be the best choice."


    "But there is one thing we have to consider," Lily said, her face darkening.


    "In the forest, we aren''t constantly protected by the teachers... So, there''s not only a chance we''ll be attacked by beasts while we sleep but also¡­"


    "By humans as well," Zack said, his eyes narrowing as he quickly caught on to what she was hinting at.


    "Yes. Considering we''re first years¡ªand the fact that you three made fools of yourselves at the announcement of the tournament¡ªit''s almost guaranteed someone will try to bother us," Lily continued.


    "So, the camp should be somewhere where we have easy access to water but are also well hidden from both beasts and other participants," Zaroth muttered, deep in thought.


    "Well, I''m sure we''ll find a place like that. First things first, we need to go deeper into the forest," Roran chimed in.


    "Yeah, but the question is, how deep do we go?" Zack asked as he shifted the tent to his other shoulder. It seemed carrying it wasn''t a problem for him. S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "From what I know, the forest is truly vast, spanning dozens of kilometers. So I believe it would be smart to walk at least a few hours away from the camp," Roran added.


    "I''ve been wondering¡­" Zaroth said, frowning. "How do the teachers plan to ensure there aren''t any accidents? If the forest is so vast, someone''s bound to get lost."


    "This is just speculation, but¡­" Lily said, raising her right hand and pointing to her golden bracelet with her other hand. "I think these things might point to our location."


    "That''s smart¡­" Zaroth muttered under his breath.


    They had walked for a few hours already, far enough from the camp that they shouldn''t encounter other students¡ªhopefully. As the sun began to set, Zaroth spoke.


    "I think we can camp here for the night."


    Zack was about to say something¡ªprobably complaining about setting up the tent only to have to move it the next day¡ªbut he stopped abruptly, his attention drawn to a rustling noise in the nearby bushes.


    Dropping the tent, he grabbed the sword from his back. Zaroth and Roran followed suit, while Lily stepped back, ready to fire a spell or two if the need arose.


    "A beast on the first night? All right, let''s see it!" Zaroth proclaimed, tightening his grip on his sword. But his eyes narrowed in the next second.


    "This is certainly something I didn''t expect," he muttered to himself.

 Chapter 34: Unexpected Encounter

    As the rustle of the bushes got louder, Zaroth held his breath.


    Only for his eyes to widen in surprise the next second.


    From the bushes, a lone woman with red eyes and hair appeared, looking at them with an unreadable expression.


    ''Wait, isn''t she the one that Elysia said to keep an eye on?! I didn''t meet her in the academy even once, so what''s the chance of meeting her in this vast forest?'' Zaroth thought.


    His teammates were also lost in thought, but for a different reasons.


    ''She has gone so far from the camp on the first day while being alone. Is she crazy¡­ or maybe that much more powerful?'' Lily wondered.


    ''There is no way that they have discovered us, right?! I made sure to kill everyone that knew about our identities,'' thought Roran as he grasped his sword tighter, wondering if he should go for the kill.


    ''Did these bastards actually do it?!'' Zack cursed silently. ''I thought they weren''t serious, but if they really have sent so¡ª''


    Everyone''s thoughts were interrupted as Zaroth spoke in a relaxed voice, lowering his weapon.


    "Hello, nice to meet you. What are the chances of encountering someone so far from the camp, huh?"


    The woman silently looked at him as if assessing something.


    ''Zaroth,'' Luna sent him a mental comment, ''Be careful around her. There is something wrong with her, but I can''t pinpoint what.''


    Making note of the advice, Zaroth smiled wider, trying to appear as friendly as possible.


    The mysterious woman studied Zaroth''s team for a moment. After what felt like an eternity, she replied,


    "Nice to meet you too." Her face remained emotionless and unchanging¡ªalmost to an uncanny level.


    With that, the woman seemed to have lost interest and turned her back to them, seemingly in search of something, until Zaroth''s voice stopped her.


    "I never got your name," he said with an awkward smile. ''If I have to keep eyes on her, that''s the least I should know. Damn it, Elysia, why didn''t you just tell me her name?!''


    The woman studied the man for a moment before replying.


    "Midnight," she replied, her voice stoic yet carrying unexplainable beauty. "Midnight Bloodrose."


    Zaroth was stunned for a moment but replied quickly, "Zaroth."


    The woman nodded before continuing her search.


    "Wow," Zaroth muttered under his breath. Speaking to that woman was strange. He felt a pressure he was unable to explain. Almost like he was prey in the eyes of a hungry beast.


    ''I see now why Elysia wanted me to keep my eyes on her.''


    Lily grinned before teasing, "Oh? Nice to meet you, eh? Don''t tell me¡­ did you fall for her at first sight or something?"


    Zaroth felt offended at the words for a moment and quickly denied it but felt for a second that she was right to feel this way, as unknown to her, he was already in love with a mythical dragon, a chairwoman considered one of the strongest humans in existence and one of the queens of the empire.


    "Well great, she saw us, so we have to camp somewhere far from here if we want to remain hidden," Zack complained, irritated by the fact that he had to carry the damned tent for longer.


    *****


    "Finally!" Zack said with a sigh of relief as he dropped the tent to the ground, but before relaxing, he turned his gaze to his party.


    "Just so you know, you are building this thing yourself! From now on, I am not going to lift a finger!" he proclaimed as he sat on the soft ground.


    No one complained, as it must have been tiring to carry the tent for so long, so they began assembling it.


    But before that, Zaroth''s eyes shined green, a few sparks of light appeared, and then a giant wolf materialized from nothingness.


    He had summoned Silverfang.


    "No matter how many times I see it, it''s still amazing," Lily commented while looking at the beast.


    "Isn''t it risky to summon it if we are not in crisis?" Roran asked, raising his eyebrow.


    "Well, we are in one," Zaroth began to explain. "We''re hungry, and it''s already dark, and we''re all exhausted from walking so much, so I was planning to release this guy in the hope he manages to hunt something for us."


    But in truth, this wasn''t the only reason. He himself was familiar with hunger and didn''t mind it, but he felt that this was the perfect time to see what his beast would do once given a command and far away from his master.


    Rubbing the silver fur of the creature, Zaroth smiled as he spoke. He could have sent a mental command to the beast, but he didn''t want to reveal all his abilities to his companions just yet.


    "Catch us something to eat, alright?"


    Silverfang licked the hand of its master before barking happily and disappearing into the vast darkness that had fallen on the forest.


    "Will he be alright?" Zack asked, resting his back comfortably against a tree as he watched his friend build the tent he had carried for so long.


    "Of course. He''s an Uncommon beast, after all," Zaroth explained, part of the reason why he was so confident.


    ''Plus, the wolf is already dead, so what''s the worst that can happen to him that hasn''t happened already?'' With these thoughts, he shifted his attention to the tent.


    After an hour of trying to follow the goddamn instructions that didn''t make much sense, they finally built the tent. Now they sat around a fire that they had lit using Lily''s magic.


    It was true that the fire could reveal their position, but it was surprisingly cold in the forest, plus¡­


    "Are you sure he''ll be fine?" Zack asked, not shifting his gaze from the fire. It seemed he had gotten hungry.


    "Yes, just wait a bit longer," Zaroth responded with a relaxed tone.


    He was quietly focusing on the weird feeling. This was the first time he had sent his beast far away, so he wasn''t sure if the connection between them would remain.


    But to his surprise, he was still able to vaguely feel Silverfang''s emotions and state.


    If he was not mistaken, his wolf should have caught a large rabbit and should reach them right about¡­ S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Now.


    Hearing the rustling of the bushes, everyone turned their gaze to the sound, readying themselves for battle, while Zaroth remained relaxed.


    The next moment, a giant wolf with silver fur and a rabbit in its mouth exited the bushes.


    Upon looking at the beast, one would wonder how the creature was alive, as it bore multiple fatal wounds on its body. But that was just the way Silverfang was¡ªbeing undead and all.


    Seeing the giant rabbit in its mouth, Lily immediately stood up as she approached the wolf with a smile.


    "Who''s a good boy?! You!" she said as she patted the beast on its head.


    Surprisingly enough, Silverfang seemed to enjoy the pats from her gentle hand, so he didn''t move.


    And with that, their dinner for the night had been secured.

 Chapter 35: Dinner

    It seemed that Roran was skilled in handling beast corpses, so they left it to him.


    Using his dagger, he masterfully cut the skin from the rabbit''s body and removed its organs.


    After separating it into five pieces, each one for a member of the party, plus one for Silverfang, who seemed to look at the rabbit with excited eyes.


    Roran pierced the meat with sticks and positioned them above the fire, rotating them from time to time, not letting the meat get too burned.


    Soon after, the pleasant smell of meat began to spread through the air. Everyone was waiting with anticipation, watching the master chef at his work.


    Unsurprisingly, the most excited one was Silverfang, as saliva formed from his mouth while wagging his tail in excitement.


    ''Does this guy even need to eat, being undead and all?'' Zaroth wondered, but didn''t object to giving meat to his beast as he felt Silverfang deserved it.


    Soon after, the meat was ready, and everyone began to eat with smiles on their faces.


    "This is good!" Zaroth muttered as he ate, almost choking multiple times, and it seemed that Zack agreed with him.


    Lily was eating pretty elegantly, as if she had been accustomed to the cooking skills of her lover. sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    While Roran smiled faintly as he thanked them for the compliments.


    After they were finished, Zaroth asked Roran how he was so good at this, only to get a reply like, "Just sort of figured it out along the way."


    Zack sighed, leaning back with a satisfied smile on his face. "I can''t imagine how this can get better!" he proclaimed.


    Roran suddenly smiled as he reached into the bag he was carrying. Everyone had taken some things with them to make the journey easier, not only weapons but also other necessities.


    Zaroth wondered for a moment what Roran had been carrying all this time. Considering his composed and intelligent nature, it must have been something he had thoughtfully brought with him!


    "There''s a way!" Roran proclaimed as he took something from his bag, grinning like a child.


    Zaroth''s expectations were shattered in an instant. True, he hadn''t thought about bringing something like this¡­


    With a satisfied grin, Roran put a bottle of strong liquor on the ground, earning him strange stares from his companions.


    "What? There''s no way we go to sleep without having a bit of fun first!" he proclaimed proudly.


    No one felt sleepy yet, so they began passing around the bottle as they talked about all sorts of stuff around the fire.


    After some time, Zaroth felt his cheeks burning. Glancing around, he saw that they had almost finished half of the bottle.


    "Heey¡­ Roran, how much alcohol did you say this thing has?" Despite stumbling over his words, Zaroth managed to ask.


    Looking at him with tired eyes, Roran took a moment to respond. "Ah¡­ something like 43%? I''m not sure¡­"


    Zaroth wasn''t an expert, but that did sound like quite a lot¡­


    Shifting his gaze, he saw that Zack had drifted to sleep. He tried to wake him up but it was useless, he was out cold.


    "I can''t anymore!" Lily suddenly cried as she got up.


    Her face was red, and her hair was messy. She shifted her gaze to Zaroth, who seemed to be able to handle the alcohol the best. Maybe it was because he drank in smaller sips compared to the others?


    "Zaroth!" Lily shouted, as she barely managed to get on her feet. "Either drink the bottle and go to sleep or go for a walk for about an hour!"


    "Why?" Zaroth asked, raising his eyebrow.


    "Because!" Lily started walking towards Roran and then sat¡ªno, fell¡ªon his lap, grasping his red head with her delicate hands. "He and I are going to¡­ you know."


    Zaroth''s eyes narrowed, but not as much as Roran''s, who wasn''t expecting that. Though looking at how he grabbed her, it seemed he didn''t object.


    With a sigh, Zaroth stood up and began distancing himself from the camp while muttering to himself, "Man¡­ some fresh air sure sounds nice¡­"


    The next moment, he leaned to one side and began puking.


    "Never! I am never getting drunk again!" Zaroth proclaimed as he puked up his dinner.


    "Ah¡­ this feels better," he sighed with relief as he took a relaxed walk through the forest.


    Silverfang was with him, keeping him company.


    Suddenly, Zaroth began laughing. "Who would''ve thought? About a month before, I was fighting for my life, and now I''m getting drunk with my friends at a camp¡­"


    His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a scream in the distance, that immediately broke Zaroth out of his trance.


    "What was that?" he muttered. He was considering running back to warn his friends, but given their current condition, they''d be next to useless in combat¡­


    Plus, he felt curious to see what the scream was all about, so he took a deep breath, trying to ignore the alcohol running through his system, and began walking toward the place from where he had heard the scream.


    "This is stupid! Why am I doing this?! It must be because I''m drunk!" He had walked for quite a while and wasn''t even sure if he would be able to return to the camp. But his curiosity pushed him forward.


    Just when he was about to turn back, he saw something that made his eyes narrow in shock.


    A man wearing the uniform of a student was lying on the ground, dead, his face deathly pale. Standing close to the body was a deadly pale woman with red hair and pupils.


    She had two large fangs protruding from her mouth that seemed to have appeared from thin air, with a bit of blood still dripping from them.


    Her nails seemed to have gotten longer as well, almost as long as her fingers, and ended in sharp tips, almost like they were swords.


    She didn''t look uncanny anymore, now she radiated a deadly beauty that made Zaroth''s eyes hurt just by looking at her. It was like the sun¡ªno matter how beautiful, if you stare at it for too long, it would hurt you in return.


    It was a Midnight Bloodrose¡­ it turned out she had been a demon¡­ more specifically, a vampire¡­


    And that vampire had now fixed her sights directly on Zaroth.


    He gulped loudly as a single word escaped his mouth, "Shit¡­"

 Chapter 36: A Deal

    Zaroth''s heart stopped for a moment, as did his breath.


    Looking at the beautiful vampire, hundreds of different questions flooded his mind.


    But in the end, he managed to filter them out, leaving only two remaining.


    First, Luna should have seen everything, yet she hadn''t told him that she was weaker. If the worst happened, Zaroth could summon his dragon as a last resort.


    But this would be the worst-case scenario. The moment Luna turned into a dragon, there was a very high chance someone would notice her menacing aura and begin an investigation. That meant a confrontation with the vampire was the worst thing that could happen.


    The second thought in his mind was that he had found a demon. He wasn''t sure how strong she was compared to other demons, but if he applied the logic ''the enemy of my enemy is my friend,'' befriending her might not be a bad idea.


    Having made up his mind, he began raising his arm.


    "Lis¡ª"


    Not waiting for him to finish speaking, Midnight Bloodrose charged at him without changing her expression.


    She suddenly appeared an arm''s length away from Zaroth, her mouth open and ready to sink her fangs into his neck. Her movements were too fast for Zaroth to follow, giving neither him nor Silverfang any time to react.


    In response, the only thing Zaroth managed to do was raise his left arm. As a result, Midnight Bloodrose''s fangs sank into his arm rather than his neck.


    The next instant, he felt his blood being sucked away. The most disturbing thing was that he didn''t feel pain¡ªsomehow, it was a strangely pleasant experience.


    He wasn''t an expert, but from what he remembered about vampires, when they bite their victims and start drinking their blood, they release a hormone that numbs the victim''s senses, making it harder for them to react.


    Midnight drank his blood, and unexpectedly, for the first time, her face showed emotion. Suddenly, her eyes narrowed, and she took a few steps back as she began coughing violently.


    She couldn''t help but mutter,


    "What the fuck is wrong with your blood?"


    "My blood?" Zaroth felt dazed for a moment, trying to understand her reaction, until his eyes lit up.


    "Wait! Is it possible the alcohol in my system made her reluctant to drink it? I really have to thank Roran later," he thought.


    "No matter," Midnight muttered as she stretched her fingers, ready to attack.


    "If I can''t drink your blood, then I''ll have to eliminate the witness by other means."


    Zaroth''s mind was working overtime, trying to think of a way to come out of the situation unscathed. As Midnight moved into position to rip him to shreds, his eyes suddenly lit up.


    "A deal!" he shouted, which made Midnight flinch for a moment and stop in her tracks. "You''re a demon, right?! From what I know, you love making deals with humans, so how about it?"


    Zaroth tried to appear composed, but the truth was, he was anything but calm.


    Hearing his offer, Midnight Bloodrose returned to her natural expression and straightened her back as she gazed at Zaroth, clearly considering the offer.


    "A deal?" she began, raising an eyebrow. "You wish to make a deal with a demon? One who has just killed your peer in cold blood?"


    It seemed she was testing him.


    "Why would I care about someone I don''t even know?" Zaroth countered, raising his own eyebrow, trying to appear unfazed.


    Inwardly recalling the words of his professor about how you shouldn''t try to outwit a demon, he thought, ''Well, I don''t have much of a choice now, do I?''


    Midnight was silent for a moment before responding. "You want a deal? Why? And what kind of deal are you proposing?"


    He met her terrifying gaze and answered, "Truthfully, it''s because our enemies align. So, ''the enemy of my enemy is my friend'' kind of situation. Plus, it wouldn''t hurt to befriend a demon. As for the deal..."


    His gaze shifted to the student lying dead on the ground, likely drained of all his blood.


    "We keep what happened here a secret and don''t share what we learned today with anyone. How about it?"


    Midnight studied him for a moment before replying in her usual stoic voice, "No. The deal is too one-sided. You know something about me that is a grave secret, yet I know nothing about you."


    ''Too one-sided?'' Zaroth cursed inwardly. ''Why do deals with demons work differently than I imagined?''


    ''Yes, they do,'' Luna''s voice suddenly chimed in, explaining, ''If the deal is too one-sided for the human''s benefit, the demon won''t agree to it.''


    Zaroth was lost in thought for a moment before deciding, ''Well, I guess I just have to risk it all.''


    "So, if I reveal an important secret about myself, will you agree to the deal?" he asked.


    "If your secret is as important as mine, then sure," Midnight responded in her eerily emotionless voice.


    Zaroth took a deep breath before speaking. "I am a Beast Master."


    Midnight raised an eyebrow and replied, "I know. I can see the wolf behind you. This isn''t enough of a se¡ª"


    She suddenly stopped mid-sentence as light began to form beside Zaroth. In the next moment, a tall woman with white hair and green cat-like eyes appeared, glaring daggers at Midnight.


    "Nice to meet you," the woman said in a pleasant voice. "I hear you''ve attacked my master?"


    Despite speaking in a pleasant voice, her eyes and body radiated such a powerful and violent aura that Midnight took a few steps back, her composure completely shattered as she took deep breaths, trying to compose herself.


    Seeing the sudden change in Midnight''s expression, Zaroth smiled and added,


    "This is one of my beasts. I''m sure you can feel how strong she is. Keeping in mind that no one knows about her, how about that deal now?"


    Midnight was still taking irregular breaths. Just being stared at by the woman Zaroth had summoned made her skin crawl and her instincts scream to flee. After taking a few moments to compose herself, she spoke,


    "I... I accept the deal," she began, but then pointed at the body near her feet.


    "But on one condition, if you see me feeding, you are not to intervene or disclose that information to anyone."


    Zaroth shifted his gaze to the body, considering for a moment, then responded, "Only if the person you''re preying on isn''t connected to me in any way." Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Seemingly satisfied, Midnight began walking toward Zaroth, startling him for a moment.


    "Relax," she said. Her voice no longer carried its usual threatening edge, likely due to her fear of Luna, who was still watching her silently.


    The unspoken message was clear, ''Don''t try anything stupid.''


    Zaroth found himself standing an arm''s length away from Midnight Bloodrose. Her crimson eyes glowed like the color of blood, and her perfectly pale face might have drawn him in if he weren''t on guard.


    Without saying anything, Midnight used her nails to make a wound on her palm. Sensing he should do the same, Zaroth used the sword on his back to cut his hand.


    Midnight reached out with her hand for a handshake.


    ''Luna hasn''t warned me, so I guess it''s fine?'' he thought as he grasped her hand.


    "I accept the terms of the deal," she said, looking directly at him. Zaroth repeated her words.


    Then a small crimson symbol appeared on the back of his right hand, only to disappear moments later.


    "That''s it," Midnight said. "If you speak of this to anyone, your heart will burst, killing you instantly. The same applies to me."


    With that, she disappeared, muttering, "I hope we don''t see each other too often."


    Zaroth was left standing, staring at his hand, lost in thought.


    ''Huh, so I made a deal with a demon.''

 Chapter 37: First Prey

    "Luna," Zaroth spoke, his head a little dizzy, "I am still drunk, so I can''t really think straight. The fact that you didn''t stop me makes me believe I made the correct decision."


    Luna didn''t hurry in her reply as she enjoyed walking through the woods. After Zaroth had reached the capital, he only summoned her in his room, so it was a pleasant change of pace.


    "Whatever. If that was the correct decision, time will tell. All I can say is I don''t think you got screwed in the deal you just made," she spoke firmly.


    "You think so?"


    "Yeah. The moment you summoned me, that girl Midnight Bloodrose understood the deal wasn''t for your peace of mind but for hers, as I could have killed her easily."


    "I see¡­ I will have to de-summon you now."


    Zaroth''s voice displayed a hint of sadness, but there was no choice. He was getting close to his camp, and there was always the danger of his companions seeing his dragon.


    Luna sighed with regret as she nodded. The next moment, Zaroth was left alone with Silverfang, who was happily walking beside him, wagging his tail.


    Finally reaching their camp, Zaroth saw Zack passed out in the spot he was before, and a bit further away, Roran and Lily were sleeping while hugging each other. It seemed they were done with their deed.


    Glancing at the tent, Zaroth muttered, "What was the point of carrying this thing if no one is going to use it?"


    Not looking where he was walking, Zaroth tripped and collapsed on the ground. He tried to get up and enter the tent, but alas, his body was too exhausted.


    The last thing he remembered was how Silverfang licked his face.


    ''This guy would be the one to watch the camp overnight, I guess,'' he thought before drifting into sleep.


    *****


    The birds sang happily as the sun shone brightly.


    Slowly opening his eyes, Zaroth saw the sun high up in the sky.


    It seemed half of the next day was already over.


    Grunting as he got up, he placed a hand on his head, cursing silently.


    "Shit, the hangover is no joke. I am really never getting drunk again!"


    Observing his surroundings, he saw that he was the first one to wake up.


    With a sigh, he got up and approached Lily and Roran.


    He placed his hands on them as he shook them gently.


    "Wake up, lovebirds! We have a whole day ahead of us."


    Roran muttered something about ''just a few minutes,'' while Lily immediately opened her eyes.


    Shifting her gaze to Zaroth''s as her vision became less blurry, remembering the previous night, her face started to get red from the embarrassment.


    Before she could say something, Zaroth spoke,


    "I will try to forget what you did yesterday. Just wake the log you are currently hugging."


    Then he got up and went to wake up Zack, muttering,


    "Dammit, why am I always the first one to get up?"


    *****


    Some struggling later, everyone was up, and they disassembled the tent as they continued their walk deeper into the forest.


    "Why am I always the one to carry the tent?" Zack muttered.


    Ignoring his complaining, Zaroth turned his head toward Roran. "From now on, drinking is prohibited."


    Roran scoffed but didn''t say anything, while Lily was still red. Noticing this, Zack commented, S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Um, Lily, is something wrong?"


    He had been knocked out at the time, so he wouldn''t know what they did while he was sleeping¡ªonly Zaroth did.


    Lily began stuttering, and seeing that, Zaroth spoke, "Not really."


    Roran suddenly chimed in, "Yeah, last night someone seemed to not have gotten enough."


    "You jerk!" Lily said, looking irritated at Roran.


    "What? It''s the truth! When you get drunk, you become a different type of beast!"


    Zack, most likely understanding what Roran meant and not wanting to get in the way of their lovers'' quarrel, didn''t comment and continued walking forward.


    "Wait! Do you hear that?" Zaroth spoke, which led everyone to stop in their tracks and listen.


    "Is that¡ª?" Lily''s eyes narrowed.


    "Water?" Roran continued.


    It was a river! Quickening their steps, they followed the noise and reached a small river.


    Dropping the tent, Zack proclaimed, "This is the spot where we set our camp! I am not carrying the tent anymore!"


    Zaroth observed his surroundings and pointed with his finger toward a spot close to the mountain.


    "Why don''t we set our camp there? The cliff of the mountain would hide us well and make it so we can''t be attacked from every direction at once."


    Everyone agreed, so they set up their tent quickly¡ªmuch faster than their first time.


    Seeing that there was still time before the end of their second day, they decided to use the time wisely and go for a hunt.


    They didn''t meet any beasts on the way to the deeper forest for two reasons,


    First, the beasts close to the edge of the forest were few and far between. Now, being deeper in the territory, it should be much easier to find something.


    Second, when they saw tracks or possible signs of beasts nearby, they avoided them, as they weren''t ready for battle just yet.


    It didn''t take long. Soon Zaroth saw something and pointed at it.


    "Is that¡ª?"


    Everyone shifted their gaze to what he was pointing at.


    "Bear tracks," Roran spoke.


    Cracking his neck, Zack spoke with a smile, "So, we have our first prey?"


    "Not so fast," Roran cut him off. Zack gave him a look as if asking why.


    Seeing the confusion on his face, Lily explained,


    "According to the report¡ªwhich I hope you read before entering the forest¡ªthere are multiple types of bears. While some are ranked Uncommon, others are ranked Rare. If this one is ranked Rare, it could prove too much for us to handle."


    Zaroth and Zack looked at each other, having a silent conversation,


    ''What report is she talking about?''


    ''I have no idea! This is the first time I''ve ever heard of such a thing.''


    Zaroth shook his head as he spoke,


    "Okay, our enemy may be Rare, but that doesn''t change anything. We will still hunt it, we''ll just be more cautious."


    As he was the leader, his opinion held most of the weight¡ªor maybe his friends trusted him that much?


    No one complained as they quickly and quietly followed the tracks the bear had left.


    Soon, they heard the sounds of bestial grunts not too far away. Nodding silently, they pushed forward.


    Zaroth, being in the front, raised his hand, prompting everyone to stop in their tracks.


    He was currently looking at a bear. It had brown fur, four eyes, and a gem in the middle of its forehead.


    Zaroth didn''t need to be an expert in aura theory or beast biology to instinctively know that the creature before him was of the Rare rank.


    He unsheathed the sword from his back and summoned Silverfang. An excited grin appeared on his face as he muttered,


    "Let the hunt begin."

 Chapter 38: First Hunt

    Blood death destruction.


    Inferno raining down from the reality-splitting fight in the sky.


    The forsaken child holds its head, looking death straight into its eyes.


    The cursed knight, blinded by rage and vengeance.


    The anomaly laughing like a maniac while sacrificing his body.


    Demon slowly feeding, slowly growing stronger.


    Corpses of humans raining down from the sky.


    River of blood forming due to the mountain of corpses.


    Someone sitting on a throne watching the spectacle silently, judging.


    A lone woman standing alone amidst the never-ending darkness.


    "Ve-!"


    Blood death destruction.


    The end is coming, no one can stop it.


    "-ra!"


    The gods are shivering.


    Their end was coming.


    And no one was coming to save them.


    "VERA!"


    Waking up, gasping for air, the first thing Vera saw was her own reflection on the armor of her companion.


    She had shoulder-length blonde hair, and her face was hidden behind her white mask.


    "Are you alright?!"


    Shifting her gaze, Vera saw a woman. Her deep blue eyes and hair made her impossible to not recognize at first glance.


    It was Sofia, one of the princesses of the empire and her best friend.


    Using her thin arms, Vera weakly sat up, as she replied while looking into Sofia''s eyes,


    "Yes, I am fine¡­ just had the usual world-ending vision."


    "Listen," Sofia spoke, trying to reassure her,


    "We know that your visions don''t always come true, so all we can do is move forward and try to prevent anything like this happening."


    Vera slightly nodded at Sofia while muttering quietly so that just she could hear.


    "Thank you."


    *****


    Taking a deep breath, Zaroth concentrated, extending his arm forward as he closed his fist.


    "A dragon," he muttered as he slowly opened his palm.


    Slowly, green flames began to appear, ready to be fired.


    Zaroth had trained this skill for some time now, plus when he got the time, he meditated with the hope of increasing the number of sparks he had connected to his mana core.


    As a result of his hard work, he currently had just a bit less than a hundred sparks, which was a big improvement compared to a week before.


    So, as a result, his fireball now should pack more of a punch.


    As the green fireball shot forward, it was accompanied by a bolt of lightning that Lily had shot, both of them were aiming at the body of the large bear.


    The two spells connected and the body of the bear shuddered as it let out a pained roar.


    The majority of the damage was done by Lily''s spell, while Zaroth only managed to scratch it, but he didn''t expect much to begin with.


    As the bear shifted its gaze, searching for the individuals responsible for its pain, it met the eyes of Silverfang, who was running at the bear with full force.


    Not far behind him was Zack, with a sword which looked like it was made from blood.


    And to his side was Roran, with a few weapons hovering around him with their sharp tips pointed at the bear.


    Seeing the danger approaching, the bear rotated its body against the threat and digging its back feet into the ground, it propelled toward their direction.


    Raising its left palm, the bear slashed against the wolf, creating a deep injury, but to the bear''s surprise, the wolf didn''t seem to bleed nor did it seem to care about the pain.


    As Silverfang jumped to the palm of the bear and bit it with full force, clearly reluctant to let go.


    The next moment, a dagger that was hovering around Roran shot forward and pierced one of the four eyes of the bear.


    Zack, being the fastest, managed to position himself close to one of the bear''s back legs and slashed with his sword, creating a deep wound, preventing the creature from moving.


    Zaroth, who had already positioned himself to the right of the center of the battle, raised his hand again and fired another spell.


    Lily, who was positioned on the left side, also did the same. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The bear, not expecting such coordinated attacks, quickly moved its head with its jaws opened toward Roran, while the gem in its forehead shined and sent a lightning bolt toward Silverfang.


    Roran just barely managed to dodge the jaws of the bear as he raised his sword and managed to scratch its head.


    Silverfang, who had taken the spell attack, couldn''t keep his jaws closed and let go of the bear''s left paw, freeing it.


    Trying to make use of it, the bear tried to attack Roran again, but its body suddenly collapsed on the ground as Zack had managed to slash at its other back leg, making it much harder to move.


    Before the bear could react, it felt the sword of Zaroth, who had decided to attack from up close, piercing its side.


    And at the same time, Roran used his sword to dig deep into the creature''s skull, effectively killing it on the spot.


    Everyone collapsed on their knees, exhausted, but with smiles on their faces.


    It looked like their hunt had been a success.


    *****


    Zaroth sighed of relief, they had managed to defeat a Rare monster pretty much unscathed.


    While it would be considered impressive for first-year students to accomplish such a task, it was still far from what Zaroth was planning to achieve in the future.


    Getting up, he approached the head of the bear where everyone was gathered.


    Silverfang was the only one that had been damaged, but considering his nature, it couldn''t even be counted as an injury as it didn''t seem to bother the wolf much.


    Still, Zaroth felt that it was probably time to desummon him and let him rest in his soul.


    "Not bad," Roran spoke, clearly impressed by their well-thought-out coordinated attack.


    "This is one down, but if we can do it, others would probably be able to do it too¡­ so we must not get comfortable and aim to get as high a score as possible," Zaroth commented.


    "Hey, I''ve been wondering," Lily spoke as she used her dagger to get the gem from the bear''s forehead for proof that they had killed it.


    "Why do you seem so obsessed with joining and winning the tournament? Even if you have a high-tier blessing, what makes you so confident that you will win, and what would you wish for if you do?"


    ''I can''t tell them that I possess a dragon, nor can I tell them that if I win, Elysia would grant one of my wishes¡­ which is quite literally the only reason I accepted the mission to begin with,''


    Zaroth thought as he crossed his arms, lost in thought.


    At the end, he shrugged as he answered, "Just a feeling, I guess."

 Chapter 39: The Emperor

    "Hum?" Lily raised her eyebrow as she turned back.


    "Why are you not coming with us?" she asked, glancing at Zaroth.


    Scratching the back of his head awkwardly, he spoke,


    "You go ahead of me. I will catch up with you in a minute."


    Lily stared at him in confusion, while Zack''s eyes widened in realization. ''Oh, he has to take a dump!''


    "All right, let''s go," Zack said as he pointed toward their camp.


    Roran followed, keeping quiet, and with him, so did Lily.


    Now Zaroth was left alone with the body of the dead bear.


    Shifting his gaze to the creature, he felt energy¡­ the same type as when he revived and tamed Silverfang.


    "Let''s see if this works," he muttered as he placed his hand on the corpse of the creature. Suddenly, a voice rang out in his head,


    [Greater Bear judges your soul.]


    [Greater Bear doesn''t respond to your call.]


    [It''s looking at you with the wish for vengeance.]


    With a sigh, Zaroth removed his hand.


    "I didn''t expect it to let me tame it, as I am the reason it died in the first place. But still, I wanted to make sure," he spoke as he followed after his friends.


    After catching up with them, they returned to their camp. Afterward, they had dinner and, after chatting for some time, went to sleep.


    All four of them were now inside the tent. Despite it being big, it seemed a bit cramped.


    First, there was Lily on the left, who had turned her body sideways, hugging Roran, who was doing the same.


    Then, it was Zaroth, who was laying on his back, trying to fall asleep


    And finally, Zack on the right, who had turned his back to Zaroth.


    To be honest, all of them were uncomfortably close to each other, but outside was too cold to sleep, so it wasn''t like they had much of a choice.


    "It was so easy to go to sleep when we were drunk last night," Roran muttered.


    "Doubt it. It''s just that you enjoyed something last night, that''s why you want to get drunk again," Lily teased.


    "For fuck''s sake, shut up and go to sleep," Zaroth muttered under his breath, becoming irritated as he heard Zack''s breathing slow down, indicating that he had fallen asleep.


    "But I can''t," Lily spoke. "Not when I''m pressed so tightly against Roran."


    "I agree," Roran spoke, despite being half-asleep already.


    "There is no way in the whole universe to explain how little of a fuck I give, so just force yourself to sleep," Zaroth spoke, massaging his eyebrows.


    With that, their second day ended.


    *****


    Steeling his resolve, a servant knocked on the giant door made from the most premium wood that existed in the world.


    Or rather, he was about to knock until a voice across the door interrupted him.


    "You may enter," the voice was cold and emotionless.


    ''He sensed me beyond the door?''


    The servant asked himself, but without letting it show on his face, he slowly opened the door.


    Inside the grand room, a throne made of pure gold with red fabric draped around it stood proudly.


    Sitting in it was a man in a golden outfit with a crown on his head, appearing completely unbothered.


    "Your Imperial Majesty," the servant spoke as he dropped to both knees, glancing at the ground.


    He didn''t dare to meet his master''s gaze, knowing that doing so would probably doom him instantly.


    "I am listening," the emperor spoke as he read from his book, not even sparing a glance at his servant.


    "The fourth expedition we sent¡­ has been lost," the servant said, taking shallow breaths as he forced himself not to collapse under the sheer pressure of his master.


    "Some say that whatever killed them may go after the students participating in the hunting competition."


    "Don''t tell me that all you have to report is the loss of some useless fools." The emperor closed his book loudly, his tone growing more menacing.


    The servant gulped audibly. S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "We have also managed to capture the princess of the Crimson Sun Empire, although we lost a few thousand men in the process," he added quickly.


    The emperor stood up with a smile on his face as he approached his servant.


    "Finally, good news! You are free to go!"


    "Thank you, Your Imperial Majesty," the servant spoke, bowing deeply as he rose and approached the door, inwardly thinking,


    ''This person doesn''t care about the lives that were lost, does he? Why did I have to be sent here of all places?!''


    "Wait."


    Hearing the sudden command, the servant froze in place.


    "Did you just criticize me?" the emperor asked, his tone so menacing that the servant began to sweat.


    "I-I am so sorry, Your Imperial Majesty! It will not happen again!" the servant stuttered, thinking inwardly,


    ''What''s this?! He can read thoughts now?''


    "You are right¡­ It will not happen again," the emperor said as he calmly sat back in his chair, returning his attention to the book.


    "Daughter, come," he spoke, and in the next instant, the doors opened. A beautiful woman with golden hair and pupils identical to her father''s entered the room.


    Her gaze briefly stopped on the corpse of the servant, whose body had been cut in two.


    The man didn''t have a scared expression, the kill had happened so fast that he hadn''t even sensed it.


    Not only that, but there was no blood. The body just lay there, as if it had never even been alive.


    "Yes, Father?" she asked as she met his gaze.


    "Take out the trash, will you?"


    "Understood," she replied with a slight bow.


    With a snap of her fingers, a black shadow appeared below the body and consumed it in an instant.


    "If that is all, I will take my leave," she said, exiting the room.


    Meanwhile, the emperor paid her no attention, completely engrossed in his book.


    Suddenly, his lips curved into a menacing smile as he spoke,


    "Oh? Another anomaly has appeared? Interesting¡­"

 Chapter 40: Ambush

    With a yawn, Zaroth slowly opened his eyes.


    He placed his right hand on his forehead and gently massaged it.


    "Fuck, I can''t sleep," he muttered as he quietly exited the tent.


    Surprisingly, the sun was already up.


    "It seems I managed to get some sleep after all," he muttered as he began his training regime.


    By the end, he had done 180 squats, 80 push-ups, and 30 pull-ups. It seemed he was slowly progressing and getting stronger.


    Once he was done, he sat on the ground with his legs crossed, focusing on his mana core.


    In the end, he managed to connect about 10 sparks to it.


    "I wish my progress was faster," he admitted as he quickly undressed and entered the river for a quick bath.


    ''Zaroth, progress isn''t linear. There are times when you feel like you aren''t progressing, until suddenly, you begin succeeding seemingly overnight,'' Luna tried to encourage him.


    ''Even if that is the case, isn''t my progress too slow?'' he asked.


    ''No, you are progressing abnormally fast,'' Luna replied.


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow but didn''t continue the conversation further.


    After finishing his bath, he dressed and began playing fetch with Silverfang.


    At that time, the others slowly began to rise. The first was Lily, still with droopy eyes and messy hair. She turned to him as she exited the tent.


    "Good morning," Zaroth spoke.


    "Good morning. How long have you been up?" she asked, massaging her eyes.


    "Not long," he replied, getting up. "Let''s wake the others first."


    After getting up, everyone prepared and set out to explore the forest again in search of their next prey.


    They didn''t have much luck, which was surprising, as usually, the wildlife concentrated around water sources, and their camp was currently positioned near one.


    Left with no choice, they pushed further and further in search of their prey.


    "Oh, my feet hurt!" Zack cried out.


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow. "From here, you are the one of the knight category, so you should be the last to complain."


    "All right, I''m just bored," Zack admitted.


    "Well, don''t," Roran interjected. "In places like these, once you drop your guard, that''s when shit usually goes down."


    "You''re too rigid. You need to be more flexible, man. Relax for a moment," Zack said.


    "I can''t," Roran replied quickly, throwing a glance at Zaroth. "It has been forbidden for me to drink."


    "What, you can''t relax without alcohol?" Zack asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "I can," Roran quickly glanced at Lily. "But now is not the time."


    With a sigh, Zack continued forward. Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Everything was fine until the sound of a branch breaking was heard. Everyone turned their heads in the direction of the sound, but it was already too late.


    A wounded black hyena was already leaping into the air, moments before crushing Lily''s neck.


    The next instant, a sword that looked like it was made of gold materialized out of thin air and slashed through the hyena''s body so hard it split in two.


    "Ambush!" Roran called out.


    Immediately, they were surrounded by more than a dozen hyenas.


    All of them had black fur stained with red, most likely dried blood from recent battles.


    Zaroth knew about these beasts. While they weren''t strong individually, their strength lay in numbers.


    He unsheathed the sword from his back and gave Silverfang, whom he had kept summoned, the command to attack and go for the kill.


    Lily stretched out her hands, and two spells began to appear simultaneously.


    Zack dug his foot deep into the ground as he exploded toward the hyenas.


    Roran stayed close to Lily. Conveniently, the golden sword that had appeared earlier was nowhere to be seen, but nobody paid attention to that.


    Zaroth cursed as multiple hyenas attacked him. Right now, it was every man for himself.


    He slashed with his sword but missed the hyena that charged forward and sank its fangs into his leg.


    Gritting his teeth, he brought down his sword, killing the hyena.


    Stretching out his hand, he concentrated and sent a green fireball toward the next nearest hyena.


    Suddenly, one approached that he had missed and was about to leap into the air with the intention of biting his neck.


    But before it could, Silverfang appeared and stopped it, using his massive weight to overpower the creature and crush its neck in an instant.


    "Fuck, how did we not sense them?!"


    Zaroth muttered as he raised his sword to slash at another enemy while simultaneously trying to fire another fireball.


    ''No, in the first place, why did they attack us?! From what I know, these creatures go for easy kills, and four people with a wolf by their side doesn''t sound easy¡­''


    With these thoughts, he decapitated the head of another hyena, shutting his gaze and searching for his next target, only to realize that there were none.


    He observed his surroundings.


    There were about a dozen hyena bodies around, but not enough.


    Just a moment ago, they had been surrounded, but now there were no more enemies.


    Had the others escaped, seeing that it was not worth the trouble?


    Zaroth glanced around, meeting the gazes of his companions.


    They were painted in red from the blood of the hyenas but otherwise were fine.


    All of them bore the same expression,


    ''No idea what happened.''


    With the exception of Roran, who was staring at the ground, lost in thought, gears slowly turning in his head.


    "Attack¡­ ambush¡­ they were injured¡­ quick retreat," Roran suddenly muttered. His eyes narrowed as he shouted,


    "It''s not over!"


    Hearing him, everyone put their guard back up, quickly scanning the area for nearby danger.


    "Wait, is it possible they weren''t attacking but running from something instead?" Zaroth commented, his eyes narrowing.


    The next moment, a few trees fell down as a green snake, about 15 meters long, appeared. Its red eyes fixed on Zaroth''s squad with hunger and menace.


    "It''s a Rare!" Zack cried out as the snake suddenly swung its tail and hit him with all its might.


    Even from a distance, Zaroth heard Zack''s bones crack as he was sent flying.


    "ZACK!" Zaroth screamed, which made the snake fix its eyes on him next.


    Gulping audibly, he spoke as he tightened his grip on his bloody sword.


    "Shit."

 Chapter 41: Overestimated?

    The snake used its massive body to propel itself forward, its mouth open, getting ready to swallow Zaroth.


    He just barely managed to dodge by jumping to the side.


    Silverfang immediately jumped the snake with no hesitation.


    Lily extended her arms forward as ice began to cover the body of the snake, limiting its movement.


    A few swords floating around Roran immediately shot forward, attacking the head of the snake.


    With a curse, Zaroth stretched out his hand, and the next moment, a green fireball appeared, ready to be fired.


    Lily and Zaroth''s magic, Silverfang''s claws, and Roran''s swords attacked the snake violently with no hesitation.


    Yet the creature remained perfectly fine as all of their attacks were useless against its thick scales.


    "What now?" Zaroth asked himself, observing the surroundings, trying to find something that he could use to his advantage.


    "Where is Zack?!" he muttered. He wasn''t sure, but the way his neck bent when he took the hit from the snake, he was almost certainly paralyzed¡ªif not that, he was at least bleeding internally, so he was useless in combat.


    Still, Zaroth couldn''t help himself but search for him. He was supposed to be someone on the ground, slowly bleeding, so where the hell was he?


    Why couldn''t Zaroth find him?


    The snake, getting annoyed by the attacks, produced an ear-piercing screech.


    Zaroth had no choice but to put his hands on his ears in an attempt to prevent his eardrums from exploding.


    After the snake had finished its screech, Zaroth''s party was dazed, and they couldn''t move for a moment.


    Seizing the opportunity, the snake propelled its body towards Roran.


    "Hey." A voice suddenly called out. It somehow carried an emotion that Zaroth hadn''t seen before, it was hard to explain.


    But one thing was certain, the voice was firm, almost like a command.


    "Where do you think you''re going?"


    Zaroth shifted his gaze to the person that was talking, and his eyes narrowed in shock.


    "Zack?" Zaroth muttered.


    Zack was supposed to be on the ground, bleeding slowly and paralyzed, yet he stood like he hadn''t just taken a frontal attack directly to his neck.


    "That hit was pretty good, you know? So I''m sure you wouldn''t mind if I returned the gesture, right?"


    Zack spoke as a menacing smile appeared on his face.


    It seemed the snake recognized him as the biggest current threat, so it shifted its body to face him.


    The next instant, Zack exploded towards the snake with dazzling speed, almost like an arrow¡ªno, he was faster than an arrow.


    He extended his arm, and a sword made from blood appeared.


    But unlike before, this sword was different. It was bigger, much bigger¡ªat least two meters¡ªand it somehow appeared more menacing, more lethal.


    As Zack reached the snake, he slashed.


    And made a deep wound on its side.


    The snake, overwhelmed by the pain, screamed in anger as it moved its head with the intention to devour Zack, only to be stopped by Silverfang, who had thrown its body against the snake.


    Lily and Zaroth immediately fired their spells at the wounds that Zack had created.


    "I am not done yet!" Zack proclaimed as he jumped high into the sky and slashed again, injuring the snake''s left eye.


    Zaroth narrowed his eyes in shock, because Zack''s sword seemed to grow.


    "Is¡­ is his sword absorbing the blood of the snake?" Zaroth muttered under his breath as he tightened the grip on his sword and charged towards the snake.


    Roran did the same as he also directed his sword to strike at the wounded eye of the snake.


    Overwhelmed by the coordinated attacks, the snake screamed again. This time, its roar wasn''t menacing or hostile, it was more of a cry for help.


    It moved its tail again, getting ready to hit Roran, but before it could, Zack jumped again, and as he landed on the snake''s head, he smiled as he brought his sword down, piercing the snake''s skull and brain, killing it in an instant.


    The body of the snake shuddered and fell to the ground, dead.


    Everyone was exhausted and even wounded, but they were alive, which was the most important thing.


    Zaroth collapsed to his knees, greedily breathing the air, and his companions did the same. Everyone was tired.


    A Rare beast had ambushed them and almost killed them. Maybe they were really too overconfident that they could take on a Rare beast as they pleased.


    Zaroth shifted his gaze to Zack.


    ''How is he fine after that attack? At least he should have been paralyzed. At worst, he should have died.''


    He then shifted his gaze to Roran.


    ''What was that giant golden sword that appeared, splitting the hyena in two just before it reached Lily?''


    Zaroth smiled menacingly as he muttered,


    "It seems I am not the only one that hides my real strength here."


    Everyone was exhausted and in a bad mood, so after taking proof of having slain the snake, they decided to head back to their camp.


    Zaroth didn''t try to resurrect the snake as this time he didn''t feel the energy that came from Silverfang and the bear.


    It took them about an hour to return to the camp, and now everyone was sitting around the fire, deep in thought.


    Zaroth glanced at his leg, which he had patched with some herbs. During the time he was taking care of his mother, he had learned a thing or two, so he knew what was good to patch injuries.


    He did the same for Roran and Lily, while Zack¡­


    Despite being the person who should have been the most injured, he was spotless, with not a single injury on his body.


    After the awkward silence between the four continued for some time, Zaroth sighed as he spoke.


    Being the leader and all, he had to play his role.


    "We must admit the truth, it''s that we most likely overestimated our abilities." sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Everyone shifted their gazes to him, but no one interrupted.


    "Just from the ambush of one Rare beast, we almost died. If it had been more¡ªor, in case a pack of Rare monsters, like the pack of hyenas that attacked us before¡ªwe would have been doomed."


    "So, do you think we should head back to the main camp?" Zack asked, leaning back.


    "True, we have the proof of killing two Rare beasts, and that should, technically, put us above the competition¡­ but we still have twelve days remaining, so this is what I suggest."


    He leaned forward, getting a bit closer to the fire.


    "We stop searching for Rare beasts and focus on weaker enemies until the end of the hunting competition."


    In the end, no one objected, so after having a quiet dinner, they all went to sleep.


    *****


    Sofia cleaned her sword with her sleeve while muttering,


    "Second day, and we''ve already slain 12 Rare beasts¡­ not bad."


    Suddenly, the sound of a staff being dropped to the ground made her shift her attention to her friend.


    "Vera? Is something wrong?"


    Without saying anything, the weak girl slowly stretched her trembling hand forward, pointing with her finger.


    Sofia glanced in the direction she was pointing but didn''t see anything, so she raised an eyebrow as she asked,


    "What''s there?"


    Vera took a shaky breath before she spoke, her voice trembling.


    "Epic beasts¡­ they''re coming."

 Chapter 42: Sudden Appearance

    Today Zack was teaching Zaroth how to wield a sword properly.


    "Your stance is too weak!" Zack spoke as he poked with the sword, making Zaroth lose his balance.


    Zaroth grunted as he got back into position.


    "I think that is enough for today," Zack spoke as he sheathed his blade. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Shouldn''t we practice more?" Zaroth asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "It''s enough for now. Let''s see what the others are doing," Zack replied.


    Zaroth shifted his gaze to Lily, who was playing with Silverfang like he was some kind of dog,


    while Roran was nowhere to be seen.


    "That''s weird," Zaroth muttered as he began to search around the camp.


    ''He better not be drinking!''


    After some searching, Zaroth found Roran, who was sitting cross-legged, with one leg over the other as if he were meditating, staring at the distance


    "Is something the matter?" Zaroth spoke as he approached him.


    Roran slowly shifted his gaze to Zaroth as he spoke,


    "I have a bad feeling. I think we should return to the main camp already with the teachers," he said with a bit of wariness in his voice.


    Zaroth sat near him, staring at the distance like Roran.


    "Why? True, today marks the end of the first week of the competition, but we have one more, don''t we? Why don''t we use the time to catch more Uncommon beasts to increase our scores?"


    Roran stretched out his hand and pulled up his sleeve.


    "Look," he spoke.


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow.


    "You have goosebumps?"


    "Yes," Roran replied, pulling down his sleeve.


    "This only happens when something bad is approaching."


    Zaroth took a deep breath, thinking about how he should approach this.


    ''Luna, do you feel like something is amiss?'' he asked her, just to make sure.


    ''Not really, but keep in mind that as I am in your soul, my senses are dulled. So if there really is something dangerous that could hide its presence well, I won''t be able to sense it.''


    Zaroth sighed as he spoke,


    "Roran¡­ are you sure? Is it possible that it''s all in your head?"


    It was quite rude to ask such a question, but considering there were more people than just the two of them, they couldn''t just act on a whim.


    ''Wait¡­'' Zaroth''s eyes narrowed for a moment. ''Since when have I cared about being rude to someone?''


    ''It''s because he, as well as your squad, are your friends. Though I''m not surprised you aren''t used to having any,'' Luna teased.


    "I am," Roran spoke without hesitation as he shifted his gaze back to Zaroth.


    "I think we need to get out of here immediately."


    Zaroth closed his eyes for a moment as he took another deep breath.


    "Alright, it''s been pretty boring here recently anyway, so let''s change the scenery a bit."


    Roran smiled as he stood up.


    Then he froze.


    Zaroth stood up as well, looking at the weird reaction that Roran had. He shifted his gaze to the direction his friend was looking.


    Then Zaroth froze as well.


    A breathtaking woman with blue hair and eyes that radiated an aura of mysterious strength was walking slowly towards them.


    Her armor was torn and bloodied, and she was bleeding from one eye.


    ''Isn''t that the princess?'' Zaroth asked himself as he shifted his gaze to the girl she was carrying.


    The girl was weak and fragile-looking with shoulder-length blonde hair, and her face was hidden behind a white mask that had cracked violently.


    Hesitation for a moment, Zaroth stepped forward. "What happened?"


    The princess continued to walk slowly towards them, and then¡ª


    "I am sorry¡­ I am so sorry. I don''t have a choice," she spoke. Her voice was weak and fragile, not one that a person would expect from a member of the royal family.


    Suddenly, the princess dug her foot deep into the ground and dashed forward, running past Roran and Zaroth.


    She moved so fast that they couldn''t even sense her movements.


    Suddenly, Zaroth got goosebumps as well.


    ''She is a fourth-year student and a member of the royal family¡­ So why was she so beaten up¡­ and was she carrying only one member of her squad? Where are the rest?''


    As the gears in Zaroth''s head began to turn, he locked gazes with Roran.


    In that instant, they agreed on something as both of their thoughts mirrored each other.


    ''We run.''


    Without hesitation, they dashed toward their camp, exchanging no words with one another.


    Lily was currently rubbing the back of Silverfang as she enjoyed his company immensely.


    Zack had his back against a tree, trying to get some sleep.


    Suddenly, Silverfang moved, startling Lily for a moment.


    The wolf began to bark at her, which made Zack open his eyes, muttering.


    "What is it now?" he spoke as he massaged his forehead.


    Suddenly, from the bushes, Zaroth and Roran appeared, looking like they were having a panic attack.


    "We get the fuck out of here now!"


    "What¡ª"


    Lily didn''t have any time to be surprised as Roran, without saying anything, grabbed her and started running away.


    "What about the tent?!" she screamed as the panic started to slowly set in.


    "Too late for that," Roran muttered as he continued running.


    "What the fuck is going on?!" Zack shouted, half irritated, half wary, seeing his comrades act in such a way as he stood up.


    Zaroth met his gaze for a moment before shouting, "Nothing good, run!"


    Despite being curious, Zack didn''t ask anything as he immediately dashed away, following the advice of his friend.


    ''Zaroth,'' Luna suddenly spoke in his mind, ''I just felt it, get the hell out of here now!''


    Zaroth didn''t slow down his sprint as he muttered, "You don''t have to tell me twice."


    *****


    A man with dry, cracked skin exited the bushes as he put his hand on the abandoned tent.


    "Ah¡­ how cruel, that girl¡­ did they call her princess? To use these poor souls for bait as she gets away¡­"


    Foam dripped from the corners of his mouth as he spoke, his eyes wide and unfocused.


    "Well, no matter. In the end, everyone here would die anyway¡­"


    He began to calmly walk toward his next prey, humming along the way as he did.

 Chapter 43: Meeting

    Sofia was running with everything she had. Her chest was falling quickly up and down as she breathed the air.


    Her muscles ached with each step she took, but she forced her body to continue running nonstop.


    Ignoring her bleeding eye, she briefly shifted her gaze to Vera, whom she was carrying in her arms.


    Her friend had passed out, so she was currently helpless. The mask that covered her face had been violently cracked, allowing a glimpse of her flawless skin.


    "I am sorry," Sofia muttered, not slowing down her step.


    She knew that she had doomed these first-year students, but there was not much of a choice.


    It was either her and her friend or these strangers.


    So the choice was more than obvious.


    What had been done had been done, and there was no going back.


    There was only one thing Sofia could do, reach the main camp and inform Elysia, the chairwoman, that an Epic beast tamer, who had succumbed to his beast''s temptations, had suddenly appeared and begun attacking the students.


    Sofia gritted her teeth in frustration.


    The only two that had survived from her squad were she herself and Vera, whom she had miraculously managed to save from the jaws of the Epic beast the man had.


    Her arms trembled slightly as she remembered the sight of the two great monsters and how fast they disintegrated her teammates.


    Most of them she wasn''t in a great relationship with, but still, her failure was more than evident.


    How was she going to face her father, the emperor, now?


    With such an evident failure, it was clear she was going to fall even more in his eyes.


    Sofia gritted her teeth as she muttered,


    "Stop distracting yourself. Focus on the current issue at hand¡ªreaching the camp alive and alerting the teachers."


    Elysia was currently there too, so no doubt she would be able to get rid of the two Epic beasts once she heard the news.


    But the question remained, until Sofia managed to reach the camp, how many would die?


    One thing was for certain, though, these first years she had used as bait were as good as dead.


    So all Sofia could do now was run as fast as possible to make sure their deaths weren''t meaningless.


    *****


    "Why am I trembling?" Lily asked as she was currently being carried by Roran.


    She knew Roran''s strength, as it was more efficient for him to run while carrying her.


    That was the reason why Lily didn''t protest or try to get out of his embrace.


    She shifted her gaze to him before she spoke, S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "What''s happening?"


    His expression didn''t change, nor did he shift his attention from running at full speed.


    When he spoke, his voice was cold and emotionless.


    "We saw the princess, bloodied and clearly beat up. She was running away from something," he took a breath before continuing,


    "So, whatever this is, it will most likely focus its attention on us now."


    Lily was quiet, deep in thought.


    ''The princess was bloodied? She was running away from something? But she is not only royalty but also a fourth-year student from the most prestigious academy in the empire. What could possibly injure her to that extent?''


    Suddenly, Lily shivered at the thought, realizing the gravity of the unexpected situation.


    Not far behind was Zack, who was running full speed ahead. Glancing at his arm, he muttered,


    "I''m shivering? Me, of all people? This only happens when I''m in the presence of my family¡­ If something of similar power is chasing us, things will get really ugly."


    And last was Zaroth. After seeing that his comrades were much faster than him, he realized that he would soon lose them.


    He did the next best thing, he mounted Silverfang and commanded him to run full speed ahead.


    ''Luna!'' he spoke in his mind.


    ''That thing that''s chasing us, where¡ª''


    ''It''s slowly getting closer,'' Luna interrupted him. ''This time, you might be forced to summon me.''


    Zaroth gritted his teeth. Summoning Luna now would announce to his comrades that he possessed a mythical dragon.


    Unlike the vampire he had encountered before, they would not be forced to keep that information a secret.


    So the question was, could he trust them with that information?


    No, he couldn''t.


    He knew that, just like him, Zack and Roran were concealing their true power, reluctant to reveal it to anybody else.


    "Summoning you would be our last resort," Zaroth muttered under his breath as he commanded Silverfang to go faster.


    ''Focus,'' Zaroth thought as he closed his eyes, beginning to feel his mana core.


    He had gotten significantly stronger after the start of the hunting competition.


    His skills with the fireball and his ability to wield a sword had increased dramatically.


    The only thing he could do now was try to reach his peak for the inevitable battle that was approaching them.


    After his squad increased their speed, he asked Luna again, ''What about now?''


    ''It''s still getting closer. It seems the thing that''s chasing you is not willing to let you go,'' Luna replied.


    Zaroth gritted his teeth in frustration.


    Suddenly, a roar was heard in front of them. Shifting his glance, Zaroth saw a great bear¡ªa Rare beast¡ªstanding before them with the intent to attack.


    The next second, the pupils of the bear widened in horror. It turned and fled in fear, as if it sensed the thing chasing Zaroth''s squad.


    "This is bad," Zaroth muttered.


    They were running with everything they had and still not getting farther away from the enemy.


    This meant that sooner or later, they would be forced to stop due to exhaustion and fight while already overexerted.


    The most logical thing was to fight now, while still at full strength.


    Having made up his mind, Zaroth shouted,


    "The thing chasing us is still behind us! At this rate, we''ll be forced to stop and fight it exhausted, so I suggest we stop and fight it now, while we''re still at full strength!"


    His comrades heard him and began thinking of a possible way to avoid the fight, but they failed to find any solution.


    "Lily," Roran spoke coldly as he set her down, looking into her eyes. "I might be forced to use that, so if that happens, you know what to do, right?"


    Lily, trembling, could only slightly nod.


    Zack stopped, his face grimacing as he thought,


    ''In the worst-case scenario, I''ll have to use it¡ªeven if it means revealing it to my teammates. Whatever happens, I''ll deal with the fallout after this mess is over.''


    Zaroth commanded Silverfang to stop. Dismounting, he looked into the distance, where the danger was approaching.


    As everyone got ready for battle, an uncomfortable silence fell over the field.


    Then, the bushes rustled, and a man emerged from them.


    His skin was dry and cracked, his eyes unfocused. He gazed at Zaroth''s group before speaking casually with a menacing smile.


    "Hello, nice to meet you."

 Chapter 44: Obliterated

    "Report," Elysia spoke harshly.


    Roderic shuddered slightly, reluctant to meet her gaze as he began to speak.


    "We have found multiple bodies of students, with most of their blood missing."


    Elysia grimaced, and suddenly Roderic shouted,


    "That''s enough! We have to stop the hunting competition!"


    "We can''t," Elysia replied, her voice clearly frustrated.


    "Emperor''s orders. Unless we find evidence that a monster is the cause and not fights between the students, we can''t stop it."


    Roderic shouted again, no longer caring about appearances.


    "So what, the emperor doesn''t care about the lives of the students?"


    Elysia couldn''t respond immediately, lost in thought.


    Roderic clenched his fist as he spoke, "Can''t we just stop him? All we have to do is kill him."


    Elysia leaned back in her chair. "Not yet. It still isn''t the moment to strike."


    "So¡­ we''re forced to just wait?"


    "Pretty much¡­" Elysia replied as her gaze shifted to a specific student''s file¡ªZaroth.


    "But not for much longer," she added as she took a sip of her coffee.


    *****


    "Hello, nice to meet you." The voice of the man was menacing, and just hearing him talk made everyone tremble slightly in fear.


    Zaroth thought inwardly, ''We were running from a human? Not a monster?''


    He had many questions but was reluctant to ask any, as just by feeling the aura of the man, he had trouble breathing.


    The next moment, the eyes of the man widened slightly in shock as he gazed at Silverfang and then at Zaroth.


    "You! You are a beast tamer like me? Ah, it''s not every day that I get to meet someone who has the same class as me, you know? We are mostly extinct."


    Zaroth''s eyes widened as his heart rate increased even more.


    ''He is a beast master like me?'' Zaroth thought inwardly as the gears in his head started to turn rapidly.


    He remembered his class and the story of the legendary beast master who had succumbed to his beast''s desires and destroyed an entire continent as a result.


    And seeing the strange appearance of the man, it was almost like a puzzle had formed in Zaroth''s mind.


    ''Is¡­ has he succumbed to his beast''s desires? That would explain why the princess ran away from him, bloodied¡­'' S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    His eyes widened in horror as realization struck him.


    For the princess to be in that pitiful state, it must mean the man in front of him was no ordinary beast master.


    He most likely had beasts of at least Epic rank.


    He remembered his conversation with Luna¡ªhow, despite being mythical rank, she was currently limited by the strength of his own mana core.


    At most, she would be able to defeat a single Epic beast in battle.


    But what if the man in front of Zaroth had multiple Epic beasts?


    He shuddered at the thought. It would mean that Luna would not be able to keep him safe.


    Suddenly, he felt something he hadn''t felt in a long time,


    True fear.


    It seemed he had grown arrogant, always having Luna by his side.


    For the first time, he was facing a danger where he could very likely end up dead.


    Not wanting to appear fazed, Zaroth spoke, trying to hide the fear in his voice,


    "Can I ask why you are following us, good sir?"


    Behind him, Roran had already made his swords float around him, Zack had summoned his blood sword, and Lily had extended both of her arms, ready to fire a spell at a moment''s notice.


    Silverfang was showing his teeth, and Zaroth had tightened his grip on his sword as much as he could.


    Everyone was nervous and scared of the man in front of them.


    "Well¡­ you see, as you are a beast master, you might understand¡ªunlike the others¡­" the man began as he raised his arms to the side.


    As he spoke, his voice carried a dangerous edge.


    "I had a gift. I was able to tame Epic beasts¡­ but once the word got around, they tried to execute me. Do you know why? Because they thought I would bring danger to the people!"


    The man was clearly frustrated as he spoke.


    "They didn''t even want to give me a chance! Everyone was scared that I would succumb to my beast''s desires, which wasn''t going to happen! There was no way I was going to lose to them that easily...


    But you see¡­"


    The smile faded from his face.


    "Even my parents¡ªthe people who are supposed to support you in the loneliest times¡ªlooked at me like I was a monster. And in that moment, my thoughts aligned perfectly with my beasts... I really wanted to kill them."


    He shouted as a massive grin appeared on his face.


    "I killed them all! I wouldn''t have done it if they had given me a chance! But they didn''t, and now they''re dead. Oh, the feeling of killing them was unlike anything I had ever experienced! Such pleasure is impossible to describe."


    Zaroth cursed inwardly, ''Fuck! He has killed his own parents?! This psycho is beyond help!''


    The man gaze returned to Zaroth''s group.


    "I am chasing that feeling again. So I wonder, if I kill you, will I feel it again?"


    Everyone shuddered and began to move, but it was too late.


    Suddenly, a great beast, larger than any house and with three heads, appeared. It slashed so fast it was impossible to see with the naked eye.


    In a split second, Zack was beheaded.


    But the beast didn''t stop there. Its tail moved, hitting Roran straight in the chest.


    Roran moved the swords floating around him as well as his arms, trying to block the attack, but as the swords and his arms broke. He was sent flying, coughing blood violently.


    A gigantic bird-like creature with metallic feathers materialized as it flew with staggering speed and pierced Lily''s abdomen with its giant beak. The wind it created with its wings sent Silverfang flying to the side.


    And then, the man himself suddenly moved so fast it looked like he teleported.


    One moment he was far away, the next, he appeared right before Zaroth and used his fist to hit him with devastating power.


    Zaroth''s ribs broke, with some of them piercing his organs. He was sent flying through the air, only to collide with a nearby tree, breaking even more bones on impact.


    He collapsed on the ground, unable to breathe, bleeding from every possible hole he could have.


    And just like that, in the span of a split second, Zaroth''s squad was completely and utterly obliterated.

 Chapter 45: Eryndor

    "I am sorry to say, but your class is a Beast Master." Immediately, the excitement that Eryndor felt was gone, as it was replaced by dread.


    "Beast Master?" His voice carried a hint of disbelief.


    "Please, you have to check again! There is no way I am a Beast Master!"


    "Eryndor," the man clad in black robe spoke as he took the orb out of Eryndor''s hands.


    "There are no mistakes in the test, you have awakened the Beast Master class."


    All Eryndor could do now was grit his teeth in frustration, cursing inwardly.


    ''Why? Why did it have to be the most cursed class of them all?''


    Knowing that there was a line behind him waiting to enter the room and be tested for their classes, all Eryndor could do was bow slightly and exit the room.


    "Hey man, what class did you get?" His best friend asked, clearly in a good mood.


    "Truth be told, I''m a Paladin! Can you imagine me as a Paladin? I can''t wait, I heard in the future I''ll be able to subjugate demons with ease!"


    His friend turned his head, looking at Eryndor. "So what did you get?"


    Eryndor awkwardly scratched the back of his head as he answered, "You know it''s not polite to ask such questions. Besides, this information is supposed to be secret¡­"


    "Oh, come on!" his friend lightly tapped him on the shoulder. "You can be honest with me. I swear I won''t tell anyone."


    ''We''ve been friends since we were children¡­ so maybe it''s fine to tell him, right?''


    "A Beast Master, my class is a Beast Master," Eryndor spoke awkwardly as he thought inwardly.


    ''Sure, it may be the most despised class, but so what? I will prove everybody wrong! Just because of my class doesn''t mean I''ll become some kind of cold-blooded killer!''


    Eryndor''s friend''s eyes widened slightly. "I-I see, well, not much we can do about it, right?"


    A fake smile appeared on his face.


    "Hey, I was wondering if we were going to the ca-"


    "Sorry," his friend interrupted him as he scratched the back of his head awkwardly.


    "I just remembered I have something to do¡­ maybe next time?"


    Eryndor laughed awkwardly, "Sure, next time."


    This was the last time Eryndor saw his best friend.


    *****


    A table flew across the room as it shattered into multiple pieces.


    "WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU ARE A BEAST TAMER?" His father''s furious shout made Eryndor tremble slightly in fear.


    "Father, li-"


    "Is that why I have looked after you for almost two decades? To return to me as a Beast Master?!" His father interrupted him, his voice growing angrier and angrier.


    "Honey!" His mother calmed down his father. "It''s fine, he will just not tame beasts, alright?"


    Suddenly, Eryndor''s mother shifted her gaze to him, but her eyes weren''t loving or gentle as usual, this time, they bore wariness, almost fear.


    "Eryndor¡­ you will not tame anything, right?"


    "Y-yes, Mother," under her piercing gaze, all he could do was stutter as he answered.


    "But," Eryndor''s father put a hand on his head.


    "Being a Beast Master, he is essentially useless! How is he going to make money? We''re so close to being thrown out onto the streets as we struggle with our debt!"


    "It''s alright, honey, we will find a way."


    This was how the talk with his parents about his class went.


    "I will show you," Eryndor muttered under his breath.


    Wanting to hide that he was a beast tamer, he took a jobs anonymously and solo them with the intention to earn money and improve his family situation.


    Pretty quickly, he saw that he had a talent, as it turned out, the blessing he had received from his god was quite powerful.


    He tamed multiple Rare beasts and quickly earned money as he completed the jobs.


    At first, his parents questioned how he got so much money, but as they were in desperate need of it, they didn''t object and accepted it.


    One day, Eryndor was in the forest when he saw the corpses of dozens of Rare beasts lying on the ground.


    He fell to his knees, only to see a three-headed beast bigger than a house glaring at him with hungry eyes.


    ''This is the moment I will die,'' he thought¡­ but something unexpected happened¡ªhe tamed the beast.


    He managed to tame an Epic beast!


    ''Finally, my countless hours of practice have been rewarded!'' he thought as he returned home.


    ''Now there is no way they won''t recognize me!'' he thought with a smile.


    Since taming the beast, he had begun to hear some strange voices in his head, but he easily ignored them.


    He was looking forward to seeing how proud his parents would be.


    "Ple-ase get out," his mother stuttered, her pupils widening in horror.


    "Mother, I-"


    "Please leave us alone¡­" his father interjected.


    "But I did it for y-"


    "We don''t have a son anymore! Please leave!" his mother screamed.


    At their words, all he could do was exit the room in silence, but not before putting his savings on the table.


    ''They need it more than me¡­ they are just confused at the moment. I am sure, with time, they will see reason,'' he thought.


    The next day, Eryndor was surrounded by warriors and mages.


    "Sir Eryndor! It is suspected that you have tamed an Epic beast¡ªan act strictly forbidden by the law. As such, your execution will be carried out at once!"


    ''How? Who ratted me out?'' Eryndor thought. He hadn''t spoken about his beast to anyone¡­ except¡­


    Shifting his gaze, he saw his parents looking from the distance.


    ''My parents ratted me out? Even after all I have done for them?''


    After that, everything was a blur.


    When Eryndor came back to his senses, the whole city was in ruins, and he was standing over his parents'' corpses with a smile on his face.


    He let out a sigh as he muttered, "Then so be it. I will become exactly what you were afraid of." S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Eryndor went on a rampage, destroying numerous cities on his path as he headed toward the capital of the empire.


    He even managed to tame a second Epic beast along the way.


    And now he was standing above a man with white hair and green, cat-like eyes.


    "My name is Eryndor¡­ what is yours?" he asked.


    The white-haired man, though he could hardly breathe, replied,


    "Why would you care?"


    "Because I respect other Beast Masters. I want to at least remember your name before I kill you."


    The white-haired man chuckled weakly before answering,


    "It''s Zaroth¡­ but you''re wrong, Eryndor. Today isn''t the day I die¡ªit''s the day you meet your end."

 Chapter 46: Fear

    ''Isn''t this situation completely ridiculous?'' Zaroth thought bitterly.


    ''I could have summoned Luna before the man approached, seeing her, Eryndor would have been more hesitant to attack, and this wouldn''t have happened.''


    Zaroth slowly observed his surroundings.


    Zack was laying on the ground, beheaded, dead. Strangely enough, he wasn''t bleeding at all.


    Roran, despite blood leaking from his eyes and mouth, had somehow managed to reach Lily''s body. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Despite his current state, he was muttering something as his bloody tears fell onto her quickly dying body.


    "I was hesitating... hesitating to reveal my powers to my comrades... and this is the result of my foolish actions."


    He gritted his teeth. "Completely and utterly failing as a leader of the squad."


    Eryndor was silently gazing at Zaroth, lost in thought. It seemed that seeing another Beast Master had made him hesitate to go immediately for the kill.


    Was it because Eryndor felt something as ridiculous as they were similar in nature?


    No one could tell, nor did anyone truly care.


    Eryndor''s beasts were currently standing by.


    The three-headed beast was looking at its palm in confusion, wondering why there wasn''t any blood on it despite having beheaded Zack just a second ago.


    The bird-like creature with metallic feathers tilted its head in confusion as it gazed at Roran, crying over Lily''s body.


    Silverfang was slowly trying to get on his feet, but it seemed a lot of his bones were broken, so he was having trouble.


    Honestly, it was hard to imagine a situation where they were more screwed than this one.


    "Why?" Zaroth asked in frustration.


    "Why did you succumb to your beasts?! Are you that weak mentally to not be able to resist the temptations of your beasts?!"


    Eryndor''s eyebrows furrowed for a moment, not expecting the sudden question.


    "You are a Beast Master like me, so I think you would be able to understand," his voice was menacing, yet carried a hint of regret.


    "Just because in the past one legendary Beast Master went on a rampage, destroying an entire continent, now everyone looks at us with suspicion!"


    Eryndor shifted his gaze to Zaroth''s companions.


    "You might have told a few close friends your class, but you haven''t told anybody else, right?! It''s because you know that if you do, you will be made a public enemy, as in their eyes, there is always the possibility of you going insane."


    Eryndor stretched his arms to the side as he glanced at the sky.


    "So I thought, fuck it! If they fear me so much, then I will give them a legitimate reason!"


    "So your plan is to go around killing people as much as you please?" Zaroth spoke as he used his arm to grab a tree for support, slowly standing up.


    "Yes. Don''t tell me you have a problem with that?" Eryndor raised an eyebrow.


    "No," Zaroth answered instantly.


    "Whatever you kill, a hundred or a million people, is not something that concerns me at all, but¡­"


    Zaroth''s gaze shifted to his comrades.


    "I finally found people that I connected to on some level¡­ and you dare to hurt them? You dare try to steal something from me?"


    Zaroth spat as his voice became more menacing with each word he spoke.


    "For the sin of trying to stand against me and trying to steal what''s mine, I will kill you. I will tear you to shreds!"


    Eryndor burst into laughter as he heard Zaroth''s declaration,


    "And how the hell do you plan to do that?! When you are completely alone? Against me and my Epic beasts?!"


    "I am not alone¡­ not anymore," Zaroth spoke coldly as he returned Eryndor''s menacing gaze with one of his own.


    Eryndor was about to respond until something caught his attention.


    The blood below Zaroth was moving in a certain direction.


    Somewhere behind him.


    Eryndor turned around, searching for the reason.


    Before him stood a headless body, towering, the severed head clutched tightly in its right hand.


    It was Zack.


    He slowly raised his head as he put it back into place, his white pupils seemed unfocused as he muttered.


    "I will not die... not until I have killed them for what they did."


    Suddenly, the blood on the ground surged toward him, and a menacing armor, giving off a threatening presence, formed from the blood that was beginning to harden around Zack''s body.


    A giant sword, more than two meters long, appeared in his right hand, slowly growing with each second.


    "Forbidden act... blood manipulation."


    "Wha¡ª" Eryndor was stunned for a moment until he felt a menacing presence to his side.


    He turned, his heart stopped for a second as he met Roran''s gaze¡ªeyes dripping with blood, an expression filled with a wish for vengeance.


    "I swore an oath... I will not fail again."


    Suddenly, dozens of two-meter-long golden swords manifested from thin air, each one sharp enough as if ready to tear reality apart.


    "These swords¡ª all of them seem worthy to be held by a king, and he commands dozens of them?" Eryndor muttered, a chill running down his spine.


    Roran spoke, clutching Lily''s bleeding body in his arms, his voice burning with raw rage.


    "I''ll mangle you,"


    Eryndor''s mind raced¡ªhad they been hiding their true power all along? A cold sweat broke out across his forehead. This wasn''t a situation he had taken into account.


    Then, a cold, distant voice sliced through the tension.


    Zaroth.


    Eryndor''s heart dropped as he felt a menacing presence behind him. His blood froze solid, and for the first time, he felt like he wasn''t in control.


    He was a Beast Master who commanded two Epic beasts, capable of easily destroying a country given the right circumstances, but in that moment, he didn''t feel like a hunter anymore.


    He felt like prey.


    "Luna... come forth."


    A tall woman with white hair and green cat-like eyes suddenly materialized in front of Zaroth, her gaze sharp as she glanced at the enemies in front of her, her expression one of utter indifference.


    Eryndor''s body shivered, as did the bodies of his beasts.


    For the first time in a long while, something cold, something he hadn''t felt in years, twisted in his chest as his heart raced uncontrollably and his breathing turned ragged.


    The most primal feeling of all.


    Fear.

 Chapter 47: The Battle Has Begun

    Eryndor and his two Epic beasts were surrounded.


    On one side was Zack, a knight capable of manipulating blood.


    On another was Roran, who seemed to command dozens of deadly, heavenly-like swords.


    And then there was Zaroth... and his summon, Luna.


    Just from her presence alone, anyone could tell she was the biggest threat.


    There was no need to even look at her¡ªjust the atmosphere around her seemed to bend and change, as if struggling to exist near such an unbelievably strong entity.


    It felt as if the world stopped for a moment. The wind died down, and the trees stopped swaying.


    All life forms in the vicinity had long since fled, sensing the scale of the battle that was about to erupt.


    Then, the ground shook.


    Luna immediately transformed into a giant dragon made of bone, her menacing green eyes glowing as she launched herself toward a bird-like creature with terrifying speed, ready to tear it apart.


    Zack dug his foot into the ground with such force that he cracked it, then exploded forward toward the three-headed beast.


    With each step, the ground beneath him shattered into dozens of pieces, debris scattering in every direction just from the sheer force of his movements.


    At the same time, dozens of swords flew toward the three-headed beast.


    Their speed surpassed that of arrows, and their sharp tips seemed capable of slicing the atmosphere itself.


    Finally, Zaroth, gripping his sword tightly, took a deep breath and dashed toward Eryndor¡ªthe only enemy left for him.


    Silverfang finally managed to rise to his four feet, grunting as he lunged at Eryndor from behind, supporting Zaroth.


    Zaroth''s core burned as he felt his mana draining at an alarming rate. Keeping Luna in her dragon form was a monumental task, not to mention the additional strain of keeping his wolf summoned.


    On top of it all, he was pushing his body even after it had reached its limits, exhausted and broken.


    Ignoring the pain, he gritted his teeth, tasting iron, as he was no doubt bleeding internally.


    "Eryndor! You are mine!" he shouted.


    This was the only thought keeping him going, helping him push past the unbearable pain.


    Killing that son of a bitch.


    Zaroth knew he had little chance of defeating Eryndor under normal circumstances. Despite being a Beast Master like him, Eryndor seemed to possess some kind of blessing that allowed him to move like a knight.


    But that was only if they fought one-on-one.


    Silverfang, being faster than Zaroth, reached Eryndor first.


    He opened his massive jaws, saliva dripping from them, and brought them down onto Eryndor''s leg, closing his mouth with enough force to shatter his bones.


    "You fucking dog!" Eryndor muttered as the bone in his leg cracked.


    But he didn''t have much time to cry out, as the next second Zaroth was already upon him, slashing with his sword as his eyes shone with menacing green color.


    He looked like a hunter about to devour his prey.


    Eryndor, seeing that his two beasts were locked in combat of their own, gritted his teeth.


    Then he smiled, using his arm to tap the sword Zaroth was swinging, making it miss him by the width of a hair''s breath.


    "Let''s see you try! Let''s see who is the more worthy Beast Master to live!" Eryndor shouted, clenching his palm into a fist before punching toward Zaroth.


    The punch moved with inhuman speed¡ªit was evident that Eryndor''s blessing seemed to enhance his physical capabilities.


    Naturally, Zaroth wasn''t able to see it coming¡­


    Or, he should have been, but without panicking, he moved his head just enough to the side so the punch missed him by a centimeter.


    "What¡ª" Eryndor seemed surprised that the opponent who was supposed to have inferior physical abilities had managed to dodge his punch.


    But Zaroth didn''t seem surprised by his own achievements. It looked like he was lost in thought.


    Because in that moment, as he approached Eryndor, there was nothing else in his mind¡ªnot the dragon fighting a giant bird-like beast in the sky, nor the fact that his two friends were fighting a massive three-headed beast.


    All he could sense¡­ perceive, was just him and his enemy.


    At that moment in time, Zaroth had managed to do it again, he replicated the thing he had been trying to achieve for two weeks now.


    He had reached his peak.


    *****


    An earth-shattering roar erupted from Luna''s massive jaws as she fired a deadly inferno of green flames aimed at the giant bird-like beast.


    Without hesitation, the giant bird used its metal feathers and passed right through the deadly flame.


    It only took a second, but it seemed the feathers were able to withstand the terrible heat Luna was producing with her breath¡­


    For now.


    As the deadly inferno Luna had unleashed landed on the ground, it ignited in flames.


    Zack dashed with staggering speed, reaching the leg of the three-headed beast. Raising his sword, he slashed, splitting the air in two.


    The beast sensed that being cut by the sword was bad news and instinctively moved its body, just barely dodging to the side.


    Then it felt an unbearable pain in its side. Shifting its gaze, it saw Roran carrying Lily''s injured body, as dozens of golden swords rained down toward it.


    Not only that, but due to the fight happening in the sky, it seemed as if the sky itself was beginning to go into flames.


    Suddenly, the third head of the beast¡ªthe one closest to Roran¡ªgrunted.


    It seemed to have gotten an idea for how to deal with the deadly threat.


    The beast opened its jaws wide, sucking in a staggering amount of air in an instant.


    No, not just air, but the green flames in the sky as well. S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Ignoring the fact that the inside of its mouth was burning, the beast''s eyes shone as it took aim and redirected the inferno toward Roran.


    At the same time, it bent its tail at an unnatural angle, aiming for Roran again.


    No, not Roran, but the person he was carrying.


    It seemed that the three-headed beast had decided to first kill the current weakest member of the enemy''s squad,


    Lily.

 Chapter 48: Slowly Melting

    The tail of the monster cut through the air, accompanied by the deadly inferno.


    Both of them moved with staggering speed, targeting Lily.


    "Oh no, you fucking don''t," Roran spat as he managed to twist his body at an unnatural angle to dodge the tail of the three-headed beast.


    At the same time, he commanded three of his swords to stand between him and the deadly inferno, effectively creating a shield.


    Roran took a step back, with Lily safely in his arms. He was trying to put some distance between himself and the beast.


    Growling, the beast moved its three heads, glaring at Roran, unwilling to let him go.


    But in doing so, it seemed to forget the enemy already within arm''s reach.


    Zack, after missing his initial attack, dashed forward, closing the distance to mere inches from the beast, and slashed horizontally.


    His sword tore through the monster''s tendons and muscles, making a shallow wound.


    But that was enough.


    Suddenly, the crimson blood of the monster began to slowly move in the direction of Zack''s sword, making his sword expand and grow larger.


    Another ear-piercing roar echoed from the sky.


    Luna, using her massive wings, flew even higher, making it easier to strike the giant bird.


    Her dragon form was entirely made of bones, including her wings. Normally, she shouldn''t have been able to fly¡­


    And yet, she did. Despite being weakened to the level of an Epic beast, she was a mythical creature at heart, meaning her will was enough to bend the laws of the world.


    Opening her jaws again, the inside of her mouth shone, and a second later, another inferno was fired at the bird-like creature.


    The beast responded with a roar of its own as it flapped its wings harder, increasing its speed even more.


    Thanks to its bird-like body and giant structure, just a flap of its wings seemed to shake the nearby trees, as if they were about to be blown away by the sheer force.


    Using its momentum, the beast passed through Luna''s flames, getting ready to attack with its beak.


    Luna responded in kind, slashing forward, preparing to intercept the attack.


    Most creatures would feel threatened seeing a giant dragon slashing with its massive claws, but the beast did not.


    It seemed confident that its body, made of metallic feathers, would be able to withstand the attack.


    The next second a large, tunning sound was heard as Luna''s attack connected with the beast, it seemed she wasn''t able to pierce its metallic body just yet.


    The bird got closer and managed to strike the Luna''s skull¡ªor more accurately, her eye.


    It probably thought that piercing the eye of the dragon with its beak would effectively kill it, and it would have been correct in normal circumstances¡­


    But it seemed that the beast had missed one little detail.


    Luna would have smiled if she were in her human form.


    ''I am already dead, you fool!'' she thought to herself as she moved her claws, catching the bird that had its beak stuck in her eye.


    After securing it in her claws, she moved her head and opened her jaws.


    ''You might be able to take my breath from afar¡­''


    Suddenly, the body of the bird beast shuddered as it sensed the incoming danger.


    ''But what about an attack from close up?''


    As the inferno attack left Luna''s mouth, it collided with the bird at close range. Perhaps its feathers would have held up in normal circumstances,


    But Luna''s breath didn''t stop as she didn''t let up with her attack. It was like her mouth was an abyss, capable of firing an infinite amount of fire attacks at no cost at all.


    Having to bear the attack for so long and at such close distance, the feathers of the bird beast slowly began to heat up.


    First, their tips became a lighter shade of red,and then, slowly, the red became more intense as the heat spread throughout the base of the feathers.


    They were slowly melting.


    *****


    "What is the matter, Zaroth? You don''t look so well!" Eryndor spoke, having managed to free himself from Silverfang''s jaws.


    He had taken a step back, placing both Zaroth and Silverfang in his line of sight.


    His leg was broken, so his movements were limited, yet he smiled as he looked at Zaroth.


    Despite looking like he wasn''t feeling anything, his face had become red, most likely due to the fatigue he was feeling. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''He must be using an absurd amount of mana to support the body of that dragon. He will soon run out, and then he''ll be left without a beast.''


    Eryndor was already making plans to celebrate his victory until he shifted his gaze upward, and his eyes widened in horror.


    His Epic beast had been caught in Zaroth''s dragon''s embrace and was currently being melted by its breath.


    "Fuck, don''t you dare die!" Eryndor cursed as he sent a mental command to his three-headed beast.


    The creature, as soon as it received the command, changed its movements, seemingly unbothered by the brutal assault on its body by Zack and Roran.


    It grabbed the largest tree on the ground with its three mouths and tore it from the earth.


    The next second, it threw the tree, targeting Luna.


    Being hit from the side by a thrown tree wasn''t something that Luna had expected, so she accidentally let go of the beast she was holding.


    She would have cursed under normal circumstances, but seeing the body of the bird beast, all she could feel was a smile¡­ well, she would have if she were in her human form.


    The bird beast had clearly distanced itself from her, as most of its feathers seemed to have melted all over its body, causing liquefied metal to spread across its form, no doubt filling the creature with pain.


    Yet rather than showing any signs of pain, it locked eyes with Luna as its gaze seemed to shine with malice.


    It looked like the bird creature had come up with a plan to defeat Luna.


    Sensing that as a challenge, Luna thought mockingly, ''Let''s see what you got!'' as she fired another breath at the beast.


    The bird beast took the flames, but rather than quickly getting out of them, it seemed to stay in position¡­


    And then it turned, rotating its body dozens¡­ hundreds of times in a second.


    The action seemed to have moved the air enough to change the direction of the flames, and in the next moment, a giant tornado formed over the forest from the menacing green inferno of Luna.

 Chapter 49: Tornado

    As the tornado suddenly appeared in the sky, illuminating the battlefield that was currently happening on the ground, it seemed as if the world had come to an end.


    A violent sound was heard as the tail of the three-headed beast moved again, colliding with Zack''s body and sending him flying.


    His body collided and broke multiple trees, and yet his armor remained whole.


    His current condition was hard to see due to the menacing armor he was clad in, but if someone were to look behind Zack''s helmet, they would be able to see that his eyes and their white glow had dimmed just slightly.


    It seemed he wasn''t done just yet.


    He dashed towards the beast again, shattering the ground below his feet as he did and raised his sword, preparing for an attack.


    Before his sword was about two meters long, but after successfully wounding the three-headed beast, it seemed as if his sword had begun to absorb the beast''s blood, and as a result, it had become close to three meters long.


    Usually, a person would have a problem wielding such a big sword successfully, as when a sword becomes longer, its center of gravity shifts, and its weight starts to become a problem as well.


    And yet Zack seemed unbothered by the change in his sword as he didn''t have a problem using it to attack the beast.


    The three-headed creature, seemingly giving up on killing Lily as she was protected by Roran, decided to focus on the next best thing.


    The being closest to it, Zack.


    Rotating its body, while dodging the swords that Roran was raining down on him, the beast slashed.


    The attack successfully landed on Zack''s side, and it tore through his armor, muscles, and finally his bones as it tore his arm completely.


    Zack was again sent to the ground. The wound that he had received didn''t seem to bleed, nor did the arm that had been cut off.


    Without showing any emotion, he quickly reached for his arm and using the other, put it back into position. sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Then the sword in his right hand seemed to decrease in size and lose its form for a moment.


    The next second, Zack was standing seemingly perfectly fine with two blood swords, one in each hand.


    The most accurate description of the scene would be to say that he looked like a blood knight.


    *****


    Zaroth''s breathing was ragged, and his mana core felt like it was on the verge of cracking. Every time Luna used her fiery breath to attack, it took a substantial amount of mana from him.


    It seemed that she had to use it for a longer period of time too, which was the conclusion Zaroth came to as he shifted his gaze for a moment, only to see a tornado of menacing green flames high in the sky.


    Deciding it was better to preserve his mana for Luna, he dismissed Silverfang.


    That action, while necessary so he didn''t die as his mana core cracked, was also painful because it meant he was now facing Eryndor one-on-one again.


    But he pressed on relentlessly, attacking Eryndor with everything he had.


    ''Can I win?'' he asked himself for a moment, and the next, he disregarded the thought completely. Only losers thought like that.


    ''I will win,'' he wholeheartedly made himself believe this thought as he pressed on even more relentlessly than before.


    He could forget everything else, all that mattered now was his enemy, Eryndor.


    "Fuck it!" Eryndor spat, irritated as he saw that he was having trouble taking Zaroth down despite the fact that his physical strength was superior.


    He didn''t have a weapon¡­ or at least that was how he wanted to appear to potential enemies.


    He reached under his back and drew a menacing dagger with a sharp tip. Without hesitating, he slashed, and Zaroth''s green eyes widened for a moment as the dagger came close to his face.


    It seemed as if the world slowed down as his thinking sped up even more, analyzing the situation.


    ''Should I dodge?... No, I don''t want to lose this chance,'' he thought as he pushed forward, tilting his head just slightly.


    The dagger passed through the air, and its tip grazed Zaroth''s cheek, making a shallow cut.


    Not paying attention to the wound he had received, Zaroth slashed with his sword.


    He managed to inflict a small cut on Eryndor''s shoulder, which irritated him even more.


    "If only your pest hadn''t broken my leg, you would have already been dead meat!" he spat, getting ready to counterattack.


    Both Zaroth and Eryndor''s lungs were on fire¡ªnot metaphorically, literally.


    The battle between Luna and the bird beast seemed to be nearing its end, but the tornado of flames seemed to remain.


    As the forest below caught on fire, ash rose into the air, making it poisonous to breathe, poisoning the people who were currently locked in battle.


    Zaroth''s muscles tensed as he met Eryndor''s dagger with his sword.


    It was surprising that he was able to fight on more or less equal ground with his enemy.


    But there was a limit to how much a person could and should push their body.


    As Zaroth''s movements seemed to slow, Eryndor seized the opportunity, gathering strength in his fingers.


    He gripped the wooden handle of the dagger so hard that his fingers lost color, then slashed vertically.


    The dagger cut through the air with dazzling speed, colliding with Zaroth''s forearm as it severed tendons, muscles, and finally the bone. Eryndor grinned menacingly as he spat,


    "Oh, looks like I cut off your arm. What are you gonna do now?"


    Seeing that the end was near, Zaroth abandoned all precaution as he shifted his weight forward, slashing with his sword.


    He was going for the kill, his eyes glowing with a green, menacing light.


    But at that moment, his eyes weren''t the only ones glowing.


    Because all this time, seemingly too hurt to move, Lily had been preparing a spell.


    And now, as the time had come, she was going to use her strongest attack.

 Chapter 50: Help on the way

    "Elysia? What are you doing here?" Roderic asked with a hint of concern, which was understandable.


    She usually spent her time in her tent reading documents, but not once had she come out to observe her students.


    Elysia was gazing at them as they moved around, attending to their business.


    "I''m not sure," Elysia admitted as she scanned her students one by one. S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "It just feels like I''m missing something." She spoke without averting her gaze from the students, deep in thought.


    ''We''ve had surprisingly good results so far. Some students have returned with proof of killing multiple Rare beasts. It''s quite impressive.''


    "Missing something?" Roderic asked, his eyes widening for a second.


    "Ah, I see. You''re worried about the students we found with their blood drained, aren''t you? I understand your concern, but just as you said, since we don''t have any solid proof that this was the work of a monster, we can''t halt the hunting competition." Roderic sighed as he spoke.


    "I doubt it''s a monster," Elysia said.


    "So what is it?" Roderic raised an eyebrow.


    "A demon, most likely."


    "A de¡ª" Roderic''s eyes widened in disbelief.


    "You think a demon has infiltrated our academy?"


    "I''m certain, Roderic," Elysia replied, turning her gaze to meet his.


    "But that''s not what I''m most worried about."


    Unwilling to meet her gaze, Roderic shifted his eyes to the side and asked, "Then what is it?"


    Elysia frowned as she thought inwardly.


    ''Ever since the competition began, I haven''t seen Zaroth and his squad, nor have I seen the Princess''s squad¡­''


    She tightened her palm in frustration.


    ''I understand that these individuals want to achieve high scores, but I''d prefer to keep my tools to me in case I need them.''


    But this wasn''t something she was going to admit to Roderic. She wasn''t about to confess that she was using the students to achieve her goals, so she lied.


    "I''m not sure. I''m trying to figure that out myself."


    Suddenly, a high-pitched scream rang out.


    Elysia instantly directed her gaze toward the scream, only to see a few girls with worried expressions on their faces.


    "Is it a monster attack?!" Elysia muttered as she shifted her gaze.


    Until she saw Sofia, the princess, and her bloodied body. She was carrying a student with a cracked white mask on her face.


    In one moment, Elysia was standing on the hill overseeing the camp, and the next, she was by the princess''s side.


    "What happened?" she asked, taking a closer look at Sofia''s injuries.


    ''She''s royalty and a fourth-year student. What the hell happened to her? And where is her squad?''


    "Elysia!" Sofia cried, no longer caring about maintaining appearances.


    "They''re dead! I doomed them!"


    Elysia took the injured student from Sofia''s hands as she looked her in the eyes and asked,


    "What happened?"


    "I¡­ we¡­ we were hunting until we suddenly got attacked by two Epic beasts at the same time! My squad was obliterated in an instant. I barely managed to escape with my and Vera''s life."


    She collapsed to her knees as the exhaustion finally overcame her.


    "Later, I realized they were controlled by a Beast Master who had succumbed to his beasts'' desires. We fled with everything I had, but as I ran, I passed by a group of students. Most likely, that psycho got to them."


    Elysia placed Vera gently on the ground and then gripped Sofia''s shoulders firmly.


    "What did these students look like?"


    "I''m not sure, but I think one of them had white hair and green eyes."


    "What''s happening?"


    Roderic finally caught up with Elysia, arriving at the scene with the camp healer not far behind him.


    Elysia turned her gaze to him, her black pupils radiating an aura of death itself. Her voice was cold and devoid of emotion as she spoke.


    "You take care of things here."


    In the next moment, she was gone, dashing toward the direction Sofia had come from.


    "Fuck! FUCK!" It was rare for Elysia to lose her composure, but what were the chances that just as she had found a useful tool, it was on the verge of being destroyed?


    "Don''t you dare die, Zaroth!" Elysia muttered under her breath.


    "At least not until you do what I need you to."


    *****


    Controlling even one of these heavenly swords was a tall task for any individual¡­


    And Roran was currently controlling dozens of them.


    While Zack kept the three-headed beast busy, he rained down blows on the creature''s body with his swords, creating countless wounds.


    Of course, using such immense power came with a hefty price.


    He was bleeding from his eyes and ears, his head pounding profoundly, and his thoughts barely coherent.


    There was currently only one thing on his mind, protecting Lily at all costs.


    And currently, the three-headed beast was the biggest threat to her existence.


    So all he had to do was eliminate it at any cost.


    The three-headed beast, covered in countless injuries, suddenly changed its movements.


    It went from targeting Zack to targeting Roran instead.


    No one was able to see the sudden change in behavior in time as the beast bent its tail at an unnatural angle and attacked Roran, aiming to tear off his head.


    Roran, seeing the current danger but not being able to move fast enough to dodge, all he could do was move his head slightly.


    As a result, when the tail of the monster hit him, it didn''t tear off his head.


    But it did tear off his lower jaw.


    Missing his lower jaw, Roran went from looking like a model to a monster from some kind of fairy tale.


    Yet he barely seemed to register that he had taken damage as even more swords began to materialize from existence, raining down on the beast, piercing it countless times.


    As the beast lost dozens of liters of blood, it seemed that Zack was absorbing it, and his sword and armor were growing stronger as a result.


    And amid all that was Lily. She, having her abdomen pierced, was dazed and could barely think straight.


    But something caught her attention.


    Zaroth, that was currently fighting against Eryndor. And it looked like Zaroth was going to lose.


    So, trying to offer all the support she could, Lily focused her remaining power as her eyes shined.


    And in the next moment, something appeared right behind Eryndor.


    It seemed to be some kind of figure that was made out of ice.


    She had done something that she hated to do.


    She had requested the help of a spirit.

 Chapter 51: Over

    ''Is that all you have?!'' Luna thought as she soared through the skies against the bird-like beast.


    It seemed that the beast thought that if it could neutralize Luna''s flames, she wasn''t going to be able to harm it.


    While it was able to redirect her flames by using wind rotation hundreds of times and creating a deadly tornado as a result, it seemed that it had made a grave mistake.


    It had underestimated Luna.


    Soaring through the sky with dazzling speed, she suddenly appeared by the metal bird-like creature.


    And not being able to get out of the way in time, Luna opened her massive jaws.


    She bit down on the body of the beast, feeling the liquefied metal all around its body.


    Usually, it would have been impossible to pierce its body, as the metal feathers were protecting it.


    But thanks to the constant exposure to her flames, its feathers had all melted. S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    And while it was true that liquid metal was a danger, as it had the same temperature as lava,


    Luna didn''t need to worry about that, as she was undead.


    Grasping the bird-like creature in her jaws, she closed them with devastating power.


    The body of the bird shivered violently, reluctant to give up.


    But in the next moment, as Luna forced her jaws to close with even more force, she took a massive bite out of the beast.


    Having more than a third of its body in her mouth, the bird-like creature''s eyes widened in horror.


    And then they grew dark as the bird began to fall to the ground, dead.


    A deafening ear-piercing roar was heard across the field as the three-headed beast tried to harm Zack with the best of its ability, but no matter how hard the beast hit him.


    He just got back up as if he hadn''t taken any damage.


    And all this time, the creature was being assaulted by the swords of Roran.


    So, after one last attempt to split Zack''s body in two, the beast grunted.


    And then it fell to the ground, shaking as it did.


    Its eyes grew cold and distant as a fountain of blood poured from its countless wounds.


    It was dead.


    "Give up! There is no way you can win against me!" Eryndor spat as he faced Zaroth.


    Eryndor was too preoccupied with the fight to realize that his two beasts were now dead.


    He was just frustrated that he wasn''t able to kill Zaroth.


    He had managed to cut one of his arms, but Zaroth seemed to attack as if it didn''t have any self-preservation.


    "You are insane!" Eryndor shouted, irritated.


    At the words, Zaroth could only laugh as he took a step forward, he just saw a chance to end the fight.


    Eryndor sensed that Zaroth had decided to gamble it all in one last desperate move, so he took a step back, thinking inwardly.


    ''Fool, after this you will be exposed.''


    Only for Eryndor''s eyes to widen in fear as he realized he could not take a step back.


    Shifting his gaze, he realized that his legs were frozen and that there was an ice figure behind his back.


    ''Is that a spirit?!'' he cursed inwardly.


    The most likely explanation was that this spell had been cast by the girl who had been injured by his bird-beast earlier.


    Eryndor shifted his gaze away from the fight, searching for the girl.


    Only for his face to lose color and his blood to turn cold.


    His three-headed beast was lying on the ground, dead.


    And his bird beast was falling soon to hit the ground, also dead.


    "How¡ª" he couldn''t comprehend it¡­


    His beasts had lost?


    But he couldn''t worry about that fact, as he sensed danger ahead.


    Raising his head to Zaroth, who looked like he was smiling, Zaroth slashed with his sword, clearly aiming to behead Eryndor.


    Time seemed to slow down for Eryndor as he looked at the sword that was about to pierce his neck.


    He was trying to come up with some kind of solution on how to deal with the issue.


    But his legs were frozen, and behind him was an ice figure that prevented him from taking a step back.


    Meaning¡­


    "I will di¡ª"


    He couldn''t finish the thought as Zaroth''s sword reached his neck and pierced it.


    Creating a beautiful arc in the air, Zaroth managed to behead Eryndor with one swift motion, killing him on the spot.


    And despite that one of his arms was missing and that he was bleeding internally, Zaroth smiled in happiness.


    And then he laughed. His laughter echoing over the field.


    *****


    "Is that the smell of fire?" Elysia thought as she quickened her steps even more.


    Her eyes darkened even more as she saw a large amount of smoke rising in the sky.


    It seemed that the forest had caught on fire.


    What could be the reason for that?


    She didn''t waste time thinking about that as she focused on running with everything she had.


    A maniacal laugh reached her ears, and in the next moment, as she reached her destination, her pupils widened in shock.


    There was a large green fire obliterating anything in its surroundings.


    Roran, with his lower jaw missing, was clutching Lily''s dying body as he cried bloody tears.


    Not far away was Zack, who was white as a ghost, looking like he wasn''t breathing at all.


    They were close to the body of a three-headed beast that had fallen to the ground, clearly dead.


    There was a body of a giant bird with liquefied metal on it, also lying on the ground not far away.


    Also dead.


    Both of these monsters were of the Epic class.


    And then there was Zaroth.


    Who was missing his left arm and was clutching with his right hand the severed head of a man.


    Most likely the Epic Beast Master.


    Zaroth was looking at the sky as he laughed like some kind of maniac.


    It seemed that the battle was already over.

 Chapter 52: Priceless Ally

    Roran was bleeding as his lower jaw was missing.


    Lily, bleeding, her abdomen pried open, was most likely seconds away from dying.


    Zaroth, with his left hand missing and bleeding from every hole in his face, laughed maniacally as he clutched the severed head of his opponent.


    And Zack, who was seemingly unscathed, currently looked the worst, as his face was so white and his eyes so unfocused, like he was already dead.


    Everyone was moments away from dying, and usually, there would be no way to save them¡­


    But Elysia was here. Without wasting any time, she flicked her finger, and the four students were lifted into the air, seemingly frozen and unable to move.


    The blood that was falling from them froze as well.


    Elysia flicked her fingers again, and the inferno that was quickly destroying the forest ceased in an instant.


    A deadly stillness fell upon the burned forest as the ash rose into the sky and dissolved, making the air breathable again.


    Elysia was supposed to go to the medical team as soon as possible to get her students treated, but since they were now frozen in time, there was no point in rushing.


    Instead, she took a step forward, admiring the two defeated beasts.


    The three-headed beast was a large creature.


    It could surely destroy a city, even a country, should there not be people capable of matching its strength¡­


    And yet it lay on the ground, dead, bleeding a ridiculous amount of blood.


    It had two kinds of wounds¡ªones that were small but deep, like the kind of wound arrows leave, but the injuries were too wide for the arrow to be the reason.


    "So it''s left by a sword?" Elysia muttered, observing the wounds.


    If it was indeed made by a sword, it would mean someone had thrust their sword thousands of times into the creature''s body.


    "¡­Or someone is capable of controlling dozens of swords at a time," she spoke, her eyes darkening slightly as her interest peaked.


    The second type of wounds were left by a slashing weapon, most likely also a sword.


    "But for the wounds to be this wide, it would mean the sword used would be at least 3 meters long, if not more¡­"


    Elysia walked toward the dead bird-beast.


    Its metal feathers had been melted, most likely by an incredibly deadly inferno, and about a third of the bird''s body was missing, almost as if something had bitten it off.


    This, coupled with the fact that the forest was on fire, led her to wonder.


    "It''s almost like the bird fought against another beast¡­"


    The question was, what kind?


    "It can''t be a phoenix, as it wouldn''t be able to take such a big bite out of the bird creature¡­"


    Suddenly, Elysia''s lips curved into a smile, her voice excited as she spoke.


    "¡­Was it a dragon? But the only way a dragon could have appeared here and disappeared so quickly without anyone noticing would mean that someone summoned it¡­"


    But being able to summon a mythical beast? That would be ridiculous¡ªthere isn''t even anyone capable of summoning beasts, he¡ª


    Elysia''s gaze shifted to Zaroth, who stood proudly, clutching the beheaded head of a man with a smile on his face.


    Walking slowly, she stopped before him, her eyes darkening with dangerous intensity.


    "So it wasn''t Epic, but Mythic after all¡­" she spoke, placing her finger on Zaroth''s bloodied lip.


    "Ah¡­ it seems I have gained a priceless ally¡­ my gut was correct," Elysia spoke, her lips curving into a deadly smile as she looked at Zaroth.


    Moving her face close to his ear, she whispered, though Zaroth, frozen in time, wasn''t able to hear her.


    "Alright, let''s get you patched up."


    *****


    "Princess, step back!" Roderic spoke as he gazed into the girl''s eyes.


    After Sofia had come with the dire news that an Epic beast master had arrived, the teachers had immediately stopped the hunting competition and teleported the students away for safety reasons.


    The only one they didn''t manage to transport was Sofia, as according to her words, she wanted to stay and fight with the intention of avenging her squad.


    "There is no need for that. Elysia has gone there herself, so she would surely handle it," Roderic tried to convince her.


    "Then why are you armed and ready for combat?" she asked, pointing to the teachers.


    True, while Elysia was strong, there were two Epic beasts running wild, so no one wanted to take any chances.


    As a result, all the teachers at the academy who were present at the hunting competition¡ª87 exactly¡ªhad now armed themselves, looking at the woods.


    Waiting to see if their boss would return alive or if they would have to venture into the wild to try to put down the beasts.


    "It''s just for safety precautions," Roderic answered.


    "Then I am going to stay here for safety precautions too. I am royalty, and a four-year student, I can be useful too!" Sofia said, unwilling to back down.


    "This kid¡­" Roderic sighed as he shifted his gaze back to the woods.


    ''It''s been a few hours since Elysia entered the forest. Is she fine? I doubt that she would lose¡­ but she may need reinforcements.''


    Roderic''s thoughts were cut short as the nearby bushes suddenly rustled.


    Everyone got on their guard as they tightened their grip on their weapons, preparing for battle.


    Would an enemy show itself, or would it be their boss?


    Everyone sighed in relief as they saw Elysia exit the bushes, looking spotless.


    ''She''s gotten rid of them without even looking exhausted?'' Roderic''s eyes widened in disbelief. He knew his boss was strong, but to that extent¡­


    "Boss, you''ve returned. I presume you''ve defeated the Epic beasts?" Roderic was the first one to dare ask Elysia as he took a step forward.


    "No, I haven''t done a thing," Elysia replied instantly.


    "Huh? But are the Epic beasts dead?" Roderic asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "Yes, they are," Elysia said, beginning to walk forward, and behind her, four frozen bodies floating in the air came into view.


    One had his lower jaw torn off and was crying blood as he looked at the girl''s body in his embrace.


    One was as white as a ghost, seemingly dead, but seeing that Elysia had used her powers on him, he was most likely still alive, even if just barely.


    And finally¡­


    A white-haired young man, his left hand missing, clutched a severed head in his right hand. His arms were outstretched to the side as he gazed at the sky with a maniacal smile. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "These four did all the work, not me," Elysia spoke coldly, shifting her gaze to Sylvia, one of the healers who had gone on the expedition.


    "What are you waiting for? Heal them!"

 Chapter 53: Friends

    Why did Zaroth laugh like a maniac when Elysia found him?


    True, he was happy he had managed to kill the son of a bitch, even if he had to rely on Lily''s help in the end.


    But he was still moments away from dying, so what could have led him to laugh so much?


    After Zaroth managed to kill Eryndor, he saw something he wasn''t expecting.


    The two dead beasts of the bastard were glowing with energy¡ªthe kind that indicated they could potentially be resurrected and tamed.


    He may have killed their master, so the chances of taming them were low, but he still decided it wouldn''t hurt to try.


    But the message he saw next was something he certainly didn''t expect.


    [Cerberus judges your soul.]


    [Cerberus doesn''t respond to your call.]


    [Cerberus trembles in your presence and that of your beast, Luna.]


    The same went for the bird.


    [Aetherion judges your soul.]


    [Aetherion doesn''t respond to your call.]


    [Aetherion trembles in your presence and that of your beast, Luna.]


    These mighty beings were scared of him and Luna.


    How could he not laugh at that?


    When had he become so strong that Epic beasts trembled in his presence?


    Well, that didn''t matter now, as there was a problem.


    Zack, Roran, and Lily now knew he had tamed a dragon.


    This could be disastrous if they decided to spread the information.


    But Zaroth certainly didn''t expect his friends to hide so much power of their own.


    He suspected they were strong, but certainly not to this extent.


    Zaroth didn''t have more time to ponder these matters as he felt sunlight illuminating his closed eyes.


    With a grunt, he slowly opened them.


    It took a second or two until his eyes adjusted to his surroundings.


    When they did, he observed his surroundings,


    He was in a spacious white room, lying on a bed.


    In the same room as him were Zack, Roran, and Lily.


    It seemed they were in a hospital room.


    "Why do I have d¨¦j¨¤ vu?" he muttered under his breath as he attempted to get up, but his aching muscles stopped him.


    Suddenly, his eyes widened as he shifted his gaze to his left arm.


    Letting out a sigh of relief, he muttered, "It''s there."


    It seemed that the academy''s healers were certainly skilled enough to reattach his arm.


    Or maybe they didn''t reattach it and simply had a way to make it grow back?


    Seeing as he was too exhausted to move a muscle, he sent a mental message to Luna.


    ''How are things going?''


    ''Great, actually,'' she replied instantly.


    It seemed that, at least, his beast was in a good mood¡ªunlike him.


    ''How so?'' he asked, raising an eyebrow.


    ''During the fight, I used my fire breath repeatedly. As a result, your mana core has expanded.''


    ''How much?''


    ''I can''t say for certain, but the amount of mana you can store, how quickly it regenerates, and how much output it can provide at once have all increased significantly.''


    Zaroth closed his eyes for a moment, appreciating the fact that he was alive¡ªand stronger.


    ''So¡­ does that mean it''s strong enough to¡­ you know.''


    Unlike usual, Luna took some time to respond.


    Typically, she would immediately reject the idea under the pretext that his mana core was still too weak.


    Could that change today?


    Luna sighed¡ªor at least Zaroth thought she did¡ªbefore answering.


    ''It has certainly become stronger, but it''s not enough.''


    "Figures," he muttered, frustrated.


    His thoughts were quickly interrupted as he heard movement next to him.


    Everyone was waking up.


    ''This is going to be awkward,'' Zaroth thought, not looking forward to the incoming conversation.


    After everyone had woken up, no one said a thing as they sat up, resting their backs against the bed frames.


    No doubt everyone was thinking the same thing,


    ''Would they be able to hide my secret, or would I have to kill them right here and now?''


    Not liking the tension in the air, Zaroth decided to be the one to break the ice.


    Taking a deep breath, he spoke.


    "I guess you can say we all have our secrets."


    Everyone shifted their gaze to him, listening without interrupting.


    "I assume none of you want this information to get out. So, let''s make a deal, we won''t speak of this to anyone, nor will we reveal what each of us is capable of."


    Silence fell over the room until Zack spoke.


    "Seeing as we''re here, they no doubt know we defeated two Epic beasts along with their master."


    "And they''re most likely going to question us about how we managed it," Roran finished Zack''s thought.


    "We need to get our stories straight so we don''t raise any suspicions," Lily interjected.


    "Any ideas?" Zack asked.


    "Yes," Zaroth suggested. "I recommend we keep it as short as possible. That way, it''ll be harder to spot any inconsistencies."


    "We could say the battle is blurry in our minds and we can''t remember exactly what happened," Roran added.


    "But they''ll still want an explanation about how we managed to win, right?" Zack countered.


    "We can say their master had already gone insane and wasn''t thinking clearly about how to use his beasts," Lily spoke. "On top of that, he likely underestimated us."


    With their plan finalized, another awkward silence fell over the room.


    "I want to say¡­" Zaroth was surprised at himself for speaking up, but he found he was feeling something unfamiliar¡ªsomething he had never felt in his life until now.


    "I¡­ am glad you guys are alive."


    Zack laughed. "I''m hard to kill, you know."


    "There are still things I need to do," Roran said with a firm nod of agreement.


    "I''m not ready to die yet," Lily added, a soft smile forming on her lips.


    With the ice broken between them, they began chatting about nothing in particular¡ªlike friends were supposed to.


    Of course, as the volume of their conversation rose, a knock on the door silenced them.


    The door creaked open, revealing a tall, breathtaking woman with dark pupils and hair, her presence like the incarnation of death itself.


    Elysia gazed at the four students resting on the beds, with a menacing smile spreading across her face.


    "Good morning," S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 54: Famous

    "Good morning."


    Despite seeing the chairwoman, a person that should have brought them comfort, everyone felt the opposite as they held their breaths, waiting to see what she was going to tell them.


    Zaroth also held his breath, but for a very different reason.


    Looking at Elysia, he couldn''t help but notice the two buttons she had left undone on her suit, leaving part of her chest partially visible.


    Coupled with the fact that he was currently lying half-naked on a bed, Zaroth felt his blood rush to a certain place¡ªsomething he preferred not to happen, especially in his current situation.


    "You don''t have to worry about anything," Elysia spoke with a gentle voice, yet one that carried a certain edge.


    She closed the door behind her, picked up a chair, placed it where she had a clear view of everyone, and sat down, crossing one leg over the other.


    "Let''s cut to the chase. How did you do it?" Elysia asked, her sharp gaze shifting between the students.


    "How did you manage to defeat two Epic beasts and their master?"


    Her gaze lingered on Zaroth for a moment longer.


    Taking a deep breath, he responded, trying to match her smile.


    "Well, to be honest, the fight was a blur¡ª"


    "No one here remembers anything, and the reason you won was probably that the Epic beast master underestimated you, right?" Elysia cut off Zaroth in an instant.


    ''How the hell did she know?!'' Zaroth asked himself.


    He hadn''t even finished explaining yet, so she couldn''t have seen through his lie yet.


    Elysia leaned back in her chair, which caused her chest to shift slightly.


    Zaroth felt the heat rise within him but didn''t avert his gaze¡ªconsidering it a rare opportunity.


    "Isn''t it convenient," she continued, her voice changing from gentle to indifferent, "that none of you remember anything?"


    "I at least hoped you would tell the truth to the chairwoman of the academy. You do know that lying to me could get you expelled, right?"


    Everyone gulped audibly¡ªthough Zaroth''s reaction had more to do with her provocative presence than fear of expulsion.


    "Relax," Elysia suddenly said in a carefree tone, almost startling them.


    ''Just how fast is this woman able to switch her mood?'' Zaroth asked himself.


    "If you don''t want to tell me, then don''t. Everyone has something they would prefer to keep secret, after all," she said as she shifted her gaze to Roran and Lily.


    "But you two will be entering A-class from now on. There is no way you can survive an encounter with two Epic beasts and not be promoted to the highest class."


    After this, Elysia stood up, returned the chair to its original position, and opened the door, clearly intending to head out.


    "Oh, I almost forgot," she said without turning back.


    "Zaroth, when you''re feeling better, I want you in my office."


    With that, she exited the room.


    "It looks like you got promoted!" Zack said with a smile, shifting his gaze to them.


    "Congrats," Zaroth muttered, his body still uncomfortably hot.


    Roran and Lily, looking a bit stunned, nodded hastily as a way to say thank you.


    *****


    Soon after, Sylvia entered the room, ensuring they were fine and letting them go.


    It turned out the room they were in was in the academy, which was convenient as they had lectures soon.


    "What about the scores?" Zaroth asked, suddenly remembering that they had been technically rescued.


    "They wouldn''t fail us for that, right?" he muttered under his breath.


    "I think we can see the results right there!" Zack pointed at a large group of students gathered around a board that looked like it was used for announcements.


    The four of them stepped toward the board, their ears picking up conversations all around them.


    "How the hell?"


    "There''s no way!"


    "There has to be a mistake!"


    "Who the hell is Zaroth, and where is his team?!"


    Raising an eyebrow, Zaroth finally reached the board and took a glance at it.


    The damned text was still small and hard to see as always. S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He was surprised for a second, it seemed that the results weren''t just from their academy but from the academies across the entire empire.


    ''It makes sense actually,'' he thought.


    ''The other academies probably held similar competitions, and now the ones with the highest scores from all the academies will be chosen to participate in the tournament.''


    "Where are we?" he muttered as he scanned the board.


    He, of course, began from the bottom up.


    It was surprising to see that there were so many academies in the empire, but he didn''t ponder on the issue as his eyes reached the top three places and froze for a second.


    ¡ªThird place¡ª


    Grace''s squad - 73,700 points


    ¡ªSecond place¡ª


    David''s squad - 95,400 points


    ¡ªFirst place¡ª


    Zaroth''s squad - 1,002,900 points


    This was no doubt plastered not only all around the academy but the empire as a whole.


    It seemed that the Epic beasts his squad had killed had most likely added a large amount of points to their side.


    Zaroth honestly didn''t know how to feel, as the situation was unfamiliar to him, so all he could do was mutter in bewilderment,


    "Huh¡­ I guess I''m famous."


    Not wanting to draw attention, he quickly got out of the crowd and headed for Elysia''s office, thinking it was better to deal with the issue as soon as possible.


    Reaching the door, room 13/13, he knocked.


    "Enter," he immediately heard Elysia''s voice, so he did just that.


    Entering, he wasn''t surprised to see that the office was still exactly the same as before¡ªelegant and professional.


    Elysia was sitting across from her desk with a cup of coffee by her side.


    "Sit," she spoke, gesturing with her hand towards the seat across from her.


    Taking a deep breath, he did, looking her in her beautiful black eyes and asking,


    "Why am I here?" It was a natural question, he was wondering if the plan for winning the tournament had changed, or maybe she wanted him to try and get his friends on her side.


    Putting the cup close to her lips, she took a sip as she leaned back in her chair.


    With a menacing smile¡ªone that Zaroth, for some ungodly reason, found alluring¡ªshe spoke,


    "Why else? Summon it."


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow.


    "Summon what?"


    "Your dragon, of course."

 Chapter 55: Two Beauties

    Zaroth held his breath, as his face lost color.


    "I am sorry? A dragon? You think I have tamed a dragon?" he asked, trying to appear calm, but his trembling voice and hands made it clear that he had been busted.


    He cursed inwardly, ''How the actually fuck did she figure it out?!''


    "Yes, I do believe you have a dragon in your possession. This is the conclusion I came to after seeing the aftermath of the fight."


    She tapped with her finger on the desk.


    "Zack and Roran managed to defeat the three-headed beast, you defeated the beast master¡­ the question is, who dealt with the metallic bird beast?"


    Seeing that the secret was out and not wanting to make the situation worse than it already was, Zaroth knew there was nothing left to do but stay silent.


    "Something managed to defeat the Epic beast, that something also managed to take a bite of a third of the creature''s massive body, and lastly, that something had enough firepower to melt the metallic feathers of the bird and almost burn the whole forest¡­"


    "So isn''t it natural that the conclusion I came to is that you possess a dragon?"


    "But¡­ but¡­" Zaroth was stuttering, clearly struggling. He wasn''t able to find a way out.


    "Of course, this is just my theory¡­ so tell me, do you have a dragon in your soul?"


    At this moment, he knew there was no saving it.


    Elysia seemed to be able to tell when a person was lying, so there wasn''t much Zaroth could do at this point.


    "¡­ I do."


    Seeing that Zaroth was telling the truth, Elysia sighed in satisfaction as she leaned back against her chair.


    "Good. Now summon it. I want to see it."


    "But it will not fit in t¡ª"


    "Do you think I am a fool?" Elysia interrupted him.


    "I know strong beasts of Legendary rank can take the appearance of a human, so it''s only natural that Mythical beasts could do the same, isn''t it?"


    Zaroth hesitated until he heard Luna''s voice in his mind.


    ''The cat is out of the bag at this point. It is better to summon me.''


    With regret in his eyes, Zaroth summoned Luna.


    White sparks began to materialize, and a few seconds later, a tall woman with white hair and green cat-like eyes appeared in front of Zaroth as she stared at Elysia with indifference.


    Elysia''s eyes widened in awe for a moment. As she stood up, she extended her arm forward.


    "Nice to meet you, miss¡­?"


    "Luna," she replied, returning the handshake with a smile.


    Looking at the two beauties as they stared at each other, no doubt assessing if they could kill the person before them, Zaroth sighed inwardly.


    ''I really have a strange taste in women.''


    Suddenly, he remembered Roran and Zack.


    ''I think I wouldn''t mind another night where we get blackout drunk.''


    After the introductions, Luna seated herself at Zaroth''s side, not shifting her gaze from Elysia.


    "So now that you know my master has a Mythical beast under his command, what are you going to do about it?" Luna asked, putting one leg over the other.


    "Nothing much, at least not yet. I will just expect your master to win the tournament with certainty from now on," Elysia replied with a menacing smile.


    Not wanting to be left a spectator, Zaroth spoke up,


    "I will join and win the tournament for my own accord. There is something I want, after all."


    His interjection was met by the stares of the two women.


    Being stared at by them, Zaroth''s body shivered slightly as blood began to flow to a certain body part.


    "So now you know what you''re going to use your wish for?" Elysia asked, raising an eyebrow.


    ''You are also going to grant me a wish, aren''t you? Your one is much more valuable than the emperor''s.''


    But Zaroth certainly wasn''t planning to share the information that he was planning to use the wish to sleep with¡ªor at least try to sleep with¡ªElysia, so he twisted the truth a bit.


    "Yes, you can say that."


    Luna, no doubt knowing Zaroth''s inner motives, smirked but didn''t say anything.


    "But I have to ask," he added.


    "Isn''t there a law that if anyone is able to tame a strong creature, they''re to be executed on the spot? Why are you letting me go? Isn''t that against the word of the emperor?"


    Raising from her seat with a sigh, Elysia spoke.


    "First, even if you go rogue, no matter how many beasts you''ve tamed, I''m certain I will be able to stop you before you do any real damage,"


    She began as she walked to the side of the desk.


    "Second, no one would ever expect you to have tamed a dragon. That makes you... more valuable."


    Approaching his seat, she raised her foot, placing it between his legs, the high heel burying itself deep into the leather of the seat.


    "And third," she spoke coldly as she placed her left hand on his cheek, bringing her face closer to his.


    "You know you work for me, so why would I execute my own subordinate? Those who belong to me know better than to defy me."


    Unable to tear his gaze away from her piercing eyes, Zaroth sent a mental message to Luna.


    ''Hey, aren''t you going to react in any way?!''


    Luna sighed, her voice dripping with amusement as she responded in their shared connection.


    ''Why would I interrupt? You seem to be enjoying it, after all.''


    ''I am not!''


    ''Then why do I feel excitement coming from you?''


    At her words, Zaroth was left speechless.


    Looking as if Zaroth was frozen, maybe from fear? Seeing his hesitation, Elysia, spoke once more.


    "So, does that answer your question?" S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Yes, but now another question suddenly arose."


    Elysia, not moving her leg nor her arm, raised an eyebrow and asked,


    "What is it?"


    "After today''s lectures, if you''re free, would you like to join me for dinner?"

 Chapter 56: Useful

    "What?" Elysia spoke coldly as she moved away her hand and leg.


    "Are you serious?" she asked, looking him into his eyes.


    Zaroth, not flinching at all, replied instantly, "Yes, why not? Earlier, you said that you don''t have much free time, so it wouldn''t hurt to have some rest, right?"


    Elysia raised an eyebrow. "But with you? Are you asking me on a date?"


    "Yes," he answered, trying to appear composed.


    Elysia grabbed her stomach as she laughed at the unexpected offer.


    "I am sorry, but you are a bit too young for me."


    Now it was Zaroth''s turn to raise his eyebrow. "What are you talking about? Both of us are adults, right? So there shouldn''t be a problem."


    Seeing that he was serious, Elysia''s laughter quickly died down.


    "Still, you are a bit too young for my taste," Elysia spoke as she sat back in her chair.


    "Well, you can think about it," Zaroth said with a warm smile as he got up, desummoned Luna, and exited the room.


    Elysia, now alone in her office, sighed with amusement.


    "To think that young boy is brave enough to ask me out¡­" she muttered as she remembered the dragon the Zaroth possessed.


    Her lips curved into a smile as her dark eyes seemed to shine darker from the excitement.


    "He will be useful indeed."


    *****


    ''To be honest, it kind of surprised me. Why did you suddenly decided to ask her out on a date?'' Luna, now back in Zaroth''s soul, asked him.


    "Well, there are two reasons. First, it was kind of pathetic to find her attractive without expressing it, and second, when she came in so close, there was no way I wasn''t going to try and seize the chance!" he proclaimed as he headed for the upcoming lecture.


    "Now this will be interesting," Zaroth muttered under his breath as he opened the door to the lecture room.


    There was some noise in the room, but it immediately died down as he entered.


    Trying to ignore the piercing eyes of everybody, he sat in his usual seat in the back, only to be surprised that Zack was next to him.


    "W-what are you doing here?"


    Zack grinned before answering, "After the fiasco with the scoreboard, everybody quickly learned who was in your squad. As a result, everybody stares at me daggers. If that''s the case, I thought I might as well move next to you."


    "Plus," he added, pointing to the two empty seats next to Zaroth, "We have to give Roran and Lily a warm welcome."


    It was clear that the students in A-class didn''t like Zaroth or his group, so some of them looked like they were about to summon the courage to talk to him, but they were interrupted as the doors at the front of the room burst open.


    The professor walked forward, accompanied by two students behind him.


    One was a man with blonde hair and blue eyes, while the other was a woman with golden hair and eyes.


    Roran and Lily.


    "Attention!" the professor spoke loudly, making everybody turn their attention to him.


    "We have new students joining our class today!"


    "Hello, I am Roran," he spoke coldly, meeting the gaze of everybody in the class with utter indifference.


    "Lily, nice to meet you," while Lily smiled warmly at everybody in the room.


    "You can take the seats you like," the professor spoke as he headed for the desk, getting ready to begin the lesson.


    Roran and Lily scanned the room until their gazes fell on Zaroth and Zack.


    They smiled slightly as they approached them.


    "Congrats," Zack grinned as he looked at them.


    Lily sat next to Zaroth and Roran next to her, getting the seat next to the stairs.


    It seemed he was so focused on protecting her that he even chose the seats where she was the most protected.


    "As you all know, we rank beasts based on strength. We do the same with demons using a different scale of power,"


    The professor began to write on the board, and Zaroth copied the information into his textbook:


    Minor


    Lesser


    Intermediate


    Greater


    Overlord


    Archdemon


    Primordial


    Making note that the strength of demons was ranked in a different way compared to the beasts, he wrote it all down.


    He couldn''t help but steal a glance at Lily''s textbook, only to gasp in awe the next second.


    "How does your writing look so neat?" he asked her quietly so the professor didn''t hear them.


    She shrugged as she answered, "I''m not sure, I just like pretty things, I guess."


    Shifting his gaze to Roran, he saw that he was writing in bold but easy-to-understand handwriting¡­


    Then he glanced at Zack,


    "Mate, what the hell have you written? I can''t read a single word of it."


    In turn, Zack glanced at Zaroth''s textbook,


    "And what about you? Have you invented a new language?"


    Shifting his gaze to see what he had written so far, Zaroth raised an eyebrow as he muttered,


    "No, really, what have I written?" S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He couldn''t make sense of it.


    After the lectures were over, it was time for Physical Body Training, and now that Lily and Roran were in Class-A, he was curious to see how they would hold up.


    The bald instructor, making note of the two new students, had them run laps around the running field as always. After a light stretching session, everyone got into position.


    Zaroth threw a quick glance at Roran, who had gotten into position.


    Smirking slightly, he muttered,


    "I''ll finish it before you."


    "I would like to see you try," Roran immediately responded.


    "I don''t know about you two mages, but I am definitely finishing first," Zack butted in.


    "Now, now, there is always the chance for something unexpected to happen," Lily countered.


    On the signal of the bald instructor, everybody shot forward, the four of them running with everything they had.


    At the end, Zack finished first in the whole class, then it was Roran a bit after, and then Zaroth and Lily.


    After the running was over, the instructor made them do push-ups, pull-ups, and squats until they felt like passing out.


    In the end, feeling tired, everybody headed for the shower room.


    Lily, being a woman, naturally wasn''t with them as she was in the women''s shower room.


    Zaroth, after stripping down to his underwear, approached a full-sized body mirror, appreciating the muscles he had built so far.


    At least he did, until he heard a voice behind him.


    "Hey, you and your disgusting white hair, you must be Zaroth, correct?"


    Zaroth sighed. It seemed that the time had come. It wasn''t surprising after making a bad first impression on the first day by not wearing the proper clothes and sitting in the front while the Emperor was announcing the tournament.


    And his team, who had managed to get a higher score than everyone else in the empire, despite their leader being of a ''lesser birth'' it was time for some arrogant bastard to try and approach him.


    Turning sharply, he tried to make his voice as menacing as possible before he spat.


    "And who the fuck are you supposed to be?"

 Chapter 57: Fist Fight

    Turning around, Zaroth saw a man with an average build, accompanied by two others¡ªone shorter and the other chubby.


    ''How the hell are these three allowed in A-class?'' Zaroth asked himself.


    "Who am I? I''ll tell you¡ªI''m not some street rat who somehow got accepted into A-class without a good reason, like you."


    "It''s better to be a rat than a parasite like you. Judging by your performance during training earlier, you were probably worse than average," Zaroth retorted.


    "The fuck did you just say? Are you begging for a fight?"


    "Yeah, sure, why not? Unlike you, I can fight. My score was the highest in the entire empire. Where was yours?" Zaroth''s voice was filled with sarcasm and mockery.


    "Oh, that''s right, I wouldn''t know because I don''t even know your name. That''s how insignificant you are."


    "Insignificant, huh? But we''re three against one," the shorter boy interjected, trying to back up his friend, who was struggling to keep up.


    Zaroth laughed and spat on the ground. "You''re pathetic ones, waiting until we were in the shower room to confront me. What? Too scared to get expelled like that fat fuck on the first day?"


    "It seems you really are asking for a beating," the chubbier man growled, stepping forward.


    Zaroth matched his step. "I''ll make you taste blood."


    "You''ve started to get too arrogant," murmured a few nobles nearby who decided to join forces against Zaroth.


    "What''s this? You''ve got three men already, and now you need even more?" He chuckled darkly, pointing at the shorter noble. "Afraid to act alone? Can you even call yourself a man?"


    The short noble lunged toward him, but a loud noise startled him.


    He turned to see Zack standing there, his fist embedded in the metallic locker, leaving a gaping hole.


    "What''s this? A fight?" Zack asked coldly.


    "How pathetic¡ªso many against one," Roran added, massaging his right shoulder as he stepped into the room.


    "Oh, have you called your boyfriends for backup now?" the chubby one sneered mockingly at Zaroth.


    "Oh, punk¡­ you''re going to regret those words," Zaroth growled, cracking his knuckles.


    *****


    "How much longer are they going to take?!" the bald instructor muttered impatiently, waiting outside the shower rooms.


    Typically, no one was allowed to spend more than 15 minutes in there, but this time they were taking their sweet time¡­


    "They''re breaking my rules already?!" The instructor could feel his blood boiling with rage.


    Approaching the door, he slammed it with his fist, causing it to burst into pieces. Entering, he shouted in fury,


    "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?"


    Inside, the room was chaos. Several people lay on the ground, bruises covering their bodies, and some were bleeding from their faces.


    One particularly chubby man seemed to have taken the worst of it, his right arm clearly broken.


    In the end, since the academy couldn''t hold anyone accountable for what had occurred in the shower room, everyone involved was let off with a warning.


    *****


    "Ah, that was fun!" Zack praised as he massaged his left fist.


    "Alright, I have to agree," Roran nodded with a smile.


    "Ah, whatever. At least that should make them think twice before bothering us," Zaroth said with a sigh.


    "Hey," he added, "after the academy, want to go to that bar again? My treat."


    Roran suddenly grinned like a child in a candy store, while Zack raised an eyebrow. "Where did this come from?"


    "Think of it as a thank you for helping me in the fight," Zaroth spoke, slightly embarrassed.


    "No problem!" Roran approached him with a smile, putting his arm over Zaroth''s shoulder.


    "What took you so long?" Lily had wasted precious minutes waiting for them, but her eyes widened slightly when she saw the state the three were in.


    "What happened?"


    "A small fight broke out in the shower room," Roran responded with a warm smile.


    "Are you guys alright?"


    "Yeah, you should have seen the others," Zack replied.


    The clock was ticking, so everyone headed to the cafeteria.


    Of course, due to Zaroth''s unique look, he was recognized almost immediately, and as a result, there were a lot of eyes on him and his friends. But they tried to pay no mind to the hostility as they sat at a table and began eating.


    Meanwhile, Zaroth used his bracelet to check his balance.


    [54 credits in possession]


    ''The only time I spent credits was when I went drinking with Roran and Zack, and it seems that time I used 46. This means it won''t be enough to treat everyone today.''


    Left with no choice, he messaged Elysia.


    -----


    Zaroth: Could you send me some more credits?


    Elysia: Getting drunk again?


    Zaroth: I prefer to call it team building.


    Elysia: Before that, I heard there was a fight in the shower rooms, and that you were involved.


    Zaroth: Is there a problem?


    Elysia: Did you kill somebody?


    Zaroth: No, just broke the arm of one guy who annoyed me and roughed up a few others.


    Elysia: Then there is no problem.


    -----


    [You have received a transfer of 500 credits.]


    Seeing the generous amount, Zaroth couldn''t help but grin.


    "Hey, I''m not sure¡ªhow much is a credit worth? Before coming here, I only knew how coins exchange worked."


    "Well, seeing as you''re familiar with coins," Lily began to explain, "think of it as one credit being worth one silver coin."


    ''Wait¡­ this means that when we went out before, I used 46 silver coins on alcohol alone?''


    Zaroth suddenly placed a hand over his stomach.


    That was an amount he would never have been able to save, even if he worked his whole life. And now he was able to spend so much on alcohol alone?


    "The capital sure is different from where I grew up in ," he muttered under his breath, both frustrated and in awe.


    After their lunch was finished, it was time for more lectures, and then the Live Combat Practice class was about to begin.


    Roderic, the instructor of the class, threw a glance at Zaroth, no doubt remembering the way he had seen him before¡ªsmiling with one hand cut off while holding a severed head in the other.


    But Roderic didn''t show any change in his behavior so the class proceeded as usual.


    "Finally," Zaroth sighed as he entered the combat room.


    During his previous fight with Eryndor, he was pretty sure he''d learned how to enter peak flow state on command. sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Now, he was eager to test it.

 Chapter 58: Nice to meet you

    Zack raised an eyebrow before asking,


    "Are you sure?"


    "Yes," Zaroth immediately replied, gripping his sword harder.


    He had asked Zack for a spar, but without him holding back,


    Seeing that he was the best melee fighter among their group, he was the best one to ask to be a training partner.


    "Aren''t you going to summon Silverfang?"


    "No, the idea is to fight on my own."


    While it was true that Zaroth was at heart a Beast Master, and he was supposed to rely on his summon when a dire situation came, he still wanted to get stronger himself.


    There wasn''t any shame in trying to gain more strength, or at least that''s how Zaroth felt.


    Not that he was able to feel anything similar to shame, of course.


    "Alright, here I come," Zack muttered under his breath.


    The next second, he was already in front of Zaroth with his sword raised high in the air.


    Zaroth wasn''t able to react in time and was slashed in the shoulder with devastating weight.


    He grunted in pain and took a few steps back as blood began to fall from the wound.


    Taking a deep breath, trying to ignore the pain, he waited for the wound to heal.


    "Are you alright?" Zack asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "I''m fine," Zaroth answered as he tightened his grip on his sword.


    "Again!"


    Taking a deep breath, Zaroth concentrated on his enemy¡ªZack.


    There was nothing else that mattered, it was just him and his enemy.


    Zack sighed and then dashed. His movements appeared as a blur.


    But this time, Zaroth was actually able to see them.


    ''Left shoulder,'' he saw the upcoming attack and managed to deflect it with his sword.


    A metallic clinging sound echoed across the room.


    Zack, of course, didn''t wait a second as he attacked again.


    ''Right leg,'' using every muscle in his body, Zaroth moved his sword just in time to stop the thrust from Zack once again.


    Then Zack attacked again, and again, and again.


    In the span of a few seconds, dozens of blows were exchanged.


    During the whole time, Zack was always attacking, while Zaroth was always defending.


    Each time Zack attacked, his sword moved just a bit faster, while Zaroth''s moved a bit slower.


    Eventually, Zack''s attacks overwhelmed Zaroth, wounding him and leaving a large injury on his arm.


    Taking a step back, Zaroth gritted his teeth, waiting for the room to heal his injury.


    "Not bad," a voice behind him caught his attention.


    Turning around, he saw Roderic, the instructor of the class, had decided to come pay them a visit.


    Seeing that Zaroth was now staring at him, Roderic reasured.


    "Don''t worry about me. I''m here to see the progress you''re all making and to point you in the right direction should the need arise."


    Nodding slowly, Zaroth watched his wound heal and then charged at Zack again.


    There was about an hour left until the class ended, so Zaroth planned to use the time to gain as much experience in sword fighting as possible.


    Roran and Lily were engrossed in their own sparring while Roderic came from time to time to check on their progress.


    At the end of the lesson, Zaroth was left exhausted but also proud of himself.


    Even though it was still a bit hard, he was able to enter his peak flow state and use the sword kind of proficiently now.


    He was about to head out until Roderic stopped him, requesting that they have a talk.


    Making plans with his friends to meet at the bar at 20:00, he went to talk with the instructor.


    "Did I do something?" Zaroth asked.


    "No, not really," Roderic began, "I just wanted to ask you something."


    "Ask me something? What is it?"


    "Why are you trying to learn how to use a sword? Isn''t it better to use spells, since you''re in the mage category?"


    The reason was that learning spells was almost useless, as Zaroth preferred preserving his mana to give his beasts more freedom when in battle, especially Luna, who was a mythical creature that required a lot of mana to keep her form.


    But that wasn''t something Roderic needed to know, so¡­


    "It''s just, I kind of prefer being up close to my enemy."


    "I see¡­ but then why a sword? Why not a spear or something similar?"


    Zaroth was about to speak, but suddenly a realization hit him.


    ''No, really, why do I use only a sword?''


    "Umm¡­ maybe because my friends know how to use one, so they can teach me."


    Roderic raised an eyebrow. "You don''t seem very sure in your answer."


    Zaroth didn''t know how to respond.


    "Well, don''t take it too hard," Roderic spoke as he patted Zaroth on the shoulder.


    "Just think about mixing things a bit. Why don''t you try other weapons? A spear, for instance."


    *****


    After the talk with the professor, Zaroth was left thinking about why he chose to learn how to fight with a sword over any other weapon. S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Seeing that there was still time until he was supposed to meet his friends at the bar, he decided to head to the library.


    He was sure he could find a book that talks about the superior weapon in close combat.


    Taking a long look around, he found a few books that seemed promising, so he picked them up. But feeling lazy to go all the way to his assigned apartment, he decided to read them right there in the library.


    Entering the section meant for reading, he glanced around only to see that all the tables were already occupied.


    So he either had to go and sit at a table with someone he didn''t know, or he would have to go all the way to his apartment.


    With a sigh, he was about to head out until his gaze fell on a certain woman who was currently reading The Great Fall of Human Society (1134-1216).


    Approaching the table, he quietly placed down the books and sat across from her.


    When she sensed that someone had sat at her table, she turned her head.


    Her crimson eyes fell upon Zaroth as her crimson hair moved slightly from the sudden movement.


    With a grimace, she spoke,


    "What are you doing here?"


    Zaroth smiled warmly before speaking,


    "Nice to meet you too."


    It was Midnight Bloodrose. He often wondered why he didn''t see her anywhere in the academy, but it seemed that she had most likely spent her time here learning about humans in great detail.


    And Zaroth was certainly not going to pass up the opportunity to speak to a vampire.


    Now that no one was busy hiding, unlike last time, he wanted them to have a chat.

 Chapter 59: Conversation

    "You didn''t answer my question," Midnight spoke coldly as she leaned back in her chair and put the book aside.


    "I just really wanted to talk with you," Zaroth responded.


    "Didn''t I tell you that I would prefer it if you didn''t bother me again?"


    "Don''t be so cold," he spoke as he placed his right hand on the table close to hers.


    "How could I not want to talk with you when we now share a connection?"


    He was, of course, referring to the time he had made a deal with the demon about keeping quiet about their abilities.


    At the time, Zaroth was drunk, so he almost didn''t notice, but for a moment, there appeared some kind of symbol on the back of his right hand. So in a way, he shared a connection with Midnight.


    With a sigh, she spoke, "Okay, what do you want to talk about?"


    "Well," pointing to the book she was currently reading, he answered,


    "I want to know why you are here and what your goal is."


    Midnight scoffed at his words, "What makes you think I will tell you that?"


    Zaroth, searching for a way to make her talk, was lost for a moment.


    "I''m not sure how you function¡­" he was referring to how demons function in their society but didn''t say it out loud, as there were students in the room who could potentially overhear.


    "But I''m guessing that you''re alone, right? Wouldn''t it be nice to share that information with somebody? Especially¡­" he pointed at his hand,


    "¡­when you know I can''t reveal that information to anybody else?"


    Midnight sighed as her eyebrows furrowed, clearly deep in thought.


    "Alright, for every question you ask, I will do the same. And do not lie."


    "Deal," he agreed in an instant. "Then I will begin. Why are you here?"


    "To get stronger," she immediately replied.


    "My turn¡ªwhy are you trying to get close to me?"


    "Because it will be beneficial."


    Midnight grimaced, "Your answer was too vague."


    Zaroth smiled as he crossed one leg over the other, "So was yours. Alright, next question, How do you get stronger?"


    "By stealing strength from others. Why would befriending me be beneficial?"


    "Because I believe we have a common enemy," Zaroth sighed, glancing around, thinking about how to word the next question.


    "What would make you want to team up with me?"


    "By bringing me a strong human." Midnight also took a moment to ask her next question.


    "And what is that common enemy?"


    Zaroth smiled darkly, "The gods." And then he added, "Would the emperor suffice?"


    Midnight, clearly not expecting such a question, narrowed her eyes in surprise for a moment.


    "Your enemy is the gods? Is that true?" she asked, her gaze seeming to brighten, almost as if checking if what he was saying was the truth.


    Not flinching, he brought his head closer. "Yep, I want to kill them all¡­ okay, maybe leave one alive, depending on the circumstances." S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Seeing that he was telling the truth, Midnight again got lost in thought, only to ask him a moment later,


    "Why did you ask if the emperor would suffice?"


    Zaroth smiled as he placed a hand on the book, opening it.


    "Let''s say I can bring him to you, so I''m asking if he would be strong enough."


    The reason Zaroth made that offer was because he wasn''t dumb¡­ okay, he wasn''t that dumb. By watching Elysia and her actions, it was crystal clear that the emperor was her enemy.


    So, in the future, he would most likely witness Elysia getting rid of the emperor , so why couldn''t Zaroth make use of the body?


    And also, if there wasn''t the matter with Elysia and her plan that she seemed reluctant to share yet, Zaroth still hadn''t forgotten the queen and the way she had made him feel.


    Remembering how far she was sitting when the emperor was giving his speech, it was clear that they weren''t in great rapport. But even so, she was married¡­ So if he wanted her, it was obvious that he was going to have to get rid of her husband eventually.


    So, he might as well offer the body of the emperor, with the hope that this could be the start of a beneficial relationship.


    "Yes, he would suffice," Midnight answered, clearly wondering if Zaroth was right in the head or not.


    "I see, thanks for the info. That''s all I wanted to know," he said as he scanned the first book, beginning to search if there was something as the most superior weapon.


    Seeing that he was reluctant to talk anymore, Midnight sighed and returned to reading her book as well.


    *****


    "Ah¡­" Zaroth was walking in the streets heading toward the bar.


    He was remembering the things he read in the books.


    "In short, there is no superior weapon. It all depends on the person who uses them," he muttered under his breath. He was honestly kind of disappointed, but at the same time, he was not.


    It meant that no matter what weapon he chose to master, he would be able to become one of the best if he trained hard enough.


    "But Roderic was right, I should switch things up a bit¡­" Remembering how his instructor had mentioned that Zaroth could use a spear, not once but twice, he decided to give it a try the next day when he trained with his friends.


    Walking in the streets at night was quite peaceful. He was enjoying the air, even if it wasn''t as clean as it was in the forest.


    And after a few minutes of walking,


    "I''m here," he spoke, looking at the time.


    19:59.


    He was even on time. Messaging his friends, he learned that they had already seated inside. So, with a sigh, he opened the door.


    The laughter and conversation of the drunk people in the bar instantly reached his ears.


    Not paying them attention, he looked around until he saw a table where Zack and Roran were seated.


    "Where is Lily?" he asked as he took his seat.


    "She doesn''t like to drink in public spaces because she doesn''t want to embarrass herself," Roran said, looking at the menu.


    With a grin, he asked Zaroth just to make sure, "So, your treat?"


    "Yep," Zaroth replied, opening the menu as well.


    The night party had begun.

 Chapter 60: In a cave

    "These things look good," Zaroth spoke as he glanced at the menu.


    The menu was of high quality, as there were even pictures to show how the dishes would look.


    Knowing that this night he would spend an ungodly amount of credits, he decided to let loose.


    A cute waitress approached their table, asking if they had chosen what they wanted.


    "Yes, a Lobster, Beef, and Tortilla," he said. These were among the most expensive dishes on the menu, so Zaroth wanted to try them all out.


    He didn''t order any alcohol, leaving it to the expert¡ªin other words, Roran.


    After the order was placed, Zaroth began to glance around, noticing how happy everyone seemed.


    "People sure do change when they drink, huh," he muttered under his breath.


    Thinking it was time to ask, his gaze shifted to his friend. "Hey Roran, why are you so obsessed with protecting Lily?" Zaroth asked.


    He was really curious about the matter, so he just had to know. It was possible that Roran loved her that much, but at the same time, it felt like there was something more to it.


    Roran''s eyes seemed to change for a moment before he responded with a smile.


    "I''ll tell you if you can outdrink me," he challenged.


    Zaroth glanced at Zack for a second, who was silently telling him to do it. He wondered if it was a good idea¡­ but he was living for his desires after all, and he didn''t want to pass on a challenge.


    With a sigh, he spoke, "Alright, the challenge is on!"


    A Few Hours Later¡­


    "CHUG! CHUG! CHUG!" Everyone in the bar was hopelessly drunk as they danced in unison.


    Unlike last time, there weren''t any fights anywhere, as everyone was having a good time.


    "CHUG! CHUG! CHUG!" Slamming the giant cup hard on the table, Zaroth sighed.


    "Oh, I can''t anymore. You win." It seemed he couldn''t outdrink Roran no matter how hard he tried.


    In the end, everybody got pretty drunk, but it wasn''t as wild as last time. Zaroth somehow managed to get to his apartment, collapsing on the bed as soon as he arrived.


    *****


    The Next Morning he expectedly woke up with a hangover and barely managed to get out of bed, cursing as he did.


    "Never again! I''m never getting drunk again!"


    This time, he meant it. He wouldn''t go back on his word¡­ probably.


    "I give you two days until you go back on your word," Luna teased, walking around the apartment.


    She seemed to be getting more comfortable in her human form as she had managed to brew herself some coffee.


    "Give me more credit, will you?" Zaroth spat back, frustrated¡ªbecause he knew she was most likely right.


    Placing the cup on the table, Luna sat down, crossing one leg over the other.


    "So, there''s about a week until that tournament starts?"


    "Pretty much," he answered as he began changing into his academy uniform.


    "Do you have any plans until then?" she asked.


    "The only thing left is to try and get stronger, there''s not much to it."


    "But¡­" he added, "when the tournament begins, I don''t think I''ll be able to use you. I can''t come up with a way to hide you in the middle of the arena. So before the tournament starts, I''ll either have to tame a beast I can use publicly aside from Silverfang or learn a spell or two more."


    Noticing the time and that his lectures were about to start, Zaroth desummoned Luna, making her a bit upset as she wasn''t done drinking her coffee.


    "I''m off," he muttered quickly as he exited the apartment.


    *****


    The surroundings were deadly quiet. The only sound present was the faint echoes of the footsteps of four men in the cave.


    "How¡­ how did we get into this situation?" one of them asked, keeping his voice low, trying not to attract attention.


    "We¡­ we have probably angered the gods. We should pray for forgiveness," the oldest one answered.


    "Don''t be stupid!" the man in the center hissed angrily. "The gods will not help you with what''s coming next!"


    "Captain¡­ I can feel it in my bones. We must not venture deeper," one of the soldiers warned hesitantly.


    "You know we can''t just leave¡ªnot when a whole damn city and its inhabitants disappeared! Do you want to be executed for cowardice when we return?!" the captain barked.


    "Can''t we¡­ just say we reached the end of the cave and found nothing?" another asked nervously.


    The captain hesitated for a moment. ''True¡­ maybe we could do just that. The fault is in the commander, after all, for sending four soldiers into such a large cave to begin with.''


    He was about to issue his next command when a sudden smell in the air stopped him.


    "There''s blood ahead," he grimaced, tightening his grip on his spear.


    Even though they were in a cave, it was wide enough to comfortably use a spear, which was why the captain had chosen it as his primary weapon.


    Everyone held their breath as they moved forward.


    What they saw next made them freeze.


    In a large cavern, hundreds¡ªno, thousands¡ªof bodies were piled one over the other.


    The smell was so unbearable that a few of the men gagged.


    Trying to keep his composure, the captain asked, "Jeremy, do you sense something?" Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Part of the reason the captain was so calm was because he had Jeremy in his team.


    Jeremy had an uncanny ability to detect danger before it struck, so the captain trusted that if Jeremy hadn''t warned them yet, they were safe for now.


    "Jeremy?" he asked again when there was no response.


    Turning around, his eyes widened in a flash.


    "Where is Jeremy?"


    His two subordinates glanced around in panic as they realized their comrade was missing.


    "Huh? He was here just a second ago, I swear!"


    Their panic was cut short as they heard footsteps coming from the entrance¡ªwhere they had just passed.


    "Jeremy? Is that you?" the captain asked cautiously.


    There was silence for a moment until¡­


    "Not enough¡­ it''s too weak¡­"


    The voice didn''t sound human.


    The three soldiers immediately raised their weapons, ready to attack.


    "Stay calm, alright? Just like we practiced," the captain instructed, trying to steady his subordinates.


    "Guys?" he asked again after hearing no reply.


    Turning around, his face drained of color as he realized he was now alone.


    "Shit!" he muttered, pressing his back against the wall of the cave.


    "How? When?" Questions raced through his mind, but there was no one to answer them.


    But the most important question remained


    How had his comrades disappeared without him noticing?


    Suddenly, his eyes widened as realization hit him.


    He shifted his gaze upwards¡ª


    But it was too late.


    Some kind of dark matter fell from the ceiling, hitting him square in the face.


    "HUM! HUM!" He tried to struggle with everything he had, but it was useless.


    The dark matter, like a liquid, forced its way into his body through his mouth and nostrils.


    Collapsing to the ground, the man began to shiver violently in pain. He opened his mouth to scream, only to realize, in horror, that he couldn''t.


    After a few seconds of violent struggle, his body grew cold and stopped moving.


    Slowly, he got back on his feet. His right hand twitched unnaturally as he cracked his fingers.


    "It''s not perfect," he muttered, a small smile spreading across his face.


    "But this will suffice for now."

 Chapter 61: Roran

    "No, move! I have to move!" he muttered under his breath.


    Seeing the person he was supposed to protect lying dead on the ground, Roran felt rage and a wish for vengeance, but he was bound¡ªhe couldn''t move. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    After all, he had been given one last objective.


    Feeling tears fall upon the hand he was using to keep Lily silent, he gritted his teeth in frustration.


    "It''s alright, I am here," he whispered quietly, only for the two of them to hear.


    ''Never in a million years would I have thought something like this would happen,'' Roran, trying to keep himself occupied to forget the rage, tried to keep himself busy with his thoughts.


    If he were just a bit stronger¡­ if he were born just a bit earlier¡­ he might have been able to prevent this from happening.


    He was shown such hospitality, and how did he thank them? How did he repay them?


    He failed to do the one thing he was supposed to.


    Did he even have a reason to go on anymore?


    Was he supposed to seek revenge against these monsters in human skin now?


    Was there even a point in his existence?


    Lily, not wishing to look at the scene anymore, turned around as she took Roran into her embrace, holding him as tightly as she could, unwilling to let him go.


    ''I am all she has left,'' he thought as he returned her embrace.


    "It''s alright, I will not leave you."


    Hearing him say that, Lily''s shaking body seemed to have calmed down a little.


    Roran was glad that she had hugged him¡­ it''s not because he liked her at the moment.


    It was just that¡­


    She wouldn''t be able to see the ugly tears he was crying in frustration.


    "Ro¡ª"


    Seeing the crimson blood of the people he called family spread around the floor.


    Feeling their only descendant embrace him tightly in fear.


    "¡ªan?"


    "I swear, you will not meet the same fate," he muttered quickly, so that even Lily wasn''t able to hear.


    At that moment, he had made up his mind¡­ no, he had made up his mind long ago.


    No matter what.


    No matter the cost.


    She would live.


    "Roran?"


    Hearing his name being called out by a gentle voice, and feeling his body being shaken slightly, he grunted as he opened his eyes.


    It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to his surroundings. When they did, he caught a glance of a breathtaking woman with golden hair and eyes.


    When he glanced at Lily, he felt so many things.


    Happiness, gratefulness¡­ shame, regret, guilt, the need to atone.


    "Yes?" he answered as he sat up slowly.


    "Are you¡­ alright?" Lily asked, clearly concerned.


    Roran scoffed, "Of course. When have I not been alright?"


    "No¡­ it''s just that you were crying in your sleep, so I felt it was better to wake you up."


    Placing his right hand to his cheek, Roran saw that he was indeed crying.


    He couldn''t help but curse in his mind.


    ''Pathetic,''


    "Oh, I see¡­ thanks for waking me up," he spoke, forcing a smile to appear on his face.


    "You didn''t overdo it last night at the bar, right?"


    "Of course I didn''t. I got home myself, after all."


    Hesitating for a moment, Lily said gently, "You know you can talk about anything with me, right? If you need anything, you can just ask."


    Roran''s eyes narrowed for a moment.


    Stretching out his hands, he took her in his embrace.


    "You are enough. I don''t need anything, Lily," he spoke warmly, trying to hide his eyes from her, thinking inwardly,


    ''No matter the cost.''


    "Are you trying to appear romantic?" Lily spoke as she exited his embrace.


    "If you are alright, then go take a bath. You stink of alcohol."


    "Okay, okay," Roran shrugged as he entered the bathroom.


    Feeling the hot water hit his body, he couldn''t help but grit his teeth.


    He had drunk so much alcohol¡­ and yet he still remembered?


    Was he destined to have these nightmares for the rest of his life?


    "No, it''s alright," he reassured himself as he placed a trembling hand over his tired eyes.


    "As long as I haven''t failed, it''s all good. Everything else is irrelevant."


    After the shower, he dried himself and put on his clothes.


    "Ha, would you look at that? Now you look like a respectable person and not some drunkard from a bar," Lily teased as she took a sip of her coffee.


    "You better appreciate this look, it''s all for you," Roran retorted as he sat in his chair.


    His eyes widened briefly as he saw that Lily had prepared breakfast.


    "Oh? You''re cooking? What''s the occasion?" he teased.


    Lily grimaced, "What, can''t I learn to cook too? I feel weird leaving so many things to you."


    "I told you it''s fine," he replied as he used the fork to pick up the pancake and brought it to his mouth.


    Seeing him take a bite, Lily raised an eyebrow. "So? How is it?"


    Acting as if he was thinking, Roran rolled his eyes. "Not bad, I guess¡­"


    "Not bad? Is that it?"


    "Okay, okay, I admit your cooking has indeed gotten better,"


    After giving a moment of satisfaction for Lily, he added with a smirk, "But it''s still inferior to my cooking in every single aspect."


    *****


    Getting ready, they headed to the academy and walked through their usual route.


    They got stared at as usual. Before, most people would look at them most likely because both of them ¡ª Roran and Lily ¡ª were good looking, but now there were also other gazes mixed in.


    As it was now widely known that they were part of Zaroth''s squad.


    "Zaroth¡­" Roran muttered under his breath.


    Entering the lecture room and getting on their seats, they waited.


    Zack arrived, and as usual, Zaroth arrived about a minute before the start of the lecture.


    ''Zaroth¡­'' Roran threw a glance at the man, deep in thought.


    Roran had always been calm, not because he had control over his emotions, but because he thought he was strong enough to destroy any problem should the need arise.


    But after the fight in the forest, he realized something.


    He couldn''t win against Zaroth, not if he used his dragon.


    How could he have tamed a dragon?


    Why was his dragon made entirely of bone, like it was dead?


    Roran had many questions in his mind, but it wasn''t like he could ask, as he himself had many secrets that he was reluctant to share.


    Not to mention, Zack was also formidable in his own right.


    How do you even defeat him? He was able to pick up his decapitated head and place it back like it was nothing.


    Was he immortal or something?


    He sighed as he opened his textbook.


    ''I guess it''s good I have a strong friends that I can rely on at least.''

 Chapter 62: Zack

    Taking a deep breath, Zack opened the envelope.


    As he took out the letter, he carefully scanned what was written in it.


    "These bastards!" he muttered as he crushed the piece of paper in frustration.


    It seemed that he was invited.


    To see his family again.


    *****


    Walking slowly, he tried to force his wildly beating heart to calm down.


    "No matter how many times I pass by here, it is still disturbing," he spoke in frustration.


    To reach their family house, he first had to walk past the large garden they had.


    There were about a dozen servants currently out, diligently doing their duties of maintaining the garden.


    But as Zack passed, he felt multiple gazes fixed upon him.


    Were these gazes filled with happiness? Or were they filled with anger and disappointment?


    Zack didn''t know and honestly could care less.


    Finally reaching the large gates of the mansion, he steeled his resolve and knocked.


    There was silence for a moment until the doors opened.


    An old man, close to his 70s, was waiting. It was Sebastian, the butler of the head of the clan.


    "Follow me," the servant spoke as he began to walk away.


    ''Not even a greeting?'' Zack grimaced for a moment, only to return to his natural expression.


    Walking through the large mansion, he couldn''t help but appreciate its beauty.


    ''All of this was supposed to be mine, and yet!''


    Taking a deep breath, he gained control over himself.


    ''No, focus.''


    Reaching the room they were supposed to, Sebastian knocked on the door three times.


    "Enter," a cold voice was heard from the other side of the room.


    Sebastian opened the room and gestured with his hand for Zack to enter.


    The gaze of the old man was clear.


    ''Don''t try anything stupid.'' S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Taking a step forward, he first took note of the classical music playing in the room.


    No¡­ it wasn''t a recording. There was a pianist performing live.


    And of course, his performance was phenomenal. Usually, the person would perform in a stadium full of thousands of people¡­


    Yet, he was performing in a room where just a few people were having dinner.


    Shifting his gaze to the table, Zack''s eyes widened for a moment as he saw how much food there was on it.


    It was probably enough to feed more than a dozen people.


    Yet, at the table, just five people were eating, no doubt planning to throw away the leftovers.


    Zack stopped in front of the table as his gaze fell on the man at the center¡ªhis uncle.


    "I have been informed that the head of the clan requires my presence," he spoke coldly, trying to appear emotionless.


    The man, not paying him any attention, continued to eat his food silently.


    The woman next to him suddenly barked,


    "You are speaking to the head of the clan himself. Why is your head so high?"


    She was obviously telling him to kneel.


    Zack, not saying anything, shifted his piercing gaze to her eyes, showing that he wasn''t planning to kneel in front of these traitors.


    "It''s fine, I don''t expect the pest to know how to follow the rules," the man seemed to finally acknowledge Zack''s existence as he shifted his gaze to him.


    "I heard there was a big fight in the forest when the hunting competition had been held."


    "It was just a small scuffle, nothing to worry the clan," Zack immediately answered, showing no signs of fear.


    "I was told that two Epic beasts had been slain. Did you take part in that fight?"


    Zack didn''t answer as he continued to stare at the man emotionlessly.


    Then the next second, he felt blood pouring from the side of his cheek.


    This was his blood yet he couldn''t control it.


    "First it was your hand, then your cheek, next it may be your neck. So tell me¡­" the man spoke as he put his fork to the side.


    "Did you fight?"


    "Yes, I did, but I was quickly knocked out and couldn''t do much in the first place."


    The man shifted his gaze to a girl who had been eating up until now, almost as if there wasn''t a conversation going on.


    "When they saw him, he had been white as a ghost, almost dead. I think he''s telling the truth."


    "I see," the man spoke again, shifting his attention back to his plate.


    "Are you planning to join the tournament?"


    "Is there a problem?"


    "No, just don''t use your disgusting powers, that''s all," the man gestured with his hand as if signaling the conversation was done.


    So, Zack quickly exited the room.


    "That punk, he''s just as annoying as his father¡­ maybe I just have to get rid of him as well," Zack''s uncle muttered as he began to eat again.


    *****


    "Spear? Really? What made you have a change of heart?" Zack raised an eyebrow as he glanced at Zaroth.


    "I think it will be beneficial to master more than one weapon," Zaroth replied, getting into position.


    "If you say so."


    Instantly, Zack made his blood run hotter and appeared right next to Zaroth.


    Taking a deep wound on his chest, Zaroth staggered back, gritting his teeth, trying not to scream in pain as he waited for the room to heal him.


    ''Fascinating¡­'' Zack couldn''t help but be impressed.


    He knew that his friend had somehow managed to tame a dragon, but rather than most people who would abuse this power, he was limiting himself to using melee weapons even though he was of the mage category and wasn''t originally meant for that.


    ''And all of this in the pursuit of strength¡­''


    It was weird. When Zack was in the presence of his three friends, he felt at peace.


    He didn''t have to think about how to kill the damned traitors that were supposed to be his family.


    He knew all of his friends were unbelievably strong, but so was he.


    They didn''t pressure him about his powers, and nor did he question theirs.


    When he was in their presence, it just felt right¡­


    Like he could be himself and not worry about anything.


    Seeing Zaroth slowly recover from the wound he had received, Zack smirked.


    "Come on! Is that all you have? You''re embarrassing yourself!"


    Zaroth smiled darkly before replying, "I will make you eat these words!"


    "Let''s see you try!"


    And they fought, they trained, without a care in the world.


    All in pursuit of greater strength.

 Chapter 63: I Will Win

    "So, are we close enough?" Sofia asked, shifting her gaze to Vera.


    "Yes, I think I''ll be able to get a good grasp of their strength," Vera replied, though her tone carried hesitation.


    "What is it?" Sofia raised an eyebrow.


    They had finally managed to get a table close enough to Zaroth''s squad, which had been difficult considering the cafeteria was always full.


    "I¡­ I''m not sure this is a good idea," Vera admitted.


    "Vera," Sofia said, crossing her legs.


    "We know they somehow managed to defeat two Epic Beasts and their master, right? Not only that, but this kid¡ªZaroth¡ªwhen I saw him after being rescued by Elysia, he was half-dead and yet had a smile on his face as he carried the beheaded head of a man."


    Her voice grew more firm. "So, we have to know what they''re capable of, especially considering we might face them in the approaching Tournament."


    With a sigh, Vera nodded slightly, reluctantly agreeing with her friend. She shifted her gaze toward the group of four.


    Her eyes shined brightly, though the effect was hidden beneath the white mask that obscured most of her face.


    Suddenly, she gasped involuntarily.


    Hearing that, Sofia immediately asked, "What is it? Did you see something?"


    "¡­ Well, our suspicions were correct. Three of them have high-tier blessings," Vera replied cautiously.


    "What about the girl with them¡ªthe one they call Lily?"


    "I¡­ I''m honestly not sure. I feel like I can''t see her, even though I can."


    "What''s that supposed to mean?"


    "How the heck should I know?" Vera replied, frustrated. S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    With a grunt, Sofia pressed on. "Alright, leave the girl for now. What about the three men with her?"


    Vera focused first on the one with blue eyes and blonde hair.


    "This one¡­ I feel like I want to kneel just by looking at him. He has the ability to command something¡ªI can''t tell what or to what extent, but it''s strong."


    Sofia nodded slowly, urging her friend to continue.


    Next, Vera focused on the one with white eyes and raven-black hair.


    "Looking at him makes my blood run cold¡­ probably his abilities are somehow connected to blood."


    "I see. And what about the shorter one?"


    Sofia, of course, was talking about Zaroth, the leader of the group.


    If his commanders were this strong, how powerful was the man himself?


    Shifting her gaze, Vera concentrated.


    Then her hands began to tremble as she gasped for air.


    Unable to look for too long, she quickly averted her gaze.


    "What is it?" Sofia asked, concerned as she noticed her friend''s panicked reaction.


    "... Looking at him made me feel weird. It was like I was staring at the Chairwoman herself."


    Seeing the confusion on Sofia''s face, Vera explained further.


    "It''s like the Chairwoman, but while she gave the feeling of death itself... it felt like, even if only partially...


    He is able to manipulate death."


    *****


    "So, it''s time¡­" Zaroth muttered under his breath.


    A moment ago, he had been concerned. Luna had warned him that someone was watching him with ill intent, but that worry vanished the instant a message appeared.


    Not just for him¡ªbut for everyone in the cafeteria. No, for every student across the Empire.


    -----


    [Announcement]


    To every chosen student in every academy, from the first to the final year:


    All students are required to appear in the Grand Arena by 14:30, where the Emperor will officially announce the commencement of the Grand Tournament, set to last a quarter of the year.


    Rules:


    The tournament will be split into multiple rounds. To move on to the next round, each participant must win their match.


    In the beginning, the matches will take place in smaller arenas scattered throughout the Empire.


    However, starting from Round 10, all battles will be held in the Grand Arena, where the Emperor himself will be watching.


    Current statistics:


    65,536 participants


    Rounds:


    Round 1: 65,536 participants ¡ú 32,768 matches


    Round 2: 32,768 ¡ú 16,384 matches


    Round 3: 16,384 ¡ú 8,192 matches


    Round 4: 8,192 ¡ú 4,096 matches


    Round 5: 4,096 ¡ú 2,048 matches


    Round 6: 2,048 ¡ú 1,024 matches


    Round 7: 1,024 ¡ú 512 matches


    Round 8: 512 ¡ú 256 matches


    Round 9: 256 ¡ú 128 matches


    Round 10: 128 ¡ú 64 matches


    Round 11: 64 ¡ú 32 matches


    Round 12: 32 ¡ú 16 matches


    Round 13: 16 ¡ú 8 matches


    Round 14: 8 ¡ú 4 matches


    Round 15: 4 ¡ú 2 matches


    Final Round: 2 ¡ú 1 match


    Later, each student will receive their schedule, specifying the arena and the time of their match.


    May fortune find you.


    All glory to Emperor Draconis VII, whose vision and authority have brought this Grand Tournament into existence!


    -----


    Unsurprisingly, murmurs began to spread uncontrollably across the cafeteria.


    "Sixty-five thousand five hundred thirty-six participants? This is way more than I expected¡­" Zaroth muttered under his breath.


    "What do you think?" he asked, turning his gaze to his friends.


    "Piece of cake," Zack said casually, leaning back in his chair. "I just have to win 16 matches, and then I win!"


    "You mean I''ll win!" Roran interjected with a smug grin.


    "Hey, don''t count me out!" Lily chimed in, joining in.


    "But... 65,536 participants? Aren''t we all students? How is that even possible?"


    "Wait, how big do you think the Empire is?" Lily asked, raising an eyebrow.


    Scratching the back of his neck awkwardly, Zaroth answered honestly, "I don''t know... I thought it was about a million?"


    Lily burst into laughter, clutching her stomach.


    "You''ve been in A-class since the beginning! How the hell do you not know that?" Roran asked in disbelief.


    "Why are you blaming me?!" Zaroth shot back defensively. "They''re the ones who failed to teach me that!"


    Roran massaged his forehead with a sigh before speaking.


    "Zaroth, the Empire has a population of 100 million people."


    "100 million¡­ 65,536 participants," Zaroth muttered under his breath.


    Suddenly, he understood why Elysia hadn''t told him who he was supposed to beat. With so many participants, it was quite possible she didn''t know herself. Instead, the next best option was to ensure someone working for her won the tournament.


    Zaroth''s eyes darkened, a deeper shade of green.


    ''That wish¡­ may be harder to earn than I thought.''


    ''Are you getting scared you''re going to lose?'' Luna teased, her voice echoing in his mind.


    He would have to defeat 65,536 people¡ªthe best of the best, chosen from all over the Empire.


    He, a person who had been living a life worse than a street rat not too long ago.


    Zaroth''s lips curled into a dark smile.


    ''No. I will win.''

 Chapter 64: Preparations

    "Let me make this clear from the start," Lily spoke firmly, looking around the table.


    "This time, you will not make fools out of yourselves."


    Zack rolled his eyes. "What? Last time wasn''t so bad!"


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow. "Is that why Roran wanted to get drunk so he could try to forget what happened?"


    "Alright, there''s no need for arguments. We''ll just go like this, in our student uniforms," Roran interjected.


    In the end, it was decided that they would avoid making any moves that could embarrass them. After eating their fill, they headed for the grand arena.


    Zaroth was deep in thought about the progress he had made.


    ''Sadly, I didn''t learn any new spells, just got a bit better at using fireball. My skills with the spear are improving¡ªI think it suits me better than a sword, actually.''


    However, not everything was good. He still hadn''t managed to find a third beast to resurrect and tame.


    He had even wasted time leaving the borders of the capital to search for something, but in the end, he didn''t find a suitable beast.


    ''Whatever. When I fight somebody, I can use Silverfang to distract them while I deal damage with my spear from afar, '' S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    His thoughts were quickly interrupted as he glanced at the massive gates leading to the arena. Walking through the stairs, the murmurs of thousands of students echoed all around him.


    "Wow," he couldn''t help but gasp slightly.


    There were supposed to be more than 60,000 students, yet the arena didn''t even seem half full. That alone showcased how magnificent the building truly was.


    Observing the students, Zaroth''s eyes stopped on a woman whose mere presence seemed to make everyone around her uncomfortable. It was Elysia, standing at the front with the other teachers.


    "So, it''s fine if the teachers sit at the very front but not the students?" Zaroth hissed in frustration.


    While he wanted to go and talk to the chairwoman, he knew it would be an idiotic thing to do. In the public eye, he and she were just students and a chairwoman.


    With a sigh of regret, everyone followed Lily, who, unlike them, had followed the rules and knew where they were supposed to sit.


    Sitting down with a grunt, Zaroth threw another glance around, appreciating the sheer scale of it all.


    "Huh, so these rascals can actually follow the rules," a female student sneered, glancing at Zaroth and his friends.


    "Hey, don''t talk like that¡ªthey might hear you," a man defended them.


    Zaroth, overhearing it all, shifted his gaze curiously, wondering who in their right mind would defend them.


    A smirk appeared on his face when his eyes landed on a chubby man¡ªthe same one whose arm he had broken before.


    ''So the bastard actually got scared enough to learn his lesson,'' he thought.


    Leaning back in his chair, Zaroth began to wonder what he was supposed to do now while waiting for the emperor to appear. That was until, suddenly, the chat room he shared with Zack and Roran showed that someone had sent a message.


    -----


    Zack: "Hey, have you heard the myth of the salesman?"


    -----


    Zaroth smirked, his curiosity piqued, and he sent a message back. It seemed that he wasn''t going to be bored out of his mind, at least.


    *****


    "Beautiful," Draconis muttered as he gazed upon the thousands of his subjects gathered in the grand arena.


    ''So many people¡­ Who would be the most worthy?'' he wondered.


    "Not that it matters at all," he smiled darkly.


    The whole purpose of the tournament wasn''t just to inspire the youth to strive for greater strength, it was also to identify the strongest in the empire. Later, he would simply make them submit to his will, adding more disposable soldiers to his forces.


    Even as a genius, he couldn''t predict the future with certainty, but...


    "Once the tournament ends, we''ll be able to launch a massive attack campaign against the Crimson Sun Empire."


    He licked his lips, imagining the wealth he would gain by conquering them.


    "First our neighbors, then their neighbors, then all the continents, then all the races, the world," His golden eyes shined brightly as he could already imagine a future where the entire world was under his order and his alone.


    "Everything is ready, sir."


    Hearing a voice behind him, Draconis turned only to see a man with black hair, a grey suit, and a tie holding a suitcase.


    This was one of the few people who dared to look him directly in the eyes.


    "How is the recruitment going?" Draconis asked.


    The man in the suit smiled. "I am the one tasked with the job, so it''s going without a problem, as always."


    "Good," Draconis said, waving his hand to signal that the man was dismissed.


    With a nod, the man began to walk away, his shoes making faint echoes in the room.


    Draconis paid him no further attention, instead turning toward his wives.


    While most of his marriages had been for political reasons, his queens¡ªthe ones truly chosen for him¡ªwere meant to be the pinnacle of perfection.


    As the future ruler of the world, Draconis would settle for nothing less than the very best.


    Each of these women possessed beauty so extraordinary that wars could have been waged for their hands¡­ with one exception.


    Draconis shifted his gaze toward a woman standing in the corner, clearly trying to hide herself. She wore layers upon layers of clothing, and even had bandages covering parts of her body.


    Yet Draconis knew.


    "Althea¡­"


    She was his third wife. He remembered very well the first time he saw her¡ªher beauty had been quite literally out of this world.


    Her family, an influential clan, had seemed almost desperate to give her to him. At that moment, he should have found it suspicious¡­


    But on their wedding day, the truth was revealed.


    Her body bore dark spots, and parts of her muscles were missing. She suffered from the muscle rot curse.


    This revelation filled Draconis with fury beyond belief. He¡ªthe future ruler of the world¡ªhad been given a defective wife?


    He was ready to kill her on the spot for daring to show her disgusting body to him. But he couldn''t¡ªnot yet. Her clan held too much influence in the ongoing war.


    So, he made his choice. On their wedding day, he commanded her to never enter his bedroom again and to never reveal her disgusting body to him.


    Did she feel shame, guilt, or something else? It didn''t matter. Draconis did not waste time thinking about defective people.


    From that day forward, Althea avoided speaking to him and, if possible, even showing her face. Nearly two decades had passed since then.


    Shaking off his rage, Draconis smirked. Soon, her clan would lose its power, and he would finally be free to rid himself of her. All he had to do was endure a little longer.


    "Let''s go," he said coldly, stepping onto the podium.


    Standing proudly at the center, Draconis took a deep breath.


    He was about to announce the commencement of the tournament.

 Chapter 65: He is here

    "She is here," Zaroth muttered under his breath as he shifted his focus from the chat he was having with Roran, Zack, and Lily, who had joined them along the way.


    His gaze fell upon a woman seated far in the back of the podium, almost as if she was trying to hide from the eyes of the masses. It was as though the emperor himself was ashamed of her presence and sought to conceal her to the best of his ability.


    "What a fool," Zaroth thought aloud.


    Wasn''t the emperor supposed to be this great figure? A leader meant to unite the people and guide them to victory along the righteous path?


    Yet he tried to hide one of his wives? Just because she was suffering from some curse?


    For a moment, Zaroth grimaced, remembering how people had started to treat his mother once she got infected with the same curse.


    But Zaroth tried not to let bad thoughts ruin his mood as he savored every second that he could stare at the queen. He was much farther in the back than the last time, so naturally, the queen was much farther as well. But he didn''t let that stop him from staring at her.


    ''I see¡­'' he finally admitted to himself why he desired her so much.


    Her condition reminded him of his deceased mother, the person he cherished and loved most¡ªthe one he had failed to save.


    If he managed to save the queen, would he be able to atone for his failure?


    Probably not. But even so, he wanted her, simply because she reminded him of his past.


    Who knew? Maybe, with time, he would come to cherish her as much as he had his mother.


    The only thing Zaroth regretted was that, sitting in the back, surrounded by thousands of students, there was no way for the queen to sense his gaze on her like she had last time.


    But not everything could be perfect, after all.


    The emperor began his speech, but Zaroth didn''t listen to a word of it. He already knew the important parts of the announcement. Everything else was just formality¡ªor, in other words, a waste of time.


    "What is he staring at so intently?" Lily whispered to Roran.


    "Ah, he gets like that whenever he sees the queen," Roran replied casually.


    "The queen? Don''t tell me he has a one-sided crush or something," Lily remarked, raising an eyebrow.


    She didn''t know much about Zaroth''s habit of going after the impossible, but she honestly couldn''t blame him.


    Shifting her gaze, she began scanning the queens. Each and every one of them could easily be considered the most beautiful person in the world.


    "Which one?" she asked.


    "The one in the back," Roran answered.


    "The back?" Lily muttered, searching for the woman.


    A moment later, she gasped. "Wait, isn''t she the one rumored to be gravely ill?"


    "Yes, that''s the one."


    He could have focused on any of the queens, but he chose the one who was hidden? The one whose illness had supposedly ruined her appearance?


    Suddenly, Lily saw Zaroth in a different light¡ªa person who didn''t care about someone''s appearance but cared more for their heart.


    "You could learn a lot from him," Lily whispered, nudging Roran lightly with her elbow.


    Roran, not understanding what she was trying to convey, could only raise an eyebrow in confusion.


    ***** Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''What''s the point?'' Althea''s thoughts were grim, but she didn''t let it show as she sat quietly in her chair at the back of the podium, uninterested and waiting for the announcement to end.


    ''What is the point of continuing to live on?''


    Typically, someone afflicted with the muscle rot curse wouldn''t survive more than a few years. Yet somehow, she had endured nearly two decades of its torment.


    But rather than being a cause for happiness, her survival had only brought her husband''s disgust.


    She still remembered it vividly¡ªbefore the marriage, her family had assured her that the emperor knew about her condition. Later, on their wedding night, she learned the truth, he hadn''t.


    It was the same with everyone around her¡ªwhether her family, her husband, his other wives, or their children. All of them looked at her with the same eyes.


    Part of it was because of her appearance, but another part was from superstition. Many believed that merely touching her might spread the curse.


    As such, she wore multiple layers of clothing and bandages on her arms, hoping it would stop people from instinctively distancing themselves from her¡­ not that it worked anyway.


    ''When was the last time someone looked at me like I was a human being?'' she wondered.


    The only memories that came to mind were from her childhood, before she was infected.


    At least, that was what she thought¡ªuntil a recent memory surfaced.


    The previous time her husband had gathered the students, hadn''t there been someone who stared at her? At her alone¡ªnot at the other beautiful queens around her.


    There had been three brave souls sitting in the front seats that day. Among them, the shortest one with white hair had looked at her.


    She wasn''t sure how to react. It had been so long since anyone had looked at her with something other than hostility. So all she could do was stare back.


    Considering the distance between them, the man had probably never even noticed.


    "Is¡­ he here, perhaps?" Althea muttered under her breath.


    Her gaze drifted to the front of the arena, where a few of the academy''s teachers sat. But there was no sign of him.


    ''Has he not come today?'' she wondered. ''Or maybe he''s sitting somewhere in the back?''


    With nothing better to occupy her thoughts, she began scanning the massive crowd.


    Then, her eyes stopped.


    A certain pair of green, cat-like eyes met hers.


    Unconsciously, Althea smiled faintly¡ªa gesture so unfamiliar that she couldn''t even remember the last time she had done such a thing.


    With a quiet sigh of relief, she whispered, "He is here."

 Chapter 66: The Tournament has Begun

    "And as such, I, Draconis VII, commence the start of the tournament!"


    At the end of the emperor''s speech, the entire crowd stood up and applauded in appreciation.


    Zaroth, looking around, stood as well¡ªbut he didn''t clap.


    Shifting his gaze to his companions, he noticed that they weren''t clapping either.


    *****


    "Ah, that was exhausting!" Zack spoke as he stretched his body.


    "I agree. Do you know what this c¡ª"


    "No, you are not going to drink tonight," Lily immediately cut off Roran, sensing what he was about to say.


    Zaroth would have joined in the conversation until a message piqued his interest.


    "Huh. It seems my fight is tomorrow," he remarked.


    "So soon?" Zack replied, shifting his gaze to Zaroth.


    "Considering how many people are going to participate in the first round, it''ll take at least a few weeks to finish," Roran explained.


    "Yes, so you can consider yourself lucky that you''ll get it done sooner rather than later," Lily added.


    With a sigh, Zaroth nodded. "Well, I''d better head back. I want to prepare for the match." Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "You better not lose," Zack said, patting him on the back.


    Zaroth scoffed. "There''s no way I''m going to lose."


    *****


    Back at his apartment, Zaroth sat cross-legged on the floor.


    ''First, let''s check my mana core,'' he thought.


    A moment later, he found himself in the vast expanse of his soul, with his mana core floating at its center and countless sparks connected to it.


    He began counting them one by one.


    He had been focusing on strengthening his mana core for some time, and it seemed his efforts were paying off. He now had about two thousand sparks connected to his core.


    ''It''s not much, but it should suffice,'' he thought as he extended his arm forward.


    A second later, a menacing fireball appeared in his hand. With a command, he shot it through the window to avoid damaging his apartment.


    "My skill have also become stronger," he muttered.


    In addition to his magic, he had made significant progress with wielding a spear and planned to use it in the upcoming match.


    "And lastly¡­" he said, beginning to strip down, which made Luna, who had been watching silently, whistle.


    "One, two, three¡­" Zaroth began testing his maximum strength.


    By the end of his workout, he had completed 200 squats, 100 push-ups, and 36 pull-ups.


    ''I''m as prepared as I can be,'' he thought as he stood in the hot shower, letting the water wash away the sweat.


    His battle was scheduled for 16:00 the following day.


    Zaroth was technically expected to attend the academy during the hours he wasn''t participating in the tournament, but he decided it would be smarter to skip the entire day to conserve his strength for the match.


    So, he messaged Elysia.


    -----


    Zaroth: My first match is tomorrow. I am skipping the academy that day.


    Elysia: Do whatever you think is best.


    -----


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow in confusion. He expected that it would be harder to get a day off, but it seemed that he didn''t have to worry about that.


    Wanting to be in shape when the moment came, he got to bed earlier than usual.


    *****


    "So this is it," he muttered under his breath.


    He had followed the directions on the map he had in his bracelet and arrived at a smaller arena. While it was true that it was smaller than the grand one, it wasn''t anything to scoff at.


    "Hello, name?" the receptionist asked him.


    After confirming his identity, he was escorted to the place where the duel was supposed to take place.


    "Let''s see my luck," he muttered. He didn''t know who his opponent was going to be.


    It could be the strongest among the fourth-year students or the weakest of the first years.


    There was no way to know.


    Zaroth shifted his gaze to an overweight man who sat at a desk overseeing the duel with a paper and a pen in hand.


    He, of course, knew the real reason for this tournament.


    The emperor was planning to weed out the strong students from the weak ones and would probably force them to fight in the upcoming war with the Crimson Sun Empire.


    Zaroth''s plan was simple, he would try to use as little of his abilities as possible and only reveal them if the need arose.


    He had chosen the spear for the match. If that wasn''t enough to overwhelm his opponent, he would use fireball. If that also wasn''t enough, he would finally summon Silverfang.


    But, of course, not many people knew that he was a Beast Master, so it was best to keep that information hidden for as long as possible.


    Having made up his plan, he waited patiently. Soon after, a short boy carrying a bow came from the other side.


    ''Is that supposed to be my opponent?'' he asked himself, looking at the timid boy who was barely able to hold the bow. He couldn''t help but smile inwardly.


    ''It seems that I got lucky, and my first opponent is weak.''


    But his mood was soon soured as a second person came in. This one was a bit taller than the boy and had two curved swords on his back.


    ''Of course, only the best were allowed to enter the tournament. There is no way that the timid one was able to qualify,'' Zaroth thought.


    "I will cheer you on!" the timid boy spoke.


    "Eh, how lucky I am to have a brother like you," the taller man spoke as he patted the timid one on the head.


    Suddenly, the overweight man stood up and began to speak.


    "Hello, I am the observer of this match. I presume you know the rules, but in short, you fight until your opponent surrenders or stops moving. Don''t worry, we have a healer close by in case of emergencies."


    Zaroth gripped his spear tighter, getting into position, while the man unsheathed his two curved swords, preparing to attack.


    "And without further ado, the fight shall begin," the observer raised his hand, and the two men charged at each other.


    The tournament had officially begun.

 Chapter 67: Secret

    Zaroth, armed with a spear, had a clear advantage in reach over his opponent. Seeing an opportunity, Zaroth performed a feint thrust.


    The man, not realizing it was a feint, moved to the side in an attempt to dodge.


    Zaroth, taking full advantage of the opening, wasted no time. He thrust his spear for real this time, aiming at the man''s rib cage. However, his opponent proved to be skilled with his swords.


    Using his left sword, the man parried the spear, while his right sword slashed at Zaroth''s shoulder.


    Feeling the pain of his shoulder being injured should force any man to let go of his weapon...


    But Zaroth wasn''t any man. He had spent long hours training in the Live Combat Practice room with his friends, and there he had learned something,


    How to fight while throwing away the disregard for your life.


    Taking a step forward, Zaroth commanded the spear to move, and his opponent, not expecting the sudden attack, was too slow to react.


    The tall man gasped, and his eyes became unfocused as he felt his chest being pierced by Zaroth''s spear.


    Zaroth pulled out his spear and immediately aimed for the man''s head, going for the kill.


    Only for his spear to be stopped by the hand of the supervisor, who had somehow moved so fast that Zaroth didn''t even notice.


    "Healer!" the overweight man shouted. Then he turned towards Zaroth and smiled as he spoke.


    "Congratulations, you pass to the next round."


    "Brother!" the timid boy dropped his bow and ran up to his brother.


    "How dare you!" The timid boy glared at Zaroth with hatred.


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow before speaking,


    "Hey, there is nothing that I can do. Your brother is just that weak."


    Shifting his gaze to the supervisor for a second, he saw that it was okay to leave, so after getting healed, he did just that.


    Meanwhile, the supervisor wrote on his piece of paper,


    -----


    Zaroth:


    Main weapon: Spear


    Characteristics: Heartless, can ignore pain to a large extent, always tries to go for the kill


    -----


    Looking at the report, the supervisor couldn''t help but grin as he muttered,


    "This kid would have a lot of potential on the battlefield."


    *****


    "This was surprisingly easy," Zaroth muttered under his breath as he enjoyed a stroll through the park.


    ''Why did you try to go for the kill? Wasn''t he already defeated anyway?'' Luna''s voice echoed in his mind.


    ''No, only fools let their guard down until the end of the fight. I mean, you know how crazy some people''s powers are¡ªthere''s always a possibility my opponent could manage to turn the tables.''


    ''Correct answer!'' Luna spoke happily.


    ''Correct answer? Was she testing me?'' he thought but didn''t press on the issue any longer.


    ''So, what plans do you have?'' It seemed that Luna was bored and wanted some entertainment.


    ''The others should soon be done with their lectures if they haven''t already, so I could go hang out with them¡­ but to be honest, I feel like I want to explore the capital on my own.''


    Truthfully, Zaroth had been so focused on gaining strength that he hadn''t had much time to see what the gigantic city could offer.


    Having made up his mind, Zaroth began to explore.


    He visited some shops but didn''t find anything he needed, so he left without buying anything.


    Wanting to see the interiors of some bars, he entered a few but didn''t drink anything¡ªit felt too lonely to drink alone.


    He even visited a museum that showcased some kind of cool glowing rocks.


    Zaroth wasn''t sure why, but when he saw so many rocks of different origins gathered in one place, he couldn''t help but grin.


    "Hehe¡­ rocks."


    In the end, he felt pretty relaxed as he headed for his apartment.


    That was until a shouting voice stopped him.


    "People! We, the purifiers, have found another one amongst us!"


    Hearing the loud shout and the muttering of a lot of people, Zaroth let his curiosity win and followed the noise.


    Taking a few turns, he stopped at a large crowd of people filled with worried expressions.


    They stood before a large building made of some kind of white material.


    "Is that a church?" he asked himself as he took a step forward.


    "Look at the sinner we have among our own kind!" A man in a white robe declared as he lifted the head of a half-dead man.


    "Please¡­ I didn''t mean to¡­" From the way he spoke, it was clear the sinner was beyond broken.


    In the next moment, he was met with a fist to his face.


    Forcing the injured man to stand up, the man in the white robe continued,


    "Look at his hand!" He grabbed the sinner''s hand and poured some kind of liquid over it.


    The next moment, the back of the man''s hand shone crimson as some kind of symbol appeared on it.


    "Gods, so it''s true!" Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I can''t believe it, he looked so normal!"


    "Make him pay for his sins!"


    The crowd erupted in mutters as they stared at the man''s hand.


    ''Wait, isn''t that symbol similar to the one I got after making a deal with Midnight Bloodrose?'' Zaroth wondered to himself.


    "As stated by the law and in the honor of the name of the gods who protect and guide us!"


    The man in the white robe forced the injured sinner to sit on a chair, tying his hands behind his back and binding his legs together.


    "The sentence is immediate execution!" Shifting his gaze to the masses, the man spoke louder so everyone could hear him.


    "The elders have declared that the form of punishment is stoning!"


    The eyes of the injured sinner widened in horror as he gazed at the public.


    "Wait, please¡ª"


    But he was interrupted as a rock thrown toward him hit him squarely in the jaw.


    "Kill the sinner!" a man screamed, picking up a nearby rock and hurling it toward the condemned individual with all his strength.


    "In the name of the gods!" a woman joined in as she, too, began to throw rocks.


    Pretty soon, the nearby crowd was throwing rocks at the man. Injured and bound, he could only scream in pain as he was slowly being killed.


    Watching from afar, Zaroth noted to himself,


    ''Okay, then. I guess I REALLY have to keep it a secret that I''ve made a deal with a demon¡­''

 Chapter 68: Cursed Prophecy

    Zaroth, while being cold and often appearing like an emotionless individual, didn''t enjoyed watching people in pain, especially people that had not wronged him.


    So, not wishing to see the rest, he turned his back on the gruesome scene and left.


    ''I guess it kind of makes sense that the masses don''t like people who have made a deal with a demon,'' he was lost in thought as he walked.


    ''It may be beneficial to learn more about demons, and specifically vampires, since I''ve made a deal with one.''


    Deciding that the first thing he would do after getting some free time was to go to the library and pick some books on the matter, he went home and prepared dinner for himself.


    "Can I eat, too?" Luna sat across from him, eyeing the food he had made.


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow. "Do you have to?"


    "No, not really. I just want to taste the things you cook."


    With a sigh, Zaroth prepared two dishes and had a peaceful dinner with his dragon.


    Silverfang was looking at him intensely, but he pointed at Luna, saying that if he wanted any, she would be the one who had to share.


    Luna grimaced but, in the end, gave a portion of her food.


    Zaroth was looking at his two summons, lost in thought.


    Before, just maintaining one of them was hard, but now, as he got stronger and his mana regeneration increased enough, he was able to sustain them indefinitely.


    Of course, this was only if Luna remained in her human form.


    But this was also bad news¡ªit meant that he now didn''t have an efficient way to train his mana core, other than connecting sparks to it.


    "I really need a third beast," he muttered as he collapsed on his bed, exhausted.


    *****


    "Good morning." Zaroth yawned as he approached his three friends, who were sitting, waiting for the lecture to start.


    "How did it go?" Zack asked.


    "I won, of course," Zaroth replied with a smirk.


    "Never mind that, are you ready for the exam?" Lily asked, raising an eyebrow.


    Zaroth''s eyes suddenly narrowed in horror. "What the hell are you talking about?"


    "Did you forget already? The professor has been reminding us about the exam for about a week now." S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Zaroth slapped himself in frustration.


    ''Did he? But that guy is so boring, it''s really possible that he mentioned some kind of test and I just ignored him.''


    Zaroth hoped Lily was mistaken, but after the lecture began, he found himself looking at a white piece of paper that had a quiz on it.


    With a long, tired sigh, he cursed inwardly.


    ''A test first thing in the morning?!''


    But left with no other choice, he glanced at the questions.


    -----


    Question 1:


    How many continents are there, and who controls them?


    Answer:


    There are nine continents inhabited by:


    Humans - three continents.


    Elves - two continents.


    Demons - four continents.


    -----


    Zaroth wrote down what he remembered.


    He was sure there were more, but he could remember only so much, especially so early in the morning.


    -----


    Question 2:


    If a beast ranked Rare (tier 4) and a demon ranked Greater (tier 4) fought, who would win and why?


    Answer:


    The demon would win. The reason being that demons have a higher level of intelligence, often surpassing even that of humans.


    -----


    In the end, after a lot of cursing, he finished the exam and handed it in to the professor.


    "How did you do?" Lily spoke with a smile, clearly happy with herself.


    "Bad," Zack answered with a sigh, crossing his arms.


    "What about you?"


    "I don''t want to talk about it," Zaroth answered with a grim voice.


    Roran looked calm as always, so it was pretty easy to guess that he had studied for the exam ahead of time.


    ''Hey, Luna, did you know about the test?''


    ''Of course!''


    ''Then why the hell didn''t you tell me?!''


    ''If I had, would you have spent time studying?''


    Zaroth wanted to retort, but quickly realized she was right, so in the end, he answered,


    ''Fair enough.''


    It''s not like he had much to do, so after the lectures, Zaroth headed straight for the library.


    It seemed that the library was actually more useful with teaching important stuff, rather than attending the lectures.


    ''Shouldn''t it be the other way around?'' Zaroth wondered.


    It was almost like even the most prestigious academy in the empire withheld information.


    But Zaroth had so much on his mind, and with all the things he had to focus on, he chose to completely forget about the matter.


    It''s not like it was going to appear later and bite him in the ass¡­


    ...Right?


    *****


    Gasping desperately for air, Vera opened her eyes.


    The next moment, she rolled over and fell from the bed.


    Trying to control her violently shaking body, she forced herself to stand up and approached the sink.


    Removing her white mask, she splashed her face with cold water, trying to calm herself down.


    But it didn''t seem to help as her heart continued to beat uncontrollably in her chest.


    Her lips were dry, even though she had just drunk water.


    Then she heard a knock on the bathroom door.


    "Hey, honey, are you alright? I heard a loud noise a moment ago." It was the voice of a clearly concerned woman.


    It was Vera''s mother. She was fortunate to live close to the academy, so she didn''t have to live in the provided apartments.


    Even though the voice of her mother brought her some comfort, she was too scared to answer her.


    Fearing something might have happened, her mother opened the door, only for her eyes to widen as it had been a long time since she saw the face of her daughter, who always hid behind her white mask.


    "What happened?" she asked, grasping Vera''s shoulders and checking for injuries.


    "T- em-¡­"


    Vera was clearly having a panic attack.


    "Calm down and look me in the eyes," her mother tried to reassure her.


    Vera forced her dry lips to open as she spoke, tears falling down her face.


    "The empire¡­ it will fall. All of us are doomed."

 Chapter 69: Vampire Hierarchy

    "Why do vampires have their own hierarchy?" Zaroth wondered as he read the book he had picked up from the shelves.


    In the book, the first thing explained was the way vampire society functioned¡ªor at least how it was believed to function.


    -----


    Vampire Hierarchy:


    Mortal Blood (Tier 1)


    Nightblood (Tier 2)


    Bloodbound (Tier 3)


    Noble Blood (Tier 4)


    Pureblood (Tier 5)


    Ancient Blood (Tier 6)


    Elder Blood (Tier 7)


    -----


    Vampires were demons, so shouldn''t they be using the same measurements of power?


    But at the same time, vampires were very similar to humans¡ªunlike the other races of demons¡ªso maybe it made sense?


    Not only that, but from looking at the chart, it was clear that they ranked vampires by their bloodline.


    Flipping to the next page, Zaroth saw drawn images of symbols that were supposed to appear on the back of a hand of an individual who had made a deal with a vampire, along with instructions on how to identify them.


    There were seven images in total, each representing how powerful the vampire was that the person had made a deal with.


    They were very similar in nature, but the difference between them lay in the number of dots in the center of the symbol.


    Even though the man Zaroth had witnessed being stoned to death was far away, he recalled that the symbol on his hand had two dots. This indicated that the deal he had made was with a vampire ranked at Nightblood.


    ''So Midnight Bloodrose is not the only vampire that has infiltrated the empire. Does she know about that fact?'' Zaroth wondered.


    ''Wait¡­ I don''t remember how many dots my symbol had.''


    This was an important question to answer. Knowing that information would allow him to gauge how powerful Midnight Bloodrose was.


    Shifting his gaze to the explanation on how to spot an individual who had made a deal with a vampire, he read that there were three ways,


    First, The sinner could make the symbol appear at will.


    Second If the hands of the sinner were cleansed with holy water, the symbol would appear on its own, whether the sinner wanted it to or not.


    And third If a priest or an individual with a similarly high level of holy power came into close contact with the sinner, the person with the holy power would be able to sense it.


    "Will it?" Zaroth raised an eyebrow as he glanced around, checking to see if anyone was nearby to spot him.


    After confirming that he was alone, he shifted his gaze to his hand and tried to make the symbol appear.


    A moment later, a crimson symbol appeared, with five dots visible.


    ''Does that mean that Midnight Bloodrose is Pureblood?''


    All the signs pointed to that fact.


    That meant she was pretty powerful¡­


    ''And yet she was scared out of her wits when she saw Luna¡­'' Zaroth seemed to have stumbled upon a bigger revelation than he had expected.


    He couldn''t get rid of the grin on his face. It meant that he had managed to make a deal with a vampire high up in the vampire hierarchy.


    After scanning through the book and memorizing the important information¡ªsuch as the places and types of people he should avoid to hide the fact that he had made a deal with a vampire¡ªhe returned the book to its shelf.


    "The book was useful, but it was missing information," he muttered under his breath.


    It didn''t specify how a vampire could rise in the hierarchy. Recalling Midnight Bloodrose''s words, Zaroth remembered that for a vampire to gain power, they had to steal it.


    Maybe that was why vampires drank blood. The more blood they consumed from a powerful individual, the more power power they would absorb¡ªand, as a result, the stronger they would become. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    So Midnight was trying to rise from Pureblood to Ancient Blood. Honestly, Zaroth respected that. After all, he was also someone striving to grow stronger.


    ''But why had she decided to join the academy?'' He wondered.


    Maybe it was because there were many people there who had yet to master their powers. She could be trying to hunt them before they did.


    Zaroth would have loved to have another chat with her, but it seemed that she wasn''t he¡ª


    "Hm?" He raised an eyebrow as his gaze fell on the table at the end of the room.


    There she was, sitting calmly and reading her book as always.


    ''How did I not see her?'' he wondered. ''Or maybe¡­ she''s able to make herself hard to notice?''


    It was possible. She was a vampire with Pureblood, so who knew what she was capable of?


    Putting on a friendly face, he walked toward her.


    "Don''t."


    She somehow sensed his approach. It seemed she wasn''t in the mood for conversation.


    "But, I ha¡ª"


    "I don''t care," she cut him off again without even glancing away from her book.


    With a sigh, he was about to walk away, but an idea struck him.


    The next second, Midnight raised an eyebrow and looked at him.


    "A friend request? Why?"


    "It may come in handy if I have to communicate with you."


    "And what could you possibly say to me that would help me?"


    Zaroth grinned proudly before replying. "For instance, that yesterday, a man was executed for having made a deal with a demon¡ªmost likely a vampire with Nightblood."


    Midnight narrowed her eyes for a second, clearly surprised.


    "Did the man say anything?"


    "No. At least, I didn''t hear him confess anything. He was just pleading to be left alive."


    "I see," Midnight sighed.


    A second later, Zaroth''s bracelet glowed briefly, and a message appeared before his eyes,


    [Midnight has accepted your friend request and started a chat.]


    "Happy?" she asked.


    "Very much so," he grinned as he finally left Midnight alone.


    Once she was alone, Midnight couldn''t help but grit her teeth as she cursed under her breath.


    "Shit. So they''ve followed me all the way here? It seems I''ll have to speed up my plans."

 Chapter 70: Wasted Time

    "Let''s see, I have befriended Midnight to an extent, and I am proceeding well with my spear training¡­" Zaroth was thinking about his next move.


    The next round of the tournament he was competing in would probably take place in about two weeks, assuming his calculations were correct. That meant he needed to use this time to gain as much power as he could.


    The question was whether he should focus on learning another spell besides fireball, or venture into the wilderness outside the capital in search of another beast.


    Both options had their pros and cons.


    If he learned another spell, he would become stronger, but his progress in improving his mana core would stagnate. Simply having Silverfang and Luna summoned wasn''t training his mana core passively anymore.


    On the other hand, if he tamed another beast, his mana core would start growing stronger again at an incredible rate. However, if he was put in a tough spot during his next match, he might be forced to summon one of his beasts for help, thereby openly announcing that he was a Beast Tamer.


    He didn''t have much time, so he would need to make a choice between the two.


    "Or¡­ maybe I can do all of this¡­" Zaroth muttered.


    It was possible to make progress in everything simultaneously, but it would require more time¡­


    To gain that time, he could probably start skipping some of the morning lectures. Most of them weren''t particularly useful on their own. He could just attend the classes where he trained his body or sparred with his friends.


    Deciding to do just that, he messaged Elysia.


    ----- Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Zaroth: I''m going to start skipping some of the lectures.


    Elysia: Reason?


    Zaroth: Need more time to grow stronger, and the academy is slowing me down.


    Elysia: The academy is where you''re supposed to get stronger.


    Zaroth: Don''t take it too hard, but some of these lectures are next to useless, and most of the professors can''t teach for shit.


    Elysia: I know. I''m not the one who wants them there, emperor''s orders. You can skip whatever lectures you want, but keep in mind the professors will probably start to dislike and target you.


    Zaroth: Roger.


    -----


    "It makes sense now," he whispered.


    The reason most of the professors were so bad at their jobs was that the emperor was the one who had assigned them there, not the chairwoman herself. As such, their qualifications were probably questionable.


    But why? Did he want to stunt the students'' growth for some reason? That didn''t make sense. They were technically in the middle of a war, so wouldn''t he want the students¡ªhis potential soldiers¡ªto become as strong as possible?


    Things didn''t add up¡­


    "I can''t know everything," Zaroth said as he stood up with a grunt and looked at himself in the mirror.


    The day wasn''t over yet, so he decided he would spend some time in the wilderness searching for something to tame.


    *****


    "Stop," a soldier called out to him, only for his eyes to widen for a moment.


    "Oh? You''re a student at that academy? Sorry, you may proceed." The soldier gestured with his hand toward the gates.


    This was one perk of being part of that academy¡ªhe was allowed to go in and out of the capital at no cost. All he had to do was wear his uniform.


    Something else was strange. Zaroth called it ''that academy'' because, for some reason, no one could agree on its name.


    "How does that even work?" he wondered but decided not to dwell on it any further.


    Marking his way out of the capital, he headed into the woods.


    Because he was so close to the capital, the beasts in the nearby forest were few and far between, so he had to venture deeper in hopes of finding something worthy.


    ''Hey, summon me,'' Luna''s words echoed in his head.


    ''But people could see you,'' he replied mentally.


    ''Yes, but I have more control over my presence now. Forget about being a dragon or a powerful individual¡ªnow people would just think of me as an ordinary woman.''


    "Yeah, no ordinary woman has your appearance," he muttered as he summoned her, along with Silverfang.


    "Oh! Fresh air," Luna spoke, stretching her arms behind her back.


    Judging by how enthusiastically Silverfang was wagging his tail, it was clear he agreed with her.


    "We''re not here on vacation," Zaroth snapped, pointing to the spear he was carrying on his back.


    "We''re here to find me a third beast."


    "Sure, sure," Luna nodded casually as she walked forward.


    Shifting his gaze to her, he spoke, "I really hope your presence doesn''t scare the beasts away from us."


    Luna raised an eyebrow. "Why would that be a problem? You''re searching for dead ones anyway. After all, if you kill something yourself, you won''t be able to tame it."


    "True," Zaroth admitted as he glanced around.


    "I just hope I don''t waste my time again like last time."


    *****


    But as it turned out, he did in fact waste his time, just like last time.


    It was already dark, and he hadn''t spotted even a single corpse in the entire forest.


    "Why is it so hard to find something dead, for fuck''s sake?!" he grit his teeth in frustration.


    He had been attacked by multiple beasts along the way, but after killing them, the few that showed signs they could be tamed refused to submit. None of them wanted to bow to the presence that had killed them in the first place.


    Now, he was approaching the gates of the capital. He dismissed Silverfang and was about to dismiss Luna as well when¡ª


    "Don''t."


    It seemed she didn''t agree with the idea.


    "The fuck do you mean, don''t? You''re a dragon¡ªyou will be seen!"


    "I told you, they can''t sense it! I''ll just seem like an ordinary woman!"


    Zaroth frowned, his eyebrows in frustration. She was technically right, but he could already imagine the problem... Some idiot would fall for her the moment they laid eyes on her and cause trouble.


    With a sigh, he finally spoke. "Alright, but you will deal with the consequences."


    She nodded happily as they approached the gates of the capital.


    Zaroth was supposed to go in without trouble, but the moment they approached the stationed guard, the man began to stare at Luna¡ªalmost like he was in a trance.


    "Hey, I''m sorry, can I talk to you two?" the guard asked, glancing at them¡ªor rather, mostly at Luna.


    ''Why am I not surprised,'' Zaroth thought as he shifted his gaze to her, curious to see how she would deal with the trouble.


    "If you''re fre¡ª"


    "Sorry, not interested," she cut him off immediately.


    "What? Why?" the guard asked, sounding stunned.


    "I only speak with the strong," she replied calmly.


    The man''s face reddened, insulted, as though Luna had directly called him weak.


    "Oh yeah? Then who''s strong to you?" he snapped.


    "My boyfriend," she said, cool as ever, casually pointing at Zaroth.


    Furious at Luna''s actions, Zaroth couldn''t help but curse as the guard turned his attention to him, looking as though he was ready for a fight.


    "For fuck''s sake, I knew this would happen!"

 Chapter 71: Feelings

    "That little punk is supposed to be stronger than me? Unbelievable!" the guard spoke, getting even more offended.


    ''Play it cool,'' Zaroth thought, trying to stay calm and not burst into fury.


    "I mean, I''m the one going to that academy, so it seems pretty believable to me."


    The guard raised his hand, making it into a fist, clearly ready to throw a punch.


    Zaroth, not flinching, spoke, "Are you causing trouble while on duty?"


    Being asked that question seemed to bring some sense into the man, as he lowered his hand and muttered an apology.


    Not wishing for the scene to repeat itself, Zaroth, frowning, entered the capital, Luna not far behind, grinning and clearly enjoying herself.


    "What the hell was that?!" he asked in frustration.


    "Honestly? It seemed fun, so I wanted to try it."


    "Fun?!" Zaroth took a deep breath, massaging his eyebrows. ''If that had gotten out of control, I could''ve been arrested and questioned about why I was fighting the gate guard.''


    "But it was also the truth, though," Luna added.


    Zaroth wanted to retort, but seeing the number of gazes they were attracting¡ªno, more accurately, Luna was attracting¡ªhe grasped her hand and led her somewhere more private.


    ''This was a bad idea. Now I can''t even desummon her in public, since it would look suspicious if a woman suddenly disappeared.''


    "Oh? Being led like this¡ªit seems quite romantic, wouldn''t you say, Zaroth?" Luna teased as she followed him.


    "This woman!" he cursed under his breath.


    Finally reaching an area where there weren''t many people and not a lot of prying eyes, Zaroth made Luna sit on a bench. He leaned in, placing both hands against the bench, bringing his face closer to hers.


    "Explain. What was the reason for doing something like that?"


    Luna''s eyes didn''t waver as she answered.


    "It''s boring staying in your soul, always spectating. I want to move around, I want to make changes to the world, I want to feel excited."


    Zaroth wanted to argue, but he knew, in a way, she was right. A mythical dragon had been forced into nothing more than a spectator for a long time now. He had to consider her feelings.


    "Okay. What do you want to do? Something that would excite you¡ªjust say it, and we''ll do it."


    "Anything?" Luna asked, showing an emotion Zaroth couldn''t catch in time.


    "Yes, anyth¡ª"


    He was interrupted as Luna immediately put her hands on his head and leaned in for a kiss.


    ''What the hell?'' To say he was surprised would have been an understatement. This was definitely not how he thought he''d experience his first kiss. Yet, just feeling her lips, Zaroth couldn''t help but feel that, no matter what, he shouldn''t stop what they were doing.


    In a flash, Luna made him sit on the bench as she sat onto his lap.


    Feeling her body pressed tightly against his made Zaroth''s body heat up. He had honestly already forgotten about everything else.


    But Luna, equally excited, felt her heart beating faster. As a result, Zaroth was suddenly forced to stop. He clutched his chest, his hand over his heart, as his body trembled.


    He began gasping for air, like he was moments away from collapsing. Seeing the state he was in, Luna quickly stood up, calming herself down.


    After a few tense minutes, the pain finally lessened. Zaroth managed to speak, though his voice was weak.


    "What the hell was that?"


    Sitting on the bench next to him, Luna sighed, massaging her forehead.


    "Sorry, I shouldn''t have done that. I should''ve known you weren''t ready."


    Despite still being in pain, Zaroth listened carefully.


    "It''s like I said before, if we try to do anything, your mana core would burst."


    "But how does that even work?" he asked between ragged breaths.


    "The more excited I become, the greater the pressure on your heart and mana core," she explained.


    "Does thi¡ª"


    "This is also the case with every single emotion," she answered his question before he could even ask it out loud. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    So she couldn''t even get excited, or it could kill him?


    Now it made sense why she had caused that fiasco with the guard earlier.


    Zaroth couldn''t imagine how it would feel to suppress every single emotion you had.


    With a sigh, he spoke, "Sorry. I didn''t know what you were dealing with all this time. If you want to go do something¡­ preferably something that won''t kill me, I''d be happy to oblige."


    Luna thought for a moment, then stood up with a smile. "Then let''s go to a restaurant."


    With a grunt, Zaroth got to his feet and began walking with Luna to a nice place he knew nearby.


    Shifting his gaze to her, he couldn''t help but see her in a new light. For her to suppress her emotions just so he wouldn''t die¡ªthis just showed how loyal she was to him.


    He gritted his teeth as his body was still raging hot from the excitement he felt just moments ago when she was pressed so tightly against him.


    ''Stronger. I have to get stronger¡ªmuch faster!''


    *****


    "And without further ado, the fight shall begin," the observer raised his hand, signaling the start of the fight.


    The timid girl''s eyes shined, most likely getting ready to chant some sort of spell.


    David''s purple eyes didn''t seem amused as he watched her movements.


    Suddenly, a dark creature, several meters in length with three hollow eyes, emerged and placed its hand on David''s shoulder.


    "What, are you still salty that your team got second place in the rankings?"


    "Shut the fuck up," David spoke harshly. From other points of view, it may have looked like he was insane, talking to himself, but that was the nature of his weird class, Spectral Warden.


    No one was able to see or interact with the cursed entity except David himself.


    "I know what you''re thinking," the spirit spoke with amusement in its voice.


    "You''re wondering if you can kill your opponent before the observer intervenes, right?" The spirit laughed, its voice echoing around the arena, yet only David could hear it.


    "Sorry to say, but you''re too weak to do it."


    At the spirit''s insult, David''s eyes seemed to darken as his face grimaced.


    "You think I can''t move faster than that peasant?" David was referring to the observer of the fight.


    The girl, curious as to why her opponent wasn''t moving, didn''t object as she finished chanting her spell and sent it hurtling toward David.


    The next second, David was behind the girl, holding her head in his palm.


    Blood poured from her neck as she collapsed to the ground, beginning to paint the surroundings crimson.


    "Oops, I''m sorry, I went overboard," David spoke as he tossed the girl''s head to the side and glanced at the observer, who hadn''t managed to stop him in time.


    "Oh, well¡­ it''s not like I''m the one to blame¡­" David patted the frozen-in-fear observer on the shoulder as he exited the arena.


    "First round over, I guess¡­" he muttered under his breath.


    "Oh? Is that supposed to be impressive? Killing a weak girl who clearly wasn''t meant to participate in the tournament in the first place?"


    The spirit laughed as it brought its mouth closer to David''s ear.


    "Aren''t you just trying to vent your frustration over your failure?"


    David knew the spirit was trying to provoke a reaction from him. He had been living with the cursed entity for about six years already...


    And yet, he couldn''t help but bite his lower lip until it bled.


    "That fucker who managed to cheat his way into first place¡­ I hope I meet him in the tournament. It''ll be fun tearing him apart, limb from limb."

 Chapter 72: Fire Tornado

    "Right this way, sir," one of the workers at the restaurant gestured for them to enter.


    Zaroth quickly observed the restaurant. This was one of the best establishments in the area¡ªor at least, that''s what Lily had told him.


    Unfortunately, this place required reservations, but with the leftover credits he had, he simply bribed his way in.


    Entering the restaurant, Luna excused herself for a moment and stepped toward the bathroom, while Zaroth sat down and opened the menu


    After a moment, his eyes widened in surprise as he felt his mana being drained.


    ''Is Luna doing something?'' he wondered but decided to wait as he chose what to order.


    "Two steaks and a bottle of wine," he said after placing the order. He wondered why Luna was taking so long.


    After a moment, he saw her exiting the bathroom, and his eyes widened once more.


    It seemed she had used part of his mana to manifest a dark dress that perfectly complemented her alluring figure.


    Sitting across from him, she grinned and asked, "So, what do you think?"


    "Gorgeous," he answered, taking a better look at her.


    It seemed she liked his answer, as her mood was notably good after that.


    The food arrived, and both of them began eating, chatting along the way about this and that.


    But Zaroth was inwardly lost in thought.


    ''This dress¡­ and her actions before¡­ Is she pushing me to get stronger even faster? Maybe some kind of manipulation? But what could be the reason? Didn''t she tell me that I was progressing abnormally fast? Did something happen that''s making it necessary for me to grow stronger even faster?''


    Slicing the steak with his knife and bringing a piece to his mouth, he thought about how to get stronger.


    ''Stronger¡­ I could try to learn some kind of spell. To accomplish that feat faster, it needs to be something Luna can use since she''s a dragon, and it¡ª''


    His eyes suddenly widened as realization struck him.


    ''Yes! That could work! Why didn''t I think of it sooner? And now that I''m proficient with a spear, I could even combine it!''


    Seeing Zaroth smirking, Luna asked, "Did something happen?"


    He replied, his voice proud as his eyes shined with a darker shade of green,


    "Yes, I think I may secretly be a genius."


    *****


    "You want to what?" Lily asked, staring at him.


    After the dinner with Luna, Zaroth had slept in his apartment, and the next day had arrived. He was now in the Live Combat Practice room.


    "I want to learn how to breathe fire, you know, like a dragon," he repeated firmly. Zaroth was confident Lily could help¡ªshe had managed to teach him how to cast Fireball, so this couldn''t be that different.


    Scratching the back of her head, she spoke hesitantly. "I can''t do something like that, but I don''t think you need anyone''s help, to be honest. You said you and your dragon have some kind of connection, right? That''s why you learned Fireball so fast. Just do the same thing¡ªit should come naturally to you."


    Following her advice, Zaroth began practicing the spell while sparring with Lily. She used fire-based attacks to help him better visualize fire.


    ''Focus. Remember how Luna looks in her dragon form¡ªhow her jaws open when she unleashes an inferno, how hot the fire is, how destructive it can be.''


    Despite his efforts, he didn''t manage to learn the spell that day. But, according to Lily, there was a moment where it seemed as if a fire was burning deep in the back of his throat.


    Taking it as a good sign, Zaroth continued his practice.


    A few days later, Zack, Roran, and Lily had already won their matches and advanced to the second round of the tournament. The matches were progressing much faster than anyone had expected, which meant Zaroth''s next fight was rapidly approaching. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Meanwhile, something within him shifted. His mana core seemed to glow brighter, as if he had finally grasped what he was trying to achieve.


    ''My jaws are the same as a dragon''s,'' he thought.


    Closing his mouth, he felt a menacing green flame ignite deep in his throat.


    ''Now the jaws are closed.''


    Opening his mouth slowly, the fire inside him began to illuminate his surroundings. His eyes shined with a menacing green light.


    ''And now the jaws are open.''


    He suddenly heard a voice echo in his mind.


    [You have learned a new spell.]


    [Firebreath]


    Then a menacing inferno shot toward Lily, and she raised three ice walls in response. Two of the walls melted instantly, but the third one managed to hold.


    Zaroth couldn''t help but smile as he finally managed to learn his second spell.


    "Congrats! That was fast, again," Lily exclaimed with a proud smile.


    "Try the move on me!" Zack shouted from across the room, forgetting the duel he was having with Roran.


    "No, I''m first!" Roran yelled back, equally eager.


    Zaroth couldn''t help but laugh.


    ''So why did you suddenly decide to copy my fire-breathing?'' Luna''s question echoed in his mind.


    ''It''s because I remembered the fight we had in the forest against the Epic Beasts,'' he replied as he picked up one of the spears meant for sparring and stood before Lily.


    ''What did it remind you of?'' Luna pressed.


    ''Do you remember what that bird-creature did when you attacked it with your flames?''


    ''Wait¡­ you mean all this time you were trying to¡ª''


    Zaroth spun the spear before him with a smirk. "Okay, try to block this!"


    He opened his jaws wide and unleashed another inferno forward. The spinning spear in his hand acted like a fan, increasing both the speed and the destructive area of the fire.


    That''s right¡ªZaroth hadn''t just been trying to learn how to use fire-breath. He had been working toward recreating the fire tornado he had seen in the forest.


    Judging by Lily''s suddenly startled expression as she began summoning as many ice walls as she could in a desperate attempt to defend, it was clear that he had succeeded.

 Chapter 73: Ready

    Raising her hands in the air, Lily formed several ice walls in front of her.


    The next moment, the inferno that Zaroth had managed to create collided with them, and the room shook slightly as the walls began to melt, unable to withstand the high temperatures.


    This was one of the pros of using firebreath to recreate the tornado. Unlike fireball, firebreath could be used indefinitely as long as the person using it had mana left in their core.


    So Zaroth simply didn''t stop spilling fire from his mouth as he rotated the spear in front of him.


    One thing he hadn''t taken into account¡ªeven though the spear was made entirely from metal, meaning it wouldn''t burn like wood would¡ªwas that it would still heat up and begin to burn Zaroth''s hands.


    Lily''s walls had already melted, and she was forced to create as many as she could in quick succession, trying to keep the fire from reaching her.


    Deciding it was enough, Zaroth stopped the attack as he positioned the tip of the spear toward Lily.


    "Let''s see how accurate I am," he thought as he sent it flying, toward her.


    He had trained throwing his spear before, but he quickly realized that his aim sucked.


    But this time, it seemed he was going to hit his target. Lily gritted her teeth in frustration as she moved her head to the side, dodging the spear that was sent toward her head.


    Zaroth, not giving her time to rest, had already dashed full force toward her and sent a fireball in her direction.


    In response, her eyes shined golden as she sent a lightning spell ready to meet his.


    The two spells collided, and unsurprisingly, as Lily had much more experience in using spells, she managed to stop Zaroth''s attack with her own.


    But he had already closed the distance, both of his palms open.


    He was trying to fire two fireballs at the same time, something he had never tried before¡ªuntil now.


    He was close to winning, yet Lily saw through his movements as she raised her foot and kicked him in the ribs before the fireballs could be fired.


    He fell to the ground and was about to get up until he saw multiple ice figures floating in front of his face moments before killing him.


    "My win," Lily spoke with a smirk as she extended her arm for support.


    Zaroth took it as he sighed. "And I was so close too!"


    "What the hell was that thing you did?" she asked.


    He grinned proudly before explaining, "I recreated a fire tornado."


    "Oh, you mean that thing that happened in the forest?" Roran joined in.


    "Yes, just on a smaller scale."


    "Then what are we waiting for?! Use that move on me!" Zack requested, taking a step forward.


    Thankfully, there was still time left before the class ended, so Zaroth would have time to use the move more than a couple of times. S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    *****


    Zaroth took a sigh of relief as he let his body relax on his bed.


    His mana core was beyond exhausted, but he had made significant progress.


    Not only was he able to learn a new skill that he could combine with his spear to turn it into a deadly tornado, but he also realized that his skill fireball had become stronger.


    Before, Lily could use two ice walls to stop the attacks, but now she required three.


    And the reason for that was most likely¡­


    Zaroth closed his eyes as he felt his mana core and the sparks connected to it.


    It wasn''t almost empty like before¡ªnow there were about five thousand sparks connected to his core.


    Using the metric for beasts, that would make him Uncommon.


    "I feel like I am ready for the next round," he muttered as he prepared to go to bed.


    But suddenly, his bracelet shined as he received a message.


    Seeing it, his eyes darkened for a moment. "So fast?" he asked himself, looking at the message.


    It seemed that his next match was tomorrow.


    "Then I guess I''m skipping one more day," he sighed as he dismissed the message and went to sleep.


    *****


    "Okay, let''s see what you have here¡­" Zaroth muttered as he searched in the blacksmith''s store for suitable armor and a spear.


    From now on, his enemies would become progressively stronger, so he couldn''t rely on the cheap imitations provided by the academy.


    Spending the last of his credits and making a note to ask Elysia for more later, he bought leather armor that provided good protection and didn''t restrict his movements.


    As for the spear, he bought one that seemed light and yet, at the same time, was made from some type of metal¡ªmeaning it wouldn''t catch fire.


    Being ready and geared up, he took a deep breath as he headed for the arena.


    After confirming his identity, he was led to the place where he was supposed to have his match.


    "Huh, so this time there are spectators," Zaroth muttered.


    Unlike last time, where there had been no one high up in the seats to watch the fight, it seemed that today¡ªbeing the start of the second round¡ªthere were a few people who had gathered, watching with curiosity.


    ''It makes sense that the masses would be allowed inside. After all, this whole tournament could also work as a stunt for improving the reputation of the emperor.''


    "Ladies and gentlemen!" a man suddenly shouted as he stepped into the center of the arena.


    ''Is that supposed to be some kind of entertainer?'' Zaroth asked himself.


    "Today marks the start of the second round of eliminations for the chance to earn the right to win anything from the emperor!"


    The few people that had gathered in the arena to watch the fight fell silent as they looked down with anticipation.


    "From the right, we have a white-haired man with incredible spear skills! Zaroth!" the announcer spoke as he pointed toward Zaroth.


    "And to the left! We have a man who seems to be loved by the earth itself! Leo!"


    Shifting his gaze, Zaroth studied his opponent. He was a man of medium height with an impressive build, but there was something off about him.


    "Why is he naked from the waist up? And where is the man''s weapon?" Zaroth muttered in disbelief.


    Was his opponent really dumb enough to enter the second round without any kind of equipment?


    "And without any further ado, let the battle begin!" the entertainer shouted as he raised his hand and quickly got out of the center of the arena, not wanting to disturb the fight.


    Zaroth took a step forward, glancing around. There was still a man sitting at their level, observing the fight with a piece of paper in his hand. It seemed that an official observer was present, ready to stop the fight if the need arose.


    Shifting his gaze back to his opponent, Zaroth tightened his grip on his spear.


    Meanwhile, the man about to fight him muttered something under his breath.


    Suddenly, the ground around his opponent moved toward him, and moments later, it formed into armor made of hardened soil.


    Not only that, but the earth also crafted a long, curved sword that the man gripped with both hands.


    Zaroth smiled darkly.


    ''If he has the ability to make equipment from the ground, it could counter my fire pretty well,'' he thought as he shifted into a battle stance.


    "This battle will be interesting."

 Chapter 74: Round 2

    ''He made armor and a weapon from the earth itself?'' Zaroth wondered, strategizing his first move while eyeing his opponent.


    The man who had been naked from the waist up was now clad in armor that covered his entire body, including his face. Despite being made from soil, the sword in his hand looked sharp¡ªsharp enough to slice through tendons without trouble.


    ''It''s possible he can create an infinite amount of equipment. What if he can use other weapons besides the curved sword he''s currently wielding?'' Zaroth thought as he adjusted his grip on his spear.


    Taking a battle stance, he watched as his opponent, Leo charged straight at him.


    Having a spear gave Zaroth the advantage of reach, so he attempted a feint thrust to test Leo''s reaction.


    Leo, however, didn''t slow down at all. He charged forward with unshaken confidence in his armor.


    The next second, Leo had already swung his sword toward Zaroth. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Zaroth prepared to dodge but suddenly realized one of his feet wouldn''t move.


    Shifting his gaze for a split second, he noticed that Leo had commanded the ground to warp around his foot, limiting his mobility.


    ''Smart,'' Zaroth admitted as he gave up on escaping and instead sent a fireball aimed directly at the eye sockets of Leo''s helmet.


    This time, his opponent reacted, halting his swing mid-air and using one arm to cover his eyes.


    Not wasting a second, Zaroth kicked Leo and broke free from the constraint on his foot.


    ''Okay, I guess I won''t hold back,'' Zaroth decided, spinning his spear in front of him while opening his mouth and unleashing a deadly breath of fire.


    The fire breath reached the rotating spear, increasing both the speed and the destructive area of the flames, creating a deadly inferno.


    Leo seemed startled for a moment. Then, throwing his sword aside, he extended both arms forward and created a large shield of hardened soil in front of him.


    Zaroth''s inferno collided with Leo''s shield and was blocked in the process.


    But Zaroth didn''t stop his fire attack. Leo remained locked in place, struggling to maintain the shield as it began to break apart under the high temperatures.


    ''If I can keep this up long enough, his shield will eventually fall apart. But the question is, can I hold on for that long?'' Zaroth wondered, glancing at his enemy.


    While Zaroth had become stronger, this skill drained him significantly, and soon, his mana would run out.


    ''The problem is, the ground can withstand high temperatures. Even if I break through the shield, I still have to get past his armor,'' Zaroth thought, his mind racing.


    It suddenly made sense why people used the ground to build furnaces¡ªit could endure extreme heat without breaking down.


    ''Wait¡­ a furnace?'' Zaroth''s eyes shone a deeper shade of green as he suddenly got an idea.


    Without a moment''s hesitation, he stopped his fire tornado attack and charged forward.


    Leo sensed that the fire attack had stopped and threw the nearly destroyed shield to the side, summoning a whip into his hand.


    Wasting no time, he lashed the whip toward Zaroth, while Zaroth, in turn, hurled his spear forward with all the strength he could muster.


    Leo''s whip hit Zaroth''s forehead as blood began to pour down from the wound, obstructing his vision, while Zaroth''s spear hit Leo in the chest. Although he was forced to take a step or two back due to the shockwave, he didn''t suffer any major damage as his armor held.


    The observer raised an eyebrow, questioning the decision of Zaroth.


    ''Why did he throw his only weapon? It''s not li¡ª''


    Suddenly, the observer''s eyes widened as he grasped Zaroth''s plan. If he was right¡ªLeo was as good as dead.


    "Healer! We need a healer!" the observer screamed as he got up.


    Some of the spectators stared in confusion. Why was the observer calling for a healer when the fight had not yet ended?


    But suddenly, they understood the reason as Zaroth reached Leo and jumped into the air.


    Leo, having confidence in his armor, took a step forward and used the ground to make a dagger appear in his left hand, which he brought down on Zaroth''s thigh.


    Yet Zaroth, not showing that he felt any pain, grabbed Leo as he wrapped his legs around him and brought his face down to Leo''s helmet.


    Leo''s eyes widened in horror as he saw Zaroth''s menacing smile slowly open, and in the back of his throat, a deadly fire forming.


    Before Leo could react in any way, Zaroth bit down on Leo''s helmet and let loose a deadly inferno right inside Leo''s armor.


    As Leo''s armor covered his entire body with the only exception being his eyes, the deadly fire entered and began to melt the man''s body like nothing.


    ''One!'' Zaroth was counting down the seconds, wondering how long it would take to turn his opponent into nothing but ash.


    ''Two!'' The second the fire reached Leo''s body, he felt his skin, muscles, tendons, and even bones melting under the high temperatures. As such, he was unable to move at all, and all he could do was stay motionless as Zaroth continued to heat up the inside of his armor like a furnace.


    ''Three!'' Suddenly, Zaroth felt somebody grasp his body and throw him to the side.


    Letting go of Leo, he fell to the ground, shifting his gaze to the person that had prevented him from killing his enemy.


    It was the observer, accompanied by a man who seemed to be the healer standing next to him.


    They removed Leo''s armor, which had become crimson red from the heat, and revealed his body.


    In just three seconds, his body had been turned into charcoal. It seemed that he had already died, but the healer somehow managed to bring him back to life.


    "And the winner is Zaroth!" the announcer screamed as he returned to the center of the arena, and the few spectators burst into cheers in celebration of the fight.


    Zaroth felt incredible. He had not only managed to defeat his opponent, but he had done so without even using his main abilities¡ªor, in other words, his beasts.


    Leo was taking weak breaths as the healer carried his body to someplace where he could be treated better.


    "I see¡­ so it takes four seconds," Zaroth noted as he now knew how long it would take to burn somebody to death from up close.


    Seeing that the match was over, Zaroth took a moment to appreciate the cheers from the public that had watched the match and then he exited the arena, happy with his progress.


    His only regret was that he didn''t manage to kill his opponent, but there was not much that could be done and it wasn''t like Zaroth cared if his opponent lived or died, as it didn''t concern him at all.


    Meanwhile, after dealing with the mess, the observer looked at the profile that he was provided with regarding Zaroth''s abilities and added a few things.


    -----


    Zaroth:


    Main weapon: Spear


    Characteristics: Heartless, can ignore pain to a large extent, always tries to go for the kill


    Skills: Fireball, Firebreath


    -----


    It seemed that Zaroth had advanced to the third round.

 Chapter 75: Into the Wilds

    To be honest, it was kind of surprising that the second round came so soon after the first one.


    Originally, Zaroth thought it would take a month until they managed to get it sorted out. After all, we were talking about more than 30,000 matches.


    "Or maybe I have been thinking about it the wrong way," he muttered as he slowly walked towards his assigned apartment.


    He had already noticed that, even though he was in the second round, there were spectators watching with interest.


    Maybe the plan was to get through the uninteresting matches quickly and, after reaching round 10 and beyond, showcase the might of the strongest students in the empire. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Maybe, by the end, there would be so many people wanting to watch the finals of the tournament that even the grand arena would not be able to accommodate them all.


    "And if he charged them for watching the fight, the emperor could very quickly recover the money he has used to make the tournament possible in the first place. It seems that the man had thought about everything and was winning in every possible way," Zaroth muttered, having to admit that the emperor was much smarter than he originally thought.


    But this was still far in the future¡ªZaroth had to focus on the present now.


    If he was right, and the later matches were going to be held like a grand event, it meant that the earlier rounds would be fought as quickly as possible.


    In other words, even though he had just passed the second round, the third one was rapidly approaching.


    "Stronger¡­" he got lost in thought. How could he become stronger?


    Yes, true, he had become stronger, but this tournament had an element of luck in it. His next opponent could be the weakest student in the empire who had managed to enter the tournament¡ªor they could be the strongest. Zaroth wanted to be ready for any situation.


    "Beasts¡­ there''s no avoiding it anymore. I''ll get some supplies and enter the forest. Until I manage to tame a third beast, I won''t be coming back."


    This was the plan he came up with. But first things first, he needed credits. For the supplies he was planning to buy, he had already spent most of his credits. Luckily, he knew just the person to ask for more.


    -----


    Zaroth: I need more credits, and I''ll be outside the capital for some time.


    Elysia: You really are burning through them like paper, huh? Where are you going?


    Zaroth: After winning the second round and advancing to the third, I realized I need even more strength. So, I''m going out to tame another beast.


    Elysia: I see¡­ By the way, that test you did before? You failed. You have a second chance to take it and correct your grade. The second test will be held in 5 days from now. Don''t miss it.


    -----


    [You have received a transfer of 200 credits]


    "Fuck! I failed? I thought I would have at least gotten a passing grade." Zaroth massaged his forehead in frustration.


    Honestly, failing the test hadn''t even crossed his mind, but it made sense considering that he hadn''t spent much time studying the boring¡ªor in other words, useless¡ªsubjects they taught at the academy.


    ''Seriously! Why can''t they just teach the important stuff and leave the useless crap aside?!''


    "No matter. The test can wait. First, I have to stock up on supplies," he muttered as he headed toward the market.


    *****


    "Let''s see, what would I need for the expedition?" He observed all kinds of products for sale.


    "Water is a must. I don''t know if I''ll find a clean source. Also, it''s not a bad idea to get some food. Even if I can hunt and eat beasts, it doesn''t hurt to be well-prepared."


    He bought a few bottles of water that would last him at least 5 days and about 2 kilos of jerky. It was a good source of energy while also being unable to go bad.


    "Next, shelter¡­"


    After thinking for a while, he bought a tent big enough for two people. He was sure that Luna wouldn''t want to stay in his soul while he was exploring the wild.


    A backpack was in order, as he had to carry everything, after all.


    And in the end, he bought something that many people neglected until it was too late, a few spare sets of underwear. Even though he had lived a large part of his life like a street rat¡ªor perhaps because he had¡ªhe knew how important hygiene was.


    Checking if he had gotten everything, he headed toward the gates of the capital once more.


    The guards at the gates didn''t say anything as always, just looking at his uniform was enough to be left unbothered.


    Entering the forest, he walked a few kilometers, keeping away from the main roads. Once he confirmed that he was far enough, he summoned Luna and Silverfang.


    He could have summoned Luna much earlier, but he didn''t want to risk letting some strangers try to hit on her, so keeping her concealed was much safer.


    "Finally, I can walk a bit," Luna spoke with a grin as she stepped forward.


    This irritated Zaroth a bit, as he had let her out quite literally yesterday, but he didn''t want to waste time arguing, so he let the matter go.


    This was the third time Zaroth had gone outside the capital in search of a beast, and he was planning for it to be the last. As such, he had devised a plan.


    No matter how much he wished, if he killed a beast himself¡ªor if one of his beasts did it for him¡ªhe wouldn''t be able to resurrect and tame the killed beast. The creature wouldn''t want to submit to the person that had brought about its doom in the first place.


    But what if he found a pack of dangerous creatures, like wolves or even bears?


    If he quietly followed their movements, hiding his presence as he did, he would eventually witness the pack hunting for food.


    Once they managed to bring down a creature, and if Zaroth felt the energy coming from it¡ªready to be resurrected and tamed¡ªhe could quickly get rid of the pack and resurrect their prey.


    And, considering that he would have killed the creatures responsible for its downfall, the beast would surely be more likely to want to serve Zaroth.


    While it wasn''t a perfect plan, Zaroth didn''t have a very good grasp of what was needed to resurrect and tame a creature. So, this was the best he could come up with for now.


    He made sure the backpack was securely strapped to his back as he walked forward, searching for any kind of clues.


    During the hunting competition, Roran was usually the one who managed to find traces left behind by beasts. After observing him for a bit, Zaroth had been able to pick up on some hints on how to spot them himself.


    It didn''t take long for a wide smile to appear on his face as he looked at the ground. It seemed he had found a few footprints¡ªwolf tracks, to be exact.


    He had found the pack he was going to quietly follow from now on.

 Chapter 76: Found You

    From the looks of it, the tracks were old as they were just barely visible, but this was enough for Zaroth as he began to quickly follow them.


    Considering that they were old, it was hard to tell how many of them there were exactly, but he was able to tell that they were multiple at least. In other words, it was certain that he was tracking a pack of wolves and not a single one.


    Shifting his gaze to Silverfang, he spoke, "If you feel any kind of danger, you will warn me, right?"


    The wolf quickly barked, accepting the order.


    Zaroth shifted his gaze to Luna as he spoke, "You are to do the same."


    Luna sighed, "Yeah, yeah, I know, I can think for myself."


    "I sometimes wonder if that really is the case," Zaroth teased with a smirk.


    Luna raised an eyebrow as she teased in turn, "You are the one that failed the exam, not me, so remind me¡ªwho can''t think again?"


    Zaroth gritted his teeth as nothing came to mind on how to defend himself.


    Or at least that was what he thought until an idea came to mind.


    "Yet I am the one that is alive and not you, right?"


    Luna scoffed, "Don''t forget that the only reason you are alive is that I saved you in the first place."


    ''That is true¡­'' Zaroth admitted to himself, and then he asked something that he had been curious about for some time now.


    "You are a mythical creature, right? So how did you lose to that hero that they cal¡ª"


    "I don''t want to talk about it," Luna cut him off with an emotionless voice. It seemed that even though she was a mythical dragon, she also had things that she didn''t want to talk about.


    The atmosphere around them got a bit tense, and not wanting it to remain that way, Zaroth sighed.


    "Okay, I am sorry. I will wait until you are ready to talk about it."


    After a moment, he added, "But I want you to answer one question."


    Luna raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"


    "The one that somehow managed to kill you¡ªis he still alive?"


    She took a moment to respond. When she did, her voice sounded indifferent. "Most likely. The bastard will not die easily."


    "Then do you want to¡ª?"


    "Want what?"


    "Do you want me to kill him? We are planning to kill the gods, one man wouldn''t be hard to kill in comparison."


    Luna suddenly smiled as it seemed she was in a good mood once again.


    "Of course, he will die."


    As Zaroth managed to fix the awkward atmosphere, all three of them¡ªZaroth and his two beasts¡ªwalked forward, slowly trailing the wolf pack.


    *****


    Night had come, so Zaroth set the tent. Both he and Luna were inside, getting ready to sleep¡­ well, he was at least. He honestly didn''t know if Luna needed to sleep at all.


    Silverfang was outside the tent, hunting for something to eat. He was still a predator and didn''t want to lose his instincts, after all.


    Before sleeping, dinner was in order, so Zaroth was munching on a piece of jerky while Luna watched him coldly.


    "Come on! Can''t you share a bit?!"


    "No," he instantly replied.


    "You don''t have to eat to live, but I have to, so I can''t waste my food just so you aren''t bored."


    Luna sighed as she lay down in frustration. She wanted to eat something, even if she didn''t technically need to, but her master''s life was more important, so she wasn''t going to eat his food reserves.


    At least, not yet.


    After finishing his meal, Zaroth also lay down and closed his eyes, trying to go to sleep.


    The tent, while meant for two people, was designed for normal-sized people, and Luna was quite tall, so she required more space than normal.


    So, the two of them were uncomfortably close to each other¡­ or was it comfortably close?


    ''No, considering that I can''t do anything with her, being this close to her would only make it so that I''m excited but can''t go to sleep,'' Zaroth thought in frustration. It seemed it was going to be hard to get some sleep.


    "Can''t sleep?" Luna''s voice echoed in the dark tent. Surprisingly, though, it seemed her voice wasn''t filled with amusement. S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Yeah, can you guess the reason?" he asked in frustration.


    "You could have desummoned me so you don''t have problems sleeping¡­ and yet you did not."


    "Well, I have to take the feeling of my beasts into account, don''t I?"


    "When have you cared about the feelings of others?" Luna countered.


    "I do¡­ but only for people that are important to me."


    ''And considering the only reason I am alive is you, you are the most important, though this isn''t something I will admit out loud,'' Zaroth thought.


    Luna smiled faintly, though in the darkness, it wasn''t visible.


    She rotated her body as she put her hands on Zaroth and embraced him.


    His face was pretty much buried in her breasts.


    "If you think this is going to calm me down, it will have the opposite effect,"


    "Shh¡­ rest now," she whispered quietly in his ear.


    A few minutes later, Zaroth was deep asleep.


    *****


    After morning came, Zaroth came out of the tent, energized as he hadn''t slept so well in a long time.


    Silverfang was lying on the ground nearby the tent, with a few leftovers of some kind of creature he had hunted during the night. It seemed that the wolf had not lost his knack for hunting.


    Zaroth and Luna quickly packed the tent and continued their pursuit of the pack of wolves.


    Before, the tracks were barely visible, but as they walked forward, they became clearer and clearer.


    They were slowly getting closer.


    Zaroth glanced at Silverfang as a thought came to his mind.


    "Hey, how does it feel knowing that you''re soon going to meet beasts of your kind?"


    Silverfang looked him in the eyes and tilted his head a little in confusion.


    "Maybe it doesn''t matter to you either way, as you are dead," Zaroth muttered under his breath.


    ''I think it will be a good idea to test what would happen if I sent Silverfang into their pack. Would they welcome him or would they feel hostile to him as he isn''t exactly alive?''


    ''This experiment could be very useful as it will give me some information on how the other beasts would react to the ones I have tamed in the future.''


    Suddenly, Silverfang stopped as he got into a battle position, while Luna put her hand on Zaroth''s shoulder.


    He shifted his gaze to her as he asked,


    "What?"


    "We have arrived,"


    Zaroth tried to hide his excitement as he made his footsteps quieter and advanced forward.


    Going past a few bushes, his gaze fell down as he saw an entrance to a cave going into a small hill.


    Around the entrance, there were bones of all kinds of slain creatures, and next to them, there were several wolves lying on the ground. Some were sleeping, and some were gazing around, searching for any threats in the area.


    Zaroth smiled darkly.


    He had found the pack.

 Chapter 77: Wolfss Hunt

    "It''s good that we found them so soon," Zaroth muttered under his breath as he closely observed the wolves.


    ''Okay, let''s see what will happen,'' he thought, glancing at Silverfang.


    "Alright, go!" Zaroth commanded.


    His wolf tilted its head to the side and grunted as it approached the pack.


    "Let''s see what their reaction will be," Zaroth murmured, holding his breath as he watched.


    The pack of wolves rested peacefully until they sensed movement in the bushes. The wolves that were still awake shifted their heads toward the noise, baring their fangs and preparing for a fight¡ªonly to be confused a second later when Silverfang emerged from the bushes.


    The wolves tilted their heads in confusion, unsure of how to approach the situation.


    ''Come on! Even if he''s twice your size, he''s still a wolf! Won''t you accept him into your pack or something?!'' Zaroth thought impatiently as he watched the scene from a safe distance.


    If they accepted Silverfang, it would unlock countless opportunities for Zaroth to exploit. It would mean his beasts could infiltrate other beast packs whenever necessary. While Zaroth couldn''t think of an immediate use for this ability, he knew it would undoubtedly prove to be an invaluable skill in the future.


    But his hopes were quickly shattered when the wolves noticed the large injuries Silverfang bore¡ªwounds that should have been fatal. Yet Silverfang stood as though nothing was wrong. The wolves felt an uncanny energy from him, something that triggered their instincts, telling them that Silverfang was a danger and that they had to attack.


    Then the pack began barking and charged at him.


    "A pity," Zaroth muttered in frustration as he immediately desummoned Silverfang and summoned him back next to him.


    The pack of wolves, now even more on edge, scanned the area, but there was little they could do with Silverfang suddenly gone from their sight. Zaroth had done what he needed to, now, all that was left was to wait for nightfall and start tracking them.


    Not wanting to waste the opportunity, he sat on the ground, one leg over the other, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes.


    ''The mana core is a fascinating thing,'' he thought.


    There were multiple ways to strengthen it. One method was to use it more often, which increased your mana regeneration, its capacity and output. But there was also something strange¡ªthose sparks that occasionally appeared, which made your spells stronger.


    ''Are there more ways to strengthen it?'' he wondered.


    The world was vast, and there was no doubt that hundreds, maybe even thousands, of techniques existed to grow stronger. But Zaroth was no fool¡ªhe knew he couldn''t learn them all.


    Then a curious thought came to his mind. What if he only mastered the fundamentals of each technique? Couldn''t he combine them in ways no one had seen before?


    After all, he''d already combined his firebreath spell with his spear techniques to create a fire tornado. In the future, once he learned more spells and techniques, who knew what he''d be able to create?


    He felt Luna tapping him on the shoulder and opened his eyes.


    Shifting his gaze to her, he didn''t need words to understand what she meant.


    The pack had begun their hunt. S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    *****


    Zaroth had trained his stamina for a some time now, allowing him to run fast without gassing out¡ªor at least, that''s what he thought until he tried to keep up with the running wolves. It took everything he had not to lose them. Carrying a backpack on his back certainly didn''t help.


    To add insult to injury, Zaroth glanced to his right. Silverfang ran beside him with a casual ease, looking as though he wasn''t even breaking a sweat. On his left was Luna, running with a terrifying amount of quiet grace.


    If Zaroth hadn''t been looking at her, he wouldn''t have known anyone was there. That was how silent she was, even while running at such speed.


    Zaroth didn''t realize it at first, but a grin had spread across his face. The potential to grow so much more¡ªit was exhilarating. How could he not get excited at the mere thought of it?


    Roars echoed from up ahead.


    "Did they find their prey?" he muttered, halting his steps.


    Crouching low to hide his presence as much as possible, he crept closer.


    His eyes widened slightly. There, on the ground, was a deer, its throat slit open and bleeding profusely. It seemed the wolves had caught their dinner for the day.


    Without saying a word, the pack of wolves descended on the corpse, tearing it apart.


    One thing Zaroth noticed was how they took turns feeding. First, the largest wolf approached and tore off a sizable chunk, clearly the best piece¡ªa perfect balance of muscle and fat.


    Afterward, the rest of the wolves followed, each taking their share in an order that seemed to be based on their size and standing within the pack.


    "It seems that no matter where you go, there''s always some kind of hierarchy involved," Zaroth mused, watching silently.


    The deer didn''t give off any energy that suggested it couldn''t be resurrected, but even if it had, Zaroth wouldn''t have bothered. The reason was simple, a deer was a passive creature by nature, and he needed something that hunted to survive, not something that grazed on greenery.


    ''Now the question is, will they be satisfied with just this, or will they search for more?''


    Zaroth hoped for the latter. The more hunts he witnessed, the better chance he had of finding a suitable beast to tame. But alas, it seemed the wolves were satisfied.


    Only a few bones with scraps of meat clinging to them were left, and a couple of wolves grabbed them in their mouths¡ªlikely planning to carry them back to their cave for later.


    Zaroth sighed in disappointment. There wasn''t much he could do now except quietly follow the wolves.


    At least this time, they weren''t running.


    *****


    "This feels almost anticlimactic," Zaroth muttered in frustration. Now, he would have to waste more time waiting for the next night, hoping the wolves would hunt again, and that this time, they''d catch something worth taming.


    The pack was nearly back to their cave, and Zaroth was beginning to doubt his plan. Was there really no better way to find what he was looking for?


    But his thoughts were abruptly interrupted as his gaze fell upon the wolves'' cave.


    "Oh? This is unexpected," he mused, eyes narrowing.


    Looming in front of the cave was a massive bear. It seemed to have claimed the cave for itself.


    "This bear¡­ it looks strong," Zaroth concluded, observing the beast. It looked familiar¡ªthen a memory struck him. When he''d first found Silverfang''s body, it had been lying beside the corpse of a dead bear. This was the same kind of bear.


    He shifted his gaze to the wolves. The pack had already bared their fangs, readying themselves for a fight.


    Zaroth immediately came to one conclusion,


    No matter who won this upcoming battle, there would undoubtedly be a creature for him to resurrect and tame.


    He licked his dry lips, his eyes shined as he muttered,


    "This just got a lot more interesting."

 Chapter 78: Silverfang’s Wish

    The pack didn''t waste any time as they jumped onto the bear with no hesitation.


    Zaroth couldn''t be sure, but the bear looked like it was Rare tier, while the wolves were Lesser at most.


    This fight was already decided. Why did the wolves charge at the bear without hesitation? he wondered.


    Maybe the territory was just that important to them? But to Zaroth, it was something he didn''t understand. To him, his life was the most important thing¡ªeverything else came second.


    What maniac in their right mind would throw away their life like that?


    Maybe this was why they were beasts, and he was human.


    Nevertheless, the wolves all attacked in surprisingly good unison. Even the bear, being of a much higher power, was taken aback for a moment by their coordinated assault.


    "It looks like hunting in a pack for so long hasn''t been a waste after all," Zaroth had to admit as he watched their coordinated attack.


    But even though the wolves were able to inflict some wounds to the bear''s head, it was clear they would still lose.


    Suddenly, Zaroth shuddered as he shifted his gaze to Silverfang.


    His wolf was trembling, jaws wide open, showcasing his massive fangs as a large amount of saliva fell to the ground.


    His eyes, once grey, had turned bloody as he stared intently at the scene in front of him.


    "Hey, buddy, you alright?" Zaroth couldn''t help but ask. He had never seen his beast appear so angry¡ªit was almost like he didn''t have control over him anymore.


    Silverfang didn''t seem to acknowledge him, but something did. Zaroth was surprised as he heard a voice echo in his mind¡ªa very rare occurrence.


    [Revenge]


    "Revenge?" Zaroth raised an eyebrow. Why had the system told him that word?


    A menacing roar interrupted his thoughts. Gazing at the bear, he saw that even though the creature was heavily injured, it had won against the pack of wolves.


    The wolves lay dead on the ground as pools of blood began to form beneath them.


    It was a sorry sight, but Zaroth smiled darkly as he noticed that some of the wolves gave off that weird energy¡ªit was possible to revive them.


    But his thoughts were consumed with something else. He shifted his gaze back to Silverfang.


    His wolf looked like he was about to jump into battle, no questions asked.


    ''Why does he act like that? I don''t think it''s because he cares for the wolves. At least he didn''t display any emotion like that. Unless¡­''


    Zaroth''s eyes widened in realization. ''When I found his body and resurrected him, the system spoke one word, revenge.''


    He shifted his gaze to the wounded bear that looked almost identical to the one that had killed Silverfang''s pack in the past.


    ''Is¡­ is this my beast''s desire? For him to kill the bear? For him to get revenge?'' Zaroth asked himself. He knew that when you tamed a beast, there was a feeling to succumb to their desires, but he didn''t know exactly what it meant.


    He didn''t want to admit it, but there was something bottling up inside of him¡ªalmost like a pressure that he wanted to release, no matter what.


    Zaroth took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. ''Is it wise to grant his wish? Wouldn''t that mean Silverfang could gain control over me or something?''


    Zaroth took a few moments to weigh his options.


    In the end, he came to a conclusion. He brought his mouth close to Silverfang''s ear and whispered,


    "Tear it apart."


    It was curiosity, he realized. He wanted to see what would happen once his beast''s wish was granted.


    Silverfang let out a terrifying roar¡ªone that rivaled¡­ no, one that defeated the bear''s roar in comparison.


    Bringing his back feet down so hard they shattered the ground, Silverfang exploded toward the bear at a terrifying speed.


    The bear, not expecting the sudden attack, only managed to rotate its head toward the source of the noise before Silverfang reached it.


    Clamping down his jaws, Silverfang bit into the bear''s nose.


    The bear, quickly regaining its footing, moved its paw and slashed at Silverfang, creating a large wound on his abdomen.


    Silverfang was thrown to the side, unmoving. After all, this type of attack¡ªno matter what¡ªshould have been fatal.


    The bear was about to shift its gaze when its eyes widened in horror.


    Silverfang, bleeding heavily and bearing a fatal wound, got back on his feet like nothing had happened.


    The bear didn''t know¡­ that Silverfang was already dead, and that as long as Zaroth''s mana wasn''t depleted, he would remain standing.


    "Luna, I am desummoning you to conserve mana," Zaroth said.


    She nodded slightly, not having an issue with her master''s decision. The next moment, she disappeared, returning to Zaroth''s soul.


    Gazing at the fight, Zaroth couldn''t help but smile. He didn''t know why, but it seemed that the more Silverfang hurt the bear, the more pleasure he felt¡ªpleasure he had never experienced before.


    His mana was depleting faster now, as Silverfang had sustained injuries, requiring more mana to keep functioning. S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Yet Zaroth smiled darkly. As long as his mana didn''t run out, his beasts¡ªbeing undead¡ªwere practically invincible.


    In other words, the bear''s fate was already sealed.


    Roaring in fear and confusion, unable to grasp why the enemy that should have died long ago was still able to move, the bear swiped its paw forward.


    Silverfang managed to dodge the attack and inflicted a wound of his own.


    Just from looking at the fight, it was clear the bear was superior to Silverfang in every way.


    And yet, that didn''t matter.


    No matter how many times the bear inflicted fatal wounds, Silverfang would just stand back up like nothing had happened and charge at the bear again.


    From one shallow wound to ten,


    From ten to a hundred,


    From a hundred to a thousand¡­


    The bear bled. Its body became slower, unable to move the way it wanted to.


    The bear crushed, tore, and slashed Silverfang, inflicting many other terrible attacks on the wolf.


    But before the wolf¡ªbefore Zaroth¡ªdeath was meaningless.


    Letting out a weak roar, the bear trembled and then collapsed on the ground, unable to move.


    Silverfang, not hesitating for a second, immediately jumped at the creature''s throat, tearing it apart to confirm his kill.


    Emerging from the bushes, Zaroth let out a sigh of relief. Even if it looked like he hadn''t done much, in fact, he had¡ªhis mana core was almost empty. It seemed that allowing his beast to move after taking heavy injuries was pretty costly.


    "No matter," he spoke with a smile as he walked toward Silverfang, observing the surroundings.


    There were five wolves giving off the energy hinting that they could be resurrected.


    "Still, that was one wild wish, Silverfang," he said proudly as he patted the beast.


    ''I just wonder what will happen now that your wish has been granted?''


    His answer came soon as he heard a voice echo in his mind. Licking his dry lips, he smiled darkly.


    He didn''t have many expectations¡­ but this was beyond his wildest dreams.


    [Silverfang''s wish has been granted.]


    [Silverfang''s purpose has been fulfilled.]


    [Silverfang is ready to evolve.]

 Chapter 79: Evolution

    "You can evolve?!" Zaroth shouted in astonishment as he looked at Silverfang.


    It seemed that his wolf had decided he had torn off enough of the bear''s throat, as he looked at his master with a bloodied face and tilted his head in confusion.


    "I guess it makes sense that you have no idea what I''m talking about," Zaroth muttered as he patted Silverfang on the head.


    "Nevertheless, good job!" Zaroth praised with a smile.


    His wolf wagged his tail in excitement as he let out a few happy barks.


    "But to be honest, that was one weird wish¡­ Really? All you wanted was to kill the bear?"


    Zaroth was having a hard time believing that Silverfang had such a simple wish.


    Seeing the confusion on his master''s face, Silverfang pointed with his paw to the cave.


    "What is something there?" Zaroth asked as he squinted his eyes, trying to see what his wolf was pointing towards.


    A moment later, his eyes widened in realization.


    A smaller wolf than the others appeared¡ªmost likely female¡ªand behind her were a few pups.


    Zaroth shifted his head to the dead wolves and suddenly understood why they charged at the bear with no regard for their lives.


    "They were trying to protect the pups¡­" he muttered under his breath.


    Now it also made sense why they were carrying part of their prey back, it was so the mother of the pups would be able to eat.


    The female wolf looked at her dead pack, then at Silverfang and Zaroth.


    She seemed hesitant to move forward, but her pups didn''t seem scared in the slightest as they all dashed toward Silverfang.


    "So your wish wasn''t to kill a creature similar to the one that killed your pack, but to prevent the extermination of another?" Zaroth muttered as he glanced at the pups that had begun to play with Silverfang.


    Zaroth had begun to feel respect for his wolf. "That is some honorable wish¡­" he admitted.


    "But how the hell do I activate your evolution?" he asked in confusion. It wasn''t like the system would return to explain the details, it seemed to appear only when it felt like it and disappear a moment later.


    ''I think you have to desummon him,'' Luna''s voice echoed in his mind.


    "Huh¡­ that actually makes a lot of sense," Zaroth admitted as he desummoned Silverfang and let him rest in his soul.


    Immediately after, he heard the system again,


    [Silverfang evolution in progress]


    "Well, that seems to take care of the issue," he spoke as he glanced at the dead wolves on the ground.


    "Let''s see how many of you would be willing to serve me," he took a step forward and placed his hand on the closest wolf to him.


    [Wolf judges your soul.]


    [You have killed my killer, you have saved my kind.]


    [Wolf responds to your call.]


    [Wolf forms a pact with you.]


    [You have formed a contract with Wolf.]


    Zaroth''s eyes shined a darker shade of green as the wolf''s body shuddered before it slowly stood up. The wolf hadn''t been dead for a long time, so with the exception of the wounds on its body, it didn''t look like it was undead.


    "Success!" Zaroth exclaimed as he patted the wolf on the head.


    Even though the creature was almost two times smaller than Silverfang, it was still a wolf, and it was sure going to come in handy later.


    "It seems that saving their kind as well as killing their killer gives me more chance to resurrect them," he came to the conclusion as he licked his dry lips and smiled darkly.


    "I wonder how many of them would decide to serve me?"


    *****


    "Five out of five," he muttered in disbelief. Out of the five wolves that he could tame, he managed to bring them all back from the dead.


    "This expedition has been a complete success¡­" Zaroth muttered under his breath.


    Suddenly remembering about the female wolf, he shifted his gaze toward her.


    She was looking at her risen pack with confusion and worry in her eyes, while the pups began to play with the resurrected wolves without a worry in the world. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It seemed they still lacked the ability to tell what was dangerous for their lives and what wasn''t.


    "You look like a strong wolf, so I''m sure you''ll be able to raise them on your own without a problem. Plus¡­"


    Zaroth glanced at the body of the bear.


    "That big boy will keep you fed for a long time."


    He concluded that he didn''t have much to do, so he began to head back to the capital, but the wolves he had tamed didn''t follow. They just stared at him.


    "What is it? Are you the rebellious type?" he asked.


    In response, one wolf, the one that the pups had gathered around, grunted.


    ''Was it their father?'' Zaroth wondered.


    "You want to stay?" he asked.


    In reply, the wolf barked, as if affirming his guess.


    Zaroth massaged his eyebrows, deep in thought.


    ''Should I leave him? Sure, keeping him summoned would put pressure on my mana core, even if it''s minimal¡­''


    ''But then again, wasn''t this the reason I needed another beast in the first place? After all, the more pressure on my core, the stronger it will become¡­ Plus, I''m wondering what will happen if I keep my beast summoned for a long time.''


    Having made his decision, Zaroth looked at the wolf with a grin.


    "Alright, you can stay."


    It seemed his decision had boosted the morale of the pack, as they all wagged their tails happily.


    Zaroth''s gaze shifted between the female wolf and what he presumed to be her partner.


    ''I wonder how she''s feeling? She just saw her entire pack be murdered, only to be resurrected a few moments later,'' he thought.


    When she looked at her partner, did she see him as she did before, or was he something entirely different now? Would she accept him for who he was, or would she keep her distance, feeling like he wasn''t technically alive anymore?


    So many questions. Zaroth could decide to stay and observe from a distance to see how things would proceed, but honestly, he was kind of over the whole forest thing, and he really wanted to take a shower. So, he didn''t pay much thought to the wolves.


    He stretched out his hands behind his back and let out a satisfied sigh.


    "Well, I hope you get along," Zaroth spoke as he began heading back to the capital.


    He desummoned all the wolves except the father of the pups and summoned Luna as he began walking.


    Luna raised an eyebrow. "You seem happy," she remarked.


    "How could I not be?!" Zaroth exclaimed, raising his arms wide as a grin spread across his face, his gaze fixed on the sky. "I''ve just gained five wolves, and Silverfang is evolving in my soul as we speak!"


    "I have become so much stronger, and yet I know it''s just the beginning! Killing the gods is slowly becoming a possibility!"


    Zaroth''s pupils narrowed further, resembling those of a predator.


    In that moment, he realized something profound.


    There was no more addictive feeling than gaining strength.

 Chapter 80: Test

    Zaroth let out a long sigh of relief as he finally exited the forest and approached the gates of the capital.


    Luna was close to his side, but since he wasn''t in a hurry anymore, he didn''t bother to desummon her.


    His attention was quickly redirected as his bracelet shined.


    He raised an eyebrow¡ªit seemed that Roran, Zack, and Lily had sent him messages asking where he was.


    Why didn''t he receive those messages earlier? Was it because he was too far away from the capital?


    Maybe there was more to these shining things than met the eye.


    But that was something for his future self to worry about, so he quickly discarded the thought.


    He quickly replied that he was alright and that they would see him tomorrow.


    Of course, he didn''t forget to write to Elysia, letting her know that his taming journey had come to an end for now.


    It was already night, so having done everything he needed to, he headed for his apartment.


    "This is going to be the best shower of my life!" This thought drove him forward.


    *****


    "Where the hell were you?" Lily asked as soon as Zaroth sat down in his seat.


    "Forest, slowly getting stronger," he replied.


    "And the result?" Roran asked, raising an eyebrow.


    Zaroth simply nodded with a grin¡ªit was pretty clear that his journey had been a success.


    "Never mind that," Zack spoke as he put his hand on Zaroth''s shoulder.


    "What are we going to do? We both failed our test!"


    "Ah," Zaroth opened his mouth a little in surprise.


    ''This is why I had a feeling I was forgetting something!'' he thought as he massaged his forehead.


    "The second test will be held in what, one, two days? We don''t have much time to study the material. But if there was somebody that had gotten a good passing grade on the test, and that somebody was generous enough to teach us the material¡­" Zaroth spoke as he glanced at Lily and Roran.


    She raised an eyebrow. "So, what, I''m a teacher now?"


    "I would really appreciate it," Zack interjected with a grin.


    Roran shifted his gaze to Zaroth as he spoke. "The drinks after the test is over are on you."


    Zaroth breathed out a sigh of relief as it seemed that he had gotten somebody to teach him the basics.


    ''There''s no way Roran is worse at teaching this stuff than the professor, so I should be fine,'' he thought as he shifted his gaze to the said professor who had entered the lecture room.


    He leaned back in his chair, trying to hide his inward thoughts.


    ''These lectures are akin to torture,''


    *****


    "Why the hell didn''t the professor teach the material like that?!" Zaroth exclaimed in frustration.


    He, Zack, Lily, and Roran were sitting at the table in his assigned apartment, reviewing their notes¡­ okay, they were reviewing Lily''s and Roran''s notes, as Zaroth''s and Zack''s handwriting was so bad it was borderline unreadable.


    This was the first time he had invited his friends to his home, so it was fair to call it a little weird.


    But at the same time, he didn''t hate it¡ªit felt kind of nice.


    The only downside was that Luna was in a bad mood, as Zaroth didn''t want her to speak to his friends face-to-face just yet, so he had kept her in his soul.


    Curiously enough, Silverfang appeared to still be evolving, as Zaroth wasn''t able to summon the wolf no matter how much he tried.


    Though he tried not to worry, he was sure that once the evolution was complete, his wolf would be much more formidable than before.


    "No idea, maybe they''re not getting paid enough?" Lily theorized.


    "They''re teaching in the most prestigious academy! There''s no way they aren''t getting paid a shit ton," Roran countered.


    "No, but really!" Zack agreed with Zaroth. "This is ridiculous! I mean, more than ninety percent of the material we''ve been studying during the lectures isn''t even on the test!"


    "I guess we have to be grateful that Roran and Lily agreed to teach us, huh?" Zaroth spoke with a grin.


    "Flattering won''t get you anywhere. Just don''t forget that after the test is over, the drinks are on you," Roran immediately spoke as he shifted his gaze to Zack.


    "That includes you as well."


    "Hey, when did¡ª"


    "God, shut up!" Lily''s voice cut through the conversation.


    "This is why you have such bad grades! You can''t focus for shit! Not only that, but you''re dragging Roran down as well! Just memorize the goddamn material!" S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Everybody wanted to retort, but as they all knew she was technically right, they could only returned their gazes to the material.


    *****


    "As you all know, once you fail an test, you have the opportunity to take it again. As such, I will require your utmost concentration," the professor spoke in front of the students.


    Zaroth observed the room with a smile on his face.


    He didn''t know how, but it turned out that about half the class had failed the test last time. It was weird to admit, but it felt nice to not be the only one.


    Why didn''t Elysia do something about the issue? The professor was clearly an incompetent fool¡­


    Suddenly, his eyes narrowed as he realized something.


    Or maybe she was letting him teach, and once a large portion of the students failed, she would have evidence that the man couldn''t teach for shit. Using that information, she could press the Emperor to get rid of his lackey.


    It wasn''t a far-fetched theory. Zaroth suspected that Elysia had used that strategy in the past¡ªespecially when it came to Roderic and Sylvia. From what he had observed, the two acted with the utmost respect towards Elysia¡­ not that everybody didn''t.


    In fact, he was probably the only one bold¡ªand stupid¡ªenough to invite her on a date.


    ''And even then she blew me off! What the hell do you mean, ''too young for your taste''?! I''ve seen more things than mo¡ª''


    His thoughts came to a halt as the professor slammed the test onto Zaroth''s desk.


    He blinked a couple of times, startled, and shifted his gaze to the professor.


    Usually, you were supposed to say a quiet ''thank you'' as you were handed the test, but Zaroth didn''t bother as he gazed at the paper and began to think about how to solve the questions.


    The professor grunted, most likely annoyed by the lack of acknowledgement from his student, but didn''t say anything as he continued to hand out the tests.


    Zaroth''s eyes widened as he scanned the test, moving from the first question to the second, then quickly skimming through the rest.


    "This wasn''t something I suspected¡­" he muttered in disbelief.


    These questions that had given him so much trouble¡­


    Suddenly, they were so easy!


    ''Roran and Lily have to be some kind of miracle workers!'' Zaroth thought. ''Or maybe the professor was so bad at teaching that the moment somebody with a shred of competence taught me the material, I understood it like it was the most natural thing in the world!''


    Grabbing his pen, Zaroth began to answer the questions one by one with a single thought,


    ''I''m going to ace this test!''

 Chapter 81: Questions and Choices

    Zaroth stretched his body happily as he exited the room.


    Glancing around, he saw that a lot of the students had worried expressions on their faces.


    ''Thankfully, I don''t need to worry about the result now,'' Zaroth thought as he sat on a chair, waiting for Zack to show himself.


    After a few minutes, he saw Zack exit the room with a smile.


    "Well?" Zaroth asked, already able to guess what Zack was going to say.


    "Roran and Lily are the best!" Zack praised as his white eyes seemed to light up even more.


    "Agreed. We really got lucky with this one," Zaroth commented as he began walking.


    "Well, I take it there''s no point in waiting for the results, right?"


    Zack, sensing what Zaroth was hinting at, couldn''t help but chuckle.


    "I''m messaging Roran and Lily¡ªwe are getting hammered tonight!"


    *****


    Elysia sighed as she took a sip of her coffee and shifted her gaze to the students'' tests.


    She had made the decision to review the answers herself, as it was bizarre that Class-A had so many people fail the test the first time around.


    "It''s almost like someone deliberately wants to stunt the students'' growth¡­" Elysia muttered as she picked up the first test.


    "Let''s see now."


    The questions weren''t really that hard¡ªwell, that was only true if someone from the academy looked at them. Truthfully, most people wouldn''t be able to answer these questions unless they had studied the material beforehand or listened to the professor during the lectures.


    Though, she doubted that so many students simply refused to listen to the professor.


    The more likely situation was that the professor was simply not suited to teach here.


    Even if that sounded harsh to anyone else, Elysia secretly hoped that a lot of the students would fail again.


    Usually, failing the same test twice would result in expulsion, but if more than 30% of the class failed, then it wouldn''t be a stretch to say the professor was at fault.


    Elysia couldn''t help but smile darkly.


    "Ah¡­ you shouldn''t have made it so obvious that you were trying to stunt the students'' growth, Draconis. Now there will be no way for you to stop me."


    Her plan was simple yet effective, she would prove that the man Draconis had sent was incompetent, and then she would put another teacher in the class. This one, though, would be under her control and not the Emperor''s.


    After this, Elysia would announce that no one would be expelled, as evidence would be found that the students'' teacher hadn''t been suited for the role. The students would be excused from taking the first test entirely, while those who had managed to pass despite the poor teaching would be rewarded accordingly.


    Elysia quickly checked the test sheets of the students. There were around forty tests, each with thirty questions. Yet, she didn''t even spend a minute grading each one¡ªthis was how fast she worked.


    Her movements were swift and appeared like a blur to anyone watching from the side.


    Suddenly, as her gaze fell upon a particular test, she stopped and scanned its contents carefully.


    "Zaroth¡­" she muttered under her breath.


    Would he be able to pass the test this time, or would he fail again?


    Elysia, even though she didn''t want to admit it, had a certain image of Zaroth. He was someone who didn''t hesitate to act and had a strong will, which was to be expected of someone who could command a dragon¡ªa mythical creature¡ªwithout going completely insane.


    "Or has he always been insane?" she chuckled slightly at the thought as she scanned the answers he had written.


    "This is a bit surprising," she admitted as she checked the answers one by one.


    All of the closed-ended questions, where students had to choose between four answers, were correct. But what fascinated her the most were the open-ended questions¡ªthe ones where students had to write their thoughts on certain matters.


    On some of these, there wasn''t a perfectly correct answer, as it was left to the teacher correcting the test to interpret. For instance,


    -----


    Question 21:


    You find yourself in a burning building. If you sacrifice your life, you will be able to save only one person, your father or your mother. Who would you choose and why?


    Answer:


    Myself, as both of them are already dead. But even if they weren''t, I would still choose to run to safety, as I know there would be no greater pain for them than knowing their son had sacrificed his life just to save theirs. Anyone who tries to act high and mighty is a fool who doesn''t understand how parents think.


    -----


    Or this one,


    -----


    Question 25:


    What would you rather choose, to live for the honor of your god or for your motherland?


    Answer:


    I would live for my own sake and for those that matter to me. I don''t care for strangers, no matter if their status is that of peasants or gods themselves.


    -----


    Elysia couldn''t help but smile a little. These questions were put in place to test the critical thinking skills of the students, and Zaroth had displayed intellect of the highest variety.


    Why was that? someone might ask. The answer was simple, most people, when faced with such questions, would start thinking about the ''best'' choice. Rarely, like Zaroth, would someone answer in a way that wasn''t listed as a possibility.


    And for some reason, the maniac had drawn a smiley face at the corner of the test with the text below it,


    ''I pass, right?''


    "Yes, yes you do," Elysia muttered as she continued correcting the test.


    She took a very careful look at another test¡ªone that belonged to Zack. It seemed he and Zaroth thought in a similar manner, as he also passed.


    By the end, thirty out of the forty students had failed the exam.


    "This is more than enough," Elysia spoke with a dark smile as she got up.


    It was time to speak with the Emperor.


    *****


    With each step she took, the path echoed, and the air around her seemed to tremble under her presence.


    Despite being beautiful beyond belief, no pedestrians dared to lay their gazes on her. They weren''t that foolish¡ªthey didn''t need to look at her to feel her terrifying strength.


    There was a reason why Elysia was often regarded as the incarnation of death.


    Arriving at the gates of the large castle, the guards tensed as they opened them.


    There was no need for words or identification¡ªthey knew who she was and knew that if she wanted to, she could enter without anyone having the strength to stand against her.


    Elysia didn''t slow her steps as she quickly traversed the castle and stopped before a large door made of the highest-quality wood available. S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    She knocked loudly on the door. Though the way she did it wasn''t as if asking permission to enter¡ªit was just an announcement of her arrival.


    Without waiting for a response, she opened the door. Her gaze fell on a man with golden hair and eyes, sitting casually on his throne, reading a book.


    Draconis shifted his gaze from the book to the new arrival.


    "To what do I owe the pleasure?" Even though his words were polite, his tone clearly wasn''t.


    Meeting his gaze without flinching, Elysia threw the tests of the students who had failed onto the floor before him.


    She parted her lips and spoke, her voice cold and devoid of emotion.


    "It looks like we need to have a talk."

 Chapter 82: Legends in the Making

    "Talk?" Draconis raised an eyebrow, acting as if he didn''t know what she was talking about.


    "See the tests first," Elysia commanded. Few had the bravery to talk to the emperor with such disrespect, and even fewer would be able to survive the consequences.


    Elysia was such a person.


    Draconis shifted his gaze to the papers on the ground and grunted. Was this woman telling him to get out of his throne and pick them up?


    If it were any other person, he would have killed them on the spot¡­ sadly, Elysia wasn''t a person he could get rid of so easily.


    He flicked his fingers, and a moment later, a beautiful woman with golden hair and pupils identical to his own was standing by his side.


    "Yes, father?" she asked with an emotionless voice.


    "Pick up the papers, would you?" he spoke without shifting his gaze from Elysia''s black eyes.


    The woman bowed slightly as she crouched and picked the papers up, one by one, and handed them to her father. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Is that a way to treat your own daughter like a slave?'' Elysia thought as she grew more and more disgusted by the actions of the man in front of her.


    "If that is all, I will take my leave," she said, and in the next moment, she was nowhere to be found.


    Draconis scanned the tests one by one. He didn''t pay them much attention, spending no more than a few seconds on each.


    When he was done, he returned his gaze to Elysia, raising an eyebrow as he asked her, "So?"


    Elysia sighed and shook her head regretfully. "It seems that your trusted lackey was too incompetent to teach the students of my academy. Even after a second attempt, more than 30 percent of the students still failed the test," she tried to make her voice sound regretful, though Draconis knew Elysia was simply mocking him.


    "As such, as per our agreement, the professor will be stripped of all titles, making him unqualified to teach. He will be replaced by a person of my own choosing."


    Draconis let out a sigh as he threw the tests aside.


    ''That idiot. Didn''t I tell him to fail them gradually and not so much at once? It seems that I truly am surrounded by incompetent fools,'' he thought as he wondered how he should deal with the chairwoman.


    "Elysia, you have such a beautiful face. I just don''t get why you keep putting it in places it shouldn''t be," Draconis said.


    "Is that supposed to be a compliment or an insult?" she asked, her voice beginning to carry a hint of anger.


    "No, it is the truth. With your beauty, you could have any man you wished. You could just go somewhere far and forget about all this. And yet, you keep disturbing my plans. What''s the point, I ask?


    Surely, you must have noticed the way most people look at you¡ªwith fear in their eyes. Tell me, despite being this beautiful¡­ maybe even more so than my wives¡­ has anyone ever invited you to a date?


    No, you don''t have to answer. I know the answer. Your actions stir fear in the hearts of many. As a result, you are feared, not respected. Is that really a way to live one''s life?"


    Elysia seemed to grin a little as she warned, "As always, you seem to be ignorant of everything happening around you, Draconis. I have been invited to a date, and recently at that. But I am not here to talk about my personal life."


    Her eyes seemed to darken as she spoke her next words. "As per our agreement, your lackey will be fired. I just came here to inform you of the fact."


    She finished speaking, turned her back to the emperor, and began to exit the room. However, she stopped for a moment and added,


    "I certainly hope for your own good that you are treating Althea with respect. Otherwise, something unfortunate could befall you."


    She was referring to one of Draconis''s wives, Althea¡ªthe one suffering from the muscle rot curse. This was another reason why the emperor couldn''t get rid of Althea so easily, she had been friends with Elysia.


    Elysia closed the doors loudly behind her as she exited.


    Meanwhile, Draconis was left stunned, looking at the closed doors. It wasn''t because he had lost his inside man in the academy.


    It was because when Elysia said somebody had invited her on a date, she was telling the truth.


    But there was one problem. Very few people were strong enough to look Elysia in the eyes¡ªDraconis himself being one of them¡ªand yet someone had invited her to a date?


    For an individual to be this brave, how strong was he? Or maybe he was just insane enough to try something that stupid?


    Draconis gritted his teeth in frustration.


    "It seems Elysia has more strong allies than expected."


    *****


    Elysia was walking back to the academy, clearly in a good mood, now that she would be able to get rid of the professor. The influence of the emperor would weaken even more. The only question now was who was going to teach the class from now on?


    It would take some time for Elysia to find somebody that she could trust with that role.


    This usually wouldn''t be a problem, but the students were already behind on their lectures, and further delay could cause dire circumstances.


    "Only one thing comes to mind¡­" she muttered under her breath.


    Considering that now the professor was gone and the tournament was slowly progressing, she had found some free time¡­


    "I guess it is possible to fit it in my schedule," she mused, having made her decision.


    She wouldn''t jeopardize the students any longer, plus it was clear that there were a few bright minds in there like Zaroth and Zack, not to mention their two other friends that had managed to pass the test the first time, Lily and Roran.


    With the right approach, it was sure that they would be able to blossom into formidable individuals¡­ maybe even geniuses.


    "I wonder what they are doing right now¡­" she muttered as she glanced at the beautiful night sky.


    "Well, considering that there''s a tournament going on, they are probably training or recovering from their training."


    *****


    Meanwhile, in a certain bar, four legends were currently being created.


    "CHUG! CHUG! CHUG!"


    Zaroth was locked in a battle with a random man he had found, competing to see who would outdrink the other.


    In the fifth round, the man couldn''t take it any more and collapsed on the table, hitting his head as he did.


    Zaroth jumped on the table and ripped off his t-shirt, revealing his muscular body beneath as he screamed,


    "Is there really no one worthy?!"


    "I shall be your next opponent!"


    Hearing a voice, Zaroth shifted his head and smiled as he saw Roran, who had also won his drinking contest and was walking slowly toward him.


    Curiously enough, he had also ripped off his clothes above the waist.


    "This shall be the battle for the ages!" Zaroth proclaimed as he jumped from the table and approached Roran, with the intention of getting revenge for the last contest.


    Meanwhile, Zack was currently locked in a literal battle against three drunk men at the bar. But looking at the smile on his face as he beat them to a pulp, it was clear that he was enjoying himself, so they didn''t bother him.


    And Lily was beating in an arm-wrestling match, one man after the next. Seeing the incredible amount of strength the woman possessed, despite her slender body, there was now a crowd around her observing who would be her next victim.


    From that night on, the legend of the four spread around the bars in the capital.

 Chapter 83: Merit

    "Is there a problem?" Sofia''s voice carried a sense of care.


    Vera took a moment to respond, "I¡­ no, why would there be a problem?"


    Even if she tried to hide it, Sofia had known Vera for a very long time, so she always knew when her friend was being tormented by something.


    "If it is connected with your vision, you know you can al-"


    "I told you I am fine," Vera interrupted her with a hint of anger in her voice.


    ''I guess she doesn''t want to talk about it¡­'' Sofia thought as she wondered how she could change the subject.


    "How is the tournament going?" Vera''s question surprised Sofia a little.


    "Not bad. I have already reached the third round, just waiting for my next opponent."


    A second later, Sofia added, "I¡­ think it was the correct decision that you didn''t sign up for the tournament."


    Vera took a deep breath before speaking.


    "I just know I am not suited for combat one on one. If it was a team battle, I would have been able to, but when I am alone, I am almost useless."


    "Don''t speak about yourself like that!"


    "But you know it''s the truth¡­"


    Frustrated, Sofia shifted her gaze to the beautiful night sky. ''Why doesn''t she have more confidence?!'' she wondered. S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Sofia wanted to somehow boost the confidence of her friend, but a method didn''t come to her.


    Vera had been suffering from terrible visions, both because of her class and her god''s blessing. As a result, she was always in a bad mood, even most likely depressed.


    "Is getting the approval of your father so important to you that you will waste your time in this tournament?"


    Vera''s question caught Sofia off guard.


    Even if she was a princess, a daughter of the emperor, she had never in her life received even a hint of affection from her father. It was pretty clear that he hated her.


    "I have lived most of my life being neglected by him, so this will be the last time. I might be able to win the tournament or I might fall short in the last round. If even then my father doesn''t consider me his daughter, then I will not consider him my father either."


    As the silence grew again, Sofia was back to wondering how she could boost her friend''s ego even by a little bit.


    ''At least walking in the night is a relaxing experience,'' Sofia had to admit.


    If a person didn''t count the few drunkards that could be seen in the streets from time to time, it was completely quiet, completely peaceful.


    Suddenly, an idea popped up in her head, and she was about to speak until a voice in the distance stopped her.


    "I would have beaten you!" a frustrated man''s voice shouted. Taking into account how he talked, it was pretty clear he was drunk.


    "I would have!" a second later, another man''s voice echoed in the distance.


    "You both, shut the fuck up and help me carry Zack!" Now a woman''s voice was heard.


    "I can''t! I am just barely standing on my two feet! How the heck can I carry another person?!"


    "Lily, one of the reasons I love you so much is that you are strong, so I am sure you will be fine."


    "You rascal!"


    Sofia and Vera''s attention was piqued, so they halted their steps and waited to see who was creating all that noise.


    After a second, their eyes widened in surprise.


    "Aren''t these the four that beat the two Epic beasts?" Sofia asked, shifting her gaze to Vera.


    Vera trembled a little when she glanced at them. Taking a shallow breath, she responded.


    "Yes, they are."


    ''What the hell are they doing? They can''t possibly¡­ are they drunk?!'' Sofia thought as her pupils widened even more in disbelief.


    It was Wednesday, and they were in the middle of a tournament, yet the four of them had gotten so drunk that the girl had to carry one man while the other two, who were shirtless, were arguing over who had outdrunk the other.


    "Goddammit! If it wasn''t for Zack and his little fight, we wouldn''t have been kicked out! I was so close to beating you!" Zaroth complained.


    "Beating me? Do you even have an idea of who your opponent is? You should be grateful we were kicked out! Because Lily wasn''t going to carry only Zack, but you as well!" Roran fired back.


    "You drunkards! This is why I don''t go to bars anymore!" Lily spat in frustration.


    Curiously enough, despite her slender body, she didn''t look like she was struggling to carry Zack''s unconscious weight.


    ''Wait, if the four of them give so little care about everything going on¡­'' Sofia shifted her gaze to Vera as her lips curved into a smile.


    ''I think I know now how to boost her mood!''


    *****


    Complete and utter peace. Exactly where he was supposed to be. He didn''t have a need to move as he was experiencing euphoria of the highest level.


    In his life, he had never felt so comfortable. He wouldn''t move¡ªhe could spend his entire life lying here, for all he cared.


    But life wasn''t going to allow that to happen.


    Feeling a gentle finger tracing around his face, only to stop at his lips, he heard a whisper.


    "Good morning."


    It was Luna''s voice¡­ how could someone''s voice sound so alluring? The moment Zaroth heard those words, he felt his body getting hotter, so with no other choice, he opened his eyes.


    He was in his apartment, lying on the bed.


    He yawned as he sat up.


    "Huh, this time I think there isn''t a hang-"


    Before he could finish, he was assaulted by a violent hangover caused by the previous night.


    "Alright, alright! I get it, you''re still here!" he muttered in frustration as he went to take a shower.


    This time, he didn''t lie to himself, pretending he wouldn''t drink again.


    *****


    "How is everybody feeling?" Zaroth asked as he glanced around at his friends.


    Roran looked like he had just been reborn, but that wasn''t surprising. Considering how much he loved alcohol, he probably recovered quickly from the aftermath.


    Lily and Zack, on the other hand, had dark circles under their eyes, though in Zack''s case, it was because he had been hit while fighting a few people who had pissed him off in the bar.


    In any case, they looked considerably well, so, as usual, they began to chat while they waited for the professor.


    Zaroth noticed that a lot of the students in the lecture hall were nervous. Most likely, they were afraid they had failed the tests again and would get expelled.


    But that wasn''t anything that concerned him. He was sure he had passed this time with flying colors, thanks to Lily and Roran''s help.


    Curiously enough, he realized that most of the students who were nervous were sitting in the back, while those at the front seemed calm.


    ''It makes sense, I guess¡­'' he thought. He used to struggle with the material in the beginning, but not anymore, so he didn''t see a point in changing his seat.


    He could have sat in the front, but what was the point? It wasn''t like he was going to miss anything.


    Suddenly, he noticed that everybody had started to shudder, and the next second, footsteps echoed.


    A breathtakingly beautiful woman with dark hair and eyes appeared at the podium with papers in her hand, but no professor at her side.


    Zaroth couldn''t help but grin as he looked at the eye candy.


    "There may be merit in sitting in the front," he muttered.

 Chapter 84: Success

    Everybody shuddered in the presence of the chairwoman¡­ with the exception of Zaroth, who was not only looking her straight in the eyes without trembling but was even excited to do so.


    Usually, mutters would begin as to why Elysia herself had come to their class, but as everybody was too scared to make even the slightest sound, a heavy silence befell the lecture room.


    Elysia took a deep breath as she spoke. Her voice neither carried hostility nor familiarity¡ªit was simply emotionless.


    "This time I have personally reviewed the tests," she said. Everyone shivered a little and listened closely.


    "There are eighty students in this class, yet even after being given a second attempt, around thirty have failed to get a passing grade."


    Suddenly, the silence became a grim atmosphere because everybody was thinking the same thing.


    Had she come here herself to expel the thirty students?


    Nobody knew much about Elysia, but it was common knowledge that she was often called the incarnation of death. It was easy to guess that she wouldn''t blink twice before expelling almost half of Class A.


    "Due to the large number of failing students, an investigation began, and it was concluded that your professor has not met the academy''s standards. As such, he will be stripped of all titles related to teaching, and another teacher will be assigned to the class."


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow. ''That is surprising,'' he thought.


    "Because of the incompetence of your teacher up until now, you will be excused from taking the first test, and nobody will be expelled."


    One didn''t need to be an expert at reading human emotions like Elysia to see the relief spreading across the faces of the students, particularly those sitting in the back rows.


    "Of course, those who managed to pass despite the bad teacher will be rewarded¡­"


    Now everybody in the room was grinning. Most of the students had even forgotten to feel fear while looking at her.


    "And as for the matter of the teacher, it will take some time to find a suitable replacement. As such, I will take that role."


    Immediately, the happiness that everyone had been feeling disappeared and was replaced by despair.


    "The chairwoman would teach us herself?"


    A few students could no longer hold it in and began to mutter to one another.


    "Man, we are so screwed!"


    Elysia, hearing all of this, could have stopped the murmurs, but she decided not to intervene. Despite her reputation, she wasn''t some kind of tyrant who enjoyed absolute silence from others.


    Fear spread across the students, and even some who were sitting at the front quietly moved as quickly as they could, picking up their textbooks from their desks and rushing to find a place to sit at the back.


    No matter how much they loved to study, they wouldn''t be able to handle the pressure of sitting so close to her for long.


    Zaroth, meanwhile, was at a loss for words.


    ''She will teach us?'' he repeated in his head, making sure he had understood the information correctly.


    His gaze shifted across her body.


    Elysia figure was mesmerizing, with graceful curves that spoke of both strength and elegance.


    In his life, the only woman he knew who had a figure that surpassed the chairwoman''s was Luna.


    But Elysia had something that Luna lacked. Looking into her black eyes was like staring into an abyss¡ªlike looking death itself in the eyes. That sight aroused Zaroth to no end.


    ''An eye candy like her¡­ would teach us from now on?''


    Having made his decision, he took a deep breath.


    "Gentlemen," he spoke to his friends, which earned him a few raised eyebrows in confusion.


    Zaroth didn''t wait as he pushed his chair back, scraping the ground as he did.


    The loud crashing sound echoed around the room, silencing everything as everybody now had their gazes fixed on Zaroth.


    Meanwhile, with his textbook in hand, he walked slowly down the room with his head held high, not paying attention to the stares.


    Reaching the first row of seats¡ªthe one that was already empty because the students who had been sitting there had fled in fear¡ªhe placed his textbook on the desk and took his seat at the front, directly across from where Elysia was currently standing.


    As he was the furthest from everybody else, only Elysia, who was across from him, could see the large smile on his face.


    ''There is no way I will continue sitting in the back while such eye candy is standing at the front teaching,'' he thought.


    *****


    After the tests were given out to their owners and Zaroth had confirmed that he had indeed passed, he focused every single part of his being watching Elysia and her lecture.


    It was honestly night and day difference¡ªbefore, the professor could barely teach them anything, and when he did, his explanations were so bad that nobody got the concept.


    Meanwhile, Elysia and her lecture flowed like a river in perfect harmony, explaining every single detail as clearly and concisely as possible.


    Zaroth''s bracelet shined as messages in the chat flew on over the other.


    -----


    Lily: What''s the reason for you to suddenly go and sit in the front?


    Roran: I doubt that you suddenly realized that you need to take this stuff seriously.


    Zack: Oh god! Let me guess, you want to sleep with her! I''m certain!


    Lily: There''s no way he wants to do that, Zack!


    Roran: No, actually it makes sense. I mean, he''s already got a crush on one of the Queens, so I guess Zaroth has the habit of going for the impossible.


    Zack: He''s a man that dreams big! I think I just got inspiration!


    -----


    Curiously enough, it seemed that Zack was able to see quite fast the reason Zaroth had sat in the front¡ªthey were beginning to think alike.


    Though Zaroth didn''t bother reading the chat as he was too mesmerized... focused on the lecture.


    It turned out having a bombshell of a teacher certainly helped focus... who knew?


    *****


    The lecture was over, but that didn''t mean the day was over, everybody still had many more classes to attend.


    This whole fiasco with the professor only covered one of the four classes everyone attended.


    After the bell rang, everybody ran outside of the room as they couldn''t stand Elysia''s pressure anymore.


    Zaroth sent a quick message to his friends to go, and that he was going to join them shortly.


    He was now alone in the lecture room with Elysia.


    She raised an eyebrow as she spoke, "What is it that you wanted to talk about?"


    Elysia was acting as though they hadn''t met before, which was understandable. It wouldn''t do her any good for somebody to see that she had a connection with Zaroth.


    Or at least, that''s what he thought.


    "It''s about the reward for passing the test, ma''am," he spoke formally.


    Elysia''s eyes narrowed a bit as she answered, "If it''s just that, don''t worry. The reward¡ª"


    "I don''t want it," Zaroth cut her off, and she scoffed at his words.


    "Don''t want it? Why?"


    "There''s something else that I want more, actually."


    "So you want to exchange your reward for something else?"


    "Precisely."


    Elysia let out a sigh of disappointment. "Okay, tell me what you want, but keep in mind that we can''t give credit¡ª"


    "Date," he cut her off again. "I want a date tonight." S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Elysia furrowed her eyebrows, in surprise or was it frustration?


    "Listen, we talked about¡ª"


    She was about to cut him off, but when she looked into his green, cat-like eyes, it was clear he wasn''t going to give up anytime soon


    Elysia sighed as she spoke, "20:00. Meet me at the Dragonfire Dining Hall, don''t be late."


    Zaroth nodded as he turned his back towards her and grinned like an idiot.


    It seemed that he finally managed to get a date with Elysia.

 Chapter 85: Gentleman Overnight

    "Why are you grinning like an idiot?" Lily asked as her gaze fell on Zaroth.


    Before Zaroth could even respond, Zack''s eyes suddenly narrowed as realization hit him.


    "Wait a second, you were alone with the chairwoman, right? What did you do?"


    Zaroth''s grin widened even more as he spoke.


    "I got a date!"


    "Wha-" Lily opened her mouth to say something in disbelief, but no words came out.


    "Congrats!" Zack patted him on the back. "But how the hell did you accomplish that?"


    "Luck, I guess," he admitted.


    "When is the date taking place?" Roran asked.


    "Today at 20:00."


    Roran narrowed his eyes. "Then you don''t have a lot of time. Do you have a plan?"


    "No..." he admitted as he glanced at Roran and Lily. "You are a couple, so I hoped you two would be able to give me some tips."


    Roran furrowed his eyebrows. "Listen now¡ª"


    "Gladly!" Lily interrupted her boyfriend.


    "Hey, discuss this with me before you start making such decisions!" Roran complained.


    "He needs our help! There is no way we are leaving our friend hanging!"


    "This is not what I was saying..." Roran grunted with frustration as he looked at Zaroth.


    "From now on, you will listen to what I and Lily say, understood?"


    Zaroth nodded in affirmation. "I will be in your care."


    "Leave the suit to me!" Zack proclaimed proudly.


    It seemed that his friends were planning to turn him into a gentleman overnight.


    *****


    As they had more important matters to attend to, they skipped the rest of the lectures.


    Zaroth had now found himself in the assigned apartment of Roran and Lily as they taught him the dining etiquette.


    "Listen here," Roran spoke coldly as Zaroth listened intensely.


    "As Elysia is older than you, in her early-thirties, she would expect a certain level of maturity from her partner."


    He lifted his finger in the air.


    "As such, no matter what situation befalls you, you have to always act as if the predicament has been expected and is just a minor incident."


    He made his voice sound harsh to drive the point into Zaroth''s head.


    "For instance, let''s say you trip and fall. An immature person would get embarrassed and show worry on his face. This is what you don''t want to do. The correct action would be to get up, brush off the dirt if any got on your clothes, and carry on like nothing happened. If you want to lighten the mood, you could even make fun of yourself a little. This will show that you have a good sense of humor and don''t take things too seriously."


    Zaroth was sitting in a chair as he listened to Roran explaining.


    He suddenly felt a pinch behind him, so he turned his head back.


    There Lily was, pushing with her hand on his back.


    "Stretch out your back as much as you can!"


    "But¡ª"


    "No buts! Do it!" Lily interrupted him, and he obeyed as he straightened his back as much as possible.


    "No matter what you do, always keep your back as straight as an arrow. Do not slouch, no matter if you''re walking or sitting, understood?"


    "Yes!"


    "Now puff out your chest!" Roran joined in.


    In response, Zaroth took a deep breath and made his chest fill with air.


    "Good. Now this is how you will be from now on. Later on the date, this will give off the impression like you are bigger than you are and show confidence, which is also what a mature person would do!"


    As Roran finished speaking, he placed a bowl filled with water on the table.


    "Imagine this is soup. Now we will teach you how to eat elegantly!"


    Zaroth was already getting overwhelmed, but he couldn''t help but feel grateful to his friends as they helped him learn how to act.


    After all, most of his life he had spent outside the big cities in a small village, struggling to survive, so he lacked the basic sense for a lot of things.


    "Straighten the back!" Lily commanded as she pushed her hand against his back again.


    "Yes, ma''am!"


    *****


    Five hours later, the date was rapidly approaching.


    Zaroth was getting tired, so he drank coffee. It was true that it was late for coffee, but he didn''t care as he would need all the energy for the upcoming date.


    His bracelet shined as he received a message from Zack.


    "It seems that Zack has found the necessary things," Zaroth spoke as he glanced at Roran and Lily.


    "Alright then, it''s time we go. Remember the things you learned up until now!" Roran spoke, and Lily nodded in agreement.


    They headed outside. The first thing Zack had done was make a reservation for a barber for Zaroth.


    "So, what do you want?" the barber asked as he glanced at Zaroth.


    Before Zaroth could even open his mouth, Lily spoke,


    "Make him irresistibly attractive to a woman in her thirties!" she commanded.


    The barber''s eyes shined as he grinned. "Leave it to me!"


    He was going to make a masterpiece of Zaroth.


    *****


    Zaroth was looking at himself in the mirror and couldn''t help but muse, "Wow, I really look good."


    "Next, take a shower!" Lily spoke, and he obeyed as he took one in his apartment.


    After he was done and dried himself, he was left in his underwear.


    "And last step!" Zack spoke as he opened a suit case he had been carrying.


    Zaroth''s eyes widened as he saw the suit that Zack had bought. It seemed his friend really was loaded.


    "God," Zaroth muttered as he glanced at the mirror.


    It was like he had completely and utterly transformed.


    His back was straight as an arrow, his hair was neatly cut, and he wore a raven-black suit with a white shirt and a green tie that matched his eyes.


    He looked at the time. It was 19:20.


    He would have to go, as he knew it was a bad idea to arrive after his date.


    "I am off!" he spoke as he was about to head to the restaurant, but Lily stopped him.


    "Wait!"


    He raised an eyebrow. "Hm? What is it?"


    Without response, she got closer and put a beautiful crimson rose in the lapel of the suit.


    "Now you are ready, go, and don''t you dare make a fool of yourself!"


    Zaroth glanced at his friends, and before he realized it, his eyes had teared up a bit. ''When did I acquire such nice friends?'' he asked himself.


    He bowed deeply to hide the few tears that had begun to fall.


    "Thank you for the help!" he spoke firmly.


    "That is what friends do. Now go, and don''t you dare fumble the date!" Roran said.


    "There is no way I won''t help you when you''re going for the chairwoman herself, man!" Zack proclaimed as he smiled.


    "It''s not bad to think for something other than combat, I guess," Lily scoffed.


    Zaroth thanked them again as he exited the room.


    This was going to be a night that Elysia wouldn''t forget.


    He knew that there probably wouldn''t be a second chance, so he was going to make use of the opportunity, even if it killed him!


    With each step he took, he carried a faint echo. His hands trembled a little as he got nervous, and his heart began to race fast. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Relax, you have tamed a mythical dragon and killed the master of two Epic beasts. There is no need to worry about a little date, is there?'' Luna reassured.


    He smiled faintly as his hands calmed down.


    "Oh god, he is hot!"


    "Is he a model?"


    "I want to go and talk to him!"


    Waiting before the entrance of the restaurant, Zaroth was able to hear murmurs around him as people were staring at him¡ªmostly women with amazement in their eyes.


    But Zaroth didn''t pay them any attention... because these women couldn''t even hold a candle against the woman he was going after.


    He shifted his gaze to look at the time. It was 19:59.


    The second the clock hit 20:00, he felt a certain pair of eyes on him.


    He glanced in that direction, and his eyes widened in awe as he muttered,


    "Elysia..."

 Chapter 86: Skip a Beat

    "Elysia¡­" he muttered under his breath as he gulped audibly.


    She had come. The first thing Zaroth noticed was that she was wearing a black dress that clung tightly against her alluring body, accentuating her curves even more.


    She had light makeup on her face that made her even more memorable.


    She had put reddish lipstick on her lips. He wondered what they would taste like.


    At that moment, Zaroth knew one thing.


    He wanted her, with every fiber of his being.


    As Elysia looked at him from afar, he couldn''t be sure, but for a moment, it looked like her pupils widened in surprise.


    Was she impressed with the way he had clothed himself? Zaroth hoped that she was.


    Taking slow, heavy steps, she walked towards him and stopped when they were about an arm''s length apart.


    "Didn''t expect that you would take the date so seriously," Elysia mused.


    "There is no way I wouldn''t when it''s with you," he replied as he looked her in the eyes.


    Despite straightening his back as much as possible, he had to look up as Elysia was almost twenty centimeters taller than him. And that was when she wasn''t wearing high heels, as she was now, which made her even taller.


    Maybe some men would feel uncomfortable in the presence of such a woman, but that wasn''t the case for Zaroth, as Elysia''s breasts were curiously at his eye level.


    Though he didn''t look at them, he was too mesmerized by her black-death-like eyes.


    "Well, I have to be honest, you look good," she admitted.


    "You are the one to talk. I didn''t think you could get more gorgeous until I saw you in that dress," he spoke as he stretched out his hand. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Then, shall we enter?"


    She glanced at his hand, took hold of it, and nodded in agreement.


    The date had begun.


    Walking inside the Dragonfire Dining Hall, Zaroth gasped in awe. He knew that this was one of, if not the most prestigious restaurant in the capital, but he didn''t expect such a sight.


    The ceiling was over twenty meters tall, with countless golden chandeliers hanging down from it.


    The walls were beautifully decorated, almost like they were inside a grand castle.


    There was a man playing classical music on a piano.


    Zaroth immediately was able to tell that he had entered the big leagues just by entering the dining hall.


    He and Elysia seated themselves at their reserved table, and a waiter dressed in a professional suit came and handed them the menus.


    Zaroth screamed in pain and fear as he saw the outrageous prices... well, he screamed internally, but on the outside, he looked completely unbothered, like he could afford something from the menu.


    But in fact, he couldn''t. The only credits he had were the leftovers that Elysia had given him, and they could barely be enough to afford the cheapest food here!


    "Don''t worry, I know you don''t have that kind of money. You are just a student, after all. I am paying," Elysia spoke in her usual emotionless voice.


    Zaroth''s heart stopped for a moment as he tried to search for if he had messed up, but his back was straight as an arrow, his chest was puffed out, and his expression was emotionless. How did she know that he couldn''t afford it?


    ''Relax, idiot. She is the one giving you money, of course, she would know that you don''t have any,'' he cursed himself.


    Having her pay for the date was certainly not an action that he should take as he had to appear mature, but he didn''t have much choice either way, so he simply nodded and went back to the menu.


    In the end, he ordered something in the middle of the price range. If he ordered the cheapest option, he would look like he was scared of spending her money, while if he ordered the most expensive, it would look like he didn''t know the value of money.


    Interestingly enough, once he placed his order with the waiter, Elysia got the same thing, so it seemed both of them were going to eat steaks. She also ordered a bottle of wine.


    Truthfully, Zaroth refused to look at the prices of the alcohol, as he feared he might actually get a heart attack if he did.


    Now that the order had been placed, they didn''t have to look at anything else but each other.


    Not letting the silence between them grow awkward, Zaroth spoke, trying his best to keep his voice calm and friendly.


    "Isn''t it nice? To get some free time off work. Everybody needs some time to relax, after all."


    Elysia took a moment to respond. "Yes, it is nice to get a breath of fresh air."


    After a moment, she asked a question, "Why are you unbothered while looking at my eyes?"


    The question took Zaroth off guard. "... Because they are mesmerizing," he answered without hesitation.


    Elysia raised an eyebrow. "This is not how people would describe my eyes, Zaroth."


    "What do you mean?" he asked.


    She sighed before explaining, "Mesmerizing eyes are the kind that are blue, or golden, perhaps even crimson."


    Elysia made a small pause before she continued. "But black eyes like mine... black pupils like mine can''t be called mesmerizing. The more fitting term would be scary, maybe even disgusting to look at. There''s a reason people call me the incarnation of death, you know."


    Zaroth suddenly found himself in deep thought. He was having a hard time understanding her words.


    ''She thinks her eyes aren''t beautiful?'' he asked himself.


    What could be the reason for that? He himself had never seen something as alluring as her eyes... or maybe was he wrong? Did her eyes really scare other people? If that was the case, why didn''t they scare him? It not only didn''t scare him, it was like they worked like a magnet, pulling him closer and closer the more she matched her gaze with his.


    ''Death... wait, death?''


    He was a Beast Master... a Beast Master capable of resurrecting and taming dead beasts. In a way, didn''t he already have a connection with death?


    Was that connection making him feel this way when he matched her gaze? Was he attracted to the dangerous... was he attracted to death itself?


    Was he always this way? Or had he changed along the way?


    He remembered the day he almost died, the day he received his blessing. He felt a change he couldn''t explain, but he could feel it deep in his being, deep in his soul.


    As he finalized his thoughts on the matter, he couldn''t help but let out a chuckle.


    She narrowed her eyes as she asked, "What is it?"


    His cat-like eyes seemed to narrow even more, mimicking those of a predator.


    "Isn''t it funny? Both of us are seen as weird because of our unusual eyes. I guess we have more in common than we realized."


    Zaroth moved his hand and gently grasped Elysia''s hand that she had placed on the table.


    "But over time, I have learned that I don''t care what other people think. Their thoughts on the matter have no effect on me. So, Elysia, I can say with certainty one thing, I have never seen eyes as beautiful as yours."


    Elysia''s eyes widened for a moment as she felt something¡ªsomething that she hadn''t experienced in an ungodly amount of time.


    For the first time in more than a decade, a man had made her heart skip a beat.

 Chapter 87: Advancement

    For the first time in more than a decade, a man had made her heart skip a beat.


    She needed a moment to collect herself, and in the end, could only flash a slight smile.


    When he saw her smiling, Zaroth felt like he was going to lose his composure for a second, but he pushed through it anyway.


    The waiter arrived and placed both of their steaks before them, pouring wine into their glasses.


    Zaroth, remembering the lessons that Roran had taught him, began to eat as elegantly as he could, while not forgetting to keep his back straight the entire time.


    Elysia, meanwhile, looked at him with amusement. After a moment, she spoke.


    "Is that why you skipped all the lectures after the first? You were learning how to act more mature?"


    ''How did she learn that I didn''t attend any of the later lectures? I know she has ways of getting information, but to do it so fast¡­ or maybe she was actually following my movements?''


    Knowing that Elysia could tell when someone was lying, Zaroth knew there was no point in lying, so he answered honestly.


    "You caught me," he tried to add some humor as he averted his eyes to the side, as if he was giving up.


    Elysia leaned back in her chair and sighed.


    "You know, it''s rare for someone to be completely mysterious to me. You are one of those people, Zaroth."


    He grinned a little.


    "Do I take this as a compliment?" he teased.


    "Take it however you wish," she didn''t budge.


    After a moment of silence, he asked her, "I think you are a much more interesting person yourself. Before, when I invited you on a date, you refused, saying I was ''too young for you.'' What changed?"


    Elysia took a deep breath as she looked to the side.


    ''There is no way I am going to tell him that he helped me prove a point to the emperor¡­''


    "I just thought that I could give it a chance, I guess. It was the perfect excuse to get some rest from my work. Plus, seeing how persistent you are and how seriously you''re taking this, I guess you''re more mature than the other 18-year-olds your age."


    Zaroth closed his eyes for a moment.


    ''Am I?'' he asked himself, quickly coming to one conclusion, he wasn''t.


    At least not in the conventional sense. Due to his past, he had never been able to live without constantly worrying about the future. He had been forced from a young age to grow up. But he didn''t regret it one bit. If his efforts had eased the pain of his mother, even a little, in her last days, then he wouldn''t hesitate to do it all over again.


    ''Mother¡­'' Thinking about her still filled his heart with pain. He could remember her last wish for him to live for his desires.


    What were his desires? He wanted to kill the gods, make them suffer for creating the curse that she had suffered so much from. But was that all he desired?


    No, he wanted more.


    Much more.


    Everything¡ªthat was what he wanted. He wasn''t a hero, a person living with the intention to help other people. Nor was he some kind of villain, killing and stealing for the sake of it.


    He simply took what he wanted.


    If he had to ally with people who were morally in the wrong, that didn''t concern him.


    Morals were nothing to him. The moment he had to eat the corpse of a dead rat just to avoid starving, he threw all his morals out the window.


    Whatever he wanted, wherever he desired, he would take.


    Zaroth shifted his gaze to Elysia, her black dress accentuating her already alluring figure, her black eyes that screamed danger. Her full red lips and the way she opened them slightly as she took a sip of her wine.


    In this moment, Zaroth wanted her. Now, he had to make her want him too.


    This is why he was here. This is what everything had been leading up to.


    She glanced at his green eyes, noticing how they narrowed like a hunter''s.


    "After we''re done here, there''s a place I want to go. Would you happen to want to prolong the date?"


    She placed her delicate hands on the table and leaned forward a bit.


    "You know that I''m very busy with work, Zaroth."


    He smiled in response, his smile was not fake but genuine. He truly enjoyed her company.


    "I know, but it feels nice right now, doesn''t it? No constant stress about anything. These moments are rare, no? So one more hour won''t hurt, right?"


    Seeing the resolve in his eyes, she couldn''t help but smile slightly.


    "Sure, it will be my pleasure."


    *****


    The rest of the dinner went perfectly well. Most of the time, they ate in silence, enjoying the music playing in the restaurant. The silence wasn''t awkward in the slightest. Instead, it was pleasant, as if the two of them were at peace.


    After the dinner was over, which Elysia paid for, Zaroth tried not to look at the price as he didn''t want to pass out. Both of them walked toward a certain destination.


    "I must admit, I''ve never been here before," Elysia said as she glanced around.


    "To be honest, it''s the same for me. But a friend recommended the spot, so I wanted to try it out."


    Zaroth made a mental note to thank Lily later when he had the chance, as the place she had recommended had been perfect.


    They were currently in a secluded spot far from the center of the capital, with a nice view overlooking a large part of the city and a small part of the river also visible.


    Zaroth knew that Elysia had spent a long time in the capital, so she''d most likely visited all the famous places. But what about this spot? It had an incredible view and only one bench on the cliff.


    Lily really was a genius. This was the best way to impress Elysia¡ªby showing her new things, things she hadn''t experienced before.


    "It''s beautiful," she sighed as she rested her hands on the iron railing that kept people from falling over the edge.


    "It is," he admitted, also leaning beside her.


    The view was breathtaking... and yet, Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Zaroth shifted his gaze to Elysia. "But there is something more beautiful here."


    She met his gaze as her eyes narrowed. One of the pluses was that she was able to tell when a person lied, and she would know that Zaroth''s compliments weren''t just empty words.


    He meant every single word.


    "I still don''t get it... Why are you wasting your time on me? Wouldn''t it be more appropriate to chase after women your age?"


    "Because," he interrupted, "I''m greedy, and I want the very best. And from everything I''ve seen up until now, you are the best there is."


    "So, what are you trying to¡ª"


    Zaroth didn''t let her finish. He rotated his body toward her, slowly placing his hand behind her waist.


    How does one approach this situation? He had asked himself this question hundreds of times. Not only that, but how does a mature person approach the situation?


    The answer he came to was simple, he would make it clear what he wanted, with the hope that the person before him would respond to his feelings.


    Elysia didn''t stop him as he slowly pulled her toward himself, tilting his head up.


    A moment later, their lips met for a brief kiss.


    "I want you, Elysia. Just the way you are right now."


    In response, she didn''t say anything. Instead, she placed her hands behind Zaroth''s head, pulling him in for another kiss, one much deeper than the last.

 Chapter 88: Promise

    The feeling of her lips was addicting. Before, Zaroth could only imagine it, but right now, he was experiencing the real deal.


    The bodies of both him and Elysia were tightly pressed together. She had her hands behind his head, while he had his on her waist.


    Each second that passed, it seemed as if both of them were pressing tighter against one another.


    Zaroth''s blood ran hot as his hands began to slowly go downward.


    ''Just a little piece of cloth is all that separates me from her,'' he thought. sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Or more accurately, ''thought'' was a strong word, as he felt like he wasn''t able to think straight anymore¡ªhe was just acting on instinct.


    As his hands reached her bottom, he felt their softness as he slowly pushed her even tighter against his member.


    This was it. Today was the day. Or so it seemed, but sadly the world didn''t work that way.


    After what felt like eternity¡­ one very short one, Elysia pulled away.


    Zaroth cursed his reality as his body wasn''t pressed tight against Elysia nor was he feeling her lips anymore.


    Seeing his stunned expression, Elysia grinned as she placed her index finger against his lips and leaned in close as she whispered next to his ear.


    "This is just a first date. What? Did you expect that we would go all the way?"


    Her voice carried a sense of maturity, it was so alluring that Zaroth''s blood ran even hotter.


    ''How the hell do you not lose your composure at a moment like this?!''


    It was clear that Elysia was playing with him¡­ wait, maybe she wasn''t? If she was, it wouldn''t make sense, as her kiss felt too genuine to be fake. Had she enjoyed it, perhaps?


    He was about to speak, but¡ª


    "Look at the time," she interrupted his thoughts.


    He did just that and saw that the time was 00:00. The prolonged hour that Elysia had agreed on had ended.


    The date was over.


    "Then¡­ when can we continue from where we left off?" he spoke, trying to hide his raging emotions.


    "I am a busy woman, Zaroth. I work a lot. But¡­ if my enemies'' plans got screwed¡­ for instance, rather than his lackey winning the tournament, my man did instead¡­ then I might have enough free time to fit another date or two," Elysia spoke as she moved her finger from his lips towards his chest, where his heart was beating wildly.


    Zaroth wasn''t an idiot, he was able to see that Elysia was clearly trying to use him.


    But he couldn''t help but curse himself as he realized that he was actually this stupid and was going to fall for her provocation.


    But at the same time, wasn''t this good news? Looking at the way she was acting, it was like she was telling him indirectly that, should he win the tournament, she was going to sleep with him.


    If that was the case, he wouldn''t even need to use the wish she was going to grant him should he win, as she basically said that it would happen.


    She got a taste of him, she wanted him. This was the conclusion Zaroth came to. And feeling his hot blood, it was clear that his body felt the same way.


    Even if he knew it wasn''t a good idea, he got a taste of Elysia, and he immediately knew that he would not be satisfied with just a taste. He wanted more¡ªmuch, much more.


    Before he could even respond, she was already gone.


    It seemed that she really was busy as she couldn''t even spare the time to say goodbye.


    Zaroth clenched his fists tightly.


    The frustration he was feeling, he was planning to unleash on his next opponent in the tournament.


    He started walking back to his apartment as he muttered in frustration.


    "This tournament couldn''t come any sooner!"


    *****


    Zaroth was sitting at the front as he had yesterday, though this time, however, his friends had joined him.


    All of them were looking at Zaroth with curiosity in their eyes.


    "Well?" Lily asked, unable to contain her excitement.


    Zaroth sighed as he spoke, "I think the date went well."


    "Think? What exactly happened?" Roran asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "Wait, what do you even need to happen to consider the date a success?" Zack asked, joining in.


    "I mean, we didn''t sleep together," Zaroth said.


    Zack immediately began to laugh as he clutched his stomach. "Of course you wouldn''t¡ªit''s the first date!"


    "At least you didn''t make a fool out of yourself, did you?" Lily asked.


    "I don''t think so, though we did only kiss."


    Zack''s laughter abruptly stopped, and he stared at Zaroth with wide eyes.


    "Wait, you¡­ are you joking? You kissed her?!" Zack asked in disbelief.


    Roran''s eyes narrowed. "So that means she wasn''t playing with him and actually gave him a chance¡­" he muttered under his breath.


    Lily placed her hand on Zaroth''s shoulder as she spoke, "Zaroth, if that''s true, then that means the date went perfectly!" she proclaimed.


    He scratched the back of his head. "Well, if you say so."


    Roran sighed as his lips curved into a smile and his blue eyes shined brightly. "This calls for a celebration! There''s no way we''re not getting hammered now!"


    Lily was about to complain, but before she could, their chatter was cut short as the time for the first lecture had arrived, and Elysia entered the room.


    The atmosphere grew grim around the lecture room, and suddenly every student was on edge¡ªwith the exception of Zaroth.


    "Good morning, class. Today we will talk about possible ways to make money with your magic¡ª"


    Elysia began the lecture without further delay, as usual.


    Just because Zaroth had made a little progress didn''t mean that their relationship was going to change overnight.


    *****


    A few days passed with nothing eventful happening. Zaroth simply attended the lectures, studied as much as he could, and then trained his body when he fought against his friends.


    At night, when he got home, he would summon Luna and the other wolves and feel his mana core grow stronger as it slowly increased its strength. Because he was multitasking, he was also meditating, connecting sparks to his mana core.


    Silverfang was still evolving¡ªor at least that was what Zaroth believed, as he was unable to summon him.


    ''Well, if he''s going to evolve for so long, I guess he''ll just become that much stronger,'' he thought inwardly.


    Finally, one night, while he was busy meditating, his bracelet shone as he received a message.


    The next match he was going to participate in was tomorrow.


    Deciding to save his strength, Zaroth went to sleep early.


    The next day, he prepared everything as he approached the arena where the fight was scheduled to take place.


    His opponent was a tall woman who seemed older than him¡ªmost likely a third-year student.


    Zaroth tightened the grip on his spear as his eyes narrowed. He was going to vent his frustration against his opponent.


    "And without any further ado, let the battle begin!" the observer and the announcer spoke in unison as both of the challengers charged at one another.


    The audience that was larger than in the second round cheered as the two challengers faced one another.


    The third round had begun.

 Chapter 89: Round 3

    Zaroth''s opponent held a wooden staff with a blue gem in her hand, so most likely, she was going to attack using some kind of ranged magic attacks.


    If it were the old him, he would have rushed in, thinking it was the best strategy to reach her as soon as possible.


    But now, after his numerous duels with his friends, he knew that people whose class revolves around ranged attacks know they are weak up close and, as such, train to fight with their fists proficiently.


    Zaroth still shuddered a little when he remembered how much force was behind Lily''s fist.


    He, of course, wasn''t planning to waste time, though, as he extended his arm and let out a fireball.


    Interestingly enough, the woman''s staff shone, and she didn''t move a muscle.


    The next moment, his fireball was nowhere to be seen.


    "What?" Zaroth muttered in disbelief. How did his attack disappear? Did the woman possess some way to nullify magical attacks?


    He couldn''t be sure from just one attack, so he began to rotate the spear before him and let out a violent fire from the back of his throat.


    The fire breath collided with the spear, and as its strength and area of effect increased, it flew toward Zaroth''s opponent.


    The air in their proximity began to heat up, but that was all, as the fire tornado seemed to dissolve into nothingness a meter before reaching the woman.


    "So, I was right. She is able to nullify magic to some extent. The question is, how much mana is she using to do such a thing?" he wondered.


    He could have kept up the tornado with the hope that his opponent would run out of mana before he did, but it didn''t feel like a smart idea to test the limits of his mana core in the middle of the match. So, he was left with one option,


    Charge in melee.


    Not wasting a second, he dug his foot deep into the ground and exploded toward the woman.


    In response, the woman took a step back as she muttered something under her breath, and a large ice pillar began to form behind Zaroth.


    ''Wait, why is she taking a step back? Is it possible that not every mage is strong in close combat like Lily? Have I overestimated my opponent?'' he asked himself as he found himself an arm''s length away from reaching the woman.


    Without hesitation, he used his spear and pierced her abdomen.


    The woman let out a weak cry, coughing up blood, and collapsed to her knees.


    The large ice pillar that had begun to form behind Zaroth disappeared before he was even able to sense it.


    "And the winner is Zaroth!" the announcer rushed to the center of the arena, declaring the result, while a male doctor appeared out of thin air and began to treat the woman''s injuries.


    "Just like that?" Zaroth muttered in disbelief.


    He had won so easily? He was planning to vent his frustration, but this match was simply pathetic. He didn''t even break a sweat before defeating his opponent.


    ''Did I luck out and get matched against a weak individual? Or have I just become so much stronger?'' It was a strange thought.


    Looking at the woman lying helplessly on the ground, her blood flowing from her wound, it was as if, for a second, he heard a voice inside his head,


    ''Kill her.''


    Zaroth narrowed his eyes for a moment, startled. Did he imagine it, or had something actually spoken in his head?


    ''Luna, did you hear that?'' he asked her.


    ''Hear what?'' she responded.


    It seemed Zaroth was probably just mistaken.


    These past few days, he had focused solely on training, so it was possible that he was starting to imagine things due to his mind being overwhelmed.


    With a sigh, he left the arena, this time not even enjoying the cheers of the spectators. The match was too easy for him to celebrate.


    *****


    After leaving the arena, Zaroth was suddenly assaulted by a violent headache. Deciding it was better to find a quiet place, he made his way to a park. He arrived at a secluded bench, far from the constant noise of the bustling capital, sat down, clutched his head, and waited for the pain to subside.


    It had been a good decision to come to the park, as he could enjoy the fresh air and the soothing shade provided by the trees... or at least, he would have enjoyed those things if it didn''t feel like his head was slowly splitting into multiple pieces.


    "What is going on with me?" he asked himself in frustration.


    His head hurt, and it wasn''t because he was suffering from a hangover.


    When did it start to hurt? He wondered.


    ''I think when my gaze fell on the woman that bled,'' he thought.


    But that didn''t make any sense. He had seen so much worse, and he had inflicted much worse on people. Was he feeling guilty now? Or was it something different, something internal?


    "Ah, shit, it''s getting worse!" he gritted his teeth as he waited for the pain to subside.


    But something caught his gaze.


    On the back of his right hand, the crimson symbol suddenly appeared.


    "What the fuck?" he cursed, hiding his hand with his other one.


    What was the reason for the symbol to appear? Wasn''t it just a mark to symbolize that he had made a deal with a vampire?


    From what he knew, the symbol didn''t appear unless he willed it or if his hand was drenched in holy water. But neither of these things had happened.


    He had read that book in the library that spoke about vampires in its entirety, and he didn''t find anything that mentioned humans who made deals with vampires experiencing pain.


    But in the beginning, there was a disclaimer, the book talked about the things humans believed to be true, but it didn''t mean they were necessarily true.


    Plus, it mostly talked about how to find and deal with sinners who made deals with vampires, not about the sinners themselves and the side effects they were experiencing from making said deal. So, it was quite possible that Zaroth was still missing critical information.


    "I will have to ask Midnight, whether she likes it or not. She will have to explain the sudden pain in my head," he muttered under his breath.


    "Excuse me, sir,"


    Hearing a male voice, Zaroth sighed, lifting his gaze upward until it landed on a man with black hair, a gray suit, a white shirt, and a tie, holding a suitcase.


    "You seem to be in a bit of trouble," the man spoke with a smile and a friendly tone.


    Truthfully, Zaroth''s head hurt too much to bother taking the man seriously. He knew the man was probably trying to use some kind of ploy to sell him something. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Not that if his head wasn''t hurting he would have taken the man seriously in the first place. After all, Zaroth had spent a large part of his life broke, so as a result, he rarely bought things he didn''t need¡ªespecially from shady people like the man in front of him.


    "I actually believe I could offer assistance if you want it, so would you like to make a deal with me?"

 Chapter 90: Holy Ground, Unholy War

    ''Great, now as if the headache wasn''t enough, I have some random salesman that wants to sell me something,'' Zaroth cursed inwardly.


    "Thanks, but I am not interested," he replied as he flashed a false smile at the man.


    "Are you sure about that?" the man replied as he opened his suitcase and took out a bottle containing a few pills.


    The salesman handed it to Zaroth with a smile. "It is quite clear you are suffering from a headache, so these pills would numb the pain."


    "I said I don''t want them," Zaroth replied, this time with a hint of frustration in his voice.


    "Here you go. It''s free. If you want more, you can find me here."


    Despite Zaroth clearly refusing, the salesman put the bottle with the pills on the bench Zaroth was sitting on, alongside a business card that seemed to have an address written on it.


    Zaroth was about to curse at the man, but after leaving the items on the bench, he took off, completely ignoring Zaroth from that point on.


    "Who the hell would be stupid enough to take pills from a stranger?" Zaroth muttered as he glared at them.


    ''Luna, what do you make of this?'' he asked her.


    ''Probably wants to drug you or something,'' she replied.


    "Figures," he muttered as he took the card on which a address was written.


    ''Who knows, it may come in handy,'' he thought as he used his bracelet to send a message to Midnight.


    Zaroth: That symbol is acting weird. Do you know the cause?


    It took an unusually long time for her to respond. Was she ignoring him, or was she busy with something else?


    After about a dozen minutes, he received a reply.


    Midnight: I am in a bit of a situation, so that could explain the reason for your symbol acting strange.


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow. "Situation? What the hell is she talking about?"


    He was about to reply when she sent another message.


    Midnight: You said you want to befriend me, right? ¡­ I wouldn''t mind a little help.


    Zaroth: Don''t you have anybody else to ask?


    Midnight: You are the only person that knows about... my circumstances.


    Zaroth: Okay, where do you want me to go?


    She sent him an address, which, once he read it, raised an eyebrow in confusion.


    "Wait, isn''t that a church? What the hell is she¡ªa vampire¡­ a demon¡ªdoing there?" he wondered.


    Zaroth: What exactly do you want me to do?


    Midnight: You''ve heard about these guys¡ª''Purifiers,'' right? ¡­ I need a bit of help to get rid of a few.


    "Hmmm¡­" Zaroth leaned back, crossing his arms in thought.


    "True, at the moment I don''t have anything that compels me to help her¡­ but at the same time, having her¡ªa vampire¡ªbe indebted to me doesn''t sound like a bad idea¡­"


    Zaroth: Alright, but you will owe me one.


    Midnight: Sure. Now come¡­ as fast as you can!


    He sighed as he stood up from the bench and stretched his body.


    Truthfully, he was still frustrated from his date with Elysia, and because his opponent in the tournament had turned out to be so weak, he hadn''t even managed to vent his emotions properly.


    "Killing some Purifiers doesn''t sound like a bad way to vent my frustration. Plus, I''ll be getting Midnight into debt¡­ two birds with one stone," he smiled darkly as his eyes narrowed like a predator''s.


    It was time to go for a hunt.


    *****


    ''FUCK!'' Midnight couldn''t help but curse inwardly as she used her fangs to bite even harder into the neck of the man, drinking as much blood as she could.


    Her crimson eyes seemed to shine even brighter, her nails grew even sharper. She felt stronger and faster, and yet it was still far from enough.


    After a second, the man was sucked dry, his blood completely gone, and his skin had become whiter than snow.


    With no hesitation, Midnight threw the body of the dead man aside as she took another step back.


    "You are a disgrace to us vampires!" she shouted at the people surrounding her.


    She was currently in a church, surrounded by about a dozen Purifiers, and among them was one of her kind¡ªa vampire.


    "A disgrace?!" the vampire shouted, his pride clearly hurt.


    "You are the disgrace to us, Midnight Bloodrose, not me!"


    "You idiot! Even if you were so greedy, how could you ally with the Purifiers?!"


    The vampire was about to shout again but was silenced as a man clad in white robes used his mace to crush the vampire''s head.


    "The demon is no longer useful to us, so purification is in order," the man spoke coldly as he shifted his gaze to Midnight.


    ''Shit!'' Midnight knew she was being hunted by her own kind, but for them to be working with their sworn enemies just to hunt her was not something she had expected.


    In normal circumstances, she would have been able to at least escape, but she wasn''t able to now, as she was ambushed in a church.


    The fuckers had used some kind of relics to severely limit her movements and powers.


    There were about a dozen enemies in front of her, all of whom were specialists in hunting demons, and she was in their hunting ground.


    No matter how one looked at the situation, she was screwed.


    ''Has he decided he will not come after all?'' Midnight asked herself. Her situation was so hopeless that she even asked for help from Zaroth, who was basically a complete stranger.


    "If I''m dying, I''m going to take as many of you as I can!" Midnight shouted as her nails grew even longer, preparing for one final suicidal attack.


    "The demon has gone into a frenzy!" a man with a shield shouted as he took a step forward, trying to make the vampire focus on him.


    But before Midnight could charge, the door behind the Purifiers cracked open.


    "Man, the reinforcements have arrived! Do not be scared¡ªtoday we purge the demon!" the man with the shield commanded, clearly trying to boost the morale of his men.


    But no voice of confirmation came from behind the door.


    "What are you doing?! Come!" the man at the front shouted, not daring to turn his back on the vampire, who seemed to have widened her eyes¡ªmost likely in fear.


    A sound of a body falling was heard behind the Purifiers.


    Unable to fight off his curiosity, the leader of the Purifiers glanced back, and the moment he did, his blood ran cold.


    On the ground was his comrade lying lifeless, and above him stood a man with white hair and green cat-like eyes that had narrowed like a predator''s.


    "Ah, finally, I will test my new beasts," Zaroth muttered as he closed and locked the door behind him and flicked his fingers.


    A second later, four wolves materialized from nothingness as Zaroth grinned darkly. S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The leader of the Purifiers gulped audibly.


    Just a second ago, his squad had managed to surround a demon, but due to unexpected variables, now he and his squad found themselves surrounded by the demon and Zaroth''s wolves instead.


    It seemed that hunters had become the prey.

 Chapter 91: Unholy Alliance

    Zaroth gripped his spear tightly as he smiled darkly, and his eyes shined with dangerous intensity.


    ''How lucky¡­ Midnight needed help on the day of my third fight of the tournament. Meaning that I am already geared up and ready for combat,'' he thought as he glanced around the room.


    Midnight was against the wall with numerous wounds on her body, surrounded by about a dozen people wearing white robes.


    "I think they are the Purifiers," he muttered under his breath as he flicked his fingers and summoned the four wolves he had tamed in the forest before.


    It was finally time to use them in combat.


    "Who the hell are you, and what are you doing at these holy grounds?!"


    Hearing a male voice, Zaroth shifted his gaze until his eyes landed on a man holding a great shield and a sword.


    ''Is that supposed to be their leader?'' he wondered.


    "Well, no matter. Having a vampire with pure blood indebted to me is more important than these guys surviving anyway," he muttered as he opened his mouth, a dangerous flame beginning to form at the back of his throat, while rotating his spear ahead of him.


    At the same time, the four wolves dashed against their targets.


    It was time for a massacre.


    "HOLD YOUR GROUND!" the Purifier leader shouted as he charged toward Zaroth, but the green tornado that suddenly shot toward him stopped him in his tracks.


    He was forced to hold the shield with both hands while suppressing the Zaroth tornado.


    As such, he could only watch as the four wolves, that seemed to have wounds on their bodies, began to fight his comrades.


    "Fuck, just at the worst time, we had to be attacked by some maniac," the leader muttered, and a moment later his body shivered as he remembered that Midnight was still behind him.


    He shifted his gaze, only to see that she was fighting on equal ground against four members of his squad.


    ''Shit, we have weakened her, and she is still so strong?!'' the man cursed inside his head.


    But because he was distracted by looking backward, he didn''t realize in time that Zaroth''s attack had stopped.


    A second later, he heard another body fall to the ground.


    One of his members, who was busy dealing with one of the wolves, was hit in the head by Zaroth''s spear, killing him instantly.


    Zaroth, seeing that his tornado attack was going to be blocked, decided to use the chance he saw and threw his spear at the enemy who had left his ground unguarded.


    Not even a second later, he had already launched a fireball at another enemy, hitting them in the back.


    The Purifier, feeling the burn in his back, turned around by reflex, and that gave an opportunity to the wolf. The beast wasn''t going to waste the chance as it jumped and brought down its jaws on the man''s throat.


    "Fuck! So be it, may the goddess bless me!" the leader began to chant something as the armor beneath his robe began to shine, as well as his shield and sword.


    But that chant seemed to take some time, and that time proved to be fatal as Zaroth quickly dealt with the men at the front.


    As the men at the front, who had placed multiple restrictions on Midnight, died, it meant that a part of her strength had returned, and as such, she was able to overpower the men at the back, killing them in an especially brutal way.


    In less than three minutes, the leader of the Purifiers found himself alone.


    "You disgrace of humanity!" As he finished his chant, it seemed his body strength amplified threefold, and he charged, dealing with one of Zaroth''s wolves in an instant.


    "To think you would align with a demon! No matter, I will deal with you all myself!" the man shouted angrily as he cut through Zaroth''s wolves like they were nothing.


    Zaroth grimaced as his eyes seemed to get even darker. "You dare call me a disgrace?"


    The leader, having dealt with Zaroth''s wolves, was about to attack their master, but was stopped as his eyes widened in horror, seeing that the wolves he had just killed had somehow begun to get back on their feet.


    "Impossible! Death should have ended them! Unless¡­ you are a person that is able to control death?!" the leader shouted, and a second later was hit in the face by Zaroth''s fireball.


    Making use of the fact that the man was disoriented, the wolves attacked in unison and brought the man to his knees.


    "YOU SI¡ª"


    The Purifier''s shout was cut short as he felt massive fangs pierce his throat and felt his blood being quickly drained out.


    It was Midnight. He tried to desperately shake her off, but she had used her legs to take hold of the man and wasn''t letting go. That, coupled with the fact that there were four wolves on him, even the Purifier''s enhanced strength wasn''t enough as his body was about to give out.


    "You say I am a disgrace?" Zaroth spoke coldly as he took a step toward the quickly dying man.


    He couldn''t control himself as he let out a laugh.


    Stepping an arm''s length away from the man, Zaroth crouched down and put his hand on the Purifier''s face that was quickly losing color.


    "You know, as you are a person that is from the church and have a duty to help the unfortunate, I want to ask you, where were you?" Zaroth''s voice didn''t seem to have any empathy as he gazed into the dimming eyes of the Purifier.


    "18 years¡­ all of that time spent in poverty¡­ taking care of my mother¡­ I¡­ we did not receive help from the church a single time. Now that I think about it, I can''t seem to recall a time I''ve heard that you''ve truly offered help to the less fortunate¡­"


    Zaroth saw that the Purifier was trying to look away, so he used his hand to force his face and make him look into his eyes.


    "Isn''t it strange? Isn''t the church supposed to get all its money from donations that are supposed to help the less fortunate? Where does that money go?"


    Zaroth shifted his gaze to the dead Purifiers lying on the ground¡­ or more accurately, their equipment.


    Zaroth had not spared expenses when he bought his armor and weapons¡­ and yet, they paled in comparison to what these people had.


    "Oh, I see¡­ all that money goes to you, right? To you and the ones higher in the church hierarchy."


    The Purifier looked like he wanted to protest, but Midnight was still rapidly drinking his blood, and as such, he didn''t have the strength to open his mouth.


    "Shush¡­" Zaroth whispered as he placed his finger on the man''s lips. "There is no need to say anything, it is clear you are useless, trash, as such your thoughts are unimportant."


    It seemed that the light behind the Purifier''s eyes was moments away from being extinguished, so Zaroth couldn''t help but add,


    "Oh, I know what you''re thinking¡­ once you die, you''ll go to heaven, right? Don''t try to delude yourself. If there is really an afterlife, you''re going to hell."


    Zaroth brought his face even closer, making sure that his face was the last thing the Purifier would remember. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "You may blame your gods once I kill them and send them to you."


    A second later, the man''s body collapsed on the ground, lifeless as his blood had run out.


    Midnight let go as she let out a satisfied sigh of relief.


    The Purifiers were dead, so all her restrictions were gone, and not only that, but she had drank the blood of a strong human, so all her wounds were healed, and she became even more stunning.


    After a moment, she shifted her gaze to her savior, Zaroth.


    He smiled, clearly pleased as if he hadn''t just killed a dozen men, and spoke calmly.


    "Long time no see."

 Chapter 92: Human Skin

    "Long time no see,"


    Zaroth was smiling like he hadn''t just slaughtered a dozen men.


    "You¡­ don''t seem bothered that you have killed multiple people," Midnight remarked.


    Zaroth glanced at the bodies on the ground as he took a deep breath, "Well, why would I be bothered? It''s not like I have morals of any sort."


    Midnight raised an eyebrow. Back when Zaroth had said that he was planning to kill the gods, she hadn''t believed him. She knew better than to believe the words of a human. sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But seeing the way he slaughtered the purifiers with no hesitation whatsoever, she began to think that he was actually telling the truth.


    She took a deep breath before speaking. "...Thank you for coming to my rescue."


    Zaroth seemed to grin even more. "Don''t worry about it, just remember that you owe me one."


    After he was done speaking, he turned his back to her and began to walk toward the door with the intent to leave.


    "Wait!" Hearing Midnight speak, he turned to look at her.


    "Yes? Is something the matter?" he asked.


    "Aren''t¡­ aren''t you going to ask me anything?! Why and how did I find myself in this situation? What was I doing in the church in the first place?"


    Zaroth scoffed. "Honestly? I don''t care. I came to vent my frustration, and I did just that. Saving you was just a nice bonus on the side."


    Midnight was left speechless as she watched him leave, stepping over the dead bodies of the purifiers with no remorse whatsoever.


    Stretching his body, he exclaimed with a sigh, "Man, that felt great! I should really do this more often!"


    It was already getting dark, so it was time to go home¡­


    "Or¡­" he grinned as he used his bracelet to send a message to the group chat.


    "I did indeed pass the third round of the tournament, isn''t that enough reason to get a party?"


    Thankfully, it seemed that Zack and Roran agreed easily.


    "I see¡­ then to the bar!" Zaroth shouted as he abruptly changed his direction.


    He was beginning to really enjoy these nights.


    *****


    David sighed as he walked around the bloodied church, examining the bodies of the purifiers.


    One was killed in an instant by a thrown spear, a few bore large wounds on their bodies. It seemed like they had been fighting beasts of some sort.


    And finally, a few others bore a very specific wound on their necks, wounds that couldn''t have been left by anything other than a demon¡­ a vampire.


    David took a deep breath. Other than the disgusting smell of blood that was still in the air, there was another scent¡ªfire. Had somebody used some kind of fire attacks?


    He clicked his tongue in regret. He had been told that this squad had been very close to hunting a pure-blooded vampire, but at the last minute, something had happened, and instead, the purifiers had perished.


    Feeling a cold hand on his shoulder, David didn''t move as he listened to the dark creature, several meters in length, with three hollow eyes.


    "You''re sad that you weren''t the one to kill them, right?"


    "It''s clear you have no clue about anything, so just shut the fuck up," David commanded as he silently cursed his Spectral Warden class.


    Yet David knew that the thing was correct. He really hated the church and anything associated with it. The only reason he was here was because his boss¡ªthe emperor¡ªhad instructed him to search for any types of clues. He wanted to maintain a peaceful relationship with the church until her took them over eventually.


    "The only religion there shall be is the people''s love for me!" David was mimicking what his boss usually said with a mocking tone.


    "Crazy bastard," David muttered in frustration as he wondered how the hell he ended up working for the son of a bitch.


    "It seems that you''ve certainly grown a pair speaking behind His Majesty''s back."


    David shuddered a bit as he heard a voice behind him. He turned, his purple eyes falling on a man with black hair, a gray suit, a white shirt, and a tie, holding a suitcase.


    David grimaced as he spoke, "You, what the fuck are you doing here? Isn''t it enough to send me to deal with the trouble?"


    The man simply smiled as he approached a table and opened his suitcase, laying it out before him.


    "Knowing you, you have probably failed to find anything of importance, right?"


    David didn''t answer the question as he spat, "Just tell me what the hell you''re doing here?"


    The man put his finger on his lips as if demanding silence, and the next moment he whispered, "Look around us, how many dead there are here."


    The man smiled as he pulled out some kind of syringe from his suitcase.


    "These pills are not going to make themselves, you know?"


    "Sick fuck," David muttered as he approached the door. Even he, who didn''t have a problem killing people on a whim, didn''t want to see how these ''pills'' were made.


    He was about to leave, but the man put a hand on his shoulder.


    "Oh, almost forgot. You have a new comrade that is waiting outside. It would be good if you introduced yourself." David raised an eyebrow and nodded in confusion.


    ''Another one has joined us? I bet it''ll be another psycho,'' he cursed inwardly as he exited the church and observed his surroundings.


    His gaze fell on an older man who was curiously looking at the body of a dead bird with interest.


    With a sigh, David approached and spoke, "Nice to meet you. I''m David."


    The man shifted his gaze to David as he extended his arm, though it took him a few seconds to grasp David''s hand.


    ''This one is weird. It''s like he''s drunk¡­ like he isn''t used to controlling his body,'' David thought, and a second later, he felt a tap on his shoulder.


    He didn''t need to look back to know that it was the Spectral Warden.


    "That thing is not a human. It''s just wearing the skin of one."


    Hearing what the Spectral Warden said, David closed his eyes as he sighed inwardly.


    It seemed that he was wrong. He wasn''t going to work with a psycho from now on, but a monster wearing human skin.


    ''Just great,'' he cursed inwardly.

 Chapter 93: The Burden of Blood

    "Oh, that was fun," Zack sighed as he sat up on his bed.


    He was prepared to be assaulted by a hangover, but surprisingly nothing came. Was he getting used to the alcohol, or had they just drunk too little?


    ''No, last night was really crazy. There was no way it wouldn''t be¡ªZaroth seemed to have been able to get Elysia''s attention! Of course, we were going to celebrate like there was no tomorrow,'' he thought with a smile.


    He used his bracelet to check the time, only to see that there were two hours left until the start of the first lecture.


    "Should I go back to sleep?... Nah, I don''t feel sleepy at all," he muttered as he stood up and approached a mirror that was mounted on the wall.


    He couldn''t help but grin. Just looking at his own white pupils was always enough to boost his mood.


    They were the same as his father''s¡­


    "I''m starting to look more and more like the old man," Zack said as he laughed lightly.


    "I wonder how he would''ve looked like if he was still alive¡­" Zack shook off his thoughts as he approached the shower.


    He loved using cold water, as cold as possible. After all, one of the people he was aiming to kill was very proficient in using ice attacks. He thought to himself that bathing with cold water would help him increase his tolerance to the cold.


    Plus, after a night that he barely remembered, washing his fatigue away with the cold was a strangely comforting experience


    "Why do I feel like I''m forgetting something?" he muttered.


    A second later, his eyes widened. "Wait, wasn''t the third round supposed to happen today?" After exiting the shower, he used his bracelet to open his messages.


    Last night, when he was at the bar with his friends, he had received the message that his fight was scheduled for today, but he didn''t pay much attention as by that point he was already drunk.


    "Thank goodness I remembered to check." He quickly got himself dressed and went out.


    He was going to follow Zaroth''s example and just skip today''s lecture, pretending that he was getting ready for the fight.


    "There are three hours left until the fight¡­ I guess I can take a stroll through the park." sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Most students would have used the time to mentally and psychologically prepare themselves, but Zack did no such thing. He was simply too strong, there were few who would even be able to make him bleed.


    "Uncle¡­" Zack clenched his fist in frustration but managed to calm himself down. There was no use in getting angry.


    "Who knew the park would be so peaceful in the morning?" It was supremely quiet, most likely because most people were still asleep.


    So Zack was able to enjoy the greenery around him, as well as the pleasant music the birds were creating.


    He thought he was alone until he saw two girls in the bushes.


    One had blonde shoulder-length hair and a white mask. She was gently comforting the other, who had blue eyes and hair.


    "There, there, Sofia. I told you to be careful with how much you drink."


    "I''m sorry, Vera. I guess I just got carried¡ª"


    She didn''t manage to finish her sentence as she began to puke again.


    Zack raised an eyebrow. ''Isn''t this one of the princesses? Why did she get so drunk that she had to vomit so much in public?'' he asked himself for a moment.


    ''Oh well, it''s not like it concerns me at all,'' he thought, deciding that his pleasant walk in the park wasn''t going to be ruined. He simply ignored them.


    *****


    The time for the fight had arrived, so he went to the arena where the duel was supposed to take place.


    After confirming his identity, he was shown the way.


    Finding himself at the center, he observed his surroundings. The arena wasn''t very big, it could only accommodate about a thousand people.


    Though, currently, there were only about a dozen people waiting for the battle to start.


    "Once I reach the grand arena, how will it feel? There''s no doubt tens of thousands of people will watch me fight. Will I feel any kind of pressure?"


    Zack wasn''t able to keep talking to himself as the announcer interrupted his line of thought.


    "Ladies and gentlemen, the two challengers have arrived!"


    Zack shifted his gaze to his opponent.


    It was a man of average height with messy hair. He was carrying two daggers, one in each hand.


    "Let the match begin!" the announcer spoke, and cheers from the public echoed in the mostly empty arena.


    Zack''s opponent dashed forward with all his strength, meanwhile, Zack was looking at him, unamused.


    His uncle might have forbidden him from using his power, but that didn''t mean Zack wouldn''t use it.


    Fortunately, no one except him truly understood how his powers worked. Everybody assumed that he could only make armor and weapons from his own and his enemy''s blood, but that wasn''t all he could do.


    He took a deep breath and commanded his blood to begin moving faster in his veins.


    Two times faster, three times faster, five times, ten times.


    The faster it moved, the more oxygen it delivered to his muscles.


    Making him stronger, faster, and tougher.


    One moment he was far away from his opponent, the next, he was beside him with his sword thrust through his enemy''s chest.


    Zack seemed unbothered, he was used to cutting people down. As such, one more enemy pierced by his sword didn''t faze him in the slightest.


    The boy with the messy hair coughed blood and collapsed on the ground.


    "The winner is Zack!" It took a moment for the audience to register that the fight was over, as Zack moved so fast it appeared as if he had teleported.


    Then, a second later, they exploded in cheers.


    Zack, not paying attention to them after confirming with the observer that he had indeed won, exited the arena.


    "Even if I move fast, it''s still not enough. I still won''t be able to even scratch Uncle!" he muttered in frustration as he gritted his teeth.


    He knew that even if he was strong, he would need help getting rid of his uncle.


    Only two people came to mind who could stand against him¡ªZaroth, or more specifically, his summon, the dragon, and Elysia, the academy''s chairwoman.


    If he could convince one of them to help him, there was hope. He doubted that Elysia would help him at all, but Zaroth, his friend, was a different matter. There was a chance he would help Zack, should he explain his circumstances.


    Zack slapped himself in frustration. "Why is the first thing that comes to mind asking for help from others?!"


    Thankfully, he caught himself before making a mistake.


    "I just have to get stronger¡ªstrong enough to kill the traitors on my own!"


    This was his problem, so he was going to take care of it alone.


    "Wait, Father, wait just a bit more. I will soon avenge you," Zack''s expression seemed to darken as he headed to his apartment. He was going to train until he passed out.

 Chapter 94: Shared Burden

    "Why is it so hard?!" Lily muttered in frustration as she burned another pancake.


    She had burned so many that she had long lost count, which made her more frustrated as she believed that she had already gotten the hang of it before.


    "Stop complaining and give it to me!" Roran spoke as he took the pan from her hands.


    Lily grimaced as she cursed her inability to do such simple tasks.


    She was about to retort, but his comment stopped her. "Just sit back, they will be ready in a few minutes."


    She had to admit defeat, so she complied as she sat and waited patiently for her boyfriend to be done cooking.


    After they were ready, Lily and Roran had a delicious breakfast.


    No delicious was an understatement, the pancakes Roran had cooked probably rivaled the ones created by the best chefs in the world.


    "You¡­ really can do anything, huh?... it''s like you are the complete opposite of me," Lily spoke, her tone carrying a hint of sadness.


    "Don''t blame yourself. After all, I am the one meant to do these things, not you," he reassured.


    "That¡ªthat isn''t true! We are a couple, aren''t we? We should share the burden! You shouldn''t be the one that does everything!" she countered.


    Roran sighed as he looked up at the ceiling. "But it is true. I am the one trained for these things, you weren''t meant to lift a finger, yet loo¡ª"


    "Don''t," she interrupted him, her voice clearly angry. "Don''t you dare start talking about statuses. We are equals."


    "We both know that''s not right," Roran sighed.


    She wanted to argue but, in the end, decided against the idea. It seemed that there was still no changing her boyfriend''s mind.


    "Never mind that. Take off your shirt," she spoke.


    Roran raised an eyebrow. "Isn''t it early for this sort of thing?"


    "Just do it!" she commanded.


    He sighed as he complied.


    "Don''t move," she spoke as she got behind him and placed her delicate hands against his rough back.


    "You complained that your back was stiff, didn''t you? You should take a moment to relax," she spoke as she gently massaged his back.


    He wanted to tell her not to bother, but alas, it seemed that his back was stiffer than he thought, so he didn''t manage to utter the words.


    Lily quietly used her hands to massage his back¡ªa back that bore numerous wounds.


    "...I''m sorry," she whispered guiltily. sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Roran scoffed as he heard her words. "For what, exactly?"


    "For being a burden."


    He couldn''t suppress a small smile. "It is impossible for you to be a burden."


    "... Why? Why are you with me despite knowing my past?" she asked.


    He took a deep breath. "Three reasons. First and foremost, I love you. Second, I owe my life to you and your family. And third, it was their final request."


    "You''ve already saved my life numerous times. That debt is paid long ago."


    "No," he answered firmly. "You and your family saved me without expecting anything in return. I am a long way from paying that debt."


    Lily sighed as she got closer and embraced him. "It''s not my family. It''s our family. You are one of us."


    Feeling her breasts push tightly against his naked back, Roran felt his blood getting hotter.


    "Oh? Are you suddenly getting aroused?" she teased.


    He took a deep breath. "I mean¡­ we can skip one day of lectures, right?" he asked as he got up from his chair and picked her up.


    "Sure," she whispered as she brought her lips next to his.


    *****


    Collapsing on the bed, her hair messy, Lily spoke, "Now I feel much better."


    Roran cracked his neck. "Same."


    "Oh, come on! Can''t you show a bit more emotion?!" she complained.


    "This is something that I am actively trying not to do. The more emotions I have, the more unnecessary thoughts. Why do you think I drink so much? It helps with both the emotions and the thoughts," he explained.


    She put her hand on his shoulder and forced him to lay down. "Still, you''re human and need to rest from time to time."


    "I will rest when I die," he spoke coldly.


    "Why do you bother so much? Your goal can''t simply be to keep me alive."


    "But it is. And to do that, I need more strength. To get that strength, one needs to cast aside all feelings."


    Lily sighed as she poked his cheek. "But to do that would mean that you have to cast me aside, you know?"


    He grimaced. "You know that isn''t happening."


    She got on top of him. "Then it means you can''t cast aside all emotions. So, you''re human, and as such, you must rest from time to time."


    "I can''t, especially not with you and what you want to achieve. Keeping you alive would be an incredibly hard thing to do," he spoke as he met her golden eyes.


    "You''re already stronger than me, so¡ª"


    "We both know that isn''t true," he interrupted instantly. "We''ve just made it appear as though you''re weak. Even Zack wasn''t able to tell what kind of blessing you have, Lily."


    "That is true¡­" she admitted. "But I''m talking about emotional strength, not literal strength. In that aspect, you have me beat."


    He wanted to retort but was stopped as she had brought her lips next to his, silencing him.


    After a moment, Lily raised her head. "I hope you''ve recovered enough. We can talk about the other stuff later."


    It seemed that she wasn''t satisfied with just one round.


    "This is going to be a long day," Roran muttered.


    *****


    Zaroth was experiencing an unknown phenomenon.


    He shifted his gaze from Elysia, who was currently hosting the lecture, to his left, where Zack was supposed to be. Though, it seemed that he had skipped today''s lecture¡ªmost likely because he had a fight in the tournament today.


    Zaroth then shifted his gaze to his right, where Roran and Lily were supposed to be, but they also seemed to be skipping.


    He had somehow found himself alone, separated from his friend group, attending the lectures, which was strange since he was usually the one who skipped them.


    He sighed as he muttered, "Without them, it''s a bit lonely."


    But his mood didn''t stay down for long as he returned his gaze to Elysia, at least he was able to appreciate her beauty up close.


    She was the reason he had made the decision to never skip the first lecture of the day after all.

 Chapter 95: A Week Since Then

    "It has been a week since then¡­" Midnight muttered under her breath as she lay on her bed, her crimson hair spread in all directions.


    "A week, and I am still thinking about it¡­" she gritted her teeth. Each time she remembered how she was moments away from dying, only to be saved by Zaroth at the last moment, her heart seemed to increase its beats.


    "Stupid!" she scolded herself as she got up and brewed herself some coffee.


    Coffee truly was a miracle, no matter if you were a human or a demon, it all worked the same.


    Midnight sighed as she looked at herself in the mirror. Ever since she drank the blood of the Purifiers that had tried to kill her, she was stronger, faster¡­ and more alluring.


    She was slowly getting closer to her goal, she was slowly evolving.


    ''And one of my kind is dead. That is good,'' she thought as she changed her clothes and went outside. It was time for the lectures.


    *****


    She was in class C, as such, there were a lot of students¡ªso many, in fact, that they had been broken into multiple groups. The lecture had yet to start, so the students all around her were engaged in chat, talking about this and that.


    Midnight, not surprisingly, didn''t bother with making friends. As usual, she found the company of humans irritating. She had been trained from a young age to dislike them, so she didn''t feel the need to make friends at all.


    After a few moments, the professor finally showed himself and began the lecture. The room quickly fell silent as everybody listened to the subpar explanation of the professor, which wasn''t surprising¡ªafter all, they were in class C, so they wouldn''t get the best teachers the academy had to offer. Those were reserved for the higher classes.


    Of course, if she wanted to, she could have shown enough power to be moved to B or even A class, but doing so always arose the risk that somebody would question how a girl with no known past was able to rise so high in the academy. Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    And the more attention she gained, the higher the chances that somebody would discover she was a vampire. As such, she hadn''t even entered the tournament on purpose, trying to keep low.


    Midnight, despite knowing that these lectures were mostly useless, still listened as she tried to absorb as much information as possible about how humans lived and behaved.


    Once her lectures were over, she went to the place where the true knowledge stayed¡ªthe library.


    It seemed that many students didn''t see the need to visit the library, thinking that simply being at the most prestigious academy was enough on its own.


    But Midnight knew the truth, the most valuable information was in these books.


    She was quietly reading another history book, which described the current relationships between the continents, focusing on the Empire and its ties with the neighboring empires.


    She glanced around the reading room, which was usually empty. With the exception of one timid boy with glasses, there wasn''t anybody else that seemed interested enough to come to the library daily¡­ Well, there was one more exception, but Midnight didn''t want to think about him at the moment as she found herself hard to focus if she did.


    But the next moment, the doors of the room opened, and a man on the shorter side with white hair and green cat-like eyes entered the room.


    Zaroth.


    Midnight''s eyes narrowed for a moment as she felt her heart beat faster. A second later, she forced herself to focus on her book.


    But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn''t focus on the words as her gaze seemed to wander toward where Zaroth had taken his seat.


    He was a weird person that didn''t seem to follow any kind of schedule. Sometimes he would not come for more than three days, other times, he would spend his time reading until he was forced to leave when the library closed.


    Midnight had been observing him for some time now, so she knew that information.


    ''Wait, I observe him because he has tamed a dragon! So he could prove to be an obstacle¡ªthat is why I keep my eyes on him! No other reason!'' She tried to lie to herself as she cursed at herself for not being able to focus on the book.


    Zaroth seemed to have sensed that he was being watched, and after a quick observation, concluded that it was most likely Midnight. As such, he approached her.


    Midnight''s heart rate quickened even more as, for some reason, she seemed to be almost glad that he was approaching her.


    She tried to make her voice sound annoyed. "Can''t you see that I am busy?"


    Zaroth smiled in response. "Yeah, me too," he said as he sat down across from her at the desk and also got busy reading.


    ''Why the hell did you sit at my table when there are so many free around?!'' she cursed silently as she glanced at her book, making it seem like she was reading while, in truth, she was freaking out.


    ''Is it because of the large amount of blood I drank before? Is that why my heart is beating so irregularly?'' she asked herself but disregarded the idea, as the only time she seemed to be having problems was when she was near Zaroth or thinking about him.


    ''Whatever, I will just try to ignore him,'' she thought.


    A few hours later, both of them were still engrossed in their books. The library was completely empty as only the two of them remained.


    Midnight had finished her book, so she was supposed to leave, but for some reason, she found herself not wanting to get up from the table. It was strangely peaceful with just the two of them reading.


    She threw a quick glance at Zaroth, who seemed to be solely focused on his book. From the book''s title, it was clear that it was about some weird martial art.


    Zaroth''s eyes seemed to have narrowed as he absorbed the information in the book. A second later, his concentration was broken as his bracelet shined.


    He used it only to see that he had gotten a message.


    Unable to contain her curiosity, Midnight asked, "What is it?"


    "It seems like the fourth round will be tomorrow," he explained.


    She didn''t seem surprised in the slightest to learn that he was still in the tournament, most likely because she knew how powerful he really was.


    Zaroth''s eyes seemed to shine for a moment as it seemed he had gotten an idea. "You aren''t in the tournament, right?"


    Midnight scoffed at his words. "Of course, I am not. Why would I want to risk putting myself in the spotlight?"


    "Hm¡­ in that case, do you want to go?"


    She raised an eyebrow. "Go where?"


    He grinned. "To watch me in the match, of course. What else?"


    ''He wants me to watch how he performs in the tournament? But why would he want such a thing? ¡­ Unless¡­ is he trying to show off? Wait, is this the same as asking me for a date then?''


    Midnight involuntarily blushed a little, while Zaroth was still grinning like an idiot, most likely not even realizing that he had basically invited Midnight on a date.

 Chapter 96: Round 4

    "I can''t believe that I actually came," Midnight muttered under her breath as she glanced forward at the center of the arena.


    ''Well, this could prove useful, after all. Zaroth, even though he has a dragon at his disposal, I doubt he would use it now. As such, he''s going to have to use his other abilities,''


    She quickly observed the arena. It was on the smaller side, and as there were more rounds to be held, there wasn''t much audience at the moment¡ªonly about a dozen people.


    This was surely going to change in the future as the later rounds would be a popular event that most people wouldn''t want to miss out on.


    The current fight was going to be between Zaroth, who was holding a spear in both hands, and a tall man with heavy armor and blonde hair.


    Weirdly enough, despite the heavy armor the man had, he hadn''t placed any kind of protective gear on his head¡ªno helmet or anything of the sort.


    Midnight wondered why someone would do such a thing, but she didn''t need to ponder for long as she heard three girls shout from the seats of the arena.


    "Ahhhhh! Brian! Show him who''s the boss!"


    "Oh god, look how hot he looks with his armor on!"


    "How does he make his hair look so good?!"


    It seemed that the man had a fan club of his own.


    Brian, hearing the cheers behind him, turned and looked up towards the girls as he flashed them a smile.


    This action seemed to excite them as the three of them screamed in an annoying high-pitched voice.


    ''Seriously, how pathetic do you have to be to bring your own harem to the arena when it''s still just the easier matches?''


    Midnight shifted her gaze to Zaroth, who seemed to be looking at them with both confusion and curiosity, but at the same time his eyes had darkened a little.


    ''It must feel shitty for your opponent to have people in the audience supporting him while he doesn''t have anybody¡­''


    Midnight sighed in frustration. ''Why did I agree to come here again?''


    *****


    Zaroth was looking at his opponent, which name was apparently Brian.


    The man seemed to be having a conversation with the girls that seemed to have come solely to watch him.


    He then shifted his gaze to the announcer. It seemed the man was waiting for Brian to be done with the conversation. In the meantime, as the fight hadn''t started yet, all Zaroth could do was stand and wait.


    ''It must be nice to have somebody cheer you on¡­'' he thought to himself.


    ''I am here, aren''t I?'' Luna tried to reassure.


    ''That is not true. You are in my soul, but not exactly here, as I haven''t summoned you, so you aren''t here,'' he explained.


    ''Okay, you might be right¡­ but there is indeed someone that supports you,'' her words echoed in his mind. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Really? Who?'' he raised an eyebrow.


    ''Isn''t Midnight here because you asked her to be?'' Luna asked.


    ''Listen, she is here because you told me to invite her, and just from her expression, I was able to tell that she doesn''t want to be here. She is just watching for the spectacle,'' he answered.


    ''Zaroth¡­ you really are a fool, you know? You have to be grateful you have me. I see things that your small brain can''t seem to grasp,'' Luna teased.


    ''The fuck you m¡ª''


    Zaroth''s retort was interrupted as suddenly an alluring voice was heard from his side.


    He shifted his gaze only for it to fall on a woman with crimson eyes and hair.


    "Zaroth," her sudden call seemed to silence Brian and his harem, as all of them were looking at Midnight''s breathtaking presence.


    She smiled as her eyes shined with the same color of blood. "Burn him to a crisp."


    For a moment, Zaroth''s heart seemed to skip a beat as he found himself smiling before he even realized it.


    "On it," he replied, shifting his gaze to Brian. It seemed the man, after seeing Midnight and realizing how much more quality mattered than quantity, wasn''t in the mood for talking anymore. He tightened his grip on his sword, clearly angry and ready for a fight.


    ''Luna, why did Midnight support me? She hates spotlighting as it brings attention to her.''


    Luna sighed in his head as she spoke, ''Zaroth, for a man that spends so much time in a library, you can be supremely dumb, you know? This is not something I will tell you, you have to think for yourself from time to time.''


    Zaroth was about to retort as he was clearly insulted but could not, as the announcer opened his mouth.


    "Let the duel begin!"


    Zaroth launched without hesitation a fireball at Brian.


    Brian, on the other hand, had closed his eyes and muttered something. The next second, some kind of white aura wrapped around his body, almost acting like a shield.


    Zaroth''s fireball collided only to dissipate as it hit the man''s aura.


    ''So it acts like some sort of shield, huh?'' Zaroth quickly made the connection that this man had a very similar look and abilities to the purifier''s leader he had killed about a week ago.


    Zaroth smiled darkly. "The purifier was much stronger than you, and yet he fell by my hand. For you won''t even need to use my beasts," he muttered as he got into battle stance.


    "Come! Let''s see how weak you are up close!" he shouted in an attempt to enrage Brian, and looking at the man''s face that had turned red, it was clear he had succeeded.


    "You! For a man that has so much, you have so little manners!" Brian shouted as he dashed towards Zaroth.


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow. ''What is this fool talking about?''


    Deciding not to focus on the issue, he charged at Brian, who had his sword raised in the air.


    Zaroth sidestepped the attack and used the opportunity to thrust his spear against the man''s head.


    But at the last moment, the aura around Brian''s body changed, and once Zaroth''s spear reached his head, it bounced off like it was metal.


    This made him lose his footing, and Brian, taking the chance, slashed again, making a deep wound on Zaroth''s arm that began to bleed profusely.


    As the exchange was over, both of them took a few steps back with the intention to recover.


    ''So this thing around him protects him both from physical and magical attacks¡­'' Zaroth''s mind was in overdrive, trying to think of a way to deal with the enemy.


    A second later, his eyes shined as it seemed he had gotten an idea.


    He drenched his spear in his own blood, and then used a fireball to ignite it.


    Ignoring the pain of the wound and the burning spear in his hand, Zaroth smiled darkly as he charged at Brian.


    The man was able to block both physical and magical attacks, but what if he was attacked by both simultaneously?


    Brian''s eyes seemed to widen for a moment as he realized Zaroth''s plan.


    In panic, he attacked horizontally, but Zaroth simply used his non-dominant hand to take the strike.


    The sword bore deep into his arm, severing tendons and most of the bone, but the sword was stuck for a moment, and as such, Brian was left helpless as he saw Zaroth''s burning spear centimeters away from reaching his head.


    In that moment, Brian learned what it meant to look death straight in its eyes.

 Chapter 97: Eyes Like Blood

    The burning spear was centimeters away from reaching his face. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Brian felt the air and how hot it had gotten just from the fire, and soon that fire was going to collide with his head. He cursed at his stupid decision not to wear a helmet.


    He had to choose, as this was both a physical and magical attack¡ªshould he block the physical or the magical aspect?


    He didn''t have much time to ponder on the issues, so he changed his aura to block only physical attacks because he knew his face burning was significantly better than having his head pierced by a spear.


    The aura around him changed once again as Zaroth''s spear collided with his head, unable to pierce it. In the next moment, Brian''s hair and eyebrows caught aflame.


    He screamed in pain as he took a step back, trying to compose himself, but Zaroth, with eyes like those of a predator, had already thrust again toward Brian''s head.


    This time, Brian wasn''t paying attention, and as such, he wouldn''t be able to block the attack.


    Zaroth, despite having his arm almost cut in two, watched with a smile as the spear was moments away from reaching Brian''s head.


    "Die, die, die." It seemed that he was experiencing pleasure from just the thought of killing Brian, so he focused all his sight on the moment his spear would doom the man.


    But alas, it seemed that he wasn''t fast enough, as the observer of the fight had moved lightning fast and caught Zaroth''s spear before it could kill the man.


    "The winner is Zaroth!" the announcer spoke loudly as he got into the center of the arena.


    The audience burst into cheers, with the exception of Brian''s harem, which was nowhere to be found. It seemed once they saw him lose this badly, with his hair and face burned to a crisp, they lost interest in the match and left early.


    Zaroth, meanwhile, ignoring the cheers around him, shifted his gaze to the only person who had shown him support before the fight¡ªMidnight.


    She was sitting in her seat with one leg over the other and an alluring smile on her face.


    For a moment, Zaroth''s heart seemed to skip a beat just by looking at her.


    "Don''t move." Hearing a female voice, Zaroth shifted his gaze from Midnight to a woman who seemed to be the healer. Said healer was looking at the sword buried deep into his arm, wondering how she should approach the situation.


    He smiled awkwardly, "If you can get me healed up fast, my adrenaline is running out, and it''s starting to hurt."


    *****


    "So, happy?" Midnight asked as they walked.


    "Yeah¡­ I honestly didn''t expect you to show me public support. Why did you do that?" Zaroth asked as he shifted his head toward her.


    It was for a fraction of a second, but it seemed that her cheeks had become a bit red. "I¡­ just felt bad watching your opponent get so much support while you didn''t get any," she spoke.


    ''And I do owe my life to you, as you saved me,'' she didn''t say the other part out loud.


    "I see¡­ Well, thanks. It did lift my spirits," he grinned.


    ''Ask her if she wants to go to a caf¨¦!'' Luna''s comment caught Zaroth off guard.


    ''But why¡ª''


    ''Just do it!'' Luna interrupted him.


    ''She''s just going to decline, but if Luna wants me to, oh well,'' Zaroth thought.


    "Midnight, are you free? Do you want to quickly visit the caf¨¦?"


    At his words, her crimson eyes seemed to widen for a second before returning to normal. "Sure, I do have some free time."


    Zaroth was surprised as to why Midnight agreed to his proposal, but he didn''t pay much attention to it as they headed to a nearby caf¨¦.


    *****


    ''This stuff is wild,'' Zaroth thought as he observed the coffee.


    He usually saved money, always buying the cheapest options, but today he was looking at one that was more expensive than a whole bottle of alcohol.


    He wondered if it was worth it, but its aroma was so good he couldn''t help himself but take a sip.


    His eyes widened in awe. He had never tasted something this good! It was better than any bottle of alcohol he had ever drunk! And not only that, but he immediately felt energized.


    ''Wow, I don''t think I''ll be able to go back to the cheap stuff after this,'' he thought as he shifted his gaze to Midnight.


    She was sitting across from him and was currently stirring the hot coffee. A second later, she was done and brought it to her mouth as her lips opened to take a small sip.


    Zaroth, looking at her crimson eyes and hair, felt his heart rate increase as his body grew hotter.


    He didn''t even need to ask himself why, because from the date with Elysia, he had learned that he was attracted to the dangerous¡ªthe more dangerous, the better.


    ''But to a vampire?'' he doubted himself as he took a better look at her.


    Her crimson hair was over one of her shoulders, and her shining eyes were calmly staring at the coffee. Her clothes clung tightly to her physique, and her perfectly clear white face¡­


    Zaroth gulped suddenly as he cursed inwardly, ''Fuck! I''ve fallen for another one!''


    A second later, realization hit him¡ªnow that they were in a caf¨¦, it was the same as being on a date.


    This was undoubtedly what Luna had planned all this time. Zaroth wanted to scold her, but it was clear that now wasn''t the time or place.


    ''Oh, fuck it!'' he was irritated. He was going to shoot his shot right from the bat¡ªhe was scoring today!


    "Midnight."


    Hearing her name being called, she slowly shifted her gaze upward, only to see Zaroth''s green cat-like eyes, which seemed to have narrowed like a hunter''s.


    Zaroth straightened his back as much as he could, remembering Roran and Lily''s teachings. He smiled a little as he spoke,


    "This situation¡­ it''s like we''re on a date, isn''t it?"

 Chapter 98: The Heat of the Moment

    Midnight''s heart stopped for a moment as she gazed at Zaroth. "Excuse me?" she managed to mutter.


    He leaned back in his chair. "Nothing, I just pointed out that it''s like we''re on a date together."


    Midnight''s palms seemed to get a bit sweaty. "Well¡­ it may appear like that from the side, but we are not."


    Zaroth glanced at the ceiling. "That is true¡­" Then he abruptly shifted his gaze to hers. "But it can become one if you want."


    ''What is that fool talking about?!'' she wondered as her mind went into overdrive.


    ''I mean, I am a vampire, and he knows it¡ªhow could he suggest such a thing? But when it comes to him, he is unpredictable. He slaughtered a dozen Purifiers without showing any kind of remorse.''


    It was clear that Midnight was busy thinking, so Zaroth didn''t interrupt her as he took a sip of his coffee.


    ''Ah, causing chaos can be so much fun!''


    After a moment or two, Midnight asked, "It could become a date, but it''s not like you have any feelings for me, right?"


    Zaroth didn''t seem fazed as he answered, "No, I actually do."


    Midnight, not expecting this answer, widened her eyes as she stared at him, unable to respond.


    He chuckled a bit as he saw her expression and explained, "You see, I seem to be attracted to the dangerous, and few are as dangerous as you."


    "But¡­ you know what I am," she said, referring to the fact that she was a demon¡ªa vampire¡ªbut didn''t say it out loud since there were other people in the caf¨¦.


    "I do. That''s why I want you, Midnight," Zaroth spoke as he moved his hand closer to hers.


    She didn''t move it, letting him grasp it. Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "So, you know how I feel about you," he spoke, his voice steady. "But what about you? How do you feel?"


    She took a deep breath. ''This crazy bastard! I wasn''t expecting him to come out and say he liked me!''


    She was about to reject him but found it hard to say the words out loud.


    ''Why am I hesitating?!'' she cursed herself. She knew that she couldn''t trust a human, much less date one!


    ''...but he did indeed come to my rescue when there wasn''t anyone else I could ask. He even left without trying to learn some secrets about why I was hunted by both the Purifiers and my own kind at the same time.''


    Taking a deep breath, she met his gaze and spoke.


    "Sure then, let''s give this date a try."


    Zaroth smiled, trying to hide the fact that he was internally freaking out.


    ''Success!''


    After finishing their coffees, they decided to take a stroll through the park. It was currently the middle of the day, so the park was filled with people.


    Walking side by side, Zaroth hesitated for a moment but decided to push through the awkwardness anyway as he moved his hand and grasped Midnight''s.


    Her eyes seemed to widen for a moment, but she didn''t object as they continued their stroll through the park.


    "This isn''t what I thought it would be," she admitted.


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow. "How did you think it would be, then?"


    She hesitated for a moment before answering, "I''m not sure, as I haven''t really been on a date before, but I thought it would be more¡­ exciting?" It seemed that she was uncertain.


    ''Well, here goes nothing, I guess¡­'' Zaroth abruptly stopped and slowly put his hand behind her waist.


    She trembled for a moment as it seemed that he startled her. "What are you doing?"


    He slowly brought her closer. "You said you wanted excitement, right?"


    His lips approached hers. ''But isn''t this a little too fast?!'' she wondered, but surprisingly, she liked it when people were direct. As such, she didn''t move out of the way as their lips touched briefly.


    Zaroth felt his blood getting hotter the more he brought her closer and felt her body pressed tightly against his.


    As they were kissing quite provocatively in the middle of the park, some people gave them weird looks, but it seemed that neither Zaroth nor Midnight cared at the moment.


    After a few seconds, both of them pulled away as they took ragged breaths.


    Just by looking at Midnight''s red face, it was clear that he wasn''t the only one aroused.


    He was still pressing her tightly against him as he asked, "Do you want to finish this at my place?"


    Taking a few seconds to compose herself, Midnight asked, "Aren''t we moving abnormally fast?"


    Zaroth chuckled at the comment. "True¡­ but the both of us are abnormal by nature."


    Midnight smirked as she brought her face close to his ear. Parting her lips, she answered in the most alluring voice Zaroth had heard in his life, "Lead the way."


    *****


    ''Holy shit, it''s happening!'' Zaroth tried to calm down his wildly beating heart as he walked with quickened steps, Midnight not far behind him.


    ''I know I should have cleaned up the room before going out!'' Zaroth cursed himself as he reached the door of his apartment. His bracelet shined, and the door opened automatically.


    He and Midnight quickly entered.


    ''This is happening!'' he repeated in his head as he gazed at Midnight.


    Was it because she was a demon and not a human that she didn''t seem to mind them skipping a few steps in the dating process?


    ''Who gives a fuck?!'' Zaroth cast aside all doubts as he lost control of himself, picking up Midnight and bringing his lips to hers in a deep kiss. In response, she moved her legs and arms, wrapping them around him.


    Zaroth quickly walked toward his bed and laid her on it.


    In a second, she extended her nails, making them longer and sharper, as she tore his shirt, revealing his muscular physique that he had built over time at the academy.


    Even if they were moving fast, Zaroth didn''t mind in the slightest.


    Because today, he was becoming a man.

 Chapter 99: A Taste of the Forbidden

    Midnight tore his shirt in a second, revealing his muscular body.


    He did the same to her dress, revealing her breasts, but he didn''t stop to gaze as he pressed his naked torso against hers.


    In the blink of an eye, she had torn his pants away. As a result, both of them were naked in the embrace of one another.


    It seemed that as both of them were at that age, there wasn''t anything in the world that would be able to tear them apart in this very moment.


    Lifting his head up, Zaroth took ragged breaths as he looked at Midnight, who was doing the same. His member was on her abdomen moments before entering her.


    Unseen by both of them, the crimson symbol on the back of Zaroth''s hand suddenly appeared and shined, but because nobody was paying attention to the details, no one noticed.


    She wrapped her legs around him, making him unable to get away even if he tried, as she spoke,


    "What the fuck are you waiting for?! Do it!"


    Without needing to be told twice, he did just that.


    "Ahh," both of them moaned in unison, not expecting to feel this good.


    Zaroth brought down his head as they kissed deeply, using their tongues.


    He felt Midnight''s nails digging into his back. Thankfully, she had made them return to their human form, so they weren''t sharp enough to cause injury.


    And even if they had caused injury, Zaroth would have been able to ignore it, as he was too focused on Midnight.


    He wondered how he had lived his life for so long without ever experiencing that heavenly feeling.


    *****


    Zaroth and Midnight were lying on the bed as both of them stared at the ceiling, deep in thought.


    "I did it¡­" he muttered under his breath, as it took a long time to process the information.


    It was hard to believe, everything had happened so fast that it took some time to process. It suddenly made sense why Zaroth had heard before that young people rarely thought things through before acting on impulse.


    He and Midnight were living examples of that saying.


    "I can''t believe I slept with a human¡­" It seemed that Midnight was also stunned by her actions, so she needed a long time to collect her thoughts.


    "This certainly wasn''t what I expected to happen when I suggested you come and watch my fight in the tournament," he admitted.


    Midnight didn''t answer as she continued to be deep in thought.


    Weirdly enough, he didn''t feel the slightest amount of regret about sleeping with a demon. But what about her? He wondered.


    Zaroth sighed as he asked, "Do you regret it? That you slept with a human."


    It took her a moment to respond, "I¡­ no, at least I don''t think so. It just feels weird. All my life, I''ve been taught that humans are our enemy and have to be exterminated¡­ and I found myself sleeping with one. I have no idea how I should feel, honestly."


    "Well¡­ it is done already, so¡­" He shifted his gaze from her alluring naked body to his member that seemed to have regained its vigor. "There isn''t any harm in doing it again, is there?"


    Midnight scoffed as she heard his words. A second later, she got on top of him. "Sure, but this time, I''m on top." Her lips curved into a smile as her crimson eyes shined with the color of blood. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Zaroth didn''t respond as he put both of his hands on her thin waist.


    They were going for round two.


    *****


    The good news was that after the second round, they went for a third. As a result, it was completely accurate to say that Zaroth was sucked dry.


    The bad news¡­


    "It is broken¡­" Zaroth spoke in frustration as he used his hand to massage his eyebrows.


    "...It may be my fault, sorry about that," Midnight muttered under her breath in embarrassment.


    The bed was broken, and it was, in fact, entirely Midnight''s fault. It seemed the more excited she became, the more intensely she moved her body over Zaroth, and eventually, the bed couldn''t take it anymore, so it broke.


    As the bed was broken, they didn''t stop, as they continued doing their deed over the table, deciding to deal with the issue later.


    But unfortunately, that later was now.


    ''God dammit, this bed was so comfortable too! It would cost a fortune to fix it or buy a new one, and that money will have to come from Elysia¡­ how the heck do I explain a broken bed?!'' he wondered, and a moment later, shook his head.


    Putting a hand on Midnight''s naked shoulder, he spoke, "Don''t worry about it, it is my problem to fix."


    She was about to retort but couldn''t as Zaroth put his finger over her lips.


    A second later, she sighed, "If you say so¡­"


    As their date was done, and as Zaroth''s bed was broken¡ªmeaning Midnight couldn''t sleep here for the night¡ªshe was about to leave until she realized something.


    "Oh¡­"


    "What?" Zaroth raised an eyebrow.


    "My clothes¡­ we tore them, remember? So now I have nothing to wear."


    Zaroth was left speechless as there was now another problem to think about.


    ''We really didn''t think things through, did we?'' he cursed inwardly.


    In the end, he gave her a few of his clothes. Strangely enough, with her slender frame, they were too big for her. Yet, as Zaroth watched her in his oversized clothes, he felt an unexpected warmth, a comforting warmth that was hard to put into words.


    She left, so now he was sitting on a chair, looking at the broken bed and, at the same time, coming to terms with the fact that he had actually managed to sleep with someone¡ªa freaking vampire, no less!


    "There is no way this day gets any better!" he proclaimed with a smile, until he heard the system speak in his mind,


    [Silverfang evolution completed]


    He smiled darkly as his eyes shined brightly.


    "I guess there is indeed a way."

 Chapter 100: Broken Bed, Empty Wallet

    -----


    Zaroth: Good morning.


    Elysia: Why are you writing so early?


    Zaroth: I just have a question.


    Elysia: Then just come out and say it.


    Zaroth: You know the beds that are in the apartments, right? How much does one cost?


    Elysia: It depends on the class you are in. Since you''re in Class A, your bed would naturally be one of the most expensive ones. If we''re talking about a price, it would be around 25,000 credits.


    Zaroth: ¡­


    Elysia: Why are you asking? Wait¡­ you haven''t done anything to it, have you?


    Zaroth: Okay, then this is clearly a scam! There is no way it would break so easily if it was that expensive!


    Elysia: Are you telling me that you''ve broken your bed?


    Zaroth: ¡­


    Elysia: And let me guess¡ªyou''re now wondering where you''re going to get the money to fix the damages, so you contacted me.


    Zaroth: ¡­


    Elysia: This is a lot of money, and it seems you''ve grown accustomed to not worrying about money at all. If you want any, then you''ll have to earn it.


    Zaroth: Earn it how?


    Elysia: I have a job for you. If you manage to complete it, the reward will be more than enough to fix the bed or buy a new one. If you''re interested, you can find me in my office.


    -----


    Zaroth let out a sigh. "At least that went better than I thought it would."


    Stretching his body, he grinned. "Now let''s see how much you''ve changed, buddy."


    He flicked his fingers, and a second later Silverfang began to materialize. Zaroth also summoned Luna so both of them could inspect the changes Silverfang had gone through.


    Zaroth observed the wolf carefully. The beast was twice the size of an average wolf and had silver fur.


    But despite undergoing an evolution, Silverfang hadn''t experienced any noticeable changes in appearance, with the exception of looking a bit more alive as some of the wounds had healed. There was a chance that if someone saw him, they wouldn''t immediately think he was undead.


    "Wait, that''s not right," Zaroth muttered as he observed the wolf closer. The beast had gotten more muscular, so most likely, it was at least stronger than before.


    "Check the inside of his mouth," Luna advised, so Zaroth did just that.


    "Let''s see¡­ oh, shit!" Looking into the mouth of the beast startled Zaroth for a second.


    "Let me see again." His eyes narrowed as he examined the wolf''s mouth. Zaroth had never seen anything like this¡ªthe wolf had a second set of teeth behind the first ones. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    And these were all sharp, without exception.


    "So your bite will be even more devastating!" Zaroth concluded.


    "What about skills? Have you gotten any?"


    Silverfang tilted his head to the side in confusion, then opened his mouth and let out an ear-piercing howl. Zaroth was forced to take a few steps back as he covered his ears.


    "STOP!"


    A second later, the howling stopped. Silverfang had its tongue out, clearly happy with himself as he wagged his tail.


    "See, he does have a skill!" Luna teased as she looked at her master, who needed a few seconds to compose himself.


    "Okay, that''s good," he said as he approached Silverfang and patted the beast on the head.


    "Now I just wonder¡ªare you a Rare beast, or have you just become a stronger Uncommon? ¡­ But you did evolve, or at least that''s what the system called it, so maybe you are Rare."


    There was no way to say for certain, but one thing made Zaroth conclude that the beast had reached Rare rank, it was the amount of mana his core was losing trying to keep the beast active.


    ''Considering the amount I''m losing is close to ten times more than before, it must mean the beast has become Rare.''


    "Not bad," Zaroth said as he flicked his fingers and summoned the four wolves he had tamed in the forest. He was wondering how they were going to react to seeing Silverfang.


    The four slowly approached, sniffing him, then took a step back and froze as they lowered their heads¡ªalmost like they were bowing.


    Silverfang seemed proud of himself.


    ''Wait, did a hierarchy just get created in front of my very eyes?'' Zaroth wondered.


    But deciding it wasn''t worth worrying about, he desummoned all the wolves, leaving only Luna.


    "Good work. Getting stronger isn''t easy, but you seem to have a knack for it," she praised.


    "If you say so," he muttered as he shifted his gaze back to the bed.


    ''Really, how the hell does something this expensive get so easily broken?!'' he cursed internally.


    Luna approached from the side. "It''s a pity, isn''t it?"


    He raised an eyebrow. "How so?"


    She grinned slightly. "If you had done it with me, the bed wouldn''t be the only thing that broke¡ªthe floor would have as well."


    "I''m just going to ignore you," he replied, frustrated.


    "It doesn''t work like that when you''re naked," she commented.


    Zaroth was still naked after sleeping with Midnight, as he had to search for clothes that hadn''t been torn.


    "What does me being naked have to do with anything?" he asked.


    In reply, she grinned and pointed downward.


    Following her gesture, his eyes landed on his member. His expression darkened as he cursed, "Shit, I knew we should have gone for round four with Midnight."


    *****


    Taking a deep breath, Zaroth knocked on the door.


    "Enter," an emotionless voice came from the other side of the door.


    Not hesitating, he opened the door and went into the office. The first thing his eyes landed on was Elysia, who was calmly drinking coffee.


    "Sit," she spoke coldly, and he complied.


    A silence fell over the room as Zaroth awaited Elysia''s words.


    She remained silent for a few minutes before finally speaking. "How the hell did you break the bed?"


    Zaroth had tried to come up with a plan to answer, but Elysia always knew when someone lied, so there was no point in trying.


    "I followed your advice and tried to go for a woman my age, and this is the result," he admitted.


    Elysia''s expression didn''t change as she took a sip of her coffee.


    Feeling brave¡ªperhaps braver than he should¡ªZaroth asked, "Jealous?"


    She scoffed upon hearing his words. "Of what? You? You seem to greatly overestimate yourself."


    ''Pity¡­ I guess she isn''t,'' he concluded.


    "So, about that mission you were talking about¡­"


    She opened a drawer on her desk and took out a photo, which she then placed in front of him.


    "That guy¡ªfind information on what he''s doing, who he''s working with, and, if possible, bring me samples of his work."


    Zaroth took the photo and studied the man. He had black hair, a gray suit, a white shirt, and a tie, and was holding a suitcase.


    ''Wait, isn''t that the guy that offered me those pills before? I think I still have his business card.''


    "Sure, if that''s all that''s needed to complete the job. Do you know anything about him? Anything that could help me in my investigation?"


    Elysia sighed as she leaned back in her chair.


    "Nothing. The man is a mystery. Nobody even knows what his name is."


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow. "Then what should we call him?"


    "Even though he''s a mystery, some people have been talking about him. As such, they''ve given him a code name, The Salesman."

 Chapter 101: Step into the Unknown

    It''s not like Zaroth had much to do, so he decided to visit the address on the card.


    "Let''s recall what I know, I was clutching my head because it hurt, and then the man approached me and offered me the pills alongside the card." Even after recalling the information he knew, he realized that he didn''t really have much of an idea of what he should expect.


    "Well, if Elysia wants to look into it, it must mean that it is important, plus I really do need that money," he muttered.


    ''No seriously, it''s not like I was wasting money left and right!'' he thought.


    ''Are you sure about that? Do you even know how many times you''ve gone out to drink with Roran and Zack?'' Luna asked.


    At the question, he could only stay silent.


    ''Not only that, but it''s rare to see you try to save money at all!''


    ''Alright, alright, I guess I have become somewhat greedy in the past few months, but can you blame me? It''s not like I had any access to all these things before!'' he admitted.


    ''Listen, it''s fine if you want to get drunk with your friends, you''re young, so it''s not like you have any responsibilities, but just don''t be surprised if Elysia is reluctant to give you any more money. You can''t blame her for wanting you to work for your money from time to time!''


    Zaroth massaged his forehead. ''Okay, you''re right,''


    Making note that he should try to save the credits he gets from now on, he walked toward the address on the card.


    "But this place is quite far, if I must say so myself," he muttered as he walked in the streets.


    The more he got closer, the more the atmosphere seemed to get heavier. The surrounding streets were becoming dirtier, and the air was becoming harder to breathe.


    ''Is this supposed to be a poorer part of the capital?'' he asked himself.


    Soon after, he saw people wearing ragged clothes, their hair was dirty as they hadn''t washed in weeks, and they lay on the ground. Some were rifling through trash cans, searching for something.


    It was no doubt that Zaroth had entered the poor district of the capital.


    Looking at them, he couldn''t help but feel a bit nostalgic. Even if he had lived outside the cities for most of his life, his living conditions hadn''t been better. In fact, he''d probably had it worse, as he had to also take care of his sick mother.


    ''I don''t want to attract attention,'' he thought to himself as he quickened his steps.


    In this moment, he was glad that he wasn''t wearing the academy uniform, but cheap clothes that he had bought from the market before. They at least made it easier to blend in with the crowd.


    ''But to think that the address is somewhere here... There''s no doubt something shady is going on,'' he thought.


    After about a dozen minutes of walking, Zaroth stopped as his eyes widened in awe, and he looked up.


    He was in a poorer district of the capital, so most of the buildings were small, no more than one floor. But the building in front of him was at least five floors. Not only that, but it was clear that a lot of care was put into building it. It was made of stone and was decorated with beautiful premium wood.


    Shifting his gaze to the entrance, he saw a line of people waiting. One thing that he noticed was that all of them were clearly homeless.


    "Here goes nothing, I guess," he muttered as he joined the line.


    He slouched and ruffled his hair to blend in better with the others, as most of them had the same messy look.


    The line was quite big, as there were about 30 people waiting, so Zaroth thought it would take a long time for his turn to come. But¡­


    A scream was heard from the front, and one man was sent flying. He hit his head on a trash can and began to bleed. It seemed that he had gotten a concussion, as he wasn''t able to get up. Yet, curiously enough, nobody paid him any mind as they acted as though the man wasn''t slowly dying.


    Zaroth, of course, didn''t pay any attention to it either. What did that random homeless guy have to do with him?


    "NEXT!" a shout was heard from the front, and the line moved forward a bit.


    A few seconds later, a woman was thrown to the side.


    "NEXT!" another shout was heard, and the line moved again.


    ''At least it seems that I won''t have to wait a long time,'' he thought.


    A few minutes later, it was almost his turn. There was just one man in front of him.


    "Reason?" a bald, two-meter-tall man with broad shoulders, who guarded the entrance, spoke as he glanced at the homeless man in front of him.


    "I¡­ the pills, can I ge¡ª"


    "Do you have the money or the card?" the two-meter man interrupted.


    "No, but¡ª"


    Without hesitation, the bald man grabbed the person in front of Zaroth and threw him to the side.


    "NEXT!" he shouted as his gaze turned to Zaroth.


    Zaroth took a step forward. ''Okay, let''s see what happens now,'' he thought.


    "Do you have the money or the card?" the bouncer asked.


    Zaroth, moving slowly, picked up the business card from his pocket and handed it to the man.


    The bouncer took it and studied it. A second later, his eyes widened in both awe and confusion.


    "You¡­ how the hell did trash like you get a card like this?"


    ''Now, do I tell the truth or do I lie? No, there''s no point in lying. Seeing as he didn''t try to throw me to the side, it must mean that he''ll let me in,'' Zaroth thought. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "A man with a suitcase gave it to me," Zaroth spoke, looking at the ground as he made his voice sound uncertain. He was mimicking how the others had acted up until now.


    "Do not lie to me. The only one who can give you this car¡ª" the bouncer suddenly went silent.


    ''Did I do something wrong?'' Zaroth asked himself. Why did the bouncer go quiet?


    A faint echo of footsteps was heard from Zaroth''s side, and a moment later, a man was standing next to him. Because Zaroth still had his eyes on the ground, he wasn''t able to see how the man looked, but he could see that he was carrying a suitcase.


    "Gentlemen," the mysterious man spoke.


    "B-Boss!" the bouncer spoke in fear. "This guy has one of your cards!"


    There was a silence for a moment until Zaroth heard a voice, "My card? I don''t recall giving it to homeless¡­ hey, look at me."


    Following the command, Zaroth''s gaze fell on the man. A second later, his eyes widened¡ªthis was the salesman he was supposed to investigate.


    The salesman took a long look at Zaroth''s face. "Weren''t you a student of that academy?"


    Feeling it was the right thing to do, Zaroth nodded.


    The man smiled. His smile was cold, devoid of any emotion, almost like he was inhuman.


    "I managed to get a student hooked? Oh, this is great news!" the man proclaimed as he took a step forward.


    "Follow me," the salesman spoke, addressing Zaroth.


    He, in turn, took a step forward. It seemed that he had successfully infiltrated the building.

 Chapter 102: Unseen Flames

    Zaroth walked slowly behind the man as he entered the building.


    The first thing he noticed was the unpleasant smell that reached his nostrils.


    He had been witness to some horrific smells, but this one took the cake by a long shot. Zaroth had to force himself not to gag as he kept walking.


    The salesman in front of him seemed unbothered in the slightest as he peacefully walked forward.


    They were in a hallway with numerous black doors, each with a number of their own.


    Zaroth didn''t have time to count them as he quickly followed the man.


    The walls around them were painted red, the same color as blood. The floor was the same, with no carpet of any sort. The ceiling was painted black, similar to the doors themselves.


    ''From what I know, he thinks that I''ve taken those pills he gave me, so should I act as if I''m desperate for more?'' It didn''t take a genius to guess that these pills probably had some kind of addictive side to them. There was no other way to explain the amount of people waiting in line to enter the building.


    The man made a left turn, and so did Zaroth, who walked quietly behind him. They reached a staircase and quickly climbed it, only for Zaroth''s eyes to widen as he realized something.


    ''These stairs¡­ they only lead one floor up?'' This didn''t make sense. Just from looking at the building from the outside, it was clear there were five floors.


    ''Maybe there''s a separate staircase for each floor? If that''s the case, it means their security must be really tight here.''


    Unlike the first floor, which was empty, here there were a lot of rough-looking men with weapons in their hands. Though each one of them turned their gazes away when they saw the salesman.


    ''Is this security?'' Zaroth wondered.


    They quickly reached another staircase and climbed it as well. Now they were on the third floor. It was the same as the second but with increased security. The fourth floor had even more staff.


    But that all changed when they reached the final¡ªfifth¡ªfloor. The first thing that was different was that on the black doors, instead of numbers, there were golden stars. It wouldn''t be a lie to say that Zaroth wondered about the sudden change but didn''t ask questions.


    Not only that, but there was no security on this floor, and as such, it was quiet to an uncanny degree.


    Both of them stopped, and Zaroth''s eyes fell on a door that seemed to have neither a star nor a number on it.


    "We''re here," the salesman spoke as he shifted his gaze to Zaroth, who was still looking at the ground, pretending to be nervous.


    "Before we enter, I must ask you¡ªat that academy you go to¡­ what class are you?" the salesman asked with a friendly smile. Though Zaroth wasn''t easily fooled, as he caught a glimpse of the man''s hostility.


    He shifted his gaze to the man as he spoke, "Class A."


    The salesman''s smile grew even wider as he patted Zaroth on the shoulder. "Isn''t that something?"


    The man opened his suitcase and brought out a bottle of pills. "But you see, I like to be on the safer side. As such, before we enter, I want you to take one pill in front of me."


    Zaroth cursed inwardly. ''Goddammit! He''s the type of person I hate the most¡ªthe ones who always check to make sure they haven''t made a mistake! Fuck it, I''ve gone this far already, I''m not backing down!''


    "If that''s what you wish for," he spoke as he extended his arm.


    The man opened the bottle and placed a medium-shaped red pill on Zaroth''s hand.


    Zaroth took a deep breath before putting it in his mouth. ''I hope this works.''


    He wasn''t an idiot, so he wasn''t planning on swallowing it, as he had an idea. ''I just hope my gamble works¡­'' he thought. He wasn''t a person who usually liked to gamble, but sometimes there wasn''t another option.


    As Zaroth put the pill in his mouth, he used his skill, Firebreath, and breathed fire into his mouth. ''I just hope this doesn''t damage my mouth''s insides¡­''


    The pill inside his mouth disintegrated into nothingness, and surprisingly enough, his mouth didn''t hurt at all.


    He wondered why he hadn''t burned the inside of his mouth, but in a way, it made sense. The skill he was using worked thanks to his connection to Luna, and from what he knew, dragons couldn''t burn the insides of their mouths with their flames.


    After he successfully managed to destroy the pill, he shifted his gaze to the salesman, who was looking at him with doubt in his eyes.


    ''Oh yes, from his point of view, I swallowed the pill, so I should probably react somehow.''


    The problem was that Zaroth didn''t really know what the pill was supposed to do.


    ''Well, the first time we met, he offered them to me because my head hurt, so they could numb pain¡­ or maybe bring pleasure?''


    Deciding that he didn''t really have other options, he brought his head up and opened his mouth as he let saliva fall down. The only way to sell the act was to think of something pleasurable. As such, the only thing that came to mind was the night he''d spent with Midnight.


    It was kind of weird, staring into the ceiling as saliva poured down from his open mouth, but it seemed Zaroth had turned out to be a good actor.


    After a few minutes of staring into the ceiling, Zaroth closed his mouth and shifted his gaze to the salesman, who was watching patiently.


    "Two minutes¡­ You recover fast," the man spoke as he stored the bottle back into his suitcase and opened the black door.


    ''Success! I''m a genius!'' he thought proudly.


    ''I''m sorry to interrupt, but you do realize that you''ve infiltrated a heavily guarded building that seems to sell some kind of weird drugs just because you need money to fix the bed you broke after sleeping with a demon because you couldn''t hold it in your pants, right? Where is the genius in that?'' Luna spoke in his head, shattering his confidence in seconds. sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''It seems the women who know you best also know exactly where to strike when it hurts the most,'' Zaroth thought, stepping into the room the salesman was leading him toward.


    The first thing he noticed was a disgusting energy that seemed to radiate from an older man who was curiously looking out from the window.


    The man had his back to Zaroth, yet he felt like he was being watched from multiple places. Just looking at the old man made his skin crawl, and his instincts screamed at him that he was in danger.


    ''What the hell is this? I can barely breathe!'' Zaroth cursed inwardly. How could a human give off such repulsive, disgusting energy? he wondered.


    ''Zaroth¡­'' Luna''s voice, which echoed in his mind, sounded serious, and in response, Zaroth''s muscles tightened, expecting bad news.


    ''That thing¡­ that thing isn''t a human. It''s just wearing the skin of one.''


    Zaroth cursed inwardly. It seemed he had bitten off much more than he could chew.

 Chapter 103: A Meeting of Monsters

    David''s steps created small echoes as he quickly walked forward. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I hate this place so much!" he couldn''t help but curse as he saw the dozens of homeless people on the ground. Some were begging for money, while others were ravaging trash cans for scraps.


    "It would be so good if this trash disappeared off the face of the earth," David tried not to pay them much attention as he didn''t want to get too angry.


    He felt a cold hand tapping his back as he heard a cold voice.


    "That is a harsh way to speak about the less fortunate, you know?" There was no need to turn around to see who was talking.


    He scoffed at the words of the Spectral Warden.


    "For a cursed being, you seem to be awfully focused on playing a nice guy."


    The being behind him laughed out loud, its laugh echoing across the dirty streets, yet nobody except David was able to hear or see it.


    "Me? A nice being? You seem to have gotten funnier over time. You know everything I do or say is with the intention of slowly driving you insane."


    ''I''ve been insane for a long time, you piece of shit,'' David thought as he quickened his steps.


    "Why is it that I''m always needed when it''s most inconvenient for me?" he wondered but decided not to dwell on the issue.


    Taking a left turn, David''s gaze fell on a building much taller than the ones around it, towering at at least five floors.


    "Let''s get this over with already," he muttered as he skipped the line waiting to enter.


    "Hey, who the fuck do you think you are to go ahead of us?" a man with bloodshot eyes and foam dripping from his mouth grabbed David''s hand as he shouted at him.


    "Did this trash just dare to touch me?" David spoke, his voice full of hostility.


    The next second, the man who had grabbed David''s hand was beheaded, his body falling lifelessly to the ground as blood poured like a fountain.


    A few people were staring at the exchange, needing a second or two to process that a man had just been beheaded before them. David''s movements were so fast that nobody even saw them.


    Ignoring the scream of the woman behind the beheaded man, David walked forward until he reached the entrance of the building.


    The two-meter-tall, bald bouncer glanced at David and hurriedly moved aside to make space.


    "Sir! The bo¡ªboss is already inside!" the bouncer stuttered in fear.


    "Good. At least I won''t have to waste a lot of time here," David mused as he quickly walked forward, approaching the first staircase.


    "Why does it always smell so fucking bad here?!" he couldn''t help but curse as he pinched his nose with his hand.


    Reaching the second floor, he quickly walked as all the security guards shivered when their gazes fell on David.


    After going through all the floors, he was finally at the last one, in front of the black door.


    "Let''s just get this over with," he muttered as he opened the door without hesitation.


    Just as expected, there was the salesman sitting comfortably in his chair.


    That thing, which seemed to be wearing human skin, was staring from the window, looking unresponsive as always.


    But David saw a third person, which was something he didn''t expect.


    It was a man on the shorter side with white hair and green cat-like eyes.


    ''A dragon descendant?'' David wondered as he glanced at the man.


    Why was this person here? Why wasn''t he informed?


    ''Wait¡­ wasn''t the winner of the hunting competition¡ªthe one that got a higher score than my team¡ªsaid to have white hair and eyes similar to this? No, I can''t jump to conclusions yet. There are millions of people in the capital. There are bound to be people that look alike.''


    "David," the cursed being spoke, but this time its voice didn''t contain even the slightest trace of amusement.


    "That man with the white hair¡ªwhat is he staring at?"


    The white-haired man was staring at David, who had just entered¡ªthat much was certain. But why did the Spectral Warden suddenly sound so serious?


    "No, he isn''t staring at you. Look where his eyes are focused."


    David did just that and realized the white-haired man wasn''t staring at him but behind him¡­ Why could he see something behind him?


    ''This man can see my Spectral Warden?'' David thought as his purple eyes shined. If this was the truth, then he had just met an exceptional individual.


    *****


    ''Luna, what the fuck is that?!'' Zaroth asked Luna. The moment he heard the doors behind him open, a man entered. But the thing that concerned him the most was that there was something behind the man. It was a dark creature, several meters in length, with three hollow eyes.


    And that thing was quietly staring at Zaroth while he stared at it.


    ''Don''t look! That thing must be part of the man''s class! Don''t show that you can see it!'' Luna warned.


    Zaroth quickly averted his gaze, feeling his heart rate increase. He had stared at the being, and that being had stared back at him.


    ''Is this supposed to be invisible or something? Then why did I see it? Is it because I''m connected to death or something?'' his mind raced.


    ''The only thing that comes to mind is to try and play it off!''


    "You''ve taken your sweet time getting here," Zaroth heard the salesman behind him address the purple-eyed man who had just entered the room.


    Zaroth shifted his gaze to the thing wearing human skin.


    On one side was the salesman, on the other the thing pretending to be human, and on the third a man with some kind of cursed creature behind him.


    Zaroth was currently on his guard around all these individuals, all of whom made his instincts scream at him to run away.


    ''This bed and its cost turned out to be so much more than I expected¡­'' he couldn''t help but curse in his mind.

 Chapter 104: A Game of Deception

    There was an unsettling silence in the room, as a drop of sweat fell down Zaroth''s forehead.


    He took a deep breath, calming down his wildly beating heart.


    ''Relax,'' he tried to reassure himself.


    ''In the worst-case scenario, I can summon Luna, and Silverfang has recently evolved, making him stronger. Not to mention that I have four other wolves at my disposal, and I myself have become significantly stronger.''


    Zaroth knew that in the worst-case scenario, Luna could cause a distraction while he managed to run away in safety.


    Coming to that conclusion, he managed to calm down. It seemed that he really was a good actor, as it didn''t take him more than a second.


    The purple-eyed man sighed as he stepped forward.


    "I took my time getting here? You piece of shit, you''re the one that called me out of the blue, saying we need to gather," the man spoke as he shifted his gaze to Zaroth.


    "And? Who is this fella, and why is he here? Don''t tell me some bullshit like we have one more member."


    The salesman smiled as he leaned back in his chair. "He is here because I think he would be valuable."


    The purple-eyed man scoffed. "Really? And how did you come to that conclusion?"


    The salesman''s smile disappeared as he abruptly stood up. "David¡­ David¡­ David¡­" the man sounded angry.


    Zaroth noted that the purple-eyed man was named David.


    The salesman stopped an arm''s length away from reaching David, as he spoke, his voice devoid of any emotion. "Of all the people in the world¡­ you dare doubt my judgment?"


    Suddenly, the air in the room became heavier¡­ literally heavier. Zaroth''s lungs felt like they were burning as he gasped, trying to breathe in air.


    ''What the fuck is that power?!'' he cursed in his mind.


    After a few seconds, David looked away as he scoffed. "When did I say I doubted your judgment? I just wanted to know what makes you believe that he will be useful."


    A few seconds passed, and the salesman took a step back as he sighed. "I see. Make yourself clearer in the future."


    Zaroth was able to take a deep breath as he asked Luna, ''I don''t think there''s a point in asking, but how strong is that guy?''


    Luna took a moment to respond. ''He is weaker than Elysia but not by a lot. I really recommend you don''t mess with him and get the fuck out of here as soon as possible.''


    Zaroth gulped audibly, hearing Luna''s response, but didn''t show it on his face.


    "Well, you see¡­" the salesman spoke as he sat back in his chair, "first, he is a student of that academy, even in Class A."


    David raised an eyebrow. "Of what academy?"


    The salesman sighed in clear disappointment. "The one that Elysia controls."


    David''s eyes widened for a moment. "Oh, that bitch?"


    Zaroth took a deep breath. For some reason, hearing someone insult Elysia so casually made his blood boil, but he decided not to act on his anger now, as it would be unwise.


    ''Oh, I''m definitely killing you in the future, David,'' Zaroth thought.


    "Well, not only that, but he also took a pill in front of me," the salesman added.


    David raised an eyebrow. "And?"


    The salesman smiled widely as he explained, "Two minutes, and he was good as new."


    David''s eyes widened in awe. "Two minutes¡­ but isn''t the usual lasting effect a day?"


    The salesman''s grin didn''t disappear as he leaned back in his chair. "Yes, and yet it only took him two minutes. Do you see now why I think he is going to be valuable?"


    Meanwhile, Zaroth was silently listening to their conversation.


    ''A day? Did he give me that pill, planning to watch me stare at the ceiling for a whole fucking day?! Oh, great. Now it seems like I''ve come across as someone who has a high resistance to their pills''


    Despite not enjoying that fact, Zaroth had also learned valuable information, their hideout, the building''s structure, these three individuals who seemed vastly powerful, and the lasting effect of these pills.


    ''I think this counts as a job well done. Now the only thing left is to get a sample and get the hell out of here, preferably in one piece!''


    "I''m sorry," he spoke, staring at the ground with a timid voice. "I came here because you said that you will give me more of these pills. If that is okay with you, can you give them to me so I can excuse myself? I don''t want to intrude in your conversation any further¡­"


    ''Holy shit! I''m an incredible actor!'' At this moment, there wasn''t a single doubt in Zaroth''s mind that he had portrayed the vision of a person addicted to these pills.


    The salesman shifted his gaze to Zaroth. A moment later, he threw a bottle containing pills at him.


    Zaroth managed to catch it in time.


    ''He is giving me one, just like that? If that''s the case, shouldn''t I try to press for more? It''s possible that there are multiple types of pills. After all, Elysia could give me even more credits if I bring them to her.''


    "Um¡­ do you have anything stronger?" he asked.


    The salesman looked at Zaroth with curiosity.


    He coughed awkwardly. "I mean¡­ you saw that the pills only work for two minutes, right? Don''t you have anything stronger?"


    The man sighed as he threw another pill at Zaroth, but this one was much redder. It was darker, with the same color as blood.


    "Thank you!" Zaroth bowed.


    ''Okay, he might have given them to me, but there''s no doubt he will want something in return¡­''


    "If that is all, you are free to leave." Zaroth''s eyes widened in confusion as he heard the salesman''s words.


    He wasn''t an idiot. Even if he doubted the salesman''s words, Zaroth wasn''t going to let the chance pass by. He quickly left the room, and surprisingly, nobody stopped or interrupted him


    David raised an eyebrow as he turned toward the salesman. "Are you serious? You just gave them to him and let him go?"


    The man stood up and approached a shelf as he took out a bottle containing old whiskey.


    He poured himself a cup of it and took a sip.


    "I mean¡­ I had to," he spoke casually.


    Seeing the confusion on David''s face, the man explained.


    "Did you actually buy that? That he was able to take the pill and be effective for only two minutes?"


    "No, I assumed you had some kind of scheme going on, so I didn''t speak with the man."


    The salesman glanced at his reflection in his cup. "He was sent here, most likely from Elysia herself¡­"


    David''s eyes widened in disbelief. "What?! And you just let him go? After giving him the pills?!"


    The salesman chuckled. "Do not forget the emperor''s orders, David. Killing him here would only bring trouble."


    Frustrated that the man wasn''t planning to share more info, David sat on one of the chairs as he crossed one leg.


    "But¡­ I must say, I am quite disappointed," the salesman admitted.


    David raised an eyebrow. "How so?"


    "If Elysia has sent him here, then it must mean that she trusts him enough to do that¡­ but he was weak, too weak. And yet, she relied on him, so her situation must be worse than we thought." S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    David let out a long sigh. "Or maybe he''s a tamer, a summoner, or someone who manipulates spirits? If his class allows him to do one of those things, we wouldn''t be able to sense his true strength just by looking at him."


    "That may be true¡­ but usually, the people that rely on summons have weak summons as well. Honestly, I struggle to imagine how the boy could present a threat to us¡­"


    The salesman chuckled. "I guess he could only if he has something truly strong¡ªlike a dragon. But what are the chances of that?"


    "Okay, let''s cut the crap. What is the actual reason you asked me to come here?" David asked with a hint of frustration in his voice as he shifted his gaze to the thing wearing human skin that was still watching outside the window, unbothered.


    The salesman sighed as he put the cup on the table.


    "Yes, there has been a change of plans, actually."

 Chapter 105: Silent Calculations

    Zaroth quickly walked back from where he had come from. When he was following the salesman, he had paid attention to where he was going, as such, he remembered the way.


    Reaching the staircase, he quickly and silently descended to the fourth floor.


    There were about a hundred personnel, all armed to the teeth, who glanced at Zaroth, but most likely remembering that he had gone up with their boss and returned alive, all of them shuddered and looked away.


    Zaroth descended the floors one by one and finally reached the bottom floor, where he came out of the entrance.


    He knew that openly carrying the bottle could spell disaster, as there were a lot of people addicted to these pills, so he hid the bottle in his pocket.


    Trying to blend in with the crowd, he quickly left the area, without stopping his quickened steps.


    ''Luna, do you feel anything?'' he was referring to if somebody was following them.


    After a second of silence, she replied, ''No, nobody is following us.''


    Zaroth grimaced, he knew that there was something he was missing. There wasn''t a possibility that he hadn''t been given the pills without having to give back something in return.


    ''Have they discovered that Elysia has sent me? But if they did, why didn''t they kill me? Not only that, but they gave me the pills without wanting anything in return¡­''


    It seemed that Zaroth was kept in the dark about a lot of things, which wasn''t something he liked, but it''s not like he could do something about it.


    ''Whatever, let''s just report back to Elysia.''


    He could have gone straight for the academy but felt a bit paranoid, as such, he walked in circles for some time, until he was absolutely sure that even if somebody was following him, he would have managed to get rid of them.


    *****


    He took a deep breath as he glanced at the door, Room 13/13¡ªElysia''s office.


    Without further ado, he knocked.


    There was silence for some time, until he heard an emotionless voice, "Enter."


    Zaroth did just that. First thing his gaze landed on was the mounting paperwork on the desk. The room gave off the pleasant aroma of coffee, so it was easy to conclude that Elysia had already drunk several.


    She glanced at him as she motioned with her finger for him to sit.


    Sitting across from her, he had to calm down his heart, as for some reason, seeing Elysia overworked, her eyes becoming even darker than usual, made him feel his blood heat up.


    She let out a sigh as she leaned back in her chair, "It hasn''t been a day, and you are back? Did you give up?"


    At her question, Zaroth grinned as he took out a bottle and put it on the table.


    Elysia raised an eyebrow as she took it.


    The bottle had three pills that seemed reddish in color and one that was significantly darker than the rest.


    She took a moment or two to inspect it, then placed it back on the table as she put one leg over the other and smiled. "I am listening."


    Was she smiling because she was getting a break from her mountain of work, or was she happy with the progress Zaroth had made?... Or maybe she was just happy to see him?


    Disregarding the useless thoughts, he began to explain everything in as much detail as possible.


    The building, the line, the interior of the building and the doors, the three individuals, how he had been given the pills, and more.


    Once he was done, he leaned back and awaited her judgment.


    After a moment, she sighed as she got up and approached him.


    He didn''t move as he watched her movements.


    The next second, his eyes widened as he felt her delicate hand on his head, playing with his hair.


    "Good work," she spoke with an alluring voice.


    ''There is no way this isn''t some form of manipulating, fuck!'' he cursed as he felt his body getting even hotter.


    Trying to hide his raging emotions, he asked, "Um¡­ about the credits?"


    A second later, his bracelet shined.


    [You have received a transfer of 30,000 credits.]


    His body got goosebumps as he looked at the amount, this was some serious money!


    Taking a moment to compose himself after seeing the money he had acquired, he spoke.


    "If that is all, am I free?"


    She motioned with her finger, letting him know that he could indeed leave.


    Watching his back as he left, Elysia sat back in her chair and shifted her gaze to the pills, her mind recalling what Zaroth had explained.


    "A man with an invisible cursed being behind him, something wearing human skin, the salesman that seemed to command them both¡­ and the emperor," she leaned back in her chair.


    "On an individual level, they shouldn''t pose a threat, but if they combine forces, it could turn out quite bothersome¡­" she couldn''t help but let out a chuckle.


    "Thankfully, I have Zaroth. As long as I play my cards right, and give him a reason to, he could eliminate a few of the obstacles."


    She spun the bottle on her finger, deep in thought. ''But if he manages to find a way to release his lust, it could spell disaster¡­ Should I advance more?... No, there is no point. If he didn''t want me anymore, he wasn''t going to mention that he had spent the night with a woman trying to see if I would get jealous,'' S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A menacing smile found itself on her face. "So he wants multiple women at the same time?... Fine, do what I need you to, and you can do everything you want, Zaroth."


    She opened the bottle and took one of the pills.


    "From his story, it''s quite clear that they saw through his attempt at disguise yet let him go. It seemed that there are aspects of their plan that I have yet to grasp¡­ No matter, it will all end in the way I wish to."

 Chapter 106: A Bed of Titanium

    ''So now are you going to fix the bed or buy¡ª''


    ''I will buy a new one!'' Zaroth interrupted Luna as he headed to the store.


    It was better to buy something entirely new rather than fixing it, and even if he did fix it, there was the possibility that it would break again, so he opted to buy a new, tougher one.


    "Wow," he couldn''t help but mutter as he entered the store. This one was made specifically for selling beds and mattresses, and such it had hundreds, if not thousands, of different options.


    He mentally prepared himself as he headed to one. Elysia had said that the bed he had cost 25,000 credits, so he wondered how much these would cost.


    "...hm? That can''t be right," he muttered as he glanced at the prices of a few.


    "Why are they so cheap?" he wondered.


    By cheap, he meant that he had expected the price to have one more zero at the end, and yet they did not.


    "No¡­ she wouldn''t have," he spoke with a hint of irritation in his voice as he messaged Elysia.


    -----


    Zaroth: Is it true that the bed I broke costs 25,000 credits?


    Elysia: Who told you that?


    Zaroth: You did!


    Elysia: Oh, yeah, sorry, I meant to say 2,500 credits.


    Zaroth: ¡­


    -----


    "So she really said that it cost this much just to mess with me, huh?" he muttered with frustration.


    Even if he couldn''t be sure, he suspected that Elysia had played a game on him or had done it just to ensure that he would accept the mission she would give him.


    "Forget it, let''s just get the bed and get the fuck out of here."


    He spent an hour looking at the different beds on display. After that, he came to a conclusion.


    "Okay, I have no idea what I need, so I will just ask the staff."


    Approaching a man wearing a blue shirt, Zaroth spoke.


    "Hello, I want to buy a bed."


    The blue-shirted man shifted his gaze to Zaroth as he smiled, "Sure, is there something specific that you want?"


    Zaroth scratched his chin. ''Specific... well, I will want it to be good quality so it doesn''t break again... and Luna did say that if I did it with her, not only the bed but the floor would crumble as well, which is something that I would rather avoid¡­''


    "Do you have reinforced ones?"


    The blue-shirted man raised an eyebrow. "Yes, we do. Depending on the materials, the tougher the bed will be."


    "What is the toughest material you have?" Zaroth asked.


    The man laughed awkwardly. "Well, to be honest with you, sir, they are kind of overkill. You wouldn''t want it unless you''re going into some kind of warzone."


    Zaroth smirked, remembering Midnight. ''Oh, I am going into a warzone alright.''


    "Don''t worry about the price, just answer the question."


    The man scratched the back of his head. "Well, the toughest bed we have has a reinforced frame with titanium, as well as part of its components. While it will probably be impossible to break, you have to keep in mind the huge price¡ª"


    "I''m buying it," Zaroth spoke with a smile.


    *****


    It took about a day or two to set everything up and bring it to his room, now he was looking at a reinforced bed made out of mostly titanium that also had a very appealing look.


    On it was the most expensive mattress that Zaroth could find, but just the moment you lay in it and feel the softness around your body made it worth every credit.


    In the end, this bed had cost him almost 20,000 credits, but this was certainly worth it as he didn''t want to repeat what happened the night he slept with Midnight.


    "And speaking about Midnight¡­" he activated his bracelet as he messaged her.


    -----


    Zaroth: Hey.


    Midnight: What is it?


    Zaroth: Nothing, just wanted to contact you. Oh, and by the way, I bought a new bed. This one is from titanium, so it will not break.


    Midnight: I see, good for you.


    Zaroth: ¡­


    Zaroth: Do you perhaps want to test it out?


    Midnight: Not a chance.


    Zaroth: Come on! We did it once¡­ thrice already, what''s one more time? S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Midnight: We did it because that time I wasn''t thinking clearly¡­ probably. Anyway, we''re not doing it again!


    Zaroth: Do you perhaps want to go on a date first?


    -----


    Zaroth waited a few minutes, but Midnight didn''t respond. It seemed that she wasn''t in the mood for dates.


    He collapsed on the bed. "Is she feeling guilty about breaking the bed? Or is it some other reason?"


    He put a hand on his forehead. "Oh, I''ll think about it some other time."


    Remembering that he hadn''t gone out with Roran and Zack in some time, Zaroth got the idea to message them.


    "Wait!" Luna, who Zaroth had summoned a long time ago, stopped him, shifting her gaze from Silverfang as she was playing with his fur.


    "Are you about to message your friends about going out?" she asked.


    "Yes, is there a problem?" he responded.


    Luna sighed as she spoke. "Before going to that place where they gave out the pills, didn''t we talk about how you were going to try and save some money and not blow it all out on dumb stuff?"


    Zaroth massaged the back of his head. "Yeah, I think we did talk about something like that, like I have to save the money and not blow it all out."


    She smiled proudly. "Great, so what have you learned?"


    He returned her smile with a smile of his own. "That I am living for my desires, and right now, I am desiring to get drunk with my friends."


    He answered and immediately sent a message to the group chat asking if the others agreed with him.


    It seemed that Zaroth had yet to learn his lesson.


    But at the same time, he had yet to celebrate that he had managed to sleep with a breathtaking vampire, so who could blame him?

 Chapter 107: Round 5

    "Yes! Then the bed broke so I had to go and buy one that was reinforced with titanium!" Zaroth spoke as he brought the cup to his mouth.


    Zack patted him on the shoulder. "You turned out to be quite the player!"


    Roran raised an eyebrow. "But why are you reluctant to speak about her or how she looks?"


    Lily nudged him with her elbow. "Leave the man alone! If he doesn''t want to get into specifics, who are we to complain?"


    Zaroth was at the bar with his friends, and they weren''t worried about the cost, buying the most expensive alcohol they had.


    Today, they were going to celebrate after all!


    He was currently describing the night he had spent with Midnight and the bed he bought, as he concealed the important information. Things like that she was a vampire and that he had to infiltrate a building selling some kind of pills just to get the money for the bed.


    "Anyways, what about you guys?" he asked as he shifted his gaze to them. "How is the tournament going?"


    "Is there a point in even asking? We have proceeded to the fifth round," Roran proclaimed as he put the cup to his mouth, only to realize that it was already empty.


    "Yeah, at least until now, it has been surprisingly easy," Lily spoke as she tried to hide a smirk, looking at Roran and how he was staring at his empty cup.


    "Unfortunately, that will soon change. The more participants fall out, the tougher it will become," Zack spoke.


    "That''s true, and we won''t have much time to prepare, since they''ll probably want to rush through the earlier rounds until they reach the tenth, after which they''ll be held in the grand arena. Those rounds will likely be like national events," Zaroth theorized.


    Roran scoffed, "Yeah, just imagine the money the emperor would make when he starts charging the audience for tickets if they want to enter and watch the fights."


    The night was still young, so they ordered even more drinks. In the end, there was a massive fight in the bar that left dozens of people injured, but that was a story for another time.


    *****


    Waking up with a smile, Zaroth sat on his expensive bed. He had never felt this good after waking up. "The money I spent on you is certainly worth it," he chuckled as he got up to take a shower.


    A few days passed, with nothing noteworthy happening, until one night Zaroth received a message.


    His eyes shined as a dark smile found itself on his face. "So the fifth round is tomorrow¡­"


    That night he went to bed early with the intention of being as fresh as possible the next day.


    Waking up, the first thing he did was message Midnight.


    -----


    Zaroth: My fifth fight would be today. Would you like to come?


    Midnight: Why should I? I already went once, didn''t I? Or do you just want me to shout in your support as before?


    Zaroth: No, it''s just that you being there would lift my spirits.


    Midnight: ¡­


    Midnight: Ugh, fine, I will come, but don''t expect what happened last time to happen again.


    -----


    Zaroth grinned. "Well, she seems in a good mood today."


    ***** Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Walking in the arena, the first thing Zaroth noticed was that there was more audience than last time.


    Before there were about a dozen people, but now there were dozens.


    "And this is just the fifth round. Imagine how much traction the later ones will get¡­" he muttered under his breath as he searched for a specific person in the audience.


    It didn''t take long to find the striking woman with crimson eyes and hair.


    "Midnight¡­ so she came," he whispered as he felt his body get hotter, but a second later, he shook his head.


    "Now isn''t the time for fantasies, Zaroth," he muttered as he glanced at his opponent.


    A bald man, wearing a yellow robe, stood in front of him. The man held a long wooden staff in both hands.


    "Is this guy a monk?" Zaroth raised an eyebrow. He didn''t have much experience fighting against opponents using this kind of weapon, but everything had its first, so taking a deep breath, he tightened the grip on his spear and got into a battle stance.


    "Okay, let''s see what you got," his eyes narrowed like a hunter as he dashed forward.


    *****


    ''I am not sure how to feel,'' Midnight quietly observed the fight in front of her.


    Every time her gaze fell on Zaroth or her thoughts drifted to him, she felt a mixture of emotions.


    On one hand, she was very attracted to him. In the beginning, she wondered what the reason for that was, as it didn''t make sense she fell so fast for him.


    After some time pondering the question, she came to the conclusion that it was because she trusted him. Enough to make a deal with him¡­ even if she didn''t have much choice due to his dragon, but also because he was the only person that she could ask for help when she was in a pinch. He could have easily ignored her request, but he came to her rescue.


    Midnight couldn''t remember the last time she had received help from somebody, she was always alone, fighting against military forces¡­ but that changed when he suddenly appeared. Being able to have a person she could rely on seemed to make her feel attraction towards him.


    But on the other hand, she was a vampire¡ªa demon. So she had been taught to dislike humans.


    Even if she felt attracted to Zaroth, enough that she had even slept with him, at the same time she felt hatred and disgust, as she had been taught from a young age to feel that way.


    Even if she knew she should throw these emotions aside, it wasn''t easy, especially since these lessons had been the things that helped her survive for so long. Don''t trust anybody, especially not humans.


    As such, she wanted some time away from him so she could properly think her thoughts through.


    ''Do I want to try and advance our relationship, or do I put a stop to it?'' It was clear that Zaroth felt attracted to her, as he had invited her to his bed¡ªquite boldly, at that¡ªusing a message.


    "Ugh! I don''t know!" Midnight muttered in frustration as she massaged her head and took a deep breath.


    "Why are feelings so complicated?!"


    Her thoughts were interrupted as the audience burst into cheers.


    Midnight shifted her gaze back to the arena. There were large chunks of rock that had been thrown at the walls of the arena. It seemed that the monk''s class had something to do with controlling the earth.


    He must have been a tough opponent¡­ and yet he was on the ground, clutching his side, as there was a wound close to his ribs from which blood was pouring.


    Meanwhile, Zaroth, bleeding from his forehead, as he had taken a hit square in the head from one of the rocks the monk had sent, seemed unfazed as he was waving happily at Midnight.


    The fifth round was over.

 Chapter 108: Tears in the Dark

    "Not too shady, eh?" Zaroth asked as he flashed a smile at Midnight.


    She nodded silently.


    He had managed to get her to agree to take a short stroll through the park after the tournament''s fight, so both of them were currently enjoying the clean air


    "Hey, if you are free, we can -"


    "Actually I am busy today so I can''t, sorry," Midnight cut him off before he could even finish the sentence.


    He raised an eyebrow, "Is it because you are wondering if you should see me?"


    Her face got a bit red, "I mean, when I am with you I''m not sure how to feel."


    Zaroth sighed as he glanced at the sky, "It''s okay, I get it. I am not a demon, so I can only imagine what perception you have of humans, since your childhood."


    She laughed weakly, "Well, let''s say we haven''t been taught to see humans in a positive light¡­"


    Zaroth took a deep breath before speaking, "But there is something I want to know. Why are you here? Why aren''t you in one of the continents that is ruled by the demons?"


    Midnight glanced at the sky. "Let''s just say that I''m not needed anywhere. I''m here until I accomplish what I have set out to do, and then I will most likely leave."


    The next second, she was startled as she felt Zaroth''s hand gently gripping hers. She pushed past the embarrassment as she asked, "What are you doing?"


    "Don''t speak like that," he answered her firmly, "You are needed here, I need you."


    She scoffed, "What? We sleep once and you suddenly can''t live without me or something?"


    "No, but I have slept with you because I find you attractive, because I like your company. This just means that I need you. Just like I would prefer if my friends stay in my life, I would prefer if you stay here too."


    She was left speechless as she slowly pulled her hand away.


    "I-I see, I want a little time to sort out my thoughts."


    He gave her a smile, "Sure, as long as you need to."


    They parted ways as Zaroth headed to his apartment.


    ''I have to be honest, I''m surprised,'' Luna''s voice echoed in his head.


    He raised an eyebrow, ''What is it?''


    ''Honestly? You seemed like the type of man that if you managed to sleep with a woman, you would lose all interest towards her. So I''m surprised that you still care so much about Midnight.''


    Zaroth scoffed, ''There are a lot of reasons. First, she is a demon¡ªa vampire¡ªand it wouldn''t hurt to have a demon close to me, but this is just the second reason. The biggest reason is that I just genuinely like her, maybe because she is dangerous? I don''t know, I just know that I desire for her to be close to me.''


    Luna scoffed, ''Do you feel the same way towards Elysia? What about the queen? What about me?''


    Was she jealous, or was she testing him for something? sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Zaroth shifted his gaze to the sky, ''All of these individuals are unique, and I like them for their unique aspects. They cannot be compared. Just know that I desire all, so I will simply take it all.''


    ''That is a good mindset,'' Luna responded, which caught Zaroth by surprise.


    ''Is it? Wouldn''t some people call it selfish?''


    ''Zaroth, this is selfish, probably the selfish thing a human can want. I mean seriously? So many women?'' Her voice seemed to carry a hint of amusement.


    ''But that is when it comes to the ordinary people, you are far from ordinary. You¡­ We will kill the gods, and only an extremely selfish individual who isn''t thinking about anything else but himself would have a hope of achieving that.''


    "I guess if you look at it that way, it can be considered a good mindset," he muttered as a smile found its way onto his face.


    Zaroth felt grateful to Luna. While it seemed that a lot of the times she would tease him for her own amusement¡­ which certainly was often. When he found himself in doubt, she was always the first one to show support. Saying exactly what she needed to boost his mood.


    ''I really am lucky¡­ I have to thank Luna, somehow¡­ something that she would enjoy¡­'' he thought.


    ''Luna is there something you want?''


    ''Yes, become stronger, so in turn, I can become stronger,'' she answered without hesitation.


    He smirked, "So it all comes down to strength, huh?"


    Once he went back to his apartment, he was going to train again.


    *****


    Looking at the dozen bodies on the ground, Midnight felt so many emotions, sadness, guilt, regret.


    Each one of these vampires had once been her friend, vampires that she would spend time with, chat with.


    Pain, rage, vengeance.


    And yet it was taken by her? By these humans?


    She felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking back, she saw her grandmother.


    Despite being hundreds of years old, she was breathtakingly beautiful. Even though Midnight was only 8 years old at the time, she was instantly able to tell that her grandmother was a beauty¡­ a beauty that possessed immense strength, she had Ancient Blood, after all.


    "Why did they do that? Why did they attack us?" Midnight asked, unable to contain her tears.


    "Because we are demons," her grandmother spoke as she used her hand to brush off Midnight''s tears from her face.


    Then she extended her finger to a man that had been tied up and was unable to move as he watched the two vampires in horror.


    "And because they are humans," her voice became colder, more menacing¡ªemotionless.


    "So just because we are different, they attacked us? They killed so many of us?"


    Her grandmother closed her eyes as she placed her hand on Midnight''s head.


    "Dear¡­ the truth is, at least about us vampires, is that we are not that different from the humans¡­ in fact, there is only one difference between us two, and yet that difference was enough to attack us."


    "What is it? That difference?"


    Her grandmother looked at the sky, "I can''t tell you yet¡­ but honestly, it''s negligible at best¡­ and yet that difference was enough to make the humans so hostile towards us."


    Midnight''s grandmother placed both of her hands on Midnight''s cheeks as she rotated her head towards the tied-up man.


    It was clear that he wanted to scream but couldn''t, as there was a dirty cloth in his mouth, making it impossible to scream.


    "They attack us, and they will not stop. Can you repeat what is the number one rule I have taught you?"


    "Never trust anybody, especially humans."


    The old woman smiled, "Because?"


    "Because they will use every opportunity to take advantage of you," Midnight answered.


    Her grandmother clapped proudly, "That is right!"


    She took a step forward toward the man, who was trembling in fear.


    She pointed at him as she spoke, "We can release him¡­ but can we trust that he will not attack again?"


    The man tried to nod his head as if showing that he will never ever come back.


    "And when you think about¡­" the old woman pointed at the dozen bodies on the ground, all of whom Midnight once knew, "should we let this man walk free?"


    Midnight clenched her fist, "No¡­ he has to pay."


    "Then do it, make him pay," the grandmother took a step back as Midnight approached the man.


    Without hesitation, she buried her fangs in his neck as she began to drink his blood.


    Unlike the normal vampires, she was still small, so it would take her significantly longer to drink the man''s blood.


    All the man could do now was wait, feeling his blood slowly and painfully leave his body.


    Three hours later, the man was dead, as he had become whiter than a ghost.


    Midnight felt being lifted up, it was her grandmother.


    "Good work, Midnight! That is the way! That is the way for us vampires!"


    ¡­


    Slowly sitting up on her bed, Midnight placed a hand on her face as she realized she had begun to tear up.


    "Fuck... I hate dreaming about the past."


    She curled into a ball as she whimpered weakly.


    "Grandma¡­ I miss you... what should I do?"


    But alas, she was alone, so all she could do was silently cry, in her dark room, as her tears soaked into the sheets.

 Chapter 109: Familiar Faces, Hidden Truths

    "So yeah, in short, I won the fifth round and I have advanced to the sixth," Zaroth sighed as he glanced around the table. He was having lunch with his friends.


    "Isn''t it quite weird how it''s always you the first to get a fight in the rounds before us?" Zack pointed out.


    "Maybe they have some system for deciding, like based on names? That could explain it," Lily theorized.


    "Honestly, I''m getting sick of these fights. I want them to be over soon," Roran sighed as he leaned back in his chair.


    "What? It isn''t exciting at all?" Zaroth raised an eyebrow.


    "Yeah, pretty much, at least until now they have been relatively weak," Roran complained.


    "Well..." Zaroth grinned, "In a few hours comes the Live Combat Practice, right? Well... do you remember when I told you that Silverfang evolves? Well, recently his evolution was completed."


    "That''s good, I want to try and fight him," Lily spoke.


    Roran grimaced. sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "What? There''s nothing wrong with getting stronger!" Lily proclaimed.


    "Getting stronger..." Zack sighed as he looked at the ceiling.


    "Hm? Is something the matter?" Zaroth didn''t miss that his friend didn''t seem to be in a good mood.


    "Yeah... I just have a feeling that somebody is constantly watching me," Zack spoke.


    ''That came out of nowhere,'' Zaroth thought, but seeing the expression on Zack, it was clear that the man was serious.


    "You can talk to us, you know?" Lily spoke as she shifted her gaze to him.


    He scratched the back of his head, "There''s nothing to talk about. Maybe I''m just feeling paranoid."


    Zaroth scratched his chin, "If you''re paranoid, I know a way for you to calm down."


    Zack raised an eyebrow, "What is it?"


    Zaroth grinned, "After today''s lecture, we''re going to the library. There''s nothing more calming than reading a good book!"


    *****


    The time for the Live Combat Practice had come. The four of them got into position.


    Zaroth summoned Silverfang by his side.


    Lily''s eyes immediately widened.


    Zaroth didn''t miss that change, so he asked, "What is it?"


    "It just... he doesn''t look so... dead anymore?" she answered.


    It was true. After the evolution, most of the rot on his body was gone, and he appeared almost alive. That was certainly one of the changes the wolf had gone through.


    "Okay, boy, you know what to do," he spoke, and in the next second, Silverfang lunged at Lily.


    Zaroth opened his mouth in awe. This was the first time using Silverfang after his evolution, so he was surprised to see how fast the beast was able to run.


    Lily didn''t seem fazed as she made an ice pillar rise beneath her feet, lifting her higher in the room while simultaneously unleashing a few bolts of lightning at Silverfang


    The beast managed to dodge them as he jumped up, trying to reach Lily, but before he could, she made the pillar even taller, bringing her even higher, so Silverfang was unable to reach her.


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow. It wasn''t because he was impressed by Silverfang, but because he was impressed by Lily.


    From his friend group, she was the biggest mystery. He knew that Zack was most likely a knight class or something similar, and his god had something to do with blood. Roran, on the other hand, probably had the power to make things levitate, while his god''s blessing could be related to teleportation, because there was no other way to explain the swords Roran was able to make appear out of thin air.


    But what about Lily?


    She seemed to be able to use multiple elements proficiently. At first, he thought that she was some kind of sorcerer or mage, but from what he knew, a mage was limited to using one specific type of attack, whether it was fire, ice, earth, lightning, dark, or others.


    But she seemed to be able to use them all without any trouble...


    Zaroth had been going to the academy for some time now, and he had yet to learn of a class that was able to use so many attacks so easily.


    Of course, she could have just been trained to be proficient in all of these attacks, but for some reason, Zaroth doubted that.


    ''Not to mention that this is just class, I have no idea what her blessing actually is...''


    Usually, he wouldn''t be thinking about such things, but as he watched Lily without anything else for him to focus on, he got a feeling¡ªsomething very deep in his gut told him that she looked familiar.


    Almost too familiar.


    And the strangest thing was that every time he got that feeling, he seemed to forget about it soon after.


    ''Luna, am I missing something?''


    He asked her, but before she could answer, a loud roar made him shift his attention back to Silverfang. The beast was using the roar skill that he had used on Zaroth before.


    But it seemed that the beast had miscalculated, as using it meant that he would be bound to one place, and Lily, taking advantage of the opportunity, made several large ice pillars around the wolf and sent them toward him.


    The beast screeched as he felt his body being pierced multiple times. Even though he was undead and would be fine, he was bound and unable to move.


    Silverfang had lost again to Lily.


    "He really has become stronger, maybe even a Rare beast," Lily exclaimed with a smile.


    Aside from her hair being messy, she was unscathed.


    "She is really strong..." Zaroth muttered under his breath. A second later, he raised an eyebrow.


    ''Luna, did I ask you something a second ago?''


    ''No, I don''t recall,'' she answered immediately.


    "Well, whatever. If I forget it, it''s probably not important anyway," he spoke as he took hold of two daggers. He had been thinking about it for some time, but he wanted to try and learn other weapons.


    He turned his gaze to Roran, who could control multiple weapons simultaneously¡ªmaking him the perfect sparring partner to learn the art of wielding several at once.


    Gripping the daggers, he dashed toward the man.


    It was time for some training.

 Chapter 110: Silent Training

    Opening the door, Roderic walked into the room. He grimaced as the smell of blood reached his nostrils.


    Shifting his gaze, he saw the four students fighting against one another, trying their best to kill each other as always.


    He clapped with his hands loudly to announce his entry.


    "Alright, this is enough! The class has ended!" He felt a slight regret as he would have liked to let the young ones fight each other as long as possible, thus becoming stronger, but unfortunately, his boss, Elysia, was right. There was a real danger of dying from overexertion.


    Hearing his words, the four students collapsed on the ground as they felt the room heal their wounds.


    "So? How did I do?" Zaroth asked weakly as he shifted his gaze to Roran.


    Roran smiled, "Not bad considering this was the first time you used two weapons at once, but your coordination is a mess. You''ll have to work on that."


    Taking a few minutes to rest, the four stood up and went outside.


    "So you want me to go to the library?" Zack asked as he glanced at Zaroth.


    "Yes, I''m telling you, there is nothing more calming than reading a book in silence!"


    "If you say so,"


    Zaroth smiled, seeing that Zack had agreed, and shifted his gaze to Roran and Lily. "What about you guys? Will you come along?"


    "We can''t, we''re busy," Roran answered.


    "Maybe next time!" Lily spoke as she waved before the two disappeared from view.


    Zack sighed. "Okay, lead the way."


    *****


    "So this is it, huh?" Zack exclaimed as he glanced around the massive library.


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow. "What, haven''t you been here before?"


    Zack looked the other way, embarrassed. "I¡­ no, I haven''t," he admitted.


    "No worries, everything has a first time. Okay, let''s see¡­ what should we read?"


    "No, I''m okay, I''ll find something for myself to read," Zack spoke as he headed to the upper floor. S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Well, if he says he''s fine, I have to leave him alone, I guess,'' Zaroth thought as he began searching for a new book to read.


    "This one looks good!" The book was named ''The Art of Daggers,'' and considering that Zaroth had decided to learn how to use them, it was surely going to be a good read.


    He picked up the book and headed to the reading room.


    Placing his hand on the doorknob, he felt his heart beat faster. ''Would she be here?'' he wondered.


    Pushing the door open, he entered the room and scanned the area. There were a few students, which was a surprise, as usually the reading room was almost always empty with the exception of him and¡­


    "She isn''t here¡­" he sighed in disappointment.


    ''It was a pity. I hoped Midnight was here¡­'' he thought, but there wasn''t much he could do. So he sat at an empty table, opened the book, and began to read.


    ''There are multiple ways to wield a dagger. Some hide the weapons and use it only when the time is right to stab the enemy in the back. Others use it in conjunction with another weapon. For example, it is common for a swordsman to have a dagger in their non-dominant hand.


    And there''s also the option of wielding two, which would require you to get close to your target to injure them. As such, we will also talk about how to increase your running speed, as this will be helpful later¡­''


    Zaroth was focused on the book, diligently reading it and absorbing the information as much as possible.


    Even before the tournament had started, he had come to the conclusion that there were tons of techniques for him to learn. But there was just one problem.


    He lacked talent.


    And even if he didn''t, he would still need a lot of time to learn everything a fighting skill has to offer.


    So to save time, he would learn about 80% of the fighting style and disregard the rest.


    Rather than achieving true mastery of a subject, he would become proficient in countless areas.


    With time, the more things he became proficient at, the more potential paths would open to him, or at least, that was the plan.


    There was a saying, "Jack of all trades, master of none."


    But what most people didn''t know was that this wasn''t the whole saying. It was,


    "Jack of all trades, master of none, but oftentimes better than master of one."


    This was his goal to becoming stronger. This wasn''t just an idea that had come randomly in his head.


    In the future, when he fights the gods, they, as the gods themselves, would be the pinnacle of all existence. For instance, what would happen if Zaroth was only able to fight with a sword, and what if he fought against a god who was a master of sword fighting?


    The answer was simple. He would lose. He wasn''t dumb enough to think that he would be able to surpass the gods in their specialty, they were the gods, after all.


    But in that scenario, what if Zaroth wasn''t only able to use a sword? What if he was able to use every weapon there is? And if one added magic into the mix as well¡­


    He smiled darkly as his eyes narrowed.


    Even by just reading a simple book, he was able to feel himself becoming stronger, as the techniques discussed in it would be applicable if he fought with a spear or sword as well.


    He was interrupted as the chair across from him moved. Zaroth shifted his gaze only to see Zack.


    Moving his gaze to the book, he read the title, ''A Princess in Distress and the Forsaken.''


    Zack saw the grin on Zaroth''s face and grimaced as he asked, "What?"


    "Nothing¡­" Zaroth scoffed, "It''s just that I didn''t expect you to read romantic stories¡­"


    Zack took a deep breath, trying to hide the fact that his face had become a bit red from embarrassment. "I''m here to relax! Don''t judge me!"


    Zaroth shrugged. "Alright, alright, I''ll leave you alone."


    A silence befell them as they focused on their books.


    In contrast to all the things that had been happening to and around Zaroth, he found it refreshing to have a moment of peace.

 Chapter 111: Through the Eyes of the Unseen

    In the book, there weren''t only words, as there was even a very well-drawn illustrations of how one could move using a dagger, how to move the body in order to dodge, how to use the daggers to parry and block, and where the best place to strike was.


    ''The best place to strike would be where you would be able to pierce the artery in the human body. The graph here shows where they are located.''


    Zaroth carefully scanned the illustration as he made sure to remember every single detail that he could. ''This is surely going to be helpful, why wasn''t this in the other books?'' he wondered, but didn''t question it further as it was probably because each book had a different author, so each author would prioritize different things.


    ''So in general, this book talks about how to move fast and avoid attacks.''


    He was surprised by his reading speed as he saw that he had almost read the entire thing. It seemed that the amount of hours he had spent here reading had allowed him to read at an unnaturally fast pace.


    In the last page, it spoke about how important it was for dagger users to remain unseen as most of the time, those who used them were assassins.


    ''So, dear reader, I will recommend my other book, "Guide to Hide in Plain Sight." In it, we go into depth about why and how to be undetectable.''


    With a sigh, he closed the book. "How shameless, recommending your other books at the end of this one¡­ well, it''s not like I have a plan on what I am going to read now, so I guess I will pick it up later," he muttered as he glanced at Zack.


    Zack was about halfway done with the book. Zaroth didn''t want to interrupt him, but it was closing time.


    "You can finish it tomorrow," he spoke as he got up.


    "Hm? Is it closing time already?" Zack asked as he closed the book.


    "Yeah, time flies when you read, doesn''t it? I don''t understand why some people don''t read more often."


    "Lack of time, I guess," Zack shrugged as he walked towards the receptionists. Rather than going back tomorrow, he was going to rent it as he wanted to find out what happens next.


    Exiting the library, Zaroth smirked. "So, feeling better?"


    "Yeah, a bit, alright, we will meet tomorrow." Zack waved a hand as he began to head back.


    Taking a deep breath, Zack glanced at the night sky.


    A second later, he felt eyes on him, so he shifted his gaze to the place he felt it from.


    "¡­A raven? I may have become insane¡­ I think I need to sleep," he muttered as he continued his walk home.


    The raven tilted its head to the side, watching Zack closely with its bloodshot eyes.


    A moment later, it flew into the air, keeping low to the ground.


    *****


    A few days earlier.


    "Yes, there has been a change of plans, actually," the salesman spoke as he leaned back in his chair.


    "What is it?" David spoke irritably. He disliked being told what to do, but he didn''t have much of a choice at the moment.


    The salesman threw a photo on the table as he spoke. "Some rather unexpected things have happened, and we have to take care of them¡­ this one is the biggest thing we have to get rid of."


    David raised an eyebrow as he picked up the photo. On it was a man with black hair and white pupils.


    "I am not sure if you are aware, but a few years ago, there was a sudden rise at the White Fang clan as their leader was killed and replaced by his own brother." S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    David scoffed, "Yes, I''ve heard rumors, what about it?"


    "Well, apparently the former owner had a son, and the current owner wants to get rid of the boy as he thinks it will cause too many problems in the future."


    "So? Just why don''t they kill him themselves?"


    The salesman smiled at David''s na?ve question. "Because politics don''t work that way, boy. If they do it, they would surely leave traces behind, and these traces could cause them trouble. As such, they have required the emperor for help. And his majesty, wanting to take advantage of the moment and put them in our debt, has given us this mission."


    The salesman shifted his gaze to the thing wearing human skin. "And who is the best fit for the job if not you, my friend? A human''s work will easily be traced¡­ but what about a demon?"


    The thing shifted its gaze from the window to the salesman as if silently judging him.


    Meanwhile, David''s eyes widened in shock. He knew that the thing wasn''t human, but he thought they weren''t supposed to acknowledge it. ''So I guess he also knew. Is that why the thing joined us?''


    "So you want me to get rid of the boy?" the thing asked. Its voice lacked any kind of emotion.


    "Yes."


    "And my reward?"


    The salesman smiled. "Soon. The emperor would grant you what you wish for."


    "Then I accept."


    The thing walked towards the table as it picked up the photo and looked at it.


    "Anything I should know beforehand?"


    Seeing it from so close, David shuddered as he realized the thing wasn''t even breathing.


    "His name originally was Zackarion Valscar Stormcaller Keeper of the Blood Oath, but due to the actions of his family and his clan, he has discarded his name and goes by a new pseudonym, Zack."


    *****


    Leaving the body of the man it had gained in the cave, it managed to enter the body of a raven.


    Once it did, it quickly began to study the man from afar.


    Learning his route, his hobbies, his strengths and weaknesses.


    Waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.


    All in the name of strength.


    All in the name of evolving to Archdemon.


    Soon, once it got what it wanted from the emperor, it would have everything it needed to complete its plan.


    The time of destruction was slowly approaching.

 Chapter 112: The Unbreakable Flame

    Putting his finger on the page, he turned it over.


    Draconis smiled as his eyes shined with golden color, "This book just got interesting¡­"


    He was completely engrossed, until the old antique clock began to ring, it was exactly the middle of the night.


    With a sigh of regret, he closed the book as he stood up.


    "How many times will I try to do it? It seems that I may have underestimated her¡­"


    It is not like it was going to hurt a lot to try again, so he exited his room.


    His footsteps created faint echoes that spread around the grand hallways of the castle.


    He couldn''t help but stop and glance out the window, staring at the beautiful full moon.


    Smiling darkly, he spoke, "Well, if there is a time it is going to work, it is now. The moon is full and the sun is the furthest away it could be."


    Reaching a door that led to the prison cells, he opened it and began to quietly descend.


    He quickly reached the first underground floor. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Please! Your Majesty, I have sinned and I admit it! Please give me a chance to serve you once again!"


    "My child! What did you do to my child, you monster?!"


    "Mom? Dad? Where are you?"


    Ignoring the cries of the fools that had dared to break the law, he descended to the second underground floor.


    In it, despite being hundreds of inmates, there wasn''t a single cry, everybody was waiting for their end, knowing they couldn''t change the outcome no matter how hard they tried.


    The first floor was for people with minor offenses, the second one was for those who had committed inexcusable acts that, no matter what, couldn''t be forgiven¡ªsome of them had murdered the innocent, badmouthed the emperor and his family, and the worst of all, not paying their taxes.


    Draconis, not paying them any attention, descended to the last floor.


    He stopped before a grand door, made from the hardest diamonds and reinforced with titanium¡ªnothing less than a god would be able to break these gates.


    He removed the key from the necklace around his neck, slid it into the socket, and turned it, unlocking the gates.


    Once he did, inhumane cries reached his ears. The air stank of rotten flesh and blood.


    Looking as if it didn''t bother him at all, he entered and closed the gates behind him as he took a step forward.


    He shifted his gaze from cell to a cell. There were dozens¡­ hundreds¡­ thousands of creatures that had once been human.


    But not anymore.


    "Guah!" A humanoid creature extended its hand from the titanium bars as it tried to grab the emperor''s hand.


    He smirked at the gesture as he glanced at the disfigured human.


    "So your pills do work after all¡­"


    Navigating the large chamber that was constructed like a maze didn''t take long, he stopped in front of a large titanium door.


    Draconis cracked his fingers one by one, getting mentally ready for what was about to happen.


    "Let''s see what you can do without your sun," he muttered as he unlocked the door and entered.


    Immediately, he felt the air becoming unbearably hot as he was forced to take deep breaths of air.


    His skin became hotter and hotter as it slowly started to melt under the temperatures.


    Smiling like he wasn''t feeling pain at all, he glanced at the woman that was chained across from him.


    Long, glowing orange hair with captivating crimson eyes. Despite being chained down with dozens of titanium chains, she somehow managed to preserve her graceful figure.


    Solara Virelia, the sole princess of the Crimson Sun Empire.


    The sun was the furthest it could possibly be, and the moon was full, yet the woman still managed to create flames so hot that the emperor was slowly getting cooked alive.


    ''A monster, she is a fucking monster,'' he couldn''t help but curse in his mind.


    It was truly a miracle that his army¡ªeven if they had lost thousands of men¡ªhad managed to capture her. In fact, the only way it was made possible was because of Draconis''s plan.


    Not daring to get too close to the woman, he spoke, "How does the princess feel? Is our humble empire to your liking?"


    Solara scoffed at his words, "You came here when the sun is down? Who knew the emperor was a bigger coward than they made him out to be."


    Draconis grimaced at her insult but didn''t comment on it.


    "Get it over with," Solara spoke as she glanced into the emperor''s eyes. "I can''t wait to see you writhing in pain after you fail again."


    Draconis closed his eyes and focused, preparing to attempt to read her thoughts once again. The few times he had tried before, his mind had been scorched, as it seemed Solara''s flames extended even to her mind.


    So the last hope was today¡ªas the sun was the furthest it could be, and the moon was full, she was in the weakest state she could be.


    In the empty room, Solara''s laughter echoed.


    And a second later, Draconis gasped in pain as he placed his hand on his head.


    "Another failure¡­" he muttered in frustration.


    "So you seem to be unable to read my mind. Now what? Are you planning to get rid of me?"


    Draconis, after taking a few seconds to recover from the pain, grimaced as he glanced at the princess in front of him.


    ''Despite the danger to her life, she still smiles, unbothered.''


    He scoffed as he spoke, "Don''t be ridiculous. Even if I can''t access your thoughts, you still are the only princess they have, so you will surely be a valuable bargaining chip."


    "Pathetic to the end, I see," Solara spat on the ground. A second later, the spit evaporated due to the high temperatures in the room.


    Draconis didn''t pay her any attention as he closed the door and locked it, leaving her alone.


    After the emperor got a safe distance away, Solara sighed as she retracted her crimson flames.


    No matter how strong she was, she couldn''t keep using her powers indefinitely.


    As the room became pitch black, she shifted her gaze to the ceiling.


    Usually, even in the most inhumane prisons, there was at least a source of light, but in this case, it seemed that she wasn''t even provided with this much comfort.


    She smirked as she cursed, "Once I get out of these chains, I will burn you and your empire to the ground."

 Chapter 113: Breaking the Routine

    With a grunt, Zaroht opened his eyes.


    It was another day.


    "Oh, I really don''t want to get up!" he complained as he massaged his forehead.


    The bed that he spent a small fortune on was good¡­ too damned good! Now, Zaroth had to fight abattle each morning he woke up, as he didn''t want to get up.


    The softness of the mattress was simply perfect, as it embraced his body, making him not want to get up.


    "Stand up, honey."


    Hearing the alluring voice of Luna, he grimaced, ''Oh, she is going to bother me ag¡ª''


    He couldn''t finish his thought as his nostrils smelled something delicious, so naturally, his eyes followed the scent.


    Unintentionally, his mouth opened a bit in awe as he struggled to contain his emotions.


    In front of him was Luna, wearing a simple black apron that was tight around her body. But the thing that excited him wasn''t the apron itself, but rather the fact that she wasn''t wearing anything underneath.


    He gulped audibly. "What are you doing?" he barely managed to mutter.


    She raised an eyebrow as she pointed to the tray with pancakes that she was carrying in her left hand.


    "Breakfast, what else?" she spoke casually as she put it on the table.


    ''Is this some strange tactic to get me out of the bed?'' he wondered to himself.


    He might have questioned its effectiveness, but before he even realized it, he was already on his feet.


    His gaze wasn''t on the delicately cooked pancakes, however, as it was locked on her body, or more exactly, on the side of her body, as that part was naked.


    Her breasts were visible from the side, as well as her bottom.


    Before he realized it, he had already extended his arm forward with the intention to undress the apron from Luna''s body and expose her body in all its glory. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Before he could, however, she grasped his hand with her own as she smiled flirtatiously.


    "Didn''t we agree that you will see me naked only after being able to do 100 pull-ups?"


    He frowned at the question, it seemed that he had almost forgotten it. It wasn''t like he was far from reaching the goal, as he was able to do 60 now.


    Of course, Luna being his beast, he could have simply ordered her to undress and she would have no choice but to comply, but Zaroth wasn''t that kind of man. Even if he was living for his desires, he wouldn''t force someone to do that, no matter if it was a human or his beast.


    The reason was simple, it would be much more pleasurable to get certain things when both parties wanted them. So he was content to wait until he reached the number that he and Luna had agreed on before.


    With a sigh, he sat on the chair and brought the pancakes to his mouth.


    "Shit, this is good! I didn''t know you could cook so well! Why was I the one that did the cooking until now?!"


    She simply smiled at the question as she sat in the chair and watched him eat silently.


    Even the act of simply sitting¡ªespecially considering her current clothes¡ªmade his blood hotter, so he tried not to pay her any attention as he shifted his gaze to the bed.


    A second later, realization hit him.


    ''Huh¡­ this time I didn''t struggle to get up¡­ was this her plan all along?''


    *****


    "Zack is late," Roran muttered as he glanced around the lecture room.


    It was two minutes before the lecture began, and Zack was nowhere to be seen, which was rare since the man was usually always on time. Even Zaroth was here before Zack, which was certainly a rarity.


    "Hello, guys," just a minute before the lecture began, Zack appeared.


    Everybody shifted their gaze to him.


    "Hey, man, why do you have dark circles under your eyes? Stayed all night reading that book you rented?" Zaroth asked.


    Zack always scratched the back of his head.


    "No, actually, it was just that I felt like I was being stared at the whole night, so I couldn''t get a wink."


    Before the others could ask for more, Elysia entered the room, and everybody became silent, it seemed that conversation was for later.


    *****


    The time for lunch had arrived, so after picking a table to sit on, everybody concentrated on Zack.


    "You can speak with us if something''s amiss, you know?" Lily''s voice carried a hint of worry.


    Zack laughed awkwardly. "No, really, it''s just all in my head, probably¡­"


    "I doubt it,"


    Roran responded, catching Zack off guard.


    "What exactly are you worried about? Even if your paranoia was just in your head, there was a reason for it to exist in the first place, right?" Roran, despite speaking coldly, was clear that he was worried about his friend.


    "Well, truth be told, you can say that I don''t have the best relationship with my family¡­" Zack admitted as he glanced at the ceiling.


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow. "How bad are we talking?"


    "Well¡­ it''s possible that they want me dead¡­ so much so that they have assigned someone to do the job."


    Everybody''s eyes on the table widened but failed to find the words to comfort the man.


    Zaroth had trouble imagining such a scenario. His mother¡ªhis family¡ªwas one of the most important things in his life, so much so that he spent so long looking after her before she died. So trying to imagine his mother hating him wasn''t something that he could do.


    At that moment, he realized how little he truly knew about his friends. Of course, as all of them had agreed that they weren''t going to share certain things, he wasn''t going to press for answers, just as they didn''t press him. But it still felt shitty, considering they were friends.


    He still remembered the moment when all of them went above and beyond to transform him into a mature person, just so he wouldn''t embarrass himself on the date with Elysia. Actually, it was quite possible that the only reason he was able to taste her lips in the first place was because of his friends'' efforts to prepare him as much as possible. So, he wanted to return their kindness.


    At the end, Roran sighed. "Well¡­ you don''t seem certain, so I take it you don''t have any proof?"


    Zack shrugged, showing that he didn''t.


    "So let''s assume that it''s in your head, we have to make you calm down somehow," Roran spoke.


    "And if you say that you feel eyes watching you, there is always a chance that what you suspect is correct. As such, it''s better if we go somewhere away from the public. That way, if someone is following you, we''ll be able to sense them." Lily joined in.


    "So it has to be a quiet place that can help him relax and also be away from people?" Roran muttered as he massaged his forehead, trying to come up with a solution.


    "Actually, I have an idea."


    Everybody shifted their gaze at Zaroth, awaiting his next words.


    "There''s one thing that I''ve always wanted to try but never had the chance to¡ª I say let''s go fishing."

 Chapter 114: A Drink to Forget

    After the lectures were over, they went out to buy fishing rods. Zaroth, despite spending a lot of his money on the bed as well as in the bar, still had a lot left over, so he didn''t have a problem buying one of the most premium fishing rods.


    "So? Where are we supposed to go now?" Lily asked.


    "Well, we bought the fishing rods as well as the bait, so I guess it''s time we went and found a river."


    Because they wanted some peace and quiet, they exited the capital. It didn''t take them long until they spotted a nice-looking river in the forest.


    Zaroth observed his surroundings to make sure that they were alone, but not a single human was in sight, so it was safe to assume that nothing was following them. Of course, that didn''t mean that he was going to let his guard down.


    Zack took a deep breath as he sat on a large rock and shifted his gaze to the river.


    Roran sat next to him, looking at his fishing rod, trying to understand how the thing functioned.


    "So, do you feel better?"


    Zack didn''t shift his gaze from the river as he answered, "I think so? I''m not sure anymore¡­"


    "You told us that your family is most likely trying to kill you, right? Then my question is, what do you want to do with them?" Roran asked.


    Zack didn''t answer. The only thing he did was menacingly smile as his eyes shined brighter than before. This gave Roran all the information he needed.


    "Hey, I''m going for a walk," Lily spoke from behind them.


    Roran shifted his gaze to her. "Then I''m coming with you."


    "No, you''re not."


    He raised an eyebrow. "You know that there''s no way I''m going to leave you alone in the forest, Lily."


    Zaroth shifted his gaze between Lily and Roran. ''Is she trying to leave us three alone so we can talk it out?'' he wondered. But it didn''t look like it would work, as Roran wasn''t willing to let her go alone.


    With a sigh, Zaroth flicked his fingers.


    A second later, Silverfang appeared, slowly approaching Lily, per his master''s command.


    "If Silverfang is with her, then it should be fine, right?"


    Roran grimaced for a moment but then nodded.


    Lily flashed a smile at Zaroth as thanks, then disappeared into the forest alongside Silverfang.


    Zaroth took a deep breath as he approached Roran and Zack, sitting close to them. He didn''t really get the whole fishing thing, but he wanted to try it. His mother often told him that his father loved doing it, so Zaroth had always wanted to try the activity for himself.


    He gripped the rod, pulled it back, and flicked it forward. The line sailed through the air, landing with a soft splash in the water.


    ''I think this is how you''re supposed to do it?''


    Zack and Roran did the same motion, then patiently awaited. From now on, it was a waiting game.


    ''So this is peaceful?'' Zaroth asked himself, not really getting the whole point but persisting nonetheless. He wasn''t going to give up so soon.


    Zack wasn''t saying anything, as he was gazing at the still water, hopefully starting to feel better.


    Shifting his gaze to Roran, Zaroth saw that the man was grinning for some reason.


    "What''s so funny?" he asked.


    Roran glanced at him before speaking. "I''m just glad that I got us prepared."


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, ''prepared''?"


    Without saying anything, Roran let go of his fishing rod with one hand as he used it to search something in the bag he had carried.


    Zaroth''s eyes widened. ''No way, this mad¡ª''


    Before he could finish his thought, Roran pulled out an expressive-looking bottle of whiskey.


    "We''re here to relax. Not to mention, one of the most important things to do when you''re fishing is to get something to drink."


    "Well, it''s not like I''m going to argue or anything¡­"


    Before the two of them could react, Zack grabbed the bottle from Roran''s hands as he opened it and began to drink greedily.


    After a few seconds, he was done and handed it to Roran. "Thanks, I needed that."


    ''Well, at least this is going to be relaxing,'' Roran thought as he began to drink as well.


    *****


    Half of the bottle was already gone, and the three of them were engaged in their chat.


    "But man, I don''t get it. Why do you feel so certain that you were being watched?" Zaroth muttered as he placed a hand on Zack''s shoulder.


    The man scoffed before answering, "Because! I''m trained, so unlike you two, I always feel when someone is watching me! It''s just that it seems I may have been wrong as of late¡­"


    "You!" Roran was about to speak, but suddenly he caught something, so he used his arms to pull the fish toward him.


    A second later, both Zack and Zaroth were laughing their asses off at Roran, as it seemed that he got nothing.


    "This is bullshit! How is that relaxing in the slightest?!" Roran complained as he threw his rod to the ground. "We''ve been going at it for more than two hours already and we''ve yet to catch anything!"


    Zack mimicked his motion as he stood up. "Yeah! You tell me. It seems the actual relaxing thing is just getting drunk!"


    "You give up too soon!" Zaroth scolded them, still not letting go of the rod.


    "Just give me that!" Zack shouted as he picked up the bottle and took a large sip of it.


    A moment later, he lay on the ground, finding it hard to move his body. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Roran was sitting, resting his back next to a large rock, looking at the bottle on the ground. He wanted to take a sip or two, but couldn''t be bothered to get up.


    And Zaroth was laughing at them, though he tried not to be too loud, not wanting to scare the fish.


    It certainly wasn''t what he envisioned would happen when they went fishing, but at least Zack seemed to be in a better mood.


    Actually, was it smart to get drunk to forget about your problems? Wasn''t it a better idea to deal with them rather than running from them?


    These weren''t the questions the men asked themselves, as they were too young to think like that.


    All they knew was that alcohol numbed the pain, so they would use it, no matter if it harmed them in the long term. They had yet to grasp what the long term even was.


    It was peaceful as Zaroth''s laughter echoed through the surroundings.


    That was until Luna''s words made his spine turn cold.


    ''We are being watched.''

 Chapter 115: The Silent Predator

    Zaroth''s hand trembled a bit, but otherwise, he didn''t move.


    ''What do you mean we are being watched?'' he asked Luna calmly.


    ''I wasn''t looking or paying attention until now, but just a moment ago I sensed bloodlust,'' she answered.


    Zaroth checked his connection with Silverfang to make sure that Lily was okay.


    He didn''t have much experience with feeling the connections with his beast that were away, as the only one far away from him was that wolf that he had permitted to live in the forest alongside its family.


    Lily was currently riding on Silverfang as he ran. It was clear that they were having a good time, so they weren''t in danger.


    Which was good.


    But this meant that the bloodlust that Luna had felt had been directed at them,


    Which wasn''t good.


    Zack picked up on the way Zaroth''s body tensed, so he asked, "What? Caught something?"


    Zaroth didn''t humor him as he shifted his gaze slightly, speaking coldly,


    "Arm yourselves."


    Before he could even realize it, Zack was already on his feet. Due to the ability to manipulate his blood, he was also able to get rid of most of the alcohol in his body within seconds.


    He had summoned his blood sword as his gaze shifted around the trees frantically, cursing inwardly.


    ''FUCK! If Zaroth said that, it means that he had felt something, too. It seems that I wasn''t wrong to think that I was being targeted!''


    Roran had already gotten up as well. He had experience with drinking, so truthfully, the amount they had drunk was too pitiful to knock him out cold. He was just pretending to be more drunk than he really was.


    Zaroth had his back against the river, holding his spear tightly in his hands.


    An eerie silence befell the surface of the river, as even the water seemed to stay silent, not wanting to disturb what was going to happen next.


    A few seconds passed in silence until Zack managed to ask Zaroth, "What is it?"


    "Bloodlust,"


    Upon hearing the answer, the expressions of both Roran and Zack darkened.


    In truth, it had always been part of the plan¡ªthough they''d never spoken it aloud. If they could get drunk, or at least make it look like they had, and if someone was indeed tailing them, they''d use the opening to strike.


    And as Luna had seen that there was bloodlust directed at them, it seemed that the plan worked.


    Now, the only problem was finding the target and eliminating them.


    ''Where is it?! Do you still feel it?!'' he asked Luna as he searched for anything amiss, but no matter how hard he looked, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The bushes nearby weren''t hiding anything.


    The only things that moved were the trees in the wind and the raven that seemed to have landed on one of said trees.


    ''It is still here, not only that but it has clear sight of us. If it can see us, we can see it. Find it!''


    "FUCK!" he cursed as he searched frantically, scanning every spot, every corner, every shadow, but no matter how hard he looked, he couldn''t find a spot where a human could have hidden and remained undetected.


    It was, of course, possible that said human was able to become invisible, who knew what kind of class and blessing the assassin sent to hunt Zack had?


    But if that was the case, there wasn''t anything they could do, so Zaroth was left with the option to search for anything in sight that seemed suspicious. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But there was nothing! No matter how skilled, a human will not be able to hide under the three men''s gaze¡ª


    Suddenly, Zaroth''s eyes widened as he remembered something.


    He didn''t have much time, but yesterday he had found an hour free, so he went to the library and picked a specific book. ''Guide to Hide Even in Plain Sight.''


    One of the first paragraphs had jumped out at him.


    ''The best way to hide in plain sight is for your enemy to not even realize you are their enemy, so that even if their gaze falls upon you, they will not pay you any attention.''


    What was the one thing that Zaroth''s gaze fell upon a moment ago, but he didn''t spare it a second thought?


    Only one thing came to mind.


    Before he even realized it, he had tensed his muscles, pushing them to their limits, his eyes narrowing like a hunter''s as they glowed with menacing energy.


    The ground beneath his feet cracked as he sent the spear flying with devastating speed, much faster than an arrow.


    In a blink of an eye, the spear collided with the raven that had been resting on a tree, warily watching.


    Just now did Zaroth notice that the bird had bloodshot eyes¡ªones that no normal animal would have had.


    The tree branches moved due to the shockwave caused by Zaroth''s throw.


    Yet once the spear pierced the body of the raven, the animal didn''t move.


    Its eyes were still locked onto the trio.


    The three men were watching the bird, dumbfounded, not knowing how to react.


    A second later, the bird screeched and flew away, its body still impaled by Zaroth''s spear.


    The bird moved several times faster than a human could run, so it disappeared from view.


    "Did¡­ were we watched by the bird the entire time?" Roran asked in disbelief.


    Zack dissolved his blood sword as he sat on the cold rocks behind him. He sighed in relief as he spoke, "It''s gone¡­ I don''t feel like we are being stared at anymore."


    At that moment, Lily appeared out of the bushes. She saw how Zack was sitting on the ground, clutching his head. Roran had summoned a few of his heavenly swords, and Zaroth''s spear, the one he always carried with him, was missing.


    "What happened?" she asked.


    In the end, Roran responded, "A bird happened. A very, very cunning bird."

 Chapter 116: A Heart Unseen

    They quickly brought Lily up to speed.


    "So you are saying all this time we were being watched by a raven?" she muttered in disbelief.


    "It looks like it," Roran spoke as he massaged his forehead.


    "So is it safe to assume that Zack was really being followed?" Zaroth sat on the ground and went back to his fishing.


    "I doubt it was going to watch for long¡­" Zack spoke as he lay on the ground. Now that he was no longer being stared at constantly, he felt like he was going to drift to sleep any moment.


    "I think it is safe to assume that the person that has been sent to watch over Zack is some kind of beast tamer like Zaroth," Lily sighed.


    "Not necessarily, I impaled my spear in its body and yet it reacted like it didn''t feel anything at all. It is possible that they aren''t a beast master but something else¡­" Zaroth shifted his gaze to the calm river.


    "Don''t worry about it," Zack stated, catching everybody off guard.


    "If I knew that there''s a possibility I''ve been watched by a raven, I would''ve just killed all of the suspicious animals in the area. Nevertheless, thank you for the help. From now on, I am fairly certain that I will be fine on my own."


    Before anybody could protest, Zack was out cold, the exhaustion overwhelmed him.


    A silence fell upon the river as nobody knew what to say, until Zaroth suddenly exclaimed.


    "I caught something!" he spoke as he began to pull the fish toward himself.


    *****


    The spear was surprisingly light¡­ or maybe the thing was just too strong to care that there was a spear embedded in its body.


    "I didn''t expect to encounter such resistance¡­ That boy with the white hair, I''m pretty sure he was the one that the salesman gave the pills to, saying that he worked for Elysia."


    The raven flew close to the ground so nobody even realized it was there.


    "Should I inform the salesman that the boy is a beast tamer? Not only that, but I''m pretty sure that the wolf he summoned was dead."


    The raven stopped on the roof of a building, and black matter began to leak from its eyes and mouth as the body of the raven seemed to twitch uncontrollably.


    The black mass that exited from the lifeless body of the raven entered into the shaft of the building.


    Moving quietly and steadily, it spotted a human sleeping on the couch.


    Without hesitation, the black matter exited the shafts as it plunged into the open, snoring mouth of the man.


    The man woke up, feeling the alien entity entering his body, but it was too late. It didn''t even take a dozen seconds for the man to die as the black entity took control of him.


    It already had experience controlling humans, so it didn''t take long to adjust. It was now able to move freely with no restraints.


    "No, why should I help them in any sort of way? I''m just here for that thing the man they call the emperor possesses. It''s not like I''ll be rewarded in any way, shape, or form if I helped them by saying one of their potential enemies is a beast master." The being muttered under its breath, its voice lacking any kind of emotion.


    The being glanced around the room. It seemed that it was in a luxurious room. It was clear the man had been wealthy before passing away.


    "I should go and report that I will have trouble getting rid of that man they call Zack, but that can wait a bit. They will still think that I am on his trail."


    The being''s thoughts were interrupted as it felt a fragile hand pull on its leg.


    "Dad? Are you okay?"


    Shifting its gaze, the being saw a small girl carrying a plushie.


    ''The man seems to have been a father,'' the thing thought as it asked the girl.


    "What do you want?"


    The girl seemed startled for a moment by the emotionless voice of her father, but didn''t pull away.


    "I''m just¡­ I''m scared there are monsters under my bed!" she spoke as her eyes seemed to tear up.


    ''It will not be hard to kill her, but it would be troublesome if someone figured it out and an investigation began. This is the capital, after all, so they''ll take the killing much more seriously. They may even send some Purifiers, and this will be a pain to deal with.''


    As such, the being decided to play along for a while.


    "Then why don''t you ask your mother? I''m busy."


    Hearing him speak about her mother, she hugged his leg and began to cry her eyes out.


    "You meanie! You know she isn''t with us anymore!"


    Irritably, the being massaged its forehead.


    ''This is going to be more troublesome than it''s worth.''


    *****


    A nice smell reached Zack''s nostrils, so he woke up. It was the middle of the night, and the sky was painted with countless stars.


    ''Reminds me of the book I read not that long ago,'' he thought as he shifted his gaze to where the scent was coming from.


    Zaroth, Roran, and Lily were standing around a fire as they grilled fish. It seemed they had managed to catch something.


    Zaroth was the first one to see him, so he greeted him.


    "Hey, you''re finally awake."


    With a grunt, Zack stood up and walked toward them.


    He sat next to the fire, feeling its warmth.


    "Who caught these?" he asked.


    From the way Zaroth grinned proudly, it was clear who had.


    Zack chuckled as his gaze shifted to the beautiful flames of the fire.


    It wasn''t something he often spoke about, but he loved to watch flames. The hotter the fire, the better.


    Taking a deep breath, he spoke. "I¡­ want to thank you all for taking me seriously. I mean, I wouldn''t have blamed you if you took me for some lunatic who thought he was constantly being watched."


    Zaroth scoffed, "That''s what friends are for, right?" he spoke as he handed Zack a branch on which a fish was impaled and cooked perfectly.


    Zack took it without saying anything.


    ''Friends¡­''


    He had been disregarded by his family. No, even worse, he was actively being hunted by them. So much of his life, he had spent looking at people with doubt, wondering when they would stab him in the back. As a result, he never got closer to anybody.


    He shifted his gaze to his friends. Lily was petting Silverfang on the head.


    Meanwhile, the beast was trying to get a portion of Zaroth''s food, so the man began to curse as a result.


    And Roran was watching them silently, the bottle of whiskey in his left hand, but he wasn''t drinking at all, just enjoying the moment. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Before he realized it, Zack''s eyes began to tear up a bit.


    "I guess I''m really lucky, am I not?" he whispered quietly so nobody would be able to hear, and took a bite out of the fish.


    He was going to forget about his problems today. He desperately needed a break anyway.

 Chapter 117: The Deceivers Path

    After their dinner, they all went to sleep as Zaroth kept Silverfang summoned to alert them of any suspicious activity, such as ravens or similar appearances.


    Thankfully, it seemed that whatever had followed them had given up for now, as they didn''t see it again.


    The next morning, they went back to the capital to attend their lectures.


    Zaroth didn''t have time to shower as he had just barely managed to arrive in time, and the same was true for his friends as well.


    Thankfully, because Elysia was the one holding the lecture, most of the students were a few rows back, so nobody would be able to sense that Zaroth was smelling like fish .


    "That is why once the blessing had be¡ª"


    He massaged his forehead despite Elysia teaching the first class. It was about history, so as such, he found himself bored and thinking about what he had to do.


    ''First, I threw away my spear, so I will have to buy one. Once I do, most of my credits would be gone¡­ I don''t think it would be wise to ask Elysia for more, considering that she gave me a lot recently.''


    Of course, there was the option that she could give him some kind of a job for more credits, but honestly, he didn''t like the idea of having to do one more of her weird jobs.


    Who knew? She could send him somewhere even more extreme than last time, like the center of an active volcano.


    "So does anyone have an idea why so little is known about the demons?" Elysia asked as she observed the students in the room.


    Pushing past his fear that he felt from the chairwoman, a timid boy with glasses raised his hand.


    Elysia pointed at him, and he began to explain.


    "The reason is that demons are fundamentally different from us humans. As such, we are in very bad relationships with them. It would be too dangerous for someone to go and try and investigate, meaning that the only way to learn more is by outright invading. But starting a war against beings that we know so little about is suicide, so no Empire has yet to do it."


    Elysia smiled in satisfaction as she spoke. "That is correct. I just want to add¡ª"


    ''A demon¡­'' Hearing the word, Zaroth immediately remembered Midnight and the way the symbol on his hand had begun to shine when she was in danger, last time.


    He, of course, had asked her what could be the reason, but she made it clear that she didn''t have a clue. Because demons and humans were so separated, and because she hated them, she not only didn''t think that she would make a deal with one, but she had refused to even learn how the deals worked.


    So in the end, since they didn''t have much of a clue, they simply thought that it was because she had been in danger and didn''t think much about it.


    Zaroth himself, being curious, had tried to check in the library, but even after reading so many of the books on the topic, nothing came up. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It was all just useless things that were either theories or flat-out wrong.


    ''Forget about it, I will focus on learning how to use two daggers¡­ It has also been a long time since I''ve learned a new skill. It will not be a bad idea to start now, as it will take time. I should be careful not to become too cocky. There is always the possibility that I will lose in the tournament.''


    At the end, this was his plan, train with the daggers while simultaneously learning a new spell.


    ''The question is, what spell?''


    Elysia cleared her throat loudly, and Zaroth almost jumped out of his seat, startled.


    She was looking at him like she was waiting for something.


    ''Shit! Did she ask me something?! I was so zoned out, I didn''t hear anything!''


    A few seconds passed in silence, so he smiled awkwardly as he scratched the back of his head.


    "Can you repeat that?"


    She sighed in disappointment.


    It was going to be a long day.


    *****


    "This sure is a weird creature," the black thing thought as it stared at the girl who was sleeping peacefully.


    It had taken the body of her father, yet she didn''t seem to show that she could sense the difference in personality at all.


    Was it because her father had been emotionless before the thing took over? Or was it because she was just too young to sense the difference?


    "No matter, she is asleep, so I better get going¡ª" the thing muttered but then stopped.


    "I did decide that I am going to pretend to follow that man, Zack, right? If they learn that I would need extra help to kill the man, they would send somebody else with me, which would be trouble. The more they know about my abilities, the less advantage I will have¡­ I guess I can take it easy for a while. Who knows, I might even learn where the emperor is keeping that thing I need and take it without having to go through all that trouble¡­"


    The question was that if it was going to take it easy, it would have to blend with the people and try not to arouse suspicion. But that wasn''t an easy task, as fooling humans was hard.


    "Actually," the thing murmured as it gazed at the sleeping girl.


    "If I play the part of her father, surely no one would suspect me, right?"


    It was going to be weird at first, but in the long run, it could prove to be beneficial. The more it knew about humans, the easier it could fool them, after all.


    "Mom, I''m sorry," the girl muttered under her breath as she slept. It seemed that she was having a nightmare.


    The thing smiled darkly. "Am I supposed to console her or something?"


    It muttered as it exited the room.


    "She is sleeping, it''s not like it will have any meaning anyway."


    It seemed its life pretending to be a father had begun.

 Chapter 118: The Chain of Command

    After the lectures were over, it was time for the Physical Body Training.


    "Come on! My grandmother can run faster than you maggots!" the instructor was screaming at the students as usual, but it seemed that, unlike before, now they managed to keep up running the whole way without stopping for rest.


    Even the ones that were part of the Mage category seemed to have become more resilient, as their stamina was not running out so fast anymore.


    Seeing that the students were able to keep up, the bald instructor smiled as he shouted. This time, his voice carried a sense of pride.


    "Ten more reps, maggots!"


    There was some grumbling behind Zaroth, but in the end, everyone made all the laps without stopping.


    Taking ragged breaths, Zaroth glanced around.


    Most were on the ground, resting their bodies, while he was still here, standing on his two feet, unshaken.


    "I really have become stronger¡­" he muttered under his breath.


    After the training, they took a quick shower, had lunch, and went to the next lecture.


    The woman that was lecturing the class spoke clearly as she explained the material.


    "Now we have the class that is loved by a certain type of people," she wrote the word pyromancer on the whiteboard.


    Zaroth didn''t miss how Zack''s eyes seemed to shine as he stared at the word, but he didn''t think much of it.


    ''Fire¡­'' Thinking about the element, it made him remember the two skills he had mastered up until now.


    Both of them were fire-related, and he had managed to learn them only thanks to his connection with Luna. Was it time to broaden his horizons or try to learn another fire-type spell?


    It was a tough choice, and Zaroth didn''t really have a lot of time to figure it out.


    He wanted to at least start learning a new skill before the next round of the tournament began, but at the same time, he wasn''t sure if it was wise to rush the process.


    ''Well, at least my core seems to have gotten stronger¡­'' he thought.


    Not only was he able to support all the wolves summoned at the same time, but he had also been meditating diligently, slowly connecting sparks to his core.


    At this point, they had grown to more than 10,000, but he had begun to experience some kind of wall, as it seemed harder to find more sparks within himself and connect them to his core.


    ''Well, at least I shouldn''t be stuck on what I am planning to learn next,'' he thought as his eyes shined.


    The lecture ended, so it was time for the Live Combat Practice.


    Without hesitation, he went to the weapons on display and grabbed two daggers, one in each hand.


    He had so many moves that he wanted to try out, as he had seen them from the book he had read not too long ago.


    "Zack!" he spoke as he pointed his left dagger towards the man.


    "Today you shall be my opponent!"


    Getting ready to take on the challenge, Zack smiled as he summoned his blood sword in his right hand.


    He cracked his neck as he spoke. "Okay, let''s see what you can do!"


    Zaroth wasn''t going to rely on his beasts, as they were going to prevent him from getting better with the daggers.


    Tensing his muscles, he dashed toward the man, going for the kill.


    Seeing that Zaroth was running towards him in a straight line, Zack smiled as he muttered, "This is too obvious."


    It wasn''t hard to calculate where Zaroth was going to appear, so Zack slashed, trying to take Zaroth by surprise.


    But unexpectedly, just before the blood sword reached him, Zaroth tilted his body at an unnatural angle, making the sword miss by a hair''s breadth.


    Not resting even for a second, he raised his right dagger as he managed to inflict a small wound on Zack''s cheek before going behind him, intending to stab him in the throat.


    Not expecting these movements, Zack managed to rotate his body in time and kicked Zaroth full force in the chest, sending him back. S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "These movements¡­ you''re moving like an assassin. Where did you learn that?" Zack asked.


    Zaroth''s eyes narrowed like a hunter''s before replying, "Oh, this? Read in a book."


    ''Just from reading a book, he had managed to learn to move like that?'' Zack was clearly not buying Zaroth''s words, but he didn''t have much time to ponder as he found himself, a second later, an arm''s reach away from daggers.


    ''It seems that I won''t be able to take this easy anymore!'' Zack thought as he used his sword to block the two daggers at the same time.


    He had gotten serious for once.


    *****


    The salesman''s footsteps created an echo in the grand hallway as he walked forward.


    In his left hand, he carried a metal chains, with humans hidden beneath black cloths and collars around their necks, walking in tow behind him.


    And, as always, he was carrying his suitcase in his right hand.


    The guards were about to stop him, but once they gazed into his eyes, they froze as they realized who it was.


    They bowed and quickly got out of the way.


    "It sure is busy today," the salesman muttered under his breath.


    Usually, it was rare to see guards in the castle, but today it seemed to be especially busy.


    Had something happened? The man asked himself for a moment but then discarded the thought, there wasn''t a possibility that the problem would be one that couldn''t be resolved.


    Finally reaching the grand room, he opened the gates.


    The first thing that came to his attention was Draconis sitting on his golden throne. The emperor was staring down at about a dozen men who were kneeling in his presence.


    It was clear that they had been discussing something important, and it was especially obvious as one glance at the armor the men were wearing¡ªmade from silver and decorated with gold¡ªmade it clear that they were the most elite generals in the empire.


    Draconis glanced at the salesman who had entered the room and smiled as he spoke, completely ignoring the generals.


    "Another harvest?"


    The salesman smiled at his words.


    "Yes, and this one''s quite bigger than the others."


    Draconis observed the figures standing behind the salesman silently as he counted them.


    ''One, five, eight. Not bad,'' he thought.


    "I am currently busy, so the honor of transporting them would fall upon you."


    "It will be my pleasure."


    Without saying anything else, Draconis grabbed the key he was keeping at his necklace and threw it towards the salesman.


    Once he caught the key, the man quickly disappeared from view as he went to the lower floors.


    "Now¡­" Draconis''s voice lost emotion again as he shifted his gaze to the generals who were still kneeling on the ground with their gazes locked on the floor.


    Picking up a cup with whiskey next to him, Draconis brought it to his lips as he commanded,


    "You seem to be quite timid¡­ so I didn''t hear you the first time. Repeat."


    An old man with a gray beard and a scar on his face shuddered a little under the emperor''s gaze and took a moment to compose himself before speaking.


    "It''s about the Crimson Sun Empire. They¡­ they are slowly gaining ground on us."

 Chapter 119: Master of the Game

    Draconis cleared his throat. The gesture made the generals flinch for a moment, but in the end, they didn''t dare run, as they knew there wasn''t anywhere to hide anyway.


    "We are¡­ losing ground?" The emperor repeated the man''s words.


    In response, the general bowed his head to the floor as he answered frankly.


    "No! It is us, not your majesty, that is the reason!" He tried his best not to offend the emperor.


    "Why would the fault be mine anyway? Aren''t you all the ones in the front line commanding the troops? I just give you the funding you need, don''t I? And considering the amount I have already given, I would expect results¡­"


    Seeing that the generals were simply too scared to talk, Draconis sighed in disappointment.


    "I permit you to speak your true thoughts tonight. I give you my word that I will not punish you for daring to say them out loud."


    The generals threw suspicious gazes at one another. Seeing the reaction, Draconis added,


    "But this also means speaking your true thoughts, and only them. If you try to flatter me in any way, punishment will be in order."


    Everyone in the room had the same thought, it was a death sentence! They couldn''t trust the emperor''s words that they would not be punished if they spoke their true thoughts, yet at the same time, if they tried to flatter him, he would have the excuse to kill them, saying that they didn''t share what they truly thought.


    A minute of silence passed.


    "That is indeed not a bad strategy. If you don''t speak, there is no basis for me to punish you¡­"


    The emperor rose from his seat as he began to walk in a circular motion around the kneeling men.


    "But, this also speaks for your character, you know? It shows that in a situation where you are forced to make a hard decision, you will freeze. I don''t need people like that working for me¡­"


    Stilling his resolve, the man with the grey beard that stood at the very front opened his mouth.


    "If¡­ we speak our true thoughts, we will not be punished?"


    Draconis smiled at the question. "Yes, you have my word."


    The man hesitated for a moment and then spoke. "We¡­ how are we supposed to stop them?! You have cut our funding by more than half while taking a large chunk of our troops! And for what? That meaningless tournament?! In the end, what will you get? The people who will show up, buying the tickets to watch? Would these winnings even cover the cost of holding the massive tournament in the first place?! What was the point in making it more than 60,000 participants?! Just a few hundred would have sufficed, but you just had reduced our military strength for your amusement!"


    Once the man was done speaking, silence befell the room, as every person kneeling behind him had their eyes widened in shock.


    No doubt they all thought the same thing, this man is going to be killed.


    "I see¡­ Is there somebody else who wants to share something with me?"


    Nobody dared to speak after that, so Draconis sighed in disappointment as he sat back in his throne.


    "You." He pointed at the man who had let his rage get the better of him.


    "You are staying. The others are dismissed. You are stripped of all titles and exiled from the empire. I don''t need spineless men for generals."


    The men trembled under the emperor''s words. They had spent their entire lives serving the empire, and this was the result? This was how they were being rewarded for their unwavering commitment to the empire?


    In this moment, they wanted to kill the emperor, but deep down, they knew they didn''t have a chance, so they accepted their fate and turned their back to the emperor as they took their leave.


    "And for feeling like you want to kill me, this is your punishment," Draconis spoke, and the next second, the men collapsed on the ground as all of them were cut cleanly in half.


    The grey-bearded man gasped but didn''t comment on the emperor''s actions.


    "What is your name?"


    Hearing his words, the man quickly spoke, "It''s Warren, my majesty."


    "Warren, do you know why you are alive and they are not?"


    Warren hesitated for a moment before answering, "Because I don''t fear saying what I think?"


    "No, it''s because you fear it and do it regardless. That makes you brave, and you are the type of man I want to serve the empire."


    Warren didn''t know how to feel about Draconis''s words, so he simply nodded. Then a second later, he returned to the issue at hand.


    "What about the attacks we are experiencing? We will soon lose more and more territories, and our troops are not nearly enough."


    "Don''t worry about it."


    Warren winced in shock. He couldn''t stop himself from speaking his true thoughts.


    "What do you mean ''don''t worry about it''? Our empire would soon be overrun!" the man shouted.


    Draconis chuckled at the bravery Warren was showing.


    "This is how it may appear from your point of view, but honestly, we have never been so close to achieving victory. We will soon not only destroy the Crimson Sun Empire, but all the empires on the continent."


    Warren didn''t know how to respond to the insane claim from Draconis. The only thing that came to mind was to ask, "If¡­ you could please share that knowledge with me? It would be most helpful."


    Draconis sighed as he gazed at the cup he was holding.


    "It is quite simple, actually. I will single-handedly defeat them all."


    "But¡­ I, as a person who has witnessed your strength firsthand, can say with all due respect, no matter how strong you are, you cannot conquer a whole continent alone¡­ you aren''t a god."


    "That is true, I am not," Draconis chuckled. sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "At least not yet."


    *****


    Gazing around the prison cells, the salesman couldn''t help but smirk.


    "So many are already here. I wonder how many more will be needed?" he muttered as he took the black cloth with which he had covered the humans¡­ or what had once been humans.


    All of them had bloody eyes, and their mouths were sewn shut, as these ones seemed to like to scream, attracting attention..


    Their skin had begun to rot, slowly falling apart. Their hands twisted in unnatural ways, distorting with each passing moment.


    It looked more like a monster from a fairy tale than a human.


    "And to think that by just changing the soul of a human, you can turn them into something so incredible?"


    He began putting them one by one into the cells.


    At least these ones didn''t seem hostile, so they didn''t try to attack him.


    As he pushed the last one inside, he noticed that one of them was looking at him with sadness in their eyes.


    They had done some experiments on them and had concluded that, while their physical appearance changed and their soul began to disappear, there was a small part of it that remained. How would it feel being turned into such a monster?


    "You are the ones who wanted the pills so much. It''s not like I forced you to take them, did I?"


    Without hesitating, the salesman locked the door, leaving the creatures trapped inside.


    Ignoring the haunting roars of creatures screaming in pain, locked into their cells and slowly rotting, the man headed back from where he had come.


    This week, there were eight new sacrifices to be added to the large pile.


    It wouldn''t take long until they had enough,


    And once they did, the course of history would be changed forever.

 Chapter 120: Whispers of the Arena

    Zaroth was looking at the message from his bracelet.


    The time for the sixth round had arrived.


    He sighed as he lay on the bed. These past few days, while getting better at handling daggers, he had yet to decide what the next spell he wanted to learn would be. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Tomorrow¡­" he muttered under his breath. A second later, Midnight came into his mind.


    He wondered how she was feeling¡ªhad she sorted out her thoughts, perhaps?


    Truthfully, he wanted to message her, but Luna had advised against the idea.


    "But why?" he asked.


    "Listen," she spoke while stretching her alluring body.


    "You don''t seem to really understand the feelings of women that well. She needs some time. But you don''t have to be worried. I mean, she has already slept with you. It will just take her time to accept the fact that she is attracted to a human."


    "How do you know that? Aren''t you a dragon? How are you able to understand women''s emotions then?" he countered.


    She smirked as she approached him, sitting right next to him on the bed. She put a hand over his shoulder and moved him towards herself gently, as she whispered right into his ear. "That is because I am a woman."


    Zaroth felt his blood grow hotter. "Well, if you say so," he muttered.


    With a grunt, he got up and undressed there was still time before going to sleep, so he was going to use the time to train a bit.


    Now, his workout took about an hour and a half, because it took time to push his muscles to their limit.


    He glanced at himself in the mirror.


    It was like he had been transformed¡ªhis body didn''t look malnourished anymore. His shoulders were big and round, his back was wide, while his waist was relatively small, giving him the V-taper look.


    "It is wonder what eating three meals a day would do to you¡­" he whispered as his thoughts drifted to his mother.


    Would she be happy to see me look like that? Her weak son wasn''t here anymore, now Zaroth''s body resembled that of a warrior.


    His lips curved into a smile as he clenched his fist, looking forward to tomorrow''s challenge.


    *****


    "Wow, there are more than a hundred people watching the fight," he muttered as he observed the seats. It seemed more and more people were coming to observe the fights.


    There was even a man who was going around the arena offering drinks for outrageous prices.


    Others were placing bets on who was going to win.


    "On one side, we have Zaroth!" the announcer spoke, getting the attention of the arena.


    Endless whispers began to spread.


    "Zaroth? The one who got first place in the hunting competition?"


    "He really has white hair!"


    "But isn''t he quite short?"


    "Yeah? But he is cute, isn''t he?"


    It seemed that, unknown to him, Zaroth had begun to gather a certain reputation.


    Not that he could blame the people¡ªafter all, he was first place in the hunting competition, coupled with his unusual appearance, and it was bound that rumors were going to spread.


    ''Wait, did somebody call me cute just now?!'' he thought but was interrupted as the man at the center shouted again.


    "And on the other side, we have Radan!"


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow. He himself wasn''t only carrying his spear but his daggers as well. He had become quite good with them, so bringing them was worth it as it gave him more options.


    Meanwhile, his opponent was carrying two greatswords on his back. Each blade was longer than Zaroth''s entire body. It was a young man, probably not older than a second-year student.


    He wore heavy armor that looked like it would restrict his movements a lot. This, coupled with the greatswords, made Zaroth wonder if his opponent would be able to move at all under the heavy load.


    Zaroth was pretty sure he had never seen him, meaning that they didn''t go to the same academy.


    ''To carry such heavy weapons, does that mean his class makes him stronger or something?'' Zaroth wondered.


    "Let the battle begin!" the announcer shouted as he stepped away from the center of the arena, giving space to the two fighters.


    Without hesitating, Zaroth fired a fireball at his opponent.


    The green fireball flew towards the target but suddenly changed course and hit the ground.


    Grimacing, Zaroth drew the two daggers from their sheaths and dashed towards his target.


    Radan responded in kind as he took the two greatswords¡ªone in each hand. Despite the clearly heavy swords, which must have weighed more than a hundred kilograms, the man was handling them like toys.


    Dugging his foot deep into the ground, Radan dashed towards Zaroth. In the blink of an eye, the man slashed with both swords in an X formation.


    Just by looking at the blades getting closer to his head, Zaroth knew that there was no parrying or blocking this attack, so he attempted to dodge.


    But the greatswords, which had long reach, even longer than his spear, managed to graze him on his left hand, and blood began to fall out.


    He cursed as he took frantic steps back. ''So ranged attacks are out of the question, and no melee will work too?''


    It was clear that if things continued that way, he was going to lose.


    Radan didn''t wait a second as he swiftly threw one of his greatswords at Zaroth, who twisted his body at an unnatural angle. Sadly, his reaction speed wasn''t fast enough, as such, he was hit on his shoulder.


    "Not good," he muttered in frustration.


    He didn''t know why his opponent had thrown his sword, but he wasn''t going to complain.


    But his thoughts were interrupted as the sword that had cut into the ground suddenly moved and went back to Radan''s right hand.


    Zaroth''s eyes narrowed, his mind raced with all kinds of theories.


    ''He handles these heavy swords like nothing. He is able to deflect my ranged attacks into the ground, and he can command his sword to go back to his hand¡­ Does this man control gravity?''


    He shuddered at the thought. This match wasn''t even one of the main ones, as it wasn''t in the grand arena. And yet, he struggled to come up with a strategy to win.


    ''The only way is if something distracts Radan while I attack, but¡­ revealing my beasts so early in the tournament?''


    He spent a second or two trying to come up with a different plan, but nothing came to him.


    ''Isn''t it quite insulting? My opponent is using everything he has, while I am questioning myself whether to use my powers or not?''


    A smirk appeared on Zaroth''s face. His eyes narrowed like a hunter''s and shined with menacing green light.


    "Come forth."


    In a second, Silverfang appeared in front of him, and so did the other four wolves under his command.


    A few gasps were heard around the audience.


    This man that had been fighting melee for so long had actually been a beast master?


    But Zaroth didn''t pay any attention to the rumors around him.


    He was solely focused on his opponent, as were his beasts.


    There was only a single command that came out of his mouth.


    "Tear him apart."

 Chapter 121: Round 6

    A fight was a beautiful thing, especially when it was a duel between two experienced fighters. How were they going to use their powers? How would they best their opponent?


    This was the reason so many people loved to watch fights live. There was something magical about two figures fighting with whatever they had, trying their best to win.


    At least that was what the public believed¡­ until they witnessed how a true fight looked like. It wasn''t beautiful. It was ungainly, ugly, scary.


    "Tear him apart." Once Zaroth spoke the command, Silverfang dashed forward with the speed of an arrow. The other four wolves, not too far behind him, began to surround Radan. Zaroth was keeping in the back, waiting for an opportunity to strike.


    Radan''s face was completely covered by his helmet, so it was impossible to see the man''s emotions.


    But Zaroth didn''t miss the way Radan''s hand trembled for a bit.


    Who could blame the man? Zaroth certainly didn''t fight like a Beast Master, so learning that he was able to summon beasts must have been a shock to him.


    Yet Radan didn''t show hesitation. It seemed that the man had a large experience when fighting the unknown, as he didn''t let the doubt slow him down even for a second. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Raising his right greatsword, he brought it down so fast, cutting the air in two. By the way Silverfang moved, it was clear that Radan was using gravity magic to slow the beast down.


    The next instant, Silverfang found himself with the massive blade pierced into his body.


    Radan concluded that the beast was already dead, so he shifted his attention to the other smaller wolves that had begun to surround him.


    They all attacked in unison from all sides, yet Radan was prepared with a powerful horizontal strike, he sent them staggering back, causing them to collapse to the ground.


    No matter what beast once cut so brutally, it was as good as dead. Concluding that the wolves had been dealt with, Radan shifted his gaze to Zaroth, who, betraying every expectation, didn''t seem shocked that his beasts were dead. In fact, the man was smiling, his eyes shining menacingly green.


    Before Radan realized the error of his ways in time, he felt something behind him. Silverfang was upon him, despite bearing such a large wound that should have killed him. He acted like he didn''t feel pain at all.


    The other wolves, also bearing heavy wounds, began to get up on their legs, staring at Radan with fury.


    Thanks to his heavy armor, Silverfang wasn''t able to reach the man''s throat, so Radan rotated his body and kicked the beast aside.


    Silverfang was thrown into the air, and Radan used his gravity magic to make him hit harder against the ground, no doubt shattering bones.


    Yet the beast, without as much as a grunt, began to rise to his feet.


    At that moment, Radan realized that Zaroth seemed to be able to keep his beasts alive, at least until he had enough mana.


    Shifting his gaze to the white-haired man, Radan dashed, ready to attack but was stopped by the wolves.


    He grimaced behind the mask. This battle was going to test the mana capacity of each of the fighters. If Zaroth''s mana ran out first, he would be forced to dismiss his beasts and be defeated by Radan. However, if Radan''s mana ran out first, he would be locked in place, unable to move without his gravity magic, moving with the heavy armor and weapons would be next to impossible.


    This was going to be one ugly battle.


    *****


    "Let''s go!" Sofia spoke as she shifted her gaze to Vera.


    "But¡ª"


    "Come on! Watching a battle or two could make you forget about your visions!" Sofia interrupted.


    With a sigh, Vera muttered, "Okay, okay! Just admit that you like to see how strong the other challengers of the tournament are!"


    Sofia scoffed but didn''t respond. Instead, she pointed to one of the smaller arenas.


    "Come on! We don''t want to miss the start of the battle!"


    Once they settled into their seats, Sofia raised an eyebrow, "Wait, isn''t this Zaroth?" she muttered in excitement.


    She didn''t want to admit it, but she was clearly curious how strong the man was. He, alongside his squad, had managed to defeat an Epic Beast Master after all.


    Shifting her gaze to his opponent, Sofia grimaced,


    The man that they called Radan gave an intimidating aura. She wouldn''t be surprised if that man were able to reach the very end of the tournament and win it.


    Radan versus Zaroth, these two were a force to be reckoned with, and yet they were facing against one another so early in the tournament?


    It was clear that the tournament relied heavily on luck¡ªwhether your opponent would be a weakling or one of the strongest students in the empire.


    Forgetting about everything else, Sofia focused solely on the fight. Whoever won today would advance far¡­ perhaps far enough for her to have to face them. As such, she had to learn as much as she could to be as ready as she can.


    She didn''t even realize it, but there was a smile on her face. One thing was for certain, that fight was going to be grand, no doubt the audience was going to cheer.


    *****


    A heavy silence. Not a single cheer rang out in the arena.


    Everybody held their breath¡ªthe audience, the announcer, and the observer of the fight who was supposed to stop it if they got too close to killing one another as well.


    The ground of the arena was painted red by the blood of Zaroth''s beasts.


    It was a long battle, unlike the ones that lasted for a few minutes at best. This one was more than an hour.


    Zaroth''s beasts attacked Radan without concern for their safety at all, while Zaroth kept his distance, moving quickly and striking only if the opportunity arose.


    Radan had managed to reach him a few times, making heavy wounds, slashing off a few fingers of Zaroth''s hand. His right eye had been cut as well, making him partially blind. A large wound to his side was so severe that a rib was exposed to the air.


    Radan tried his best to kill Zaroth, but the Beast Master was simply too cunning and managed to escape even if he took a heavy wound or two.


    After some time, everything lost its meaning as they watched the fight below them.


    Eventually, Radan couldn''t take it anymore, exhaustion overwhelming him, and his mana ran out first. He collapsed to his knees due to the heavy load of his armor, unable to move.


    Zaroth, rather than trying to go for the kill, made his beasts freeze in place as he shifted his gaze to the observer.


    A second passed the observer spoke.


    "Zaroth is the winner!"


    There were no cheers to be heard, as the audience was too shocked by the barbaric fight to register the words.


    Zaroth sighed as he sat on the ground. He dismissed his beasts and waited for the healer to arrive and heal him.


    While he did so, the observer checked the profile he had been provided about Zaroth and made some adjustments.


    -----


    Zaroth:


    Main weapon: Spear, daggers


    Characteristics: Heartless, can ignore pain to a large extent, almost always tries to go for the kill


    Skills: Fireball, Firebreath


    Class: Beast Master


    -----


    Zaroth had advanced to the seventh round.

 Chapter 122: A Father’s Mask

    Zaroth was taking ragged breaths, staring at the ground.


    ''Zaroth? Zaroth!'' Luna''s shout echoed in his mind, but he wasn''t in a condition to hear her.


    His heart was beating so fast it was going to burst, his mana core was going to crack any moment.


    Before he realized it, he had begun to bleed from his eyes.


    Mana scarcity, it seemed that he had pushed himself too far while fighting Radan.


    ''And this is just the sixth round. Fuck, what am I going to do in the other rounds?'' he cursed in his mind.


    A second later, he felt a gentle hand on his back, his wounds slowly began to heal.


    "Are you okay?" the healer, a woman wearing a white robe with a red cross, asked as she looked him in the eyes. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He took a moment to respond. "Yes."


    "Good. When you get home, you need to rest. Do you understand?"


    He slowly nodded. Seeing that he was okay, the woman sighed as she left him and went to heal Radan. Despite winning, Zaroth was clearly the more injured one.


    With a grunt, he stood up, threw a quick glance at Radan, who was still kneeling on the ground, unable to move due to the heavy weight of his armor, and went out of the arena, ignoring the stares the silent audience were giving him.


    ''How do you feel?'' he heard Luna''s worried voice in his head.


    ''Terrible. I went all out with the exception of using you, and I barely won,'' he answered, frustrated.


    ''So early in the tournament, I almost lost? I was feeling confident this morning, too. It seems I have become too cocky.''


    ''Your opponent was just strong. It''s based on luck if you''re going to be matched against strong opponents or weaker ones, so don''t beat yourself up over it.''


    He sighed as he sat on a bench on his way home and massaged his forehead.


    ''You''re right¡­ at least I now have an idea of what skills I should try to learn now.''


    It was made crystal clear during the fight with Radan, he had to keep his distance while using his beasts to exhaust his enemy. He couldn''t attack from afar because Radan neutralized all ranged attacks with his gravity magic, and he couldn''t get close to attack because if he was hit by the greatswords, he was as good as dead.


    ''I need to be able to get close to the enemy without fearing an attack, so I will need some kind of defense skill.''


    At least he had a new goal in mind.


    *****


    ''It has been a few days now, she has yet to realize that I have replaced her father,'' the black thing that had taken the role of a father watched as the girl silently eat the dish it had made.


    It didn''t have much experience when it came to cooking, but if it was going to play the role of a human, it needed to know the basics, at least.


    "Ah," the girl opened her mouth as she stared at the food she had dropped from her fork to the ground. Then she shifted her gaze from the food to her father, and the corners of her eyes began to tear up.


    Usually, in a moment like this, the girl seemed to be expecting some kind of punishment, but the monster wearing human skin didn''t exactly know how to act, so it had to pretend.


    "Emily, be more careful next time," it spoke coldly.


    In the few days, the thing had learned that the girl''s name was Emily.


    She was a quiet and timid girl, meaning that she rarely talked, which suited the being fine, as it didn''t like conversing of any kind.


    Emily got up and was about to clean the mess until the creature stopped her.


    "It''s fine. You''re late for school anyway. Go. I will clean things up."


    She looked at her father with doubt in her eyes, but in the end, nodded and went out.


    Shifting its gaze to the food on the ground, a sigh escaped from the man''s lips.


    "Seriously, how hard is it to not spill? I''m not human, and even I don''t have problems with that!"


    *****


    Back straight, eyes focused, but at the same time relaxed. The hands slightly moving at the side as it took a step forward, not too fast, not too slow.


    It mimicked the action of breathing as it made its chest rise and fall gradually, taking slow and controlled breaths.


    It hadn''t been a long time since it entered the man''s body, but the monster was quickly adjusting.


    It was still far from perfect, but it was confident that it would not arouse suspicion.


    Reaching the spot at the outdoor caf¨¦, the thing sat on the chair as it shifted its gaze to the park, waiting for somebody to appear.


    "Hello, can I take your order?" a woman wearing a short skirt and a shirt apron, with a pen and notepad in her hands, asked.


    The thing parted its lips as it remembered what it had been practicing for some time now. It was fine if it was happy, angry, tired, or similar, but it was important that its voice carried at least some degree of emotion.


    "Just water," it spoke, making its voice sound a bit tired.


    The woman nodded as she went out of view to bring the water.


    It adjusted the bracelet on its wrist. It was strange. Originally, it thought it was only for the students, but quickly realized that these magical bracelets everyone wore were essentially for communicating and paying for services inside the capital. It took some time to learn how to use it effectively.


    Looking at the time, the thing shifted its eyes to the park. If its calculations were correct, then it was supposed to see its target just¡ª


    A tall man with raven-black hair and white pupils came into view. It was Zack. He regularly came to the park at this hour, it seemed that the scenery helped him relax.


    The thing had learned its lesson. It knew that Zack was able to tell if something or somebody was staring at him, so it wasn''t looking directly at the man but to the side. It was using its peripheral vision to keep track of him.


    While it had decided to prolong attacking the man as much as possible, it didn''t mean that it wasn''t going to try and learn as much as it could about the him.


    "Here you go, sir," the woman appeared in view, placing a cup of water on the table.


    The thing flashed a fake smile as it took a sip.


    Once, it had tried to gather information in the form of a raven and had failed, but what about now?


    It was posing as a human¡ªa father, no less¡ªmeaning it shouldn''t arouse any kind of suspicion.


    "Enough useless thoughts," it muttered as it concentrated on Zack and his movements.


    The monster had been observing Zack for some time now, and it had come to a certain conclusion after seeing what the man was capable of.


    Sooner or later, Zack was going to become its new vessel.

 Chapter 123: The Emperors Puppets

    "Again? Who the hell is responsible for this?!" David cursed under his breath as he observed the church. There were about a dozen dead Purifiers all around. They themselves hadn''t been powerful, but that wasn''t the matter of concern. It was that there had been a lot of incidents where churches were attacked, resulting in the total annihilation of the Purifiers.


    Not only that, but just a quick glance at the bodies and how white their skin was. It was clear that something had drunk the people''s blood.


    "A vampire?" David muttered under his breath.


    It was the only possible conclusion, but there was a problem. The Purifiers were created specifically to hunt demons, and vampires were a form of demon. So if there really was a vampire in the capital, it should fear the Purifiers and not hunt them.


    "That is unless the said vampire is very powerful¡­"


    David had been in about a dozen scenes like this already, and the only thing he was able to figure out was that it was the work of a powerful vampire, or in other words, not much. This was probably the last time the emperor would sent him for examining the crime scenes.


    He couldn''t help but grimace, he was done here, but because that lunatic with the suitcase wasn''t here, it meant that he himself had to go report to the emperor, which wasn''t something he liked doing.


    "Why don''t we just kill him?" the Spectral Warden spoke, its voice carrying a hint of amusement.


    "You know we can''t. Even if we kill him, we don''t know where he''s keeping my sister."


    "Just accept it, she''s probably dead already. Stop acting like some dog on a li-"


    "SHUT YOUR MOUTH!"


    At David''s command, the entity went dead silent.


    Grinding his teeth, he spoke coldly, "Don''t ever speak about my sister again, you fuck."


    Taking a moment to compose himself, David exited the church as he headed to the castle. S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "This isn''t going to be a pleasant talk," he muttered under his breath.


    *****


    "As all the other crime scenes, the only thing that I concluded was that it was the work of a vampire," David spoke, not daring to look the emperor in the eyes.


    "Do you think all the attacks are connected to a single vampire?"


    David nodded his head. "Yes, I believe that it was made by a single individual."


    Draconis leaned back in his throne. After a moment, he spoke, his voice didn''t carry hostility at all¡ªone could even call it friendly.


    "How do you feel, boy?"


    At the unexpected question, David raised an eyebrow.


    "What do you mean, Your Majesty?"


    "I mean that you have entered the tournament on my command just to marry one of my daughters."


    David went silent for a second before answering, "If that is what''s needed to cure my sister''s illness, then it doesn''t matter how I feel. I will simply do what I must."


    The emperor scoffed at his words. "Do you know why I want you to marry my strongest daughter? Despite coming from a poor family and not one of the influential, powerful clans?"


    David didn''t answer the question, as he didn''t know the answer to that.


    "It''s because you are strong, unlike the rest. You are worthy of joining our family because you''re one of the few people whose thoughts I can''t read. I don''t know if it''s because something is protecting you or because you''re just that strong, but for me, that''s enough to consider you worthy."


    ''Protecting¡­'' David repeated the emperor''s words in his head. The thing that was protecting him was probably the Spectral Warden that was always near him. Even if it was trying to slowly make him insane, it also came with a lot of benefits.


    David bowed to the emperor. "I feel honored to be considered worthy, Your Majesty."


    Draconis laughed at his words. "There isn''t a need for me to read your thoughts to know that you are lying. But so be it. For you, I will forgive it all. After all, soon we will become a family."


    ''No one is interested in becoming family with you, you maniac!'' David cursed in his head.


    "If I may ask, how is my sister doing?"


    The emperor observed David carefully before answering.


    "She is getting better. It will take some time, but she will live."


    David muttered a quiet thank you before exiting the grand room.


    "There is something that I don''t understand," the Spectral Warden began speaking.


    "Why do you resent the emperor? Not only is he healing your sister, but he also seems to favor you. He even wants you to marry his eldest daughter. You''ve seen her, haven''t you? I''m pretty sure that by your standards, she''s beautiful, and in normal circumstances, you wouldn''t have had a chance with her."


    David scoffed at the Spectral Warden ''s words. He glanced around, making sure that no one was around to hear, before replying.


    "You''re not human, so you wouldn''t understand¡­ but just looking at them, my instincts scream that something''s wrong. With the emperor and his daughter, the one he wants me to marry. Just being near them gives me a bad feeling."


    *****


    "Daughter," the emperor spoke, and the next second, a woman with striking golden hair and eyes exactly like her father''s stood next to him.


    "Yes, father?" she spoke, her voice not carrying any kind of emotion.


    "What do you think about him? He will be your future husband, after all."


    "If you deem it necessary, then I will follow your command, father."


    Draconis sighed as he stood up. He placed his hand on his daughter''s face.


    "How do you feel knowing that I am your father and, at the same time, I am not?"


    "You''ve proven you possess the necessary abilities to accomplish our goal. Because of that, conquering the continent¡ªno, the world¡ªis possible. As such, in my eyes, you are my father, and I will follow your command without question," she answered without hesitation.


    He smiled at her answer. "Perfect response, as always¡­ Soon, the time will come when the world shall kneel before its new ruler."

 Chapter 124: Tangled Threads

    Zaroth was at his apartment brainstorming some ideas.


    As always, trying to train his mana core as much as possible, he had summoned everybody, the wolves, with Silverfang and Luna, who was sitting across from him.


    "Maybe scales? You are a dragon, right? And they have scales, so maybe I will be able to¡ª"


    "Zaroth," she interrupted him. "When I am in my dragon form, do you see scales?"


    "No¡­ you are undead, so when you are in your dragon form, made entirely from bone, you don''t have any."


    "Exactly. As such, there isn''t a way to help you this time."


    He leaned in his chair as he sighed in frustration. "So does that mean I will have to learn skills the hard way?"


    Up until now, the two skills he had learned came pretty fast to him thanks to his connection with Luna, but it seemed this was going to change this time as she didn''t possess any kind of abilities that would manage to grant him any defensive skills.


    "Actually, these past few days something weird has happened."


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow as he shifted his gaze to Luna.


    "Which is?" he asked.


    "You know that symbol that you got after making that deal with Midnight? Well, I think there is more to it than meets the eye."


    "What are you talking about? Midnight and I even discussed the issue and didn''t come to a conclusion about what it actually does. How would you figure it out on your own, and why are you only telling me now?" he asked.


    She sighed. "Well, there wasn''t anything that could lead me to what that symbol did, but something changed."


    She pointed toward him. "It''s either you or Midnight, but there is a connection between the two of you. Of course, it isn''t as refined as the connection between the two of us, but it''s there. So maybe you will be able to learn skills that vampires can use?"


    Zaroth blinked a few times trying to register the information. "Okay, first off, how did you come to that conclusion?"


    She scoffed at his words. Getting up, she approached him and touched his chest where his heart was located.


    "I''ve spent a long time in your soul. As such, I have a very good grasp on how it works. The easiest way to explain it is, imagine that your core was a mountain. Well, from this mountain, a small river suddenly appeared one day. Maybe it was because you''ve gotten stronger, or maybe Midnight has gotten stronger. It''s also possible that this connection had always been there, but I''ve never been able to notice it until recently."


    Zaroth massaged his forehead. "So basically, what you are saying is that you are sure there is a connection between me and Midnight, and I can capitalize on that opportunity to learn skills that a human normally shouldn''t possess?"


    "Pretty much, yeah. Now that I think about it, the signs have always been there, no? When she was in danger, your head began to hurt almost like trying to warn you that she was closer to dying."


    "In other words, you are saying that I should meet with her?" he spoke as he used his bracelet to send a message.


    ----- Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Zaroth: Hey, sorry to bother you, but are you free? I want to discuss something.


    Midnight: I¡­ can you leave me a bit more time to organize my thoughts?


    Zaroth: It''s not about that. It concerns our deal, you know, that symbol, right? I think I figured out what it does.


    Midnight: ¡­


    Midnight: How does tomorrow after the lectures sound?


    Zaroth: Sure.


    -----


    *****


    "Yeah, it was actually a pretty hard fight. That man was able to use gravity. I''m not sure what class or blessing the man had, but he was a force to be reckoned with," Zaroth discussed his battle againts Radan during lunch with his friends.


    Roran smiled as his eyes shined. "That does sound like a tough opponent, but you won, right? In that case, I''m going to suggest¡ª"


    "Sorry, actually, you know that girl I was telling you about? I''m going to meet again with her today, so I can''t go drinking tonight," Zaroth cut off Roran before he could finish.


    "But feel free to party without me. I don''t want to ruin the mood," he added.


    Lily protested. "There is no way we are going to¡ª"


    "Well, if that is your wish, who am I to go against it?" Roran interrupted her.


    "Oh, come on! Without him?!" she complained.


    "Lily, look at it this way. Today we can party for Zaroth, and tomorrow we can party with Zaroth! That way, everybody wins, right?" Zack joined in.


    She opened her mouth to say something, but in the end, she sighed. "Okay, if you two want to go so badly, I will not try to stop you."


    Zack shifted his gaze to Zaroth. "Oh yeah, you did say that you will try to learn a new skill, right? Do you have an idea in mind?"


    Zaroth''s eyes shined green as he smiled menacingly. "Yeah, actually, I do have an idea in mind."


    *****


    ''This is not a date, right?'' he asked Luna in his mind, trying to reassure himself.


    ''No, it is not. But looking at the way you have dressed up, it is pretty clear that it could go either way,'' she replied.


    ''Okay, I did put on my suit that I used on the date with Elysia, which now, thinking about it, may be a bit disrespectful... And I might have gotten a haircut, but that doesn''t mean we are on a date!''


    He heard Luna sigh in his head. ''Just admit it. You just really want to fu¡ª''


    Zaroth stopped paying attention to Luna as Midnight came into view.


    She was wearing a beautiful crimson dress that matched her eyes and hair perfectly.


    He felt his body growing hotter as he gulped audibly.


    Suddenly, he was glad that he prepared himself as much as possible.

 Chapter 125: Bound by the Symbol

    "Does that make it the tenth?" Midnight muttered under her breath as she glanced around the church.


    The walls were painted with blood, and a few bodies of a Purifiers lay on the ground, dead.


    When they attacked her the first time, they made it clear that they knew there was a vampire in the capital and weren''t afraid to act,


    As such, she saw no point in trying to conceal herself so much anymore and decided to attack her enemy where it hurt.


    Attacking a large church was a suicide, but the smaller ones that didn''t have any kind of specialists among their ranks were a piece of cake to clear. She wasn''t doing this because of revenge, of course, but something else.


    She shifted her gaze to her arm that was painted with blood from her enemies. Her nails were sharp¡­ sharper than they had ever been before.


    She was stronger and faster than she had ever been before. It was all thanks to these attacks. She would attack the small churches, slay the Purifiers working there, drink their blood, and become closer to evolving as a result.


    Not to mention¡­


    She shifted her gaze to a broken mirror on the wall. Despite its pitiful state, it still did the job well. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Midnight was able to see herself just fine. She had become even more beautiful. Her skin was flawless, her lips seemed to have become redder and fuller, her eyes more menacing and, at the same time, more mature. And even her breasts seemed to have become just a little bigger.


    "The physical changes are evident. Evolution should be pretty close now," she muttered under her breath. A second later, she was interrupted by a message.


    It was Zaroth.


    Midnight''s cheeks became red. "Why is he messaging me?!" she complained, secretly glad that he did.


    Truthfully, she hadn''t gone on a killing spree these past few days just in the name of strength. She just found that when she was busy killing, she wasn''t thinking about the man and her conflicting emotions.


    In the end, it seemed that he didn''t want a date, but just a meet-up to discuss the symbol he had gotten after making the deal with her.


    "Okay, this is not a date, just a meet-up for a chat, so there is no need to dress fancy!" Midnight told herself as she sneaked out of the church, not attracting attention.


    *****


    ''I told myself this isn''t anything serious, so why am I wearing the most fancy dress I have?! Stupid!''


    Midnight cursed herself as she went to their agreed place to meet up.


    She was sure that Zaroth would show up in casual clothes and would be weirded out by her dress.


    "Maybe it isn''t too late to go back and change into something more casual?!" she muttered under her breath, and a second later she froze as her gaze fell upon Zaroth, who was already waiting for her.


    He wore a raven-black suit with a white shirt and a green tie matching his eyes. Not only that, but his hair was neatly done, most likely cut today.


    Despite this not being a date, he had gone all out on his appearance?


    Suddenly, Midnight felt thankful that she had dressed in her most luxurious clothes.


    Zaroth noticed that he was being stared at, shifted his gaze, and froze as well once his eyes landed on Midnight.


    The two of them spent a moment or two shamelessly gazing at each other.


    Zaroth was the first to move as he smiled and approached her.


    "Hey, long time no see."


    Before she realized it, her lips had curved into an alluring smile. "Nice to meet you too."


    Seeing the smile that Midnight flashed him, Zaroth took a deep breath, trying to control himself, cursing inwardly, ''I may be in trouble.''


    *****


    Originally, the meet-up was supposed to happen at a caf¨¦, but since they were dressed too fancy for such a place, they decided to go to a nearby restaurant instead.


    ''How did this become a date?!'' Zaroth thought as he sat across from Midnight.


    He may have seen her before, but in the short amount of time that the two had been away from one another, she seemed to have changed drastically.


    It was hard to describe, but it was like she had become more mature¡ªher eyes, lips, curves. It was almost like she had undergone some kind of evolution.


    "So, you say that there is something that you wanted to discuss about the symbol?" she spoke as she shifted her gaze from the food to Zaroth.


    "Yes, actually. I was wondering, can you teach me some skills of your own?"


    "...?"


    Seeing the confused face that Midnight was making, it was clear that he would have to explain everything from the beginning.


    "So basically¡ª"


    It took about an hour to explain everything.


    After Zaroth was done explaining, Midnight brought the glass of wine she had ordered to her lips and took a sip, considering her next words.


    With a sigh, she spoke. "So you want to know if it is possible to learn skills that vampires¡ªor more specifically, I¡ªuse?" she asked, making sure she had gotten all the info correct.


    "Well, we can try if¡­ Luna says that there is a connection between us. I guess there is a chance that you might learn a skill or two¡­ but what''s in it for me?"


    Zaroth smiled at her question. "Well, you do remember that you owe me once, right?" He was referring to the time he had saved her from the Purifiers.


    She smirked at his words. "Okay, I''ll teach you some stuff, but it is entirely up to you if you will be able to grasp any of it. We use our skills in a different way from humans."


    "That is perfectly fine by me," he responded as he took a sip as well.


    A moment later, both of them realized something, their conversation was over, and so was the reason for their meet-up. But both of them were in a restaurant, basically in the middle of a date.


    "About the other matter¡­ have you made up your mind on it?" he asked.


    Midnight didn''t lift her gaze from the glass of wine as she answered.


    "...Not yet. It isn''t an easy process, going against one''s own nature."


    There were a lot of things that Zaroth wanted to say, but none of them felt right in the moment, so in the end, he was only able to reassure. "Well, you can always speak to me when you''ve made up your mind."


    And just like that, their time together ended. The very next day, Zaroth would begin learning skills not designed for humans, but for vampires.

 Chapter 126: The Voice of Power

    The best time to train with Midnight was in the recovery rooms where the Live Combat Practice usually took place. The problem was that while Zaroth was in Class-A, Midnight was in Class-C, meaning that they had different schedules and wouldn''t be able to train together under normal circumstances.


    Thankfully, Zaroth had a way to bypass the rules of the academy...


    "So you want me to permit you to enter the recovery rooms with that girl that I previously warned you to keep an eye on?" Elysia spoke coldly as she took a sip of the nice-smelling coffee.


    "Yeah, I recently found a way to get stronger, so I think it will benefit me massively, considering that I have to win the tournament. I''m not arrogant enough to miss the chance for getting stronger," he replied.


    Elysia sighed as she leaned back in her chair.


    "Just so we''re on the same page here, you do understand that she is a..."


    It seemed that Elysia was aware that Midnight was a vampire, yet had permitted her to remain in the academy. Zaroth didn''t know the reason, but if he were to question the actions of every individual, then he wouldn''t get anywhere.


    "Yes, I do know about that," he answered with a smile.


    Elysia raised an eyebrow as she studied him silently for a few moments.


    "After academy hours, you have an hour at most to train with her. Anything after that is prohibited," she spoke.


    Zaroth smiled widely as he bowed a little, "Thank you."


    She scoffed as she showed him the door, "If that is all, leave. I am busy."


    He nodded and quietly made his exit.


    Watching his back as he left the office, Elysia shifted her attention to a bottle containing a few pills.


    Picking up the one that was much redder than the others, she grimaced.


    "If my gut is right... then these pills... will cause a very big problem in the future."


    *****


    Zaroth quickly messaged Midnight to inform her when they would be able to train, then returned to the lectures.


    "So how did the party go without me?" he asked as he shifted his attention to his friends, who were sitting at the table having their lunch.


    "Honestly? A bit boring. No one wanted to compete with me in who will drink more," Roran complained.


    "That''s because you have a high resistance to alcohol, Roran," Lily nudged him with her elbow.


    "I''m not sure why or how, but for some reason, I ended up getting dragged into another fight. It''s like drunkards can''t resist picking a fight when they see me," Zack grumbled.


    "I see... Actually, I''m not going to be able to go with you to the bars for a few more days because I''m going to be busy," Zaroth spoke.


    "Thank God!" Lily said as she shifted her gaze to Zack and Roran, "You both said that we will not go again without him, right?! Then this means that for the next few days, you will take a rest from the bars."


    Zack leaned back in his chair, "Sure, I will have my battle in the tournament tomorrow anyway, so I wasn''t planning on going."


    Roran scoffed but didn''t say anything.


    He would have to stay sober for the next few days¡ªa truly grand tragedy! S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    *****


    "So you want me to teach you skills that only vampires are able to use?" The time for training had come, and now Zaroth was standing face to face with Midnight.


    "Yes, preferably some kind of defense skills," he replied.


    She scratched the back of her head.


    "Sure, but there is something that you have to understand before we begin," she spoke.


    Raising an eyebrow, Zaroth replied, "Sure, what is it?"


    "I am referring to the fundamental difference between humans and vampires. While humans get blessed by the gods to acquire their powers, demons and vampires do not. As such, they learn skills and get stronger in a different way from humans," she explained.


    "Yes, I do know that," He replied, "but what I don''t know is how a demon... or a vampire gets stronger and how you actually acquire your skills."


    She scoffed at his words. "The answer is very simple. Think about it¡ªif you aren''t gifted strength, then what other way is there to achieve strength? You take it. You murder somebody and consume their being, making them a part of yourself and gaining a portion of their strength."


    ''So this is why vampires drink human blood. It is not just a way for them to kill, but they absorb a part of the human''s being,'' he thought but didn''t speak out loud, not wanting to interrupt her.


    "You may now be wondering, sure, it makes sense for vampires, but I am not one. So drinking blood will not make me stronger. So, what other method should I use to get stronger? Well, it''s up to you to figure it out."


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean it''s up to me to figure it out? How does that help me in any way?"


    Midnight sighed in disappointment. "We vampires hear a voice¡ªa voice that tells us to drink human blood. Of course, it is rare that we hear it, but we do. What about you? Have you ever heard a voice that wanted you to do something? We are connected with the symbol, so you must have surely experienced something like this. That voice will tell you how to acquire more power."


    "A voice?" He repeated her words.


    No matter how much he thought, nothing came to mind. The only voice that he was able to hear in his head was Luna, but she wasn''t connected to the symbol that he had gotten after making the deal with Midnight in any way.


    "Wait a moment," his eyes narrowed in realization. He had actually heard a voice once. It was in one of the fights in the tournament.


    ''What was it again?'' He massaged his forehead, trying to recall what the voice had said.


    A moment later, he trembled. The voice had instructed him with a few words, ''Kill her.'' Then it meant that to get stronger, he would have to...


    "So to get stronger, I will have to... kill?"

 Chapter 127: Lessons in the Dark

    "Did you figure it out?" Midnight asked as she saw that he was muttering something to himself.


    "Yeah¡­ I just realized the voice¡­ It wanted me to kill¡­ does that mean that by just killing I will get stronger?" Zaroth asked as he shifted his gaze to her.


    "¡­ It is possible, but honestly, it sounds too easy. If killing someone was enough for you to get stronger, then if you just go on a killing spree, you would become invincible. Not to mention, while a vampire can''t drink endlessly as its body wouldn''t be able to hold all the blood, you can kill as much as you want with no downside."


    "That does sound too good to be true¡­" He had to agree. If just killing made him stronger, then what would stop him from going to the center of the capital, summoning Luna, burning the capital to the ground, and becoming unstoppable?


    Also did he personally have to do the killing, or would his beasts and their kills count as well? Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''It kind of makes sense, actually,'' hearing Luna''s voice in his head, Zaroth raised an eyebrow.


    ''It does? How?''


    "Think about it. They are vampires, so the only logical way for them to get stronger would be to drink blood. But what about you? You are a human, right? Yet there is something different about you¡ªyou are a beast tamer, and not just an ordinary beast tamer, but one who could¡ª"


    "Raise the dead," he muttered under his breath in response to Luna''s thought.


    He didn''t know what kind of blessing he had received and from which god, but seeing that he could raise dead beasts, it was pretty clear that his god had something to do with death. So, in a way, it did make sense for him to get stronger by killing.


    He couldn''t help but gasp as a realization hit him. When he was fighting, no matter if it was in a friendly duel or in the tournament, he always tried to go for the kill. He had gotten so used to this that he didn''t even pay it much attention, but was it possible that he had been doing it because he subconsciously felt that killing his opponent would make him stronger?


    A menacing smile spread across his face as his eyes shined green.


    Some people might consider that a curse¡ªthe only way for them to strengthen their skills being through killing, which would be devastating for those who were too pure to even hurt a fly, or those ''heroes'' often talked about in fairy tales.


    But him? He wasn''t a hero, he was living solely for his desires, and his biggest desire was to gain strength. He wouldn''t even blink if he were to kill a person that he didn''t know if it was going to benefit him in any way, shape, or form.


    Zaroth felt his blood running hotter as excitement ran down his spine. He wanted to try it. He wanted to kill something to see if that would make him stronger.


    "Zaroth?"


    Hearing Midnight''s voice, he snapped back to reality. He glanced at her and asked, "Yes?"


    "Don''t forget that even if you get stronger by killing, it will only make the skills that you learn from me stronger. You can''t strengthen something if you don''t have it in the first place," she explained.


    He laughed awkwardly. "Ah¡­ yeah, I knew that. Totally wasn''t thinking about going on a rampage just now."


    She sighed as she picked up a sword.


    "You said you wanted to learn defensive abilities, right? Well, the best way to teach you is to beat it into you, so from now on, you are not allowed to attack, block, or parry. You must tank all my attacks."


    "What? How will that help me learn anything?!" he protested.


    "The skill you will try to learn is Darkveil, basically you will use the darkness around you to create a form of shield around your body. Of course, that means that if you are in a brightly lit area, it won''t have much of an effect, but that is the only defensive skill I can teach you."


    She walked toward the light switch connected to the crystals on the ceiling that emitted light and turned it off. The room was plunged into pitch blackness.


    "I made it easier for you. Now, the darkness around you will be easier for you to control¡­ oh, and you can use the chance to try and learn Darkgaze, which makes it possible to see in the dark."


    He took a few steps back in panic. "Wait, wait, wait! This isn''t enough of an explanation! Even if you attack me now, there is no way I would learn a thing!"


    Zaroth heard Midnight sigh. "You can walk, breathe, and blink, right?"


    Hearing the strange question, he replied, "Well, yes, everybody learns those things as soon as they are born."


    "Then can you teach me those things?" she asked.


    "¡­ These are things that you just learn, like walking. You see the grown-ups do it, so you start to move your legs trying to mimic their movements, and eventually you learn it," he responded.


    "Exactly. The process here is the same. You know that you have to make the darkness come around your body to protect you, and that your eyes must adjust to said darkness for you to see. You know what you have to do now, so now you just have to learn it."


    He shot back, "Sure, it may come naturally to you, but you are a vampire and I am not!"


    Midnight laughed, her voice echoing across the pitch-black room.


    "That is true¡­" Suddenly, Zaroth''s symbol appeared and began to glow crimson in the darkness.


    "But we are connected, aren''t we? So the process must be the same. Now enough chit-chat, get ready."


    She went quiet afterward, so Zaroth put his hands over his face in a defensive position.


    Midnight had essentially told him that to learn the skills, he simply needed to try using them. So, he did, but of course, nothing happened.


    The next second, he felt a kick from his side and staggered back.


    He was about to strike back, but remembering that he was supposed to endure, he gritted his teeth, lowered his center of gravity to prevent himself from staggering back so easily.


    This was going to be one hellish training.

 Chapter 128: Questions in the Shadows

    "Feel the darkness around you," Midnight spoke as she used the sword she had picked up from the shelf and slashed at Zaroth''s right leg.


    "Make it submit to you, make it surround your body," she went behind him, made her fingers longer, and pierced his side.


    "Use your eyes to pierce through the darkness," she spoke as she took a step back and let Zaroth collapse on his knees. She waited a moment for the room to heal his injuries.


    "Is¡­ this the way you vampires learn your skills?" he asked between ragged breaths as he stood up.


    "Yes, we also have a fast regenerating ability, but considering that we are in this room that does basically the same thing, you will not learn it here," she answered, not stopping her attacks.


    ''This hour is going to be long,'' Zaroth thought as he tried his best to command the darkness.


    *****


    "And that is an hour," Midnight spoke as she turned the switch to activate the gems on the ceiling and lit the room again.


    She shifted her gaze to Zaroth, who was laying on the ground, bleeding profusely. "Good job. It may seem pointless now, but with time, your body will naturally get used to this."


    He took a moment to recover, then stood up with a grunt. "If this is in the name of strength, so be it."


    Midnight scoffed at his words. "You can try to learn the skills outside battle, but keep in mind that unless you are in a dangerous situation like now, it will not have much of an effect."


    He nodded at her words.


    A moment later, the door to the room opened, and Roderic came in. "Your hour is over," he spoke coldly and then exited the room.


    It seemed that Elysia had instructed him on what to do, and thankfully, the man didn''t ask any questions. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Walking slowly, Zaroth approached the door.


    "Now that it''s over, I''m going to sleep," he muttered under his breath.


    He needed as much rest as he could get. This training wasn''t a joke.


    Midnight threw him a glance but didn''t say anything.


    ''He didn''t complain once during the whole training¡­ I guess he is serious when it comes to getting stronger,'' she thought, and before she realized it, her lips had curved into a smile.


    Finally reaching his expensive bed, Zaroth collapsed on it and glanced at the ceiling. The room was pitch black. But for a moment, it felt like he would be able to see past the darkness.


    He tried to move it and wrap it around his body. It didn''t work, but he could have sworn that he felt the darkness tremble slightly, almost like it moved under his command.


    A smile found its way onto his face before he realized it.


    It was going to take a long time, but he was progressing.


    He was getting stronger.


    *****


    With a grunt, he stood up from the bed. There were no wounds on his body, but he was beyond sore. He just wanted to sleep forever.


    "No point in complaining," he muttered as he quickly ate his breakfast that Luna had made and went outside.


    He was in the lecture room, listening to the lesson Elysia was teaching.


    Zack wasn''t with them as today was his fight in the tournament, so he was probably getting ready.


    This was one of the rare instances where Zaroth found it hard to focus. Despite Elysia teaching the lesson, his thoughts were solely on Midnight and the two skills he was training to learn.


    The first thing that he had to acknowledge was that Midnight had become more powerful and beautiful at the same time. Remembering her explaining how vampires get stronger, it was pretty safe to assume that she had drunk the blood of a lot of humans.


    But there was something that didn''t make sense, Elysia knew that Midnight was a vampire and yet didn''t stop her from attending the academy.


    Zaroth suspected that Elysia had warned Midnight to not kill students or she would be done, but if that was the case, the question arose, From where did Midnight find humans to kill and drink blood from?


    Maybe these humans were with the Emperor, so the Chairwoman would purposely look the other way if Midnight attacked the forces of the Emperor?


    Yet the question remained, Who were these people? Zaroth knew the only people that worked for the Emperor were David, the salesman, and that thing that wore human skin. But he doubted that Midnight would have attacked them.


    ''So maybe the Purifiers?'' That was the only conclusion he could come to. But at the same time, that theory had flaws. Namely, the Purifiers were supposed to be a third party, not working for either the Emperor or Elysia. So killing them would not benefit the Chairwoman in any way, as her goal was to weaken the Emperor.


    ''Or maybe they teamed up against Elysia?'' That could also be the case.


    It was also worth mentioning that Zaroth didn''t really know why Midnight had infiltrated the capital in the first place. If it was just for killing humans and getting stronger, she could have gone into any small city around the Empire and picked off the weak humans one by one¡­ or maybe she wanted stronger humans, which could only be found in the capital?


    Shaking his head, Zaroth dismissed the thoughts. He had to focus on the lecture, as Elysia had warned them earlier that a test would come soon, and this one was supposedly harder than the last one.


    *****


    Sitting on the ground, Zaroth closed his eyes, waiting.


    A few minutes later, the doors opened and Midnight walked into the room.


    She raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You''re here early."


    He paused for a moment before replying, "I didn''t want to keep you waiting."


    "Sure, sure." She sighed as she went to turn off the light, but before she could, Zaroth''s words stopped her.


    "There''s something that I wanted to ask you for some time now. I''ve avoided the issue for as long as I can, but I can''t anymore. This information could be very important in the future."


    His eyes narrowed like a hunter''s and glowed with a menacing green light.


    "Midnight¡­ why are you here in the capital? What is your goal?"

 Chapter 129: Endurance in the Dark

    She scoffed at his words. "So what, curiosity got the better of you?" she spoke, her voice carrying a hint of irritation.


    "It''s not so much about curiosity, it''s more about understanding. Many people are doing what they believe is best, but if I''m not informed about what those things are, I won''t be able to help anyone¡ªeven if I want to."


    Midnight raised an eyebrow. "So what, if I tell you the reason I am here, you will help me?"


    Zaroth''s lips curled into a warm, friendly smile. "Maybe. It all depends on what it is you''re after."


    She scoffed, crossing her arms. "You should''ve just said you''d help me, if you wanted me to tell you."


    He grimaced. "Look, I''m not going to lie. There''s always a chance your goals might clash with mine, and if that happens, we could end up as enemies. I don''t want that to happen, so telling me why you''re here could help."


    She turned off the light in the room, making it pitch black. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "If you are so curious, then learn them, learn the skills. If you manage to become the first human I have heard of who has managed to learn the skills that vampires use, then I just might actually tell you what my goal is."


    Zaroth smirked as he shifted his gaze from where her voice was coming from and raised his two hands in front of him in a defensive pose.


    He took a deep breath.


    ''Darkness¡­'' This was only the second day of his training, so he wasn''t arrogant enough to think he would get the skills down so soon. But it didn''t demotivate him in the slightest.


    Midnight had instructed him that learning these two skills should be the same as learning how to walk or breathe.


    In other words, it should come naturally to him, he just had to practice.


    ''But I am having a hard time imagining it. Even if the symbol connects me to Midnight in some way, would it be enough to learn skills that vampires are able to use? After all, I have a blessing from a god, so these two could interfere with each other.''


    ''Or they could work together?'' Luna''s voice echoed in his mind.


    She was right. Maybe being able to use the vampire skills, coupled with the power he had received from the blessing, could turn out to have good synergy together?


    His thought process was interrupted as he was kicked in the ribs. The shockwave spread around his body, and he felt a few cracking sounds¡ªmost likely his ribs getting broken under the pressure.


    The power behind Midnight''s kick was so great that he was sent flying backward.


    Not resting even for a second, Zaroth got up on his feet as he tensed his body and waited for the next hit.


    Subconsciously, his body trembled. It didn''t want to feel pain, it didn''t want to get hurt, so it tried to find a way to defend itself.


    Sadly, there was nothing¡ªno armor, no cloth nearby¡ªthat could help in any way.


    The only thing that was available was the pitch-black darkness in the room.


    Zaroth''s eyes widened. They were trying to see past the vast darkness.


    A second later, he was hit again and was forced to take a few steps back.


    He was being attacked, and all he had to do was endure it, so his mind naturally began to wander.


    ''A skill¡­ from what I know, to activate one, no matter if it is weak or strong, you need to use the mana from your core. But that is something that happens naturally, or at least in my case. Do I have to try and guide it to my body? Or considering that I will have to control the darkness, maybe outside my body?''


    His mind was racing with all kinds of ideas and theorized on how to acquire these skills.


    ''No need to rush,'' he had to remind himself.


    Rushing the very basics could hinder his growth in the future if he didn''t understand how they worked in the first place.


    Zaroth felt his skin being split open, his blood pouring down from the wounds. He felt his bones being broken by the hits. He felt shockwaves go through his entire being.


    Each time he was hit, his body trembled stronger, wanting to protect itself from the pain.


    The darkness in the room trembled as well, as it was slowly being pulled toward his body.


    He began to feel as if he was getting closer to acquiring Darkveil and Darkgaze.


    Collapsing on the ground, he took ragged breaths and tried to stand up, but his body failed to listen to him.


    "This is enough," Midnight spoke as she used the switch to light the room again.


    "Did¡­ you go harder today?" he managed to mutter despite his exhausted state.


    "Yes. The first day was to get an idea of your general level, so today I pushed you as much as possible. We have only an hour a day, after all, we better make use of it."


    "I guess you are right¡­" he spoke as he glanced at her.


    Sensing that he probably wanted something, Midnight spoke. "What?"


    He smiled awkwardly. "Ah, well, nothing. It''s just that the room heals injuries but not exhaustion, so I will be having a hard time moving from this place."


    "Well, sucks to be you, I guess," she replied, getting ready to leave the room.


    "What I''m trying to say is that I wouldn''t mind a little help getting back to my apartment."


    Hearing his words, Midnight sighed as she massaged her forehead.


    "This isn''t some kind of play to spend more time with me, is it?"


    "N-no! I just really need some help."


    Not saying anything, Midnight went to him and lent him her shoulder.


    He couldn''t help but throw a glance or two at her alluring face.


    Zaroth noticed that she wasn''t in a good mood.


    Was it because she was annoyed that she had to help him? Or was it because he''d made it clear that this wasn''t some trick to get her to spend more time with him?


    He didn''t know the answer to that question.

 Chapter 130: Web of Deceit

    "Thank you," Zaroth smiled as he shifted his gaze at Midnight.


    With a grunt, she let him rest on the chair. "This is a one-time thing, don''t think that I will help you each time you want to go home after our training." Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Yeah, I know," he nodded as he shifted his gaze to the expensive bed that he had spent a fortune on.


    "Now that you are here, why don''t we try it?"


    She sighed as she used her finger to touch his shoulder.


    He let out a weak voice of pain¡­ or was it a moan?


    "You seem like you are about to pass out from just being touched, how do you think that we will do anything?" she asked.


    He smiled at her words. "Does that mean that if I was in a condition, you wouldn''t object?"


    Midnight scoffed as she exited the apartment. "Take it as you wish."


    *****


    Althea took shallow breaths as she stood up.


    She was having a hard time moving due to her muscle-rotting curse, but it didn''t mean that she would just stay lying in her bed all the time.


    Especially not now, as her husband¡­ the emperor was requiring her presence.


    ''Could he have changed his mind? Would he be able to accept me?'' These were the questions that would have gone through Althea''s head before, but now, after being married for so long, it was clear that he hated her. She was the only one of his wives that he didn''t pay any attention to.


    With the only exception being when he wanted to use her for some political reason.


    And today, she knew that it wasn''t going to be any different.


    She quickly covered her body as much as cloth and bandages as she could and made her way to the grand room.


    She was in a castle, as such, there were naturally servants that made sure to keep the place clean.


    There were soldiers that were stationed to keep guards at all times.


    All of them were supposed to be bowing before Althea just at the sight of her.


    Yet they didn''t. Worse, they looked at her with worry¡ªwith wariness in their eyes.


    In the beginning, Althea had felt hurt, betrayed, alone. But that was when she had come here. Now, having spent close to two decades at this castle, she had gotten used to the stares that she was getting from the servants¡ªno, from everybody, her husband included.


    And the worst part? She couldn''t even blame them. There was a rumor that by just touching her, it would be enough to transfer her curse to somebody else. Even if it was just a false rumor, it was a rumor nonetheless. So she understood why everybody would reject her.


    Even her own husband¡­ even her own family¡ªmother and father¡­


    She didn''t want revenge, she didn''t want to kill them.


    Althea had to constantly tell herself that, otherwise there was a chance that her bloodlust would leak, and this could cause many problems in the future for her and her plans.


    Opening the gates, she kept her gaze on the ground, not daring to look her husband in the eyes.


    There were a few reasons, one was that acting with even the faintest hint of disobedience could cause her husband to become suspicious and try to read her thoughts.


    The other was that doing so could simply anger him and could make the next few weeks hell for her.


    But the main reason was that by just looking at him, she felt hatred, and she had to conceal that hatred for as long as possible.


    "Your Majesty, I have been informed that you require my presence."


    She didn''t use "dear" or "honey" like his other wives had because she had been forbidden from using those words to him.


    Truly, the emperor couldn''t have made it more clear that he hated her, even if he tried.


    "Yes, the situation in the frontlines has become problematic, and the people close to the region of the war are in a state of panic. And I want to reassure them that everything will be fine," he spoke coldly, not even gazing at her.


    "This will be your role, to go and calm the masses down."


    "Understood," she bowed. This wasn''t something that she was unfamiliar with, as they had been in a war for a long time. The emperor had made use of Althea a lot of times to settle public disputes without lifting a finger himself.


    She speculated that it was because he was hoping that while she was there, the city would be attacked, and she would die as a result, but she didn''t have any solid evidence.


    "About my transport¡­" she was asking if she was going to go with a carriage or with a teleportation circle. As one of the queens, she usually should always have used the teleporting circle, as it would be much faster and safer than traveling with a carriage. But her husband seemed to like it when she suffered, so she was expecting to have to spend the next week in a cheap, uncomfortable carriage.


    The emperor grimaced before speaking. "Unfortunately, it seems that the public doesn''t have much faith, as such, you will go with the help of the teleportation circle to save time."


    Althea was momentarily surprised but didn''t say anything about the matter.


    "Go. You are to remain there for at least two weeks until the public settles down," he made his voice colder before speaking the next words. "Failure will not be tolerated."


    "Understood," Althea replied as she began to walk out of the throne room.


    Who was going to come with her as a bodyguard? How was her safety going to be guaranteed, considering that she was going to a city that was close to the borders where a war was taking place? She was one of the queens, after all, so such things were to be expected¡­


    Sadly, no one cared for Althea, so such things were not arranged.


    But that suited her fine¡­ no more than fine, because it meant that she would be able to act without arousing any kind of suspicion.


    She had hope, because even if it looked like she was alone, there was an individual that she was on friendly terms with. The reason was that both of them wanted to get rid of the emperor.


    And that person was the only one who truly had a chance to beat the man in battle.


    The one and only Elysia.


    Often called the incarnation of death and the strongest human in the empire.

 Chapter 131: No one sane

    Zack observed the arena, it was the sixth round, the one that Zaroth had already gone through.


    Truthfully, Zack didn''t feel worried as he was confided in his abilities to win, even if he was forbidden from using his powers.


    Even if he couldn''t make weapons and armor from blood, it didn''t mean that he couldn''t make his body stronger by making his blood run faster through his veins.


    It wasn''t like his uncle or anybody from his family was going to notice¡ª


    Zack''s spine ran cold as he noticed a certain individual sitting at the very back of the arena, watching with his crimson eyes the fight that was about to take place.


    It was Alexander, or in other words, Zack''s uncle.


    He had come to watch his match.


    Zack wasn''t dumb enough to use his powers before his uncle''s gaze, meaning that in this match, he wouldn''t be able to use his powers at all.


    At the moment, only a single thought ran through his mind,


    ''Fuck.''


    *****


    Taking ragged breaths, Zack looked at the blooded opponent before him.


    His opponent was able to use wind attacks and make them sharp as a sword.


    It was a hard fight, but he was somehow able to win without using his powers at all, as he didn''t want to risk it, considering that he was being watched by his uncle.


    Who seemed to have already left, seeing that Zack had managed to win without using his powers.


    Zack had a bad feeling. He didn''t have evidence, but he was sure that the raven he had noticed watching him had actually been an assassin sent by his uncle.


    Despite the numerous wounds that Zack bore, he couldn''t help but smile. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    His uncle, despite being so powerful, didn''t want to attack him directly. Even if it was because of political reasons, he couldn''t help but find the situation funny.


    It was like Alexander was scared of him despite their difference in strength.


    *****


    "We had a deal," Alexander spoke as he stared at the eyes of the emperor.


    "You were supposed to send an assassin to get rid of nephew."


    The emperor closed the book that he was reading and met Alexander''s gaze.


    "About that, I received word that your nephew has turned out to be much more powerful than expected, so it will take longer than planned."


    Before Alexander could respond, Draconis added,


    "But of course, we have a deal with the head of the White Fang Clan, as such the deal will be honored." He reassured.


    Alexander scoffed, "Good. Considering that we have so many of our men on the border, I will expect the assassination to happen sooner."


    Draconis smiled. "We will do our best. You can be sure about that."


    The talk was over, so Alexander left the grand room.


    Draconis watched him leave. Once the man was gone, he grimaced.


    "Ah¡­ I could kill you and your clan, but it is not wise to do so right now," he muttered in frustration.


    He had to rely on the clans for a bit more. Each one of the clans had a formidable military of their own, and thanks to deals he had made, their militaries were stationed at the borders, slowing down the advancement of the Crimson Sun Empire as much as possible.


    Draconis needed to stall for just a bit more time. Once his plan was complete, he would simply get rid of any clan that didn''t swear undying loyalty towards him. Even if killing the clans weakened the Draconian Empire''s military power, it wouldn''t mean much. At that point, no one would dare to attack his empire, and he would be able to start conquering the whole continent for himself.


    After all, who would dare to face a god in battle?


    No one sane, that was for sure


    *****


    "Okay, day three," Zaroth muttered as he walked towards the academy.


    It was still early, and the sun hadn''t fully set, meaning that it was still hard to see. Yet he was able to¡ªeven slightly¡ªsee better in the dark. There was no doubt now, this was the Darkgaze skill that he was being taught from Midnight alongside the Darkveil skill.


    It seemed that she was correct, that beating it into him was the best way for him to learn the skills.


    After all, his body felt pain, and that was something that would subconsciously want to avoid, meaning that his focus had slowly shifted to learning that skill.


    ''I am able to use fireball and breathe out fire, I have a dragon under my command, as well as a pack of dangerous wolves that no matter how much are damaged would simply get up as they are already undead. And now I am learning skills that are supposed to be exclusive to demons and vampires¡­'' he thought, as a menacing smile appeared on his face.


    ''I¡­ am slowly becoming a formidable individual, aren''t I?'' he asked Luna.


    ''Becoming? Don''t underestimate yourself. You already are,''


    Hearing Luna''s words echo in his head, he raised an eyebrow.


    ''Am I?''


    ''Yes. The reason it may not seem that way is because you''ve surrounded yourself with powerful people,'' she explained.


    He had to agree with her. After all, Elysia, Zack, Roran, Lily, Midnight, and the people he met once¡ªDavid, the salesman, and the thing wearing human skin¡ªwere all very powerful. They weren''t what he would consider the pinnacle of power, but they were close.


    "Actually, Elysia may be at the pinnacle of power¡­" he muttered under his breath.


    A second later, his eyes widened as he was startled by Luna''s laugh.


    ''What is so funny?'' he asked.


    ''Well, they''re pretty strong alright, but nowhere near the level you will reach in time,'' she proclaimed.


    ''After all, you have a mythical dragon¡­ and a certain mission, no?''


    "That is right," he shifted his gaze to the sky, seeing that the sun was finally showing itself from the horizon.


    He was alive thanks to his mother and her words, so he had the duty to kill the bastards that had created the curse that spelled her doom.


    No matter if it takes him years, decades, or a lifetime. He hadn''t and would never forget his original goal.


    He will kill the gods.

 Chapter 132: A New Vision

    The week passed like a blur. Zaroth would get up, attend the classes, spending more focus on Elysia''s lectures as there was going to be a supposedly hard test. After that, he spent an hour training with Midnight amidst the darkness, and then managed to crawl back to his bed as exhaustion had overwhelmed him, and go to sleep.


    With a grunt, he woke up. Opening his eyes, he saw that he could see, so he concluded that it was soon going to be time for him to go to the academy.


    Shifting his gaze, he glanced to his side. There, Luna was sleeping¡ªnot because of anything that had happened the night before, but because she had mentioned enjoying lying on his bed, so he hadn''t objected.


    "Now that I think about it, this is the first time I have seen her sleeping," he gulped audibly. The way her hair was laid down on the bed made his blood run hotter. Zaroth would have already made his move a long time ago if his strength didn''t limit him.


    He didn''t want to be late today as the test was scheduled today, so shaking his head off the impure thought, he stood up and went to take a shower.


    This was one of the activities that he enjoyed the most¡ªthe way the hot water washed the stress off his body felt so good that he usually showered two times a day, once in the morning and once at night.


    This, of course, was wasteful as a person didn''t need to shower so often, but he didn''t care for that.


    He simply desired to shower more often, so who was going to stop him?


    After he dried himself, he saw that Luna was still asleep. "I guess I can make breakfast¡­"


    Truthfully, he had been spoiled by Luna too much as she had been cooking breakfast for some time now, so it was his turn.


    Today he was making fried eggs with cheese.


    While he was cooking, he couldn''t help but throw a few glances at Luna. "Does she even need to sleep?" he muttered under his breath. Not that he was complaining, she was cute when she was like that, so he didn''t wake her up.


    After some time, the food began to give off a nice aroma, and it seemed that Luna smelled it as she began turning in the bed. Soon after, she opened her eyes, massaging her tired eyes, she shifted her gaze to Zaroth.


    "You''ve cooked breakfast?" she asked, her voice carrying a hint of tiredness.


    "Well, yeah, you overslept," he replied.


    Hearing his words, Luna raised an eyebrow. "Zaroth, this is not possible."


    He chuckled, "Come on now! Just admit that you overslept!" He tried to tease her.


    "What is the time?" she asked.


    "Well, of course, it is¡ª" Zaroth began to speak but stopped mid-sentence as he was looking at the time,


    3:00.


    ''Huh? No, that isn''t possible. I mean, it is so clear it must be the middle of the day, not the night!'' he thought.


    "And also¡­ why are you cooking in the darkness?" Luna added.


    "Darkness?" he repeated her words as his mind raced. The surroundings were so clear¡­


    He shifted his gaze to the gems on the ceiling, the ones that, if turned on, would emit light.


    They were turned off.


    Moving his eyes to his palm, he clenched it into a fist. It was 3:00, the gems on the ceiling were off, and yet he¡­


    Was able to see his palm? Not only that, but he had managed to take a shower and make breakfast without a problem?


    His eyes widened as a menacing smile appeared on his face.


    "Is this¡­ Darkgaze? I have learned it?"


    He took a deep breath, trying to calm down his beating heart. It seemed that he had learned one of the two skills that he was learning with Midnight. How was this possible, he asked himself? Wasn''t he supposed to learn it in the middle of combat? Or was this meant for the Darkveil, while Darkgaze could be learned in everyday life without the constant danger of pain?


    "It seems¡­ that I have good news to tell Midnight later."


    Sadly, it was in the middle of the night, and he had a test today, so he wouldn''t be able to go back to sleep even if he tried. So, he began to review the material that he knew was going to be on the test.


    He wasn''t going to fail again, he would ace it the first time.


    *****


    The moment Zaroth entered the room, he saw that many students had different expressions. Some looked confident, while others looked worried.


    Not paying them any attention, he went to the front and sat with his friends.


    They all looked relaxed, so Zaroth could tell that they had studied as well. Well, relaxed was too strong of a word when it came to Zack, because after the sixth round, the man looked like there was something bothering him, but he was reluctant to share, so they didn''t bring up the issue.


    The front doors burst open, and Elysia entered, carrying a stack of papers.


    "Attention." She didn''t need to speak loudly as everybody was solely focused on her words. That was how much presence she had. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "The test will now begin¡­ should someone be caught cheating, expulsion is in order according to the rules."


    Zaroth didn''t plan to cheat, as he felt confident enough in his knowledge.


    Elysia snapped with her fingers, and the next second there was a test in front of every student in the room.


    "The test will be until the end of the lecture," she spoke as she observed the faces of the students until she stopped at one with white hair and green cat-like eyes.


    Zaroth.


    Her eyes, that usually didn''t show any kind of emotion, moved, showing clear surprise for a second, though no one noticed, as everybody was focused on their test.


    Elysia''s reaction was because she had seen many demons in her life, so she knew how to recognize them at first glance¡­ and at this moment, she saw that Zaroth had somehow become a part demon.


    Or more exactly, a vampire.


    Meanwhile, oblivious to the fact that Elysia was staring at him, Zaroth began to answer the questions on the test, one by one.

 Chapter 133: Embrace of the Darkness

    ''Easy!'' Zaroth thought as he solved the questions one by one. While he was sure he was going to make a mistake or two, he was confident that he would pass with flying colors.


    After completing the test, he asked his friends for their opinions, and it seemed that everybody thought they had done well, so they would pass as well.


    ''Well, now that this is done, I can''t wait to brag to Midnight that I have managed to learn Darkgaze!'' he thought. sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    After all lectures were over, he headed to where he and Midnight usually held their training.


    Entering the recovery room meant for sparring, he didn''t bother to turn on the light as he sat in the middle of the room and waited.


    Not long after, the doors opened, and a stunning woman with crimson eyes and hair entered the room. Seeing that the room was pitch black, she muttred.


    "I guess¡­ he is late to¡ª" but she stopped mid-sentence as she noticed that Zaroth was sitting in the room, waiting for her with a smile.


    "... Why are you waiting in the darkness?" she asked.


    "Darkness? Oh, it just doesn''t bother me that much anymore¡­"


    She raised an eyebrow at his words, and a moment later, she realized what he was telling her.


    "Are you trying to say that you have learned Darkgaze?" she asked.


    Zaroth smiled even more widely. "Yes! I did. Isn''t it surprising?"


    She scoffed as she crossed her arms. "Not really. We have been sparring for a week in the darkness now. On the contrary, I would have been worried if you hadn''t shown signs of learning at least one of the two skills."


    "Oh, come on! Give me some more credit, at least!" he complained as he got up.


    Midnight sighed. "I will when you learn both of the skills."


    Not waiting for a second more, she was already upon him with her fingers raised to his neck.


    He was startled for a second but didn''t move.


    Her nails made several large wounds on his body, yet the man was smiling.


    If he had managed to learn one skill, then he would surely learn the second.


    *****


    The hour they had for training was close to ending. Zaroth was bleeding profusely, yet he refused to give up.


    He wanted to use Darkveil today. One skill wasn''t enough for him, he was greedy and wanted it all.


    For the thousandth time today, Midnight was about to attack him, making a large wound on his body.


    But before her nails could reach him, it seemed as if his body trembled. It didn''t want to be hurt anymore. It didn''t want to feel pain anymore. It was going to use everything it could to defend itself.


    The darkness in the room trembled.


    And a part of it moved, wrapping around Zaroth''s body at the spot where Midnight was about to attack.


    Her sharp nails collided with the darkness around his body and created a screeching sound like metal scraping across metal.


    Both Zaroth and Midnight froze as they stared at each other''s eyes.


    A second later, he muttered, "I¡­ did it?"


    The doors opened, and Sylvia¡ªthe healer¡ªshowed her head through the door.


    "Your hour is up," she spoke, and then exited. Originally, Roderic was the one who was supposed to keep an eye on them, as Elysia had instructed, but it seemed that the man had been gone for about a week now, so Sylvia had taken his place for the moment.


    Taking a step back, Midnight sighed. "Well, good job. You did it."


    Zaroth shifted his gaze around the room. "Have I really?" he muttered and tried to command the darkness to wrap around his body, protecting him.


    To his surprise, the darkness obeyed his command. He was able to control the darkness! And not only that, it felt as natural as breathing! Midnight had really been correct.


    Taking a moment to calm himself down, he shifted his gaze to her and flashed her a smile.


    "Now that I have learned them, will you tell me why you''re here in the capital?"


    She raised an eyebrow, and a moment later, she began to walk. "Sure, but not here. Follow me."


    *****


    "Wow," Zaroth muttered in awe.


    She had led him to a secluded place with a clear view of the beautiful moon in the sky.


    "It''s not really that interesting, to be honest," she spoke, not shifting her gaze from the moon.


    "In my country, there was a problem that arose, and it seemed that everybody, including those who were supposed to be my family, have abandoned me and have the sole goal of killing me."


    By the heavy breaths she was taking, it was clear that it wasn''t easy for her to remember the past, but she continued nonetheless.


    "I was hunted, and you could even say that there has been a price set on my head, so I was left with no choice but to run¡­ but it seemed that the price for my head was so grand that a lot of vampires began to follow me wherever I went. In the end, I concluded that the demon continents were too dangerous for me to remain in. As such, the only option left was to go where demons were hated and hunted, the human continents."


    Her voice began to show a hint of anger. "But I didn''t want to run. I want revenge¡­ and for that revenge, I need strength, so I came here. There are Purifiers here, and while they exist to hunt demons and vampires like myself, I''ve found that drinking their blood greatly powers me up and takes me closer to evolution."


    Parting his lips, Zaroth finally spoke, "So, basically, you have to hunt people here to evolve, and once you do, you''ll go back and get your revenge on those who have wronged you?"


    She nodded her head.


    His lips curved into a smile. "I¡­ like that."


    Midnight''s eyes widened as she shifted her gaze to him. "You like that? That I am killing so many innocent humans just to get stronger and get my revenge on my kind?"


    Zaroth burst into laughter when he heard her words. "Innocent? The Purifiers are as far from that as you could get!"


    After taking a moment to calm down, he added, "Plus, don''t you know me already? I don''t care what happens to people I don''t know personally."


    "I¡­ just¡­ you''re the first person that I''ve told my plan to, and¡­ I didn''t expect to receive support," she trailed off, lost for words.


    Zaroth''s eyes widened for a moment as he got an idea. "Hey¡­ say, to get stronger, you just have to drink blood, right? Not kill?"


    Midnight took a moment to respond. "Yes, that is correct."


    "And if I''m not mistaken, from what you told me, if I began to kill people, then the demonic skills I learn will get stronger, right?"


    "Yeah, if the voice you hear in your head before really wants you to kill, then that is certainly the case."


    ''Then¡­ I can kill a few birds with one stone.'' Before he proposed his plan, he messaged Elysia just to make sure. It might have been late into the night, but from what he knew, she rarely slept.


    -----


    Zaroth: Just a quick question¡ªare Purifiers allies or foes?


    Elysia: Foes


    Zaroth: Let''s say that their number begins to dwindle. Would this benefit you, and would I earn a reward?


    Elysia: Possibly.


    -----


    Zaroth smiled. He now had all the information he needed. Shifting his gaze to Midnight, he spoke.


    "Hey, you just have to drink their blood, right? While I just have to kill them. What do you say that I join you in these hunts that you do against the Purifiers?"


    Midnight''s crimson eyes widened for a moment.


    "Join me? You really want to help me?"


    She was so shocked that he had offered his help that she didn''t even think to question how he knew she had been going out and regularly hunting the Purifiers.


    "Yeah, our goals align, so it will benefit us both, wouldn''t it? I kill them, you suck their blood. Not to mention, if it''s the two of us, we''ll be able to kill more rather than if we fight alone."


    Midnight glared at him, considering his words.


    She had spent so long alone, watching over her shoulder as even her own kind wanted her dead.


    And yet, a human was offering his help? When she had been taught that she should be most careful around humans, it turned out that she could rely on one more than on her own kind?


    She had been struggling with her emotions for so long, wondering if it was right for her to be with him.


    Midnight opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out.


    Zaroth watched her beautiful face that was illuminated by the moonlight.


    Before he realized it, he had placed his hand on her shoulder and went for a kiss.


    She didn''t stop him as she used both her hands to wrap around him and sat on his lap, both of them in each other''s embrace.


    In that moment, Midnight had made her choice.


    She would trust him. She would trust the human.


    She was going to trust Zaroth.

 Chapter 134: Round 7

    Zaroth opened his eyes. The first thing he did was shift his gaze to the left.


    There, naked, a beauty with crimson eyes and hair slept next to him on the bed.


    Getting up quietly, trying not to disturb her, he admired her beauty for a moment.


    Even though she was a vampire and not a human, her charm was out of this world, few would be able to hold a candle to her.


    Entering the shower, he turned on the hot water and let it fall, washing his worries away and making him ready for the day.


    Once he was done, he dried himself and put his bracelet back on, only for his eyes to widen as he saw that he had gotten a message.


    Once he read it, his lips curved into a smile. It seemed that the seventh round was today.


    It couldn''t have come at a better time, as now he would be able to test the new skills he had acquired. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "First things first, breakfast," he muttered as he opened the shelves, seeing what ingredients he had.


    "I wonder what Midnight would like? She is a vampire after all¡­" he spent a few minutes pondering and, in the end, he decided to go with pancakes.


    After all, everybody loved them!


    Once Midnight woke up, she took a shower as well before starting to eat with Zaroth.


    Seeing her still-wet hair that was over one of her shoulders, he had to take a deep breath and control himself.


    He needed all the energy for the upcoming fight, after all.


    "So, you say that your fight is today?" she spoke.


    Zaroth coughed awkwardly before replying, "Yeah, it is."


    She raised an eyebrow, wondering why he was acting so strangely, until she noticed that he was staring at her breasts.


    Her lips curved into an alluring smile. She was enjoying the moment, so she didn''t hide them or scold Zaroth at all.


    After composing himself, he spoke, "Well, I''ve already revealed that I am a beast master during the previous round, as such, I will not spare strength. I intend to crush my opponent fast."


    He quickly added, "Meaning that I shouldn''t be too exhausted, and we can go hunt some Purifiers after that."


    Midnight had finished her food, so she stood up and approached Zaroth from the side.


    She brought her face close to his ear, her breasts brushing against his side as she whispered in an alluring voice,


    "So you have the stamina for so much action? I like that."


    From her teasing, he was about to lose control but managed to compose himself, remembering that he would need to preserve his energy as much as possible.


    "Why are you surprised about my stamina? Didn''t you see it first-hand last night?" he teased back.


    She didn''t flinch back, "Yeah, I did. I wouldn''t mind seeing it again, though."


    Taking a deep breath, Zaroth thought, ''Focus! You can''t lose control now!''


    This was one long morning.


    *****


    Zaroth studied his opponent.


    It was a tall man with blue eyes.


    Once the battle began, the man''s eyes shined, and Zaroth was frozen in place.


    ''What?'' he thought, trying to figure out why he wasn''t able to move.


    Shifting his gaze to his opponent, he saw that the man''s eyes were glowing bright blue as he slowly approached him.


    ''Oh¡­ I see. That man is able to freeze his opponents by just looking at them.''


    It wasn''t surprising that the man had reached so far in the tournament. It was one nasty power, Zaroth had to admit that.


    Most people wouldn''t be able to do anything as they would become helpless under the man''s gaze.


    The blue-eyed man stopped in shock as he saw that on Zaroth''s face, instead of despair, there was a menacing smile.


    ''Too bad for you, but I am not most people.''


    A second later, several wolves surrounded the frozen body of Zaroth, and there was one wolf that was twice the size of the others.


    ''He may be able to freeze me in place, but what about my beasts? Is he able to freeze only one target at a time or can he freeze multiples?'' Zaroth wondered.


    And seeing the terrified expression of his opponent, it seemed that the answer to his question was clear.


    After that, it was a one-sided fight. Zaroth''s wolves beat his opponent in the span of a minute, and he didn''t even have to lift a finger.


    Seeing the bloodied body laying on the ground, Zaroth sighed in regret. He hoped to use his new powers, but it seemed that it wasn''t needed in today''s fight.


    "Oh well, it''s not like I don''t have another opportunity to use them today," he muttered with a smile.


    *****


    Zaroth was wearing a black robe, allowing him to blend with the darkness of the night.


    Shifting his gaze to Midnight, he asked, "So, do we attack now?"


    They were in front of a church. Granted, it was a pretty small church, but still a church nonetheless.


    He was following Midnight''s commands now as she needed to show him the ropes.


    The most important thing was to not get spotted. This was the reason he was wearing the black cloak.


    At the beginning, it felt a bit weird, but he began to like it.


    "Yes, be quiet," she spoke as she took a step forward, Zaroth not far behind her.


    There were two reasons why they were attacking at night. The first one was that when the moon was at its peak, it meant that Midnight would be empowered by it.


    The second and biggest reason was that most people would be asleep, meaning that there were not only smaller chances of being spotted, but also there wouldn''t be civilians in the church.


    Of course, neither Zaroth nor Midnight would blink at killing civilians if it would benefit them, but the more people inside the building, the more potential problems.


    "So we just open the door?" he raised an eyebrow.


    "Yes, once we enter, the Purifiers will quickly recognize why we''re hiding ourselves. As such, we attack immediately,"


    He nodded, and Midnight turned the knob of the door, opening it.


    Zaroth licked his lips as he felt his heart beat increasing. He was able to feel it.


    Tonight, he was going to kill.

 Chapter 135: Blood and Darkness

    Zaroth gazed at the interior of the building.


    The first thing that he noticed were the pristine walls, white as snow, and so spotless that it was like they were glowing.


    The ceiling was decorated with beautiful paintings that no doubt depicted different gods and their tales.


    On the floor, there was a beautiful red carpet. In the air, the scent of burning candles lingered.


    There were about a dozen rows with wooden benches on each side, they were all positioned looking at the big statue from across the room, in front of which there were three humans kneeling.


    One was a woman wearing a pristine white robe, and on both of her sides were men with silver armor.


    There was one old man checking something in a drawer, and the last person was a woman that was positioned close to the doors from which Zaroth and Midnight had entered.


    Hearing the doors open, she turned with a smile.


    "Oh? We have believers at such t-"


    She stopped mid-sentence as she saw the two figures that were completely hidden by black coats.


    Her body trembled as she realized what was about to happen. She opened her mouth to scream, but before she could, her throat was pierced by a short dagger.


    In that moment, Zaroth was grateful he had learned to wield daggers. If he had been carrying a spear or sword, he wouldn''t have been able to move with such speed and precision.


    The moment his blade pierced the woman''s throat, Zaroth saw the way her eyes dimmed, indicating that she was dead.


    He had killed before¡­ but then he hadn''t yet acquired any demonic skills.


    As the woman''s soul left her body, Zaroth''s eyes shined, as did the crimson symbol on the back of his hand.


    He opened his mouth in awe, as it felt like he got a deeper understanding of how to use Darkveil and Darkgaze.


    A menacing smile spread across his face. In that moment, he knew that killing a person, even if just slightly, did increase his proficiency with his demonic skills.


    Taking the blade out of the woman''s throat, she collapsed on the ground, and the sound alerted the other four people in the church¡­


    Well, they were now three, as Midnight had moved as fast as Zaroth, if not faster, and had managed to eliminate the old man without him being able to understand what was happening.


    "We are being attacked!" one of the two men clad in silver armor shouted as he took a step to the side, covering the woman with his body.


    "You take care of the man with the daggers, I will take the vampire!" the other, slightly older man spoke.


    A second later, both of them lunged toward their targets, while the woman that was kneeling in front of the statue just a second ago brought her hands to her chest as she began to mutter something.


    She was most likely praying, preparing some kind of spell.


    In response to her actions, the two men with silver armor seemed to begin to glow as if they had just received a buff.


    Zaroth grinned, ''So that woman is able to buff the people on her side¡­ I can see why they are trying to protect her¡­'' he thought as he moved to the side just in time to dodge the man''s sword.


    ''The heavy armor he wears, as well as the big shield in his left hand and the big sword in his right¡­ is that man a paladin?'' Zaroth came to that conclusion after observing the man and his equipment.


    This was going to be a tough match. He was sure that the Purifiers had some kind of system in place that differentiated individuals from different levels of power like beasts, demons and vampires had. And Zaroth was pretty sure that his opponent was high on that hierarchy.


    ''Not to mention the fact that he is buffed¡­'' he thought as he dodged another strike from the man.


    Not needing a long time to come up with a plan, he took a step back and sent a fireball.


    Sadly, it seemed that the fireball he fired missed its mark and hit one of the candelabrum that was holding the candles that illuminated the corner they were standing in.


    He fired several more, but all of them missed their mark, hitting the candelabrums behind the paladin.


    Meanwhile, the paladin, seeing that his enemy had such a bad aim, scoffed.


    "How many times have you missed, sinner? You made a stupid mistake attacking when a priestess is here," the man spoke mockingly as he approached Zaroth, who was slowly backing out into the corner, devoid of light.


    Zaroth smiled behind the hood as his eyes narrowed like a hunter''s.


    In response to the paladin''s provocation, he spat, "Don''t you find it hard to see in the dark?"


    Not paying any attention to his words, the paladin was about to attack, but before he could, he froze as he realized that his body wasn''t glowing anymore.


    He shifted his gaze to see why the priestess wasn''t providing him with buffs anymore. Only for his eyes to widen in horror.


    There was a large wolf, about double the size of a normal one, over the body of the dead priestess, with its massive jaws closed on her throat.


    Zaroth made use of the darkness that he had created to summon Silverfang behind the paladin''s back and send it toward the woman who had been providing his enemies with buffs. S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Thankfully, it seemed that she was physically weak, so Silvefan didn''t have a hard time getting rid of her.


    "YOU SINNER! YOU SHALL SUFFER IN HELL!" the paladin shouted as he charged at Zaroth with full fury and slashed with all the might he had.


    Zaroth, not planning to dodge, met the man''s attack as he used Darkveil to command the darkness he had just created to wrap around his body.


    The paladin''s sword pierced Zaroth''s coat, as well as his clothes underneath, and hit the darkness commanded by Darkveil.


    He felt his shoulder being wounded as blood began to fall from the injury, yet Zaroth couldn''t help but smile as he took a step, getting even closer to the paladin.


    His skill Darkveil had given out, but it had significantly reduced the amount of damage he received. Under normal circumstances, his left hand would have been cut off completely, or at least the paladin''s sword would have reached his bone. Yet, thanks to Darkveil, it only made a shallow wound.


    Feeling proud that his new skill was so useful, Zaroth used his right hand to drive his dagger deep into the man''s throat, killing him on the spot.


    Zaroth smiled even wider, making sure that the last thing the paladin was going to see before he died was his face.


    Letting the dead body of the man collapse on the ground, Zaroth took a glance at his right dagger and the blood that was still on the blade.


    He had learned three things today.


    First, killing humans really made his demonic skills stronger.


    Second, he had killed the woman close to the entrance, as well as the paladin, yet he felt more power flowing into him as he killed the paladin.


    Meaning that the stronger the individual he kills, the more power he would get.


    He shifted his gaze to the woman laying in front of the statue and Silverfang, who was waiting for more orders.


    And the third thing was that sadly his beasts'' kills didn''t count. He had to kill the individual himself if he wanted to gain a portion of their strength.


    "Actually¡­ scratch that, make it four," he muttered as he shifted his gaze to Midnight.


    Her opponent was lying on the ground with a scared expression on his face, blood dripping from his two empty eye sockets.


    The paladin was trying to scream, but Midnight was preventing him as she had her hand over his mouth.


    Shifting her gaze to Zaroth, she smiled as she spoke, "I managed to keep him alive, so he''s yours to finish."


    Zaroth grinned widely as he felt his body getting hotter at the sight of how dangerous the woman he was sleeping with was.


    The fourth thing he learned that day was that Midnight can be much more scary than one might originally believe.

 Chapter 136: Under the Churchs Shadow

    "Thanks for leaving him for me," Zaroth said as he walked over and pierced the man''s head with one of his daggers.


    His eyes widened as he felt more power flowing into him.


    A second later, Midnight bit down on the man''s neck with her fangs as she began to drink.


    Zaroth didn''t bother her as she fed, he observed the church. Now that he wasn''t in the middle of a fight, he was able to pay more attention to the surroundings.


    The more he looked, the more his expression changed.


    Everything was spotless, beautiful, pristine¡­ expensive.


    How could this small church afford so many expensive items? The only money they should have been receiving were supposed to be donations meant for the less fortunate.


    He got closer to the body of the dead woman that Silverfang had killed.


    The first thing he noticed was that she was beautiful¡­ the next second, he realized that she was wearing a heavy amount of makeup.


    On her neck, there was a golden necklace with a diamond in the middle. At her wrists, there were bracelets made from gold and decorated with gems as well.


    It was clear that this woman hadn''t spared expenses for buying luxuries for herself.


    With the amount of money she had spent on these things, there was no doubt in Zaroth''s mind that these jewelries would have been enough to supply at least a dozen starving families with food for more than a year.


    And yet this money was used on something so meaningless¡­


    He wouldn''t have cared if not for the fact that this money would have come from donations. There were surely a lot of people who were giving money to the church, thinking that they were helping the less fortunate, while in actuality, the money was just being pocketed by high-standing members of the Purifiers.


    He felt rage deep in his soul. He had been one of those less fortunate ones, maybe if the church actually did its job correctly, his mother wouldn''t have died¡­ or at least, she wouldn''t have had to endure so much hunger in her last days. Maybe if he hadn''t been starving for so much of his childhood, he would have grown taller.


    And the worst part was that if the church didn''t exist at all, then there was a possibility that those who really wanted to help would have gone out of their way to do it personally¡­ but due to the church''s existence, no one bothered. Why would they? Just give money, think that you''ve done good, and now you''re considered a good person.


    Before he realized it, his fists had clenched tight as his fingers began to pierce his skin so deep that he began to bleed.


    Was it because the Purifiers were connected to the gods that he felt so much rage against them?


    "Zaroth?"


    Midnight''s voice broke him out of his trance. He shifted his gaze to her.


    The bodies of the men looked white as ghosts, most likely as a result of losing most of their blood.


    "Are you done?" he asked.


    "Yes, we better get out of here. Even if no one has seen us, it isn''t smart to linger at the scene of the crime," sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Zaroth nodded as he put his hood back on his head and quickly left the church with Midnight.


    They walked far, making sure to remain unseen by the few people who were still on the streets at such late hours.


    Finally, making sure that they were far enough, they took a rest at a bench.


    "Thanks for coming," Midnight spoke. "It would have been difficult to get rid of them alone."


    Zaroth simply nodded as he shifted his gaze to the back of his hand, making sure that there wasn''t anyone nearby. He made his symbol appear.


    He wasn''t completely sure, but it seemed that it shined brighter crimson than before.


    "So, you''ve killed three humans, is there any defect?" Midnight asked.


    "I think so," he muttered as he used Darkveil, and the surrounding darkness wrapped around his body.


    "But it is pretty hard to tell," he admitted.


    She scanned his body for a moment or two, then put her hand on his head, making his hair messy.


    "The change is little, but the darkness seems more potent around your body. It really seems that just killing makes your demonic skills stronger."


    Zaroth smiled a little.


    "So any demonic skill I learn from now on should be empowered, right?"


    "Yes, but to have any significant change, you will have to kill much more."


    His eyes widened for a moment. He imagined killing more of these Purifiers, and at just the thought, a smile appeared on his face.


    Was there something wrong with him? He didn''t mind killing before¡­ but now just the thought made him excited? When had this happened, or was he always like this and just figured it out now?


    His thoughts were interrupted as he felt a pair of eyes on him.


    Shifting his gaze to the cause, he saw a girl with a white mask and shoulder-length blonde hair. She was walking around with a beautiful woman with blue eyes and hair.


    A second later, he recognized them as Vera and Sofia. Considering that Sofia had been the one to lead the Epic Beast Master to his fighters during the hunting competition, he couldn''t say that they were on good terms with one another, but they weren''t on bad terms either.


    Zaroth knew that if he were in their situation, he would have done the same, so he couldn''t blame them.


    Once the girls saw that Zaroth had sensed that he was being watched, they took a step backward and went on their way.


    "That was weird," he muttered under his breath.


    A second later, he forgot about it as he decided that it wasn''t worth remembering.


    *****


    "We just had to meet Zaroth during our night walk!" Sofia complained as she marched forward.


    She knew that Vera disliked looking at the man, so she was now probably in a bad mood.


    ''And just when she was starting to get better!'' Sofia cursed as she shifted her gaze to her friend.


    "Forget about him alright? We are here to relax, so don''t-"


    "He seems different," Vera spoke softly.


    Sofia raised an eyebrow, "different how?"


    "Like¡­ I know that he''s a human, but at the same time, he looked like something different."


    Sofia sighed as she nudged Vera with her elbow, "We know that he''s weird, so just don''t worry about him," she advised. Then stopped as she saw that Vera was trembling.


    "What is it?"


    Vera''s voice trembled a little as she spoke, "That woman¡­ the one with crimson hair and eyes¡­ I think she isn''t human."


    Sofia put her hand on Vera''s shoulder.


    "What do you mean?"


    "She¡­ gave off a feeling similar to a demon¡­ a powerful one at that. And I think that Zaroth was giving similar but much weaker energy."


    "Vera, listen to me," Sofia spoke as she went in front of her, preventing her from walking forward.


    "Do not discuss this with anyone, okay?"


    "But we-"


    "Are too weak to do anything about it even if it is true," Sofia interrupted.


    She didn''t like the idea that if her friend was right, there was a demon in the capital walking freely, but there wasn''t much that she was able to do.


    Even if she was a princess, without her father''s support, she was nobody¡ªless than nobody. So all she could do was grit her teeth and pretend that she hadn''t witnessed anything this night.

 Chapter 137: The Quiet Strike

    "Alexander, the leader of the White Fang clan has become impatient, you need to strike sooner," the salesman spoke coldly as he glanced at the body that the black entity had taken control over.


    "I will act when I decide it''s time, do not forget¡ª," the entity leaned closer to the salesman as it spoke without any kind of emotion in its voice.


    "I do not serve you or your boss."


    The salesman smiled widely as he responded.


    "Indeed you do not, but if you want that thing, then you should obey the emperor''s command."


    With a scoff, the entity exited the room.


    "I will attack today, after that, what happens is on you."


    The salesman watched the thing wearing human skin exit the room, and then he shifted his gaze to a man with purple eyes waiting on the sofa.


    "We need to recruit more people," He spoke as he got up from his chair.


    David scoffed, "So that is what you''re calling it? Recruiting people? More like abducting."


    Not paying him any attention, the salesman headed for the door but was stopped by David''s question.


    "I know there are some things I shouldn''t know, but I want to understand¡ªwhy are we working with that thing pretending to be human? It gives me the creeps, and the fact that it''s getting better at mimicking humans, making it harder to tell the difference, isn''t a pleasant thought."


    "We are just using everything that we can get our hands on¡­ do not worry, it will not dare to go against us¡­ at least until we have what it wants."


    The conversation was over, so David stood up as well. It was time to recruit more people.


    *****


    Each movement was precise, its voice was the same as any normal human.


    It had been living among humans for some time now, as such, it was able to almost perfectly replicate their movements.


    A part of the reason for that was his¡­ or at least this body''s daughter¡ªEmily. It turned out that taking care of a child while pretending to be her father had made it learn a lot of things when it came to humans. Especially when it came to their emotions.


    Emily, being a kid, didn''t have a good grasp of her emotions yet, meaning that she found it hard to suppress them.


    The entity just had to silently watch her as it was learning at an abnormal rate the way humans behaved and thought.


    It had reached such a high level of pretending to be a human that it was now confident that it could have conversations with everyday people without anyone noticing that something was amiss.


    At the beginning, it thought that there was a chance that it would stumble on a Purifier and its cover would have been exposed. But to its luck, it seemed that a lot of the churches had been attacked recently, so the number of Purifiers had drastically dwindled.


    They couldn''t be found anywhere else except in the few big churches that remained, meaning as long as it didn''t go to those locations, it would be safe.


    Everything had aligned perfectly, so the day to strike Zack had come.


    Coincidentally, it seemed that today was the day when its target was going to participate in the tournament, so feeling confident that it appeared like a human, it had decided to enter the arena and watch the fight, hoping to see what kind of other power Zack possessed.


    Sadly, the man didn''t use any powers at all. He simply overwhelmed his opponent with his mastery of sword fighting.


    There was only one thing that concerned the entity.


    In the arena, there was somebody very powerful. It was a man with crimson eyes that seemed to watch Zack intensely. Were they related in any kind of shape or form?


    Despite knowing that it was a bad idea, it glanced for a second at the man.


    In that moment, the man with crimson eyes seemed to have sensed that he was being watched and matched the being''s gaze. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The thing wearing human skin felt its spine getting cold as just staring at the man''s eyes spoke about how strong he was. Not only that, but the man had surely realized that he wasn''t being stared at by a human but by a demon instead.


    And yet, betraying expectations, the man smiled almost as if he were happy to have seen the demon.


    The entity asked itself why, and then realizing it, this was probably Alexander, the leader of the White Fang clan. The man had probably deduced that the thing was the assassin the emperor had sent.


    Then, a second later, the man''s smile disappeared as he stood up. The match was over, so his work was done as well.


    The thing wearing human skin shifted its gaze to Zack.


    Even though the man had won, he had done it without using his powers at all, meaning that he had numerous wounds on his body. Strangely enough, though, he didn''t bleed despite them.


    ''No matter, he must be at least exhausted.'' The thing stood up from its seat as well.


    The time to strike had come.


    *****


    Following Zack, the thing walked slowly, making sure to not look directly at the man to not arouse suspicion.


    To kill Zack, it had to enter his body, meaning it would have to leave the current one it was using.


    It was probably never going to see Emily again.


    The fact didn''t bother it in the slightest. There was no way that it had grown attached to a human.


    ''Now,''


    Reaching a secluded place and making use of the fact that it was night, meaning there were no people around, it sat on the bench and then exited the body of the man it was using.


    The black mass moved quickly, climbing down the wall of the house.


    It traveled from one to another quickly as it finally positioned itself above Zack.


    With no hesitation, it lunged toward the man.


    Zack noticed it, but because he was exhausted from the fight he had just endured, his reaction speed was too slow.


    The being landed on Zack''s head as it began to enter into his eyes and mouth.


    The moment had finally come. It was going to take full control over Zack.

 Chapter 138: A Demon’s Defeat

    The process wasn''t complicated in the slightest.


    It enters the body of a creature, making its way into its nerves, muscles, tendons, and takes full control of them.


    It also enters the brain as it infects it, taking full control over all motor functions of the body and killing the being in the process.


    The whole thing shouldn''t take more than ten seconds on average.


    And yet something happened.


    Something that it hadn''t ever experienced.


    Ten seconds passed, twenty seconds, thirty seconds, a minute, and yet it hadn''t taken control yet.


    Something was stopping it. Like there was a wall that didn''t allow it to go deeper. Not metaphorical¡ªa literal wall.


    ''Is that blood?'' the thing asked itself. The blood of the man had moved in such a way that it didn''t allow it to gain access to the brain or the nerves.


    It had previously seen that Zack had a way to manifest a blood sword, meaning that he could command blood to some extent. But to be able to control it so masterfully that he denied the entity access to his own body?


    This was something it hadn''t expected in the slightest.


    Zack, finally recovering from the shock that something had entered him and was trying to take control, opened his mouth and, using his hand, dug deep into his throat.


    Catching the black mass with his hand, he pulled with all his strength. A moment later, the black mass let go, and the entity was thrown to the side.


    ''I wasn''t able to take control of a human? I was denied access?'' Not giving a chance for the black mass that had entered him to catch a break, Zack manifested his blood sword and lunged toward the entity.


    Sadly, he was too slow, as the thing managed to enter a shaft, disappearing from view just before his sword reached it.


    "FUCK!" Zack shouted as he began to search for the thing, but it was nowhere in sight.


    After confirming that he was indeed alone, he could only kneel as he took ragged breaths. He had been expecting an attack, but for something to literally try and take control over his body? Even in his wildest dreams, he wouldn''t have thought this was possible.


    "Thank god for my powers, I guess," he muttered under his breath.


    Despite managing to stop an attack, he wasn''t in a good mood as he knew that the thing that attacked him wasn''t human. Meaning that his uncle was even willing to use demons to get rid of him. Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I think¡­ I have to ask for help after all," he had to admit.


    *****


    Returning to the body of the father, the entity''s emotionless expression was replaced by a grim one.


    "I¡­ failed?" It was still having a hard time accepting the fact that there existed a human that was able to resist its influence.


    "Well, I did what I could. They are on their own now." It didn''t know how the salesman was planning to get rid of Zack since it had now failed, nor did it truly care.


    As its work was done, it began to head home to where Emily was.


    It caught a glance of its reflection in a street window, and its eyes widened in surprise.


    Why was it smiling despite failing its mission?


    Was it because it was glad that even though it had failed, the job was considered done, meaning that it could forget about it?


    Or was it because it was glad it failed, meaning that it would spend more time with this body''s daughter?


    "Yeah, no way," the thing muttered as it moved forward.


    There was no way that it had become attached to a human.


    *****


    "I think we can do one more," the salesman muttered as he observed the poor district.


    "Isn''t there a better way of recruiting people?" David asked.


    "It''s not like we''re forcing them, are we? They are choosing this of their own volition," the man replied.


    "I don''t think they have much of a choice though," David muttered under his breath. Thankfully, the salesman didn''t hear him as he saw his next prey.


    "Watch and learn, you''ll soon do the same," the salesman spoke as he approached a clearly homeless man lying on a bench.


    "Excuse me, sir," he spoke, stopping before the homeless man.


    The man had ragged old clothes, a beard that he hadn''t shaved off in a long time, and marks on his hands hinting that he had a history of abusing certain substances in the past.


    Or in other words, the perfect person they needed.


    "I don''t have any money," the homeless man grunted as he stood up, clearly alarmed.


    The salesman smiled in response. "No, I am not selling anything actually, you see¡­"


    He opened his suitcase and handed a bottle containing red pills and a business card to the man.


    "This is entirely free, no strings attached. If you happen to desire more, you can find them at the address on the card."


    The homeless man, despite feeling suspicious, took the pills.


    "Good day, sir," the salesman spoke as he left the man alone, and David followed as well.


    "Why are you frowning?" the man asked, seeing the expression on David''s face.


    "These pills¡­ what exactly are they?"


    The salesman spoke, "Again, asking questions about things you shouldn''t know¡­ well, think of them as chaos."


    "Chaos?" David raised an eyebrow.


    "Yes, chaos, in its most natural form," the man replied.


    David frowned even more, he hated it when people were being mysterious. But sadly, he wasn''t in a position where he could demand a satisfactory answer, so he didn''t ask any further questions.


    "How funny, working for them and not being given such basic information," the Spectral Warden mocked him. In response, David could only bit his lower lip in frustration.


    ''This is for my sister,'' he kept repeating in his mind, a reminder of why he was doing this.


    Seeing that the man wasn''t planning on speaking, the Spectral Warden sighed in regret.


    "You''re no fun."

 Chapter 139: The Approaching Crimson River

    "I want to express my utmost gratitude for joining me in my endeavor," Althea spoke as she bowed a little.


    "Please raise your head," Roderic immediately replied. "These were Elysia''s orders, if you have to thank somebody, then thank her, not me."


    "I see¡­ Nevertheless, thank you for coming." Althea raised her head and went on her way as Roderic walked behind her.


    He was assigned as a bodyguard for the queen. The second Elysia had heard that Althea had been sent to the frontline, she commanded Roderic to go and join her.


    Despite being sent to aid the queen, he still kept his distance. There was a rumor that if somebody were to touch her, they would get her curse, so nobody wanted to take the risk.


    Althea seemed to realize it but didn''t seem bothered by the fact. She had probably gotten used to people keeping their distance from her.


    "Another day had passed. We are going to examine the battlefield," Althea commanded as she marched forward.


    Roderic raised an eyebrow. "But is it wise to get so close to it? Shouldn''t we be keeping a safe distance? If the enemy realized that one of the queens were present here, they would no doubt do anything in their power to get their hands on you."


    Althea couldn''t help but scoff at his words.


    "Should I feel flattered by your words, Sir Roderic? I doubt anybody would go out of their way to try and kidnap me, not to mention that even if they did, nobody would bat an eye."


    A second later, she added, "Plus, I am here to calm down the worried civilians and soldiers close to the frontline. I can''t exactly do that if I have no idea how the war is progressing, can I?"


    Roderic wanted to respond, but in the end, he kept his mouth shut, knowing that every word that came out of Althea''s mouth was correct.


    Reaching the city gates, they climbed on top of them. Once they did, the horizon made Roderic grimace.


    Althea didn''t seem much affected as her face remained neutral as ever.


    After a moment, Roderic couldn''t help but mutter, "God¡­ there must be thousands at least."


    The beautiful field up to the north was gone, nowhere to be found. Instead, it had been replaced with thousands of dead soldiers lying on the ground, painting it with their blood. Most of them wore black armor decorated with red armaments, meaning that the Crimson Sun Empire had taken more casualties this time.


    This didn''t mean that there hadn''t been a large loss to their side, however.


    In the vicinity of the walls, there were civilians embracing the bodies of their dead family members and friends.


    There was one fellow who looked like a ghost, he was carrying his severed left hand in his right as he sat patiently, awaiting a healer to come help him.


    He was one of the less severe cases.


    "There aren''t any more survivors!" one man shouted.


    "Understood," another nodded, understanding what was meant.


    A moment later, several flames engulfed the lying-on-the-ground bodies.


    Once they got the majority of the bodies from their side, they would burn the rest of them¡ªprimarily the enemy ones.


    It wasn''t like they were going to allow their enemy to get close and collect the bodies of their slain brothers and sisters. The more these bodies were on the field close to the city, the higher the chance a disease was going to spread.


    Considering that the city was in the middle of a siege, a disease was the last thing they needed at the moment.


    As the bodies of the dead soldiers caught aflame, ash soared high into the sky.


    "Isn''t it funny?" Althea exclaimed, catching Roderic by surprise.


    "What is it?" he asked, after taking a moment to compose himself.


    "I am sent here meant to reassure the people that everything would be fine, but considering the situation, there''s only one way to do it, to convince them that the city would get reinforcements or financial aid."


    "¡­And from what I have heard¡­"


    "The emperor hasn''t announced anything similar. Meaning that I have to use my charisma to convince these struggling people that everything will be fine," Althea spoke as she shifted her gaze to Roderic.


    "And yet the one who has been sent is me. The one who is the furthest from charisma as one could go."


    Roderic''s eyes widened a little. He had been married for a long time, so he knew that in situations like this, one was supposed to comfort the person, but he knew deep down that no matter what he said, it was going to be useless.


    The queen knew how much she was despised by those around her, so lying to her face would be both insulting and pointless.


    After the queen calmed down a little, she began to head down.


    "Come, the people require my presence."


    *****


    Ten thousand soldiers clad in black armor with red armaments. One man in front of them, carrying two great swords on his back¡ªvery few people would be able to wield them effectively¡­ but this man didn''t have any trouble. He was taller than two meters, after all, so any normal sword looked like a child''s toy in his hands.


    The enemy general.


    Shifting his gaze, he saw that the sun was high in the sky¡ªthe perfect time to attack.


    "They dare to kidnap our princess!" His shout was so forceful that it seemed as if the surroundings died out completely due to the man''s power.


    "Not only that, but they don''t even dare to meet us in a fair fight, cowardly hiding themselves in their pathetic cities!" The ten thousand soldiers present were listening intently as a new emotion began to show in their eyes¡ªbloodlust.


    "It is time we show them the might of our empire! We will show them what happens when they go against us! We will kill their men, burn their cities, desecrate their legends and their gods. Nothing shall remain from them. We will erase them from the course of history!"


    "Let the crimson river flow!" sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Let the crimson river flow!"


    The shout of the soldiers echoed across dozens of kilometers.


    "We thirst for their blood, and the Sun shall drink!"


    "We thirst for their blood, and the Sun shall drink!"


    A menacing smile appeared on the general''s face.


    "We are getting our princess back. Kill without mercy!"


    The attack on the city had begun.

 Chapter 140: A Dangerous Alliance

    "But thanks to my powers, I somehow managed to deny its control. After that, I threw it to the side and tried to attack it, but it seemed that I was too slow, so it managed to escape."


    Once Zack had finished explaining how he was attacked, silence fell on the table where he and his friends were sitting.


    Lily was the first one to manage to speak. "Something tried to take control of you? We expected you to be attacked, but... this is..." She wasn''t able to finish her words, unsure of how to express them.


    "But you are fine, aren''t you? There aren''t any side effects or something similar?" Roran asked as he leaned back in his chair.


    "No, thankfully, I am fine," Zack replied.


    Zaroth, meanwhile, was busy thinking. ''Something that enters your body and tries to take full control of it...'' The first thing that came to mind was that creature he had seen once¡ªthe one that was wearing human skin.


    ''But from what I know, it is supposed to work for the emperor... unless he and Zack''s family have joined sides, trying to get rid of him¡­'' S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    This was the only logical conclusion. But if that was true, it meant that Zack was alone¡ªnot only fighting against his family, which was already hard enough, considering it was a very powerful clan, but now, if the emperor enters the picture...


    Massaging his forehead, Zaroth sighed as he leaned back in his chair.


    ''What do you think, Luna?'' he asked, eager to hear another opinion.


    ''Zack is pretty much screwed. I find it hard to imagine him surviving... Well, there does come one solution to mind¡­''


    "Yeah, figures..." he muttered under his breath.


    The only way for Zack¡ªhis friend¡ªto survive fighting against such a large and powerful force was to join another equal in power... or in other words...


    "Zack," Zaroth spoke, shifting his gaze to the man. "I know that you may want to fight alone against your family. Maybe it''s pride or something similar¡ª"


    "Actually," Zack interrupted him, "I have to admit, I think I will need help from now on. It was stupid of me to think that I would be fine on my own."


    ''Well, that certainly makes things easier,'' Zaroth thought as he continued.


    "I suspect that there is a very large force targeting you, even bigger than your family clan," he spoke as no one interrupted him. Zack, as well as Roran and Lily, were listening to him intensely.


    "So the only way I see for you to survive is to join a powerful force of your own."


    Before he spoke his next words, he sent Elysia a message.


    -----


    Zaroth: Do you perhaps need more allies?


    Elysia: Elaborate.


    Zaroth: My friend has reached a point where if he doesn''t get some kind of support, there is a huge chance he is assassinated. And I believe he will be very useful.


    Elysia: Names?


    Zaroth: Zack, Roran, Lily. The ones that made it possible for me to kill the Epic Beast Master.


    Elysia: ...


    Elysia: If they know what they are getting into, then they are more than welcome.


    -----


    Sighing with relief, Zaroth glanced around his friends. "Considering that Zack is being targeted, there is a chance that you are caught in the crossfire as well," he spoke, glancing at Roran and Lily.


    "So if you agree to support the chairwoman¡ªElysia¡ªthen she can more or less guarantee your survival, at least for now."


    His friends'' eyes widened for a moment at the mention of the woman. Suddenly, everything began to make sense. Why and how he had managed to get a date with her.


    If they were working together, then it seemed more plausible.


    The first to reply was Roran. "Support her?" He raised an eyebrow. "If we are supporting her, then this means she is an enemy of somebody. Who is it?"


    Zaroth observed their surroundings, making sure that there wasn''t anybody listening to their conversation. After a moment, he spoke.


    "The emperor."


    "We are in," Lily replied without any hesitation, which wasn''t really expected, considering that she was usually the most cautious person of the group.


    "Wait, let''s think about this logically!" Roran whispered as he heard her answer.


    "No," she replied firmly. "This is a chance we can''t miss, and you know that, Roran."


    Roran wanted to respond, but it seemed that the words got caught in his throat, and as such, he wasn''t able to.


    After a moment, Zack asked.


    "If... If I join Elysia, would she help me get my revenge on my family? On the clan?"


    Zaroth studied the man before replying. "If my suspicions are correct, then your family clan is working with the emperor, making them Elysia''s enemy. As such, they are as good as dead."


    Zack''s eyes seemed to brighten, as if he had just seen a glimmer of hope for the first time in a long while.


    "Then I''m in as well," he answered firmly.


    *****


    Zaroth had to admit that it was weird. Usually, when he was in Elysia''s office, he was always alone. But this time, he wasn''t, as Zack, Roran, and Lily were here as well.


    Leaning back in her chair, Elysia observed the four students in front of her. She knew what Zaroth was capable of, but what about the other three?


    "It''s good that you have decided to join me, but first, you have to reveal what your powers are. After all, to know how useful you are going to be, I have to know what you''re capable of."


    Zaroth would have argued that it wouldn''t matter since she knew they were strong enough to assist him in killing the Epic Beast Master, but in truth, he was curious to know what their powers actually were, so he didn''t speak up.


    "I can control blood," Zack was the first one to speak up.


    "There are many ways to use it. First, I can make my body faster and stronger by increasing the speed at which my blood flows through my veins. I can also command it to transform into armor, weapons, and other objects, but if I''m not familiar with the object, then creating it would be too difficult."


    Elysia raised an eyebrow. "Can you control the blood of your enemies? Effectively turning them into your puppets?"


    Zack grimaced for a moment before replying, "In theory, yes. In practice, I lack the strength to do it. It would require too much mana, and better control than the one I currently possess."


    After Zack was done speaking, Elysia shifted her gaze to Roran.


    The man took a deep breath before speaking. "I can make things levitate, and the blessing I''ve received allows me to summon heavenly swords... but I don''t know the details, so I can''t exactly use it properly."


    Elysia sighed. It was common for people, especially as young as them, to not have a very good grasp of their powers or how to use them, so she wasn''t going to press for more.


    Lastly, it was Lily''s turn. The one Elysia was the most interested in.


    Lily glanced briefly at Roran with hesitation.


    "At this point, we''re too far gone to hesitate."


    Nodding, Lily parted her lips and spoke, revealing her powers.


    Listening to her, Zaroth felt a chill run down his spine.


    He had expected Lily to be a force to be reckoned with¡­ but this went far beyond any expectation he had.

 Chapter 141: Obstructed Memories

    With a gasp, he rose up from his bed as he put his trembling hand on his forehead.


    Zaroth took a minute or two to calm down his heart.


    By instinct, he had summoned Luna, so he shifted his gaze to her as he asked,


    "What the fuck happened?"


    Just a second ago, he was in Elysia''s office with Zack, Roran, and Lily.


    Lily was about to say what kind of powers she had, but then he found himself back in his room?


    Luna, hearing his question, raised an eyebrow as she looked out the window. It was already night.


    "I think Lily told us what her powers were¡­ and then we forgot."


    "Forgot?" Zaroth repeated her words, trying to make sense of the situation.


    "Yes¡­ if I am not mistaken, you alongside everybody in the room with the exception of Elysia were terrified when they heard what Lily''s powers were¡­ and then everybody forgot¡­ I think it was part of her powers about not allowing anyone to remember them."


    With a grunt, Zaroth sat on the bed, deep in thought.


    ''Her powers have something to do with memories? Is that why I can''t seem to recall the events clearly? If I am affected, should I take it as that she is unable to control them and everybody is affected by it?''


    After a few minutes of pondering, he asked,


    "Did I¡­ say something to you before I forgot everything?"


    Luna sighed as she sat next to him on the bed. "Even if you did, I wouldn''t have remembered¡­ well, you did actually ask me something."


    He raised an eyebrow. "What was it?"


    "You asked if you will be able to win against her if you used me," she replied.


    "And your answer?"


    "We would lose."


    "Lose?" he muttered her words under his breath. He knew that Lily had been hiding her true strength¡­ but she was stronger than him? He possessed a mythical dragon! Even if his dragon wasn''t at full power currently, it was still a dragon nonetheless!


    Zaroth began to feel frustrated, so he walked over to the bathroom, undressed, and turned on the shower. He had woken up sweaty, so maybe the shower would be able to calm him down and help him remember.


    Slowly his memories began to resurface, but it was hard to keep them, it felt like if he wasn''t focusing solely on them, they were going to disappear again.


    "Lily said something¡­ Zack was visibly shocked, Roran didn''t change his expression much, meaning that he knew a part of her powers, which wasn''t a surprise considering that she was his girlfriend¡­ and Elysia¡­ she had a smile on her face¡­ one that I have never seen her with."


    A part of the conversation came back to him, but he wasn''t able to remember the most important thing, what were Lily''s powers exactly?


    "Everything is pointing toward being able to manipulate memories to some extent¡­ but then what about the spells she is able to use? If they aren''t connected to her class or blessing in any way, it would mean that she had learned them the hard way¡­ but why do I feel like this isn''t the case?"


    It was safe to say that he was becoming frustrated with himself, feeling like he wasn''t able to think clearly, like something was obstructing his memories. It wasn''t a nice feeling.


    He had become cocky, he didn''t know what Lily was capable of before, but he assumed that he was stronger than her¡­ and yet the opposite was the case?


    ''Stronger. I need to be stronger¡­'' Again, it all came down to strength in the end. The feeling that he wasn''t the strongest wasn''t a pleasant feeling. So he felt a dire need to acquire more power.


    "Let''s summarize what I can do right now."


    First, it was his mana core. It had three aspects that he would be able to improve, his mana output, capacity, and regeneration. The more he improved that part, the more spells he would be able to use.


    Then it came the amount of sparks connected to his core. They wouldn''t increase the number of spells he could use, but they increased the firepower¡ªor in other words, the effectiveness of his skills.


    Then it came the demonic skills that he had learned from Midnight. If he wanted to become more familiar with them, he had to kill more people.


    It was important not to forget his physical body, he had become stronger and was able to use, somewhat proficiently, swords, spears, and daggers.


    And lastly was the fact that he was a Beast Master, with the ability to resurrect and tame dead beasts.


    "If I want to get stronger, I have to strengthen one of these areas¡­" he muttered under his breath.


    But the truth of the matter was that he hadn''t ever stopped training his mana core and connecting sparks to it. He had also been training his body constantly. If he wished to, he could go on a rampage killing people, making his demonic skills stronger, but that was going to take too much time.


    "So I guess I have to tame more beasts?" Considering that his mana core had grown considerably, he was probably ready to support even more beasts now. The question was, where was he going to find them?


    Searching for beasts himself would probably take too much time.


    He accidentally touched the showerhead and made the water go from hot to icy cold.


    "FUCK!" he shouted, irritated. The cold water reminded him of his old life when he was outside the capital.


    "Wait, the capital?" he muttered under his breath.


    A moment later, his eyes narrowed in realization.


    "I am in the capital for fuck''s sake! Why didn''t I think to search if there were beasts for sale?!"


    In that moment, he felt like an idiot. He had been thinking about so many things at the same time that the most obvious thing had escaped his mind. There was bound to be a way to buy beasts somewhere in the capital. There were millions of people living here, after all.


    Quickly drying himself, he put on his bracelet and sent Elysia a message.


    -----


    Zaroth: Is there a way to buy beasts in the capital?


    Elysia: I have heard that there are some illegal beast fights happening somewhere away from the emperor''s gaze. Apparently, they let beasts fight it out among themselves while rich folks are watching the spectacle from above and betting on who is going to win.


    Elysia: Some even buy a beast or two if they catch their eyes.


    Zaroth: What makes them illegal? Is it because they are considered inhumane?


    Elysia: No, it is because they are not paying taxes.


    Zaroth: ¡­


    Zaroth: Do you perchance know where to find these places?


    Elysia: Of course. I was actually wondering why you hadn''t asked yet. I will make some modifications to the map in your bracelet.


    Zaroth: ¡­


    Zaroth: By the way, these beasts could cost a hefty amount, I assume? I wouldn''t mind some financial aid.


    Elysia: ¡­


    Elysia: You want me to give you more credits for free?


    Zaroth: Well, it''s not really free, is it? I introduced you to three people who have joined your side. Plus, the amount of Purifiers in the area has dwindled a lot recently, hasn''t it? You can thank me for that.


    Elysia: ¡­


    Elysia: True, you indeed have been useful as of late.


    -----


    [You have received a transfer of 10,000 credits]


    [Your map has been updated]


    Seeing the amount of money and the updates on the map, Zaroth couldn''t help but grin.


    It was time to go shopping for some beasts.


    S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 142: Where the Rich Bet

    Zaroth didn''t even wait for the sun to show itself before he went to the place where they were holding beast fights.


    Surprisingly, it wasn''t located in the poor places of the capital like he had expected, the opposite, in fact, it was located where the most wealthy individuals were living.


    Was it because they were that confident that the emperor wouldn''t find them, or was it just because the rich folk were too lazy to go out of their way far from their homes?


    Shifting his gaze from the map, he saw the massive building in front of him. The first thing he noticed was that it was at least twenty floors tall.


    The second thing he noticed were the big words that were carved above the entrance.


    "This is a bank?!" he muttered under his breath.


    A bank was holding these illegal fights?


    ''Actually, it makes sense,'' a moment later he realized. S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    If there were massive fights with a lot of rich folks watching and betting, then the organizers would have to somehow explain the vast amount of money they possessed. What better way to do that than by acting as a bank?


    They surely handled a vast amount of money regularly, making it easy to disguise the wealth they had acquired through the betting.


    Taking a deep breath, he entered the building.


    A second later, his eyes widened in surprise. This was the most beautiful interior of a building he had ever seen.


    The walls were made from beautiful dark wood, was the floor was laid with sleek black stone, and atop it rested carpets that seemed to be woven by a master.


    The ceiling was unbelievably high, at least 25 meters, and from it, golden chandeliers hung that illuminated the grand room.


    After he recovered from the beautiful sight, he shifted his gaze to the reception in front.


    Curiously, the only person in the room was the woman behind the desk. She was dressed in a white suit.


    She was alone, likely because it was late at night... but it struck him as odd that there seemed to be no security at all. This was a bank, after all¡ªwhere was the security?


    Shaking his head off the unnecessary thought, Zaroth approached the woman as he flashed her a smile.


    "Hello, are you here to create an account with us?" the woman returned his smile with one of her own. Unlike his, hers didn''t seem forced in the slightest, it was clear that she was a pro.


    He would have been in a pinch if it wasn''t for Elysia and the instructions she had given him. Even if he knew that there were illegal activities going on here, he had to find a way to be allowed access.


    Taking a deep breath, he repeated what Elysia had told him to say.


    "Actually, a bird has told me that there''s something extraordinary happening here, so I just had to come and see it for myself."


    This was the code to show that you knew the fights were going on here.


    The woman''s eyes narrowed for a split second before she asked,


    "And who is that bird?"


    She was basically asking who had recommended him to the place. The only way to be allowed entry is if a member of the organization had recommended you.


    Zaroth didn''t falter as he answered, "The one that has it all yet seeks even more."


    He wasn''t sure who that person was, but it was likely Elysia herself, if this was her code name¡ªor something along those lines.


    The receptionist''s hand trembled a little when he mentioned the name, then she clapped with her hands.


    Instantly after, one of the doors to the side opened, and an old gentleman appeared in view.


    "You can speak with him about the matter," the receptionist spoke as she pointed to the old man.


    Zaroth muttered a quiet thank you as he approached him.


    "Entry is a thousand credits," was the first thing the old man told him once they were facing one another.


    ''A thousand credits?!'' Zaroth felt insulted. This was ten percent of all his money, and they were asking that much just for entry?!


    Of course, his emotions didn''t show on his face as he paid with his bracelet.


    Once he did, the old man stepped aside, allowing Zaroth to enter.


    The room was pretty much empty with the only exception being a staircase that led down.


    ''I''m supposed to go there?'' he asked himself as he took a step forward, only to be stopped as he felt a hand on his shoulder.


    "Do not forget your mask, sir," the old man spoke as he handed him a half-mask with a gem in the center.


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow as he took it.


    ''I guess this is supposed to hide my identity?'' he thought as he put it on.


    "Is this your first time here?" the old man asked, and Zaroth nodded in reply.


    "I see, then in short, once you go down, you will be able to witness fights live, and if you wish to, you can bet on who the winner will be. Once the fights are done, you can buy a creature if you are interested. It may be the winner of the fight or the loser. Though unless you are planning to skin them for their hide, I do not recommend you buy dead beasts," the man advised.


    "I see. Thank you for the explanation," Zaroth replied as he went downstairs.


    *****


    "How long are these damn stairs?" he muttered quietly.


    It felt like he had gone down multiple floors now, and yet there was no end in sight.


    ''I just hope I have enough money to buy anything,'' he thought. If the entrance was so expensive, he worried that the credits Elysia had given him wouldn''t be enough.


    Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Zaroth reached the bottom of the stairs where a large metal door blocked his path.


    The door didn''t have a handle, so the only thing he was able to do was knock.


    Once he did, a part of the door slid open and a pair of eyes from the other side studied him carefully.


    A second or two later, the door opened, allowing him to enter.


    Immediately, the sounds of cheers and roars reached his ears, while the stench of alcohol and blood lingered in the air.


    Taking a step forward, he observed the massive room, if he even could call it that.


    The ceiling was high, and it seemed that there were multiple paths that he could take.


    Not really sure where he was supposed to go, he went toward where he heard the most cheers.


    There were a lot of people all around¡ªsome were walking with a clear purpose, others were engaged in conversation, and some were busy drinking large amounts of alcohol. But the one thing that united them all was that every single one of them was wearing the same type of mask he had.


    Zaroth spent some time wandering around, studying the interior of the place.


    There were multiple small arenas present, and each one had its seats almost full as the rich onlookers were observing the fights below.


    Finally finding an empty spot, he sighed as he sat down, focusing on the fight that was about to happen.


    Truthfully, it felt weird. He was usually the one that fought in an arena, not the one that observed them.


    "Thank you for coming, ladies and gentlemen!" a man shouted as he entered the arena, and the whole place became dead silent as everybody observed with interest.


    "On one side, we have the Nightclaw Panther, and on the other, we have the Gorehorn Minotaur. Who will win? Place your bets now!"


    Zaroth held his breath as he saw the two beasts enter the arena from opposite sides.


    This was certainly going to be an interesting match.

 Chapter 143: Clash of Beasts

    "Who do you think will win?" one woman leaned to the side as she asked the man who was seated next to her.


    Zaroth wasn''t planning to bet as he was too poor for that, but nevertheless felt interested to hear what the rich folks were thinking, so he concentrated his attention on the conversation happening around him.


    "It''s obvious, actually. Every person that has at least a shred of understanding will know how the match will play out," the man scoffed as he pointed with his finger forward.


    "The Nightclaw Panther is an incredible beast. From its name alone, it should be obvious that it is proficient for hunting in the dark. It is a silent hunter that attacks before the prey even registers that there is an aggressor."


    Zaroth had to agree with the knowledgeable man. The panther had black fur that could blend into the darkness of the night perfectly. Its yellow eyes were most likely perfect for seeing in the dark, and from its slender but muscular body, it was clear the beast could move with incredible stealth and precision.


    ''Or in other words, now in the arena where there are countless lights above its head, making it exposed to its opponent, its advantage is gone. Meanwhile, the minotaur...''


    "It is a powerful beast, but sadly, in the confines of the arena, it is unable to show its true potential," the man explained to the woman as he pointed his finger to the minotaur.


    "Meanwhile, the Gorehorn Minotaur is in the perfect place to show its true strength. It has a clear view of its target, and it''s locked with it in a confined space. No matter how deadly the panther is, without the element of surprise, it wouldn''t have a chance against the minotaur."


    "I see¡­ so that is why we should bet on the minotaur?" the woman asked.


    "Yep, you can go all out. The victory is certain," the man advised.


    Even if the knowledgeable man was correct, Zaroth still didn''t want to risk it, so he decided to simply stay in his seat and observe the fight.


    "Both of these beasts are Rare¡­" he muttered under his breath, and a second later, both beasts charged at one another.


    The minotaur let out a menacing roar as it raised the axe it was carrying in its right hand and brought it down.


    When the axe hit the arena floor, Zaroth felt his seat¡ªfar from the impact¡ªshake as the shockwave traveled all the way to him


    He was impressed. The raw power the minotaur was displaying was something that he definitely needed. No matter the situation, if he was able to command a creature capable of producing so much force, it was bound to be helpful.


    Of course, that didn''t mean he was unimpressed by the panther as well. Despite the incredible speed with which the minotaur was attacking, the panther was able to dodge the strikes smoothly without any trouble.


    The speed the beast was showing was simply incredible. It didn''t have much destructive force, as it was probably weaker than Silverfang when it came to raw strength, but the panther made up the difference with speed alone.


    Not to mention, thanks to its black fur and the heavy padding on its legs, it was like it was made for assassinations. Which could come in handy if Zaroth had to kill something at night¡­ like the Purifiers, for example.


    In short, both of these beasts were incredible, and should he be able to acquire even one of them, his overall strength would increase significantly. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The minotaur seemed to get angrier with each swing that missed its target, so in an attempt to change its approach, it brought its massive head forward, its two sharp horns focused on the panther, and then the minotaur charged with all its might.


    The arena seemed to shake with each of its steps.


    The panther''s eyes widened for a moment, clearly surprised by the sudden burst of speed the minotaur had shown it was capable of, and dodged to the side.


    Its reaction time was lightning fast, and yet it seemed to have made a miscalculation. Once the minotaur saw that the panther had dodged to the side, it threw its massive axe at the panther.


    Managing to sense the attack in time, the panther twisted its body in an unnatural way, making the axe miss its mark. But sadly, due to its awkward way of bending its body, it didn''t give it a chance to dodge the minotaur''s kick.


    Even from afar, Zaroth was able to hear the panther''s ribs break from the pressure as it was sent flying, and a second later, it collided with the wall of the arena.


    The panther tried to stand up, but due to the heavy injury it had sustained, it was unable to.


    Before it could move, the minotaur was already before it. The beast brought down its leg on the panther''s head, killing it immediately.


    "And the winner is the Gorehorn Minotaur!" The man entered the arena again, as the collar around the minotaur''s neck glowed brightly, forcing it to kneel, unable to move.


    Cheers erupted around the arena. It seemed that the rich folks had enjoyed the match immensely.


    "You know so much when it comes to beasts! Thank you for sharing the information!" the woman exclaimed. She was most likely happy that she had won the bet.


    "This is just a hobby of mine, don''t mention it," the knowledgeable man responded.


    "Now that the match is over, is there somebody that wishes to buy the Gorehorn Minotaur? The beast not only showed incredible raw strength, but also its ability to use an axe effectively!"


    Zaroth tensed his muscles as he leaned forward. He was now going to hear the price for buying the winner of the fight. He had about nine thousand credits, so he hoped he would be able to afford something.


    "The bidding shall start with a hundred thousand credits!" the man in the middle of the arena proclaimed.


    In that moment, Zaroth couldn''t help but curse silently. "Fuck."


    It seemed that his money were greatly insufficient.

 Chapter 144: One Mans Trash, Anothers Treasure

    ''A hundred thousand credits is the start of the bidding?! There is no way anybody would pay that large sum of money, right?!'' Zaroth felt insulted just hearing the price.


    "Here!" a man far from Zaroth''s view raised his hand.


    "One hundred twenty thousand?" the man at the center of the arena spoke.


    "Here!" a woman shouted from another place in the arena.


    "One hundred fifty thousand here!"


    "One hundred eighty thousand here!"


    "Two hundred thousand here!"


    Zaroth would have massaged his forehead if it wasn''t hidden behind the mask he was wearing.


    These people were willing to pay so much for the minotaur? Even if it was a Rare beast, he found it hard to believe how they could afford to bid so much without batting an eye.


    ''Should I ask Elysia for more credits?'' he wondered. This wasn''t something that he enjoyed doing, as it probably gave the impression that he wasn''t smart with his money. Since he wanted to court her, he knew he had to appear mature, and being irresponsible with his money was the complete opposite of that.


    Deciding to see how the bidding would end, he gritted his teeth and waited.


    After two minutes passed, it seemed that the deal was made.


    "Sold for four hundred fifty thousand credits!" the man in the middle of the arena proclaimed.


    Afterward, the everyone began to clap, so Zaroth did as well. Were they celebrating the successful bidding? He wondered. It was hard to understand how the rich thought.


    "This was less than I expected, honestly," the woman whispered to the knowledgeable man.


    "Well, it''s only natural. During the fight with the panther, the minotaur took several hits, making the beasts bleed. Even if they aren''t serious wounds, they are still wounds nonetheless," he explained.


    ''So the beast strength isn''t the only thing they consider before buying, but its current condition as well,'' Zaroth thought, paying attention to the conversation S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I see, then tell me how much do you think the panther would sell for?"


    Hearing the woman''s question, the man scoffed.


    "Honestly? I doubt that anyone would bother to buy it. The beast is dead, and unlike the others, this one doesn''t really have much value to offer. The only thing that may be desired is its black fur, but considering how much the body of the beast is damaged, no one would want to buy it. It is simply trash."


    Zaroth didn''t know how to feel hearing the words of the knowledgeable man, that was until he noticed that the body of the panther was giving a certain type of energy.


    A second later, he realized that he would be able to resurrect the beast.


    Suddenly his heart rate quickened, at the thought of acquiring the panther.


    If what the knowledgeable man said was true, then wouldn''t that mean Zaroth could buy the body of the dead beast, since nobody would bother to bid for it?


    "The bidding for the body of the panther shall start for twenty thousand credits!"


    Deadly silence fell upon the arena. No one seemed to want to buy the panther as the knowledgeable man had predicted.


    Which, while good news for Zaroth, didn''t mean that he would be able to buy the beast, as the bidding had started at twenty thousand, while he had just nine thousand.


    The man in the center of the arena coughed awkwardly. "Seeing that there isn''t interest, let''s lower the price. What about fifteen thousand?"


    There was still silence in the arena.


    "A pity," the knowledgeable man sighed. "Nobody would buy the body of the beast, and in the end, they would either burn it or give it as food for the other ones."


    Zaroth couldn''t help but grimace. They were going to get rid of the body of the beast that had so much potential?


    While he did understand that he was the only one that would be able to use the body of the panther to its full potential, as he doubted that there was anyone else capable of reviving the dead, that didn''t mean that he didn''t find the situation weird.


    These rich people who were ready to throw hundreds of thousands of credits into buying the minotaur didn''t even think twice when it came to the body of the panther.


    While Zaroth desperately hoped that they would decrease the price so he would be able to buy it.


    Was this what they called one man''s trash is another''s treasure?


    "Twelve thousand, anyone?" the man reduced the price again, but no one called out.


    A few seconds passed as he sighed, "Last offer, eight thousand credits."


    Zaroth raised his hand so quickly that he wondered if he had ever moved with such speed in his life.


    The man at the center of the arena smiled a little as he saw Zaroth''s hand, most likely glad that they were going to make some profit from the worthless body of the beast.


    The knowledgeable man threw a glance backward at Zaroth as he muttered,


    "Well, I guess somebody did buy it after all."


    *****


    After the bidding was done, Zaroth was escorted to a small room where the body of the panther was placed on a table like some kind of object¡­


    Well, considering that it was dead, it was probably counted as an object.


    Nevertheless, Zaroth paid with the credits.


    "Thank you for the successful bidding. Do you wish us to transport the body of the beast somewhere?" the man asked.


    Zaroth smiled as he replied, "No need."


    The man was surprised a little, as usually, everyone that bought a beast, dead or alive, would require it to be sent to their home, which was how they managed to charge even more money for the transportation.


    "If¡ªif you say so, sir," the man bowed a little as he exited the room.


    Zaroth, watching the man leave, took a deep breath as he approached the body of the panther.


    Stopping an arm''s length away from it, he couldn''t help but gasp a little.


    He hadn''t realized it before, but the beast was giving off incredibly strong energy, most likely testament to how much it wanted to live. It probably had things that it still wanted to achieve.


    "Well, if you want to live so much, then join me. Let me become your master, and in return, I will grant you your wish," he spoke firmly as he placed his hand on the beast, Its body didn''t have any warmth, it was cold.


    He had already granted the wish of Silverfang, making him evolve from Uncommon to Rare, so Zaroth was pretty sure that if the panther had some kind of wish and he managed to grant it, there was a real chance for the panther to evolve from a Rare beast to an Epic one.


    He held his breath as he listened to the words of the system. Even if he had bought the body of the beast, it didn''t mean that the panther would want to serve him, so it was now all up to luck. Would his purchase turn out to be meaningless, or would he hit the jackpot?


    [Nightclaw Panther judges your soul]


    [What is your purpose?]

 Chapter 145: Nightshade

    Zaroth had already answered questions like this in the past, so he didn''t need a lot of time to think.


    "My purpose is to kill those who have wronged me and to live for my desires."


    [Nightclaw Panther desires dominance over the arena]


    [Its killer must pay]


    He couldn''t help but smile as he heard what the beast desired.


    ''It wants more than just revenge, it wants much more. If it is ''Dominance,'' then it would probably mean that it wants to dominate everything,'' Zaroth thought. It was like the panther and him were fated to find each other¡ªthey had very similar goals, after all.


    "Join me and your desire would be fulfilled," he spoke firmly, without any hesitation.


    He was sincere, even if some beast masters were taught not to give in to their beast''s desires. He had already done it once when it came to Silverfang, and the result was extraordinary. The wolf had evolved a whole rank, making him much stronger and deadlier.


    So it was a no-brainer that Zaroth would try to fulfill his beast''s desires, as doing so would make them much stronger.


    [Nightclaw Panther is moved by your determination]


    [Nightclaw Panther responds to your call]


    [Nightclaw Panther forms a pact with you]


    [You have formed a contract with Nightclaw Panther]


    [Dominance]


    Zaroth''s eyes narrowed as they began to emit a green light, and his mouth twisted into a menacing smile.


    The body of the panther trembled, and a second later, it moved.


    Thankfully, it seemed that before the beast had been sold to Zaroth, the people running the place had used some kind of magic to fix the damage done to the panther''s head, which had been crushed by the minotaur.


    "Oh, this is one scary cat," Zaroth muttered as his gaze met the golden eyes of the panther.


    In response, the beast tilted its head as it began to study the face of its master.


    Then, without hesitation, it brought its face closer and licked Zaroth''s face.


    "God! What is with you beasts and licking me all over?!" he cried in frustration.


    ''Hey! I have never licked you!'' Luna retorted in his mind.


    Zaroth grimaced in turn, "yes, sadly you haven''t¡­" he muttered in frustration.


    Ignoring Luna''s laughter that echoed in his head, he returned his attention to the panther.


    "I will have to name you¡­"


    He, of course, wasn''t planning to name every beast he tamed. For example, the pack of wolves he had tamed in the forest had been left without names.


    It was clear that, in the future, he would tame many more beasts, and naming each one wouldn''t be feasible. Therefore, he decided that only beasts with desires he could fulfill¡ªones that would make them stronger¡ªwould truly deserve a name.


    So since the wolves didn''t have any kind of desires, he had decided to leave them without names.


    It was a good decision, as his mind often juggled multiple thoughts at once, and remembering the names of so many beasts would have only added an unnecessary burden.


    Using his right hand to pat the panther on the head, he sighed, as there wasn''t anything that came to mind. So, seeing that the naming would be left for later, Zaroth desummoned the beast.


    In that moment, the door opened as the man who had sold him the beast returned.


    "Sir, I am sorry to intrude, but this room will be needed, so if you¡ª" the man stopped mid-sentence as his eyes widened when he saw that the panther was nowhere to be found.


    "Um, sir, where is the beast?" the man asked, clearly confused.


    Zaroth was grateful that he had desummoned the panther just before the man had entered, not allowing the secret that he was able to tame dead beasts to get out.


    He approached the clearly confused man and patted him on the shoulder.


    "Don''t worry about it," he answered as he made his way out of the room, leaving the man who had opened his mouth a little in awe.


    *****


    While he could have spent more time in that place, he wasn''t in the mood for watching beasts fight to the death. Besides, it was important not to forget that, as always, he had lectures today.


    Of course, if he didn''t feel like going, he simply could have skipped a day. But today was a special day, as he was pretty sure that Elysia was going to announce the results of the tests.


    He wasn''t sure why she had waited so long to return them, as she could have graded them in a matter of minutes. Maybe she had to wait for a specific day to announce them? Or maybe it was because she was just that busy?


    "No matter," he muttered as he shook off his head.


    Thankfully, exiting the bank had been pretty straightforward, he just used the same way he came there. The only thing he had to do was return the mask.


    Glancing at the time, he realized it was still too early to head to the academy, so it would be wiser to go home and take a quick rest.


    Once he did, he immediately summoned the panther as he sat on his bed and began to ponder how he should name the beast.


    "¡­its kind is Nightclaw Panther, its fur is black, has golden eyes¡­" he muttered as he scratched the back of his head.


    It turned out that coming up with names was much harder than he thought.


    ''Summon me,'' Luna''s voice echoed in his head, so with a sigh, he did as she requested.


    Once her body materialized, she shifted her gaze to the panther.


    In the next instant, she was beside the beast, one hand resting on its head while the other scratched gently under its chin.


    "Oh, it''s so cute!" She said with a smile.


    The panther seemed shocked for a moment, but then it moved its ears back as it began to make purring sounds.


    "Look! Isn''t this the cutest cat?!" Luna asked, not shifting her gaze from the beast.


    Zaroth''s eyes widened for a moment, ''Cat? She is calling this panther, a beast that is considered a deadly assassin, a cat?''


    A second later, he realized that it must appear that way to her, as she was a dragon, so no matter if it was a cat or a panther, it was all the same thing in her eyes.


    Zaroth sighed. "Yes, the cat is cute, but how should we name it?"


    Luna''s eyes seemed to brighten even more as she heard his question.


    "Can I name it?"


    Raising an eyebrow, Zaroth scratched his chin. A moment later, he decided to leave it to Luna, as he trusted her enough. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    She smiled widely as she suggested, "Then how about Nightshade? Isn''t it perfect?"


    The panther wasn''t able to react, as it was still too busy purring due to Luna''s petting, but considering that the beast didn''t try to protest, it probably meant that it liked the name.


    Zaroth smiled slightly. It was a simple yet pleasant-sounding name, easy to remember. In that moment, he was glad that Luna had a good sense for naming, unlike him.


    "Well, Nightshade, welcome to the family."

 Chapter 146: Desires and Evolutions

    "Okay, I know that it''s cute, but will you leave it alone for a second?!" Zaroth complained as he threw a glance at Luna.


    "How can I?! Just look at how cute it is!" she responded, her hands never stopping as she continued to pet Nightshade.


    Seeing that she wasn''t planning to let go, he sighed and, a second later, desummoned her.


    ''How dare you! I was just getting started!'' her complained echoed in his head.


    He didn''t pay her much attention as he shifted his gaze to Nightshade. The panther looked disappointed that Luna wasn''t petting it anymore, but there wasn''t anything that could be done about that.


    "Okay, I want to test something," Zaroth muttered as he summoned Silverfang.


    The wolf materialized and then fixed its gaze on Nightshade. The panther did the same.


    Even if Silverfang was a wolf, it was still, in a way, a dog, while Nightshade, despite being a panther, was a cat. Zaroth wanted to see how the two would interact with each other.


    After a few seconds, Silverfang wiggled its tail as he approached Nightshade. The panther tilted its head sideways as it did the same.


    Once he was close enough, Silverfang sniffed the panther and shifted its gaze to Zaroth as he barked.


    ''I guess that means they aren''t hostile to each other?'' He thought, and a second later, he spoke.


    "Well, Silverfang, you have a new¡­" Zaroth began to speak but stopped mid-sentence as he wasn''t sure if the panther was male or female.


    ''It''s female,'' Luna answered his question before he could even ask it.


    "She really knows me well¡­" he muttered as he gazed at the wolf.


    "Well, Silverfang, you have a new sister. Make her feel at home."


    *****


    Leaning his back against the chair, Zaroth awaited Elysia patiently.


    He had a feeling that today she was going to return the tests, and he wanted to see that he had passed with flying colors. There wasn''t a doubt in his mind that he had aced it.


    As the front door opened, Elysia entered carrying a stack of papers. All the students in the lecture room held their breath, as they all knew what that meant.


    The results of the tests were going to be announced today.


    Stopping in front of the podium, Elysia began to read what was written on the first paper.


    "Elrionthar Valindorath Velarion Thalrithar Vorniel, sixty out of a hundred, pass."


    It seemed that the chairwoman was intending to show the whole class which one failed and which one passed.


    ''Seeing by the long name, it must mean it''s the son of a wealthy family,'' Zaroth thought.


    A nervous-looking boy stood up and approached the chairwoman to receive his test. Even from a distance, it was clear he was struggling to keep himself from shaking.


    Elysia then began to call out each and everyone that had taken the test, and finally, it was time for Zaroth.


    "Zaroth, ninety-three out of a hundred, pass."


    Hearing the result, he couldn''t help but smile as he stood up and approached the chairwoman.


    Unlike the other students, there wasn''t even a hint of fear in his posture.


    Once he went to her and grabbed his test, their eyes met as if having a silent conversation.


    ''Ninety-three, isn''t that impressive?'' he was trying to sound proud but not arrogant. It was part of the plan to appear more mature, but sadly it seemed that Elysia wasn''t convinced.


    ''It will be impressive if you got full marks, that is just natural.'' her eyes spoke.


    With a sigh, Zaroth went back to his seat.


    Now that he had gotten his test result, he didn''t have much to look forward to or do as he awaited the others to get theirs as well.


    Of course, he always could have talked with his friends or at least sent them a message in the group chat. But he was pretty sure that Elysia would have noticed, so he didn''t want to anger her needlessly.


    Not having anything to focus on, his mind naturally went to his new acquired beast, Nightshade.


    He knew that the panther was a Rare beast and was almost certain that once he granted his beast''s desire, she would evolve to Epic rank.


    If that happened, it was safe to say that Zaroth would become a menace. He would not only have a dragon under his command but an Epic beast as well.


    The problem was granting the beast''s wish. It was very unclear, but the system had made it a bit easier by saying that the beast desired dominance over the arena, meaning that Zaroth would have to return to that arena where the rich bet.


    But what did he have to do so his beast would be satisfied?


    The system had said that Nightshade wanted to kill its killer, but it also wanted dominance over the arena. Did that mean that Zaroth had to ensure that his beast was going to kill every other beast in the arena?


    He had to admit that it sounded like a tall task. Considering how big the place was, he wasn''t going to be surprised if he learned that there were hundreds of beasts there.


    "It is not going to be easy¡­ but evolving from a Rare to an Epic beast is a substantial change, so I guess that makes sense¡­" he muttered quietly enough so nobody would hear him.


    He began to summarize what he knew about his beasts. Silverfang''s wish had been granted, so he had evolved. Zaroth wasn''t sure if his beast could evolve again, but even if he didn''t, a Rare beast wasn''t anything to scoff at.


    The wolves that he had tamed in the forest didn''t have any desires, so they couldn''t become stronger¡­ well, one actually did have a desire. Zaroth hadn''t forgotten that he had allowed one of the wolves to live in the forest with its family. He hadn''t desummoned it, letting the beast roam free. Maybe one day it would return in another evolved form?


    He wasn''t sure, but it didn''t hurt to try. The fact that he felt a small part of his mana being consumed by keeping the beast active meant that it at least was doing something.


    Then there was Nightshade, though the beast had yet to evolve.


    "This is pretty much it¡­" he began but stopped mid-sentence as he realized something.


    He had another beast, didn''t he?


    The first beast he had tamed, the one that had saved his life and the reason he was able to live so much better than before¡ªLuna.


    But she was already a Mythic beast, so there wasn''t a way for her to evolve. Not to mention, it wasn''t like she had a desire of her own¡ª


    Zaroth''s eyes narrowed as he recalled the countless times she had said that she wanted to kill the gods.


    ''If¡­ killing the gods is her desire, then¡­ what will happen when I grant it? What would she evolve into?'' he asked himself as he felt goosebumps all over his body. S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    If in her natural state, she had the ability to disrupt the world order¡­ then what would she be able to do if she evolved?


    In that moment, Zaroth felt like he began to understand Luna and her actions a bit better than before.

 Chapter 147: Hangover and Chaos

    The rest of the lectures passed as normal until it was time for the Live Combat Practice.


    Zaroth didn''t miss the chance to show off Nightshade to Zack, Roran, and Lily.


    As suspected, all of them wanted to try and fight off the beast, but not before wanting an explanation on how he had acquired it.


    "This is pretty much how it went down," he sighed as he finished recalling the events.


    Roran scratched his chin as he spoke, "A bank holding illegal fights?" He shifted his gaze to Zack as he asked, "Did you know about this?"


    It was a natural question, even if Zack didn''t have a good connection with his family, he was still a part of a rich clan, so there was always the possibility that he knew about it.


    "No, honestly that kind of thing doesn''t interest me," Zack shrugged as he admitted.


    "Well, if you say so¡­"


    Lily raised an eyebrow as she stared at Roran, most likely already guessing what he was going to say next.


    "Now that you''ve tamed a new beast, doesn''t that¡ª"


    "Yeah, sure, let''s get drunk tonight," Zaroth answered Roran''s question before he could even ask it.


    Roran''s eyes narrowed for a moment, clearly surprised. A second later, he burst into laughter.


    "God, am I that obvious?" he managed to mutter, holding his stomach.


    With a sigh, Lily answered, "Yeah, pretty much."


    After the Live Combat Practice, they agreed that they were going to meet at 21:00 o''clock at the bar, as Zaroth still had some work to do.


    Stopping in front of Elysia''s office, he knocked.


    She was the one who had provided him with the funds to purchase Nightshade, so she had every right to be informed¡­ or at least, that''s what a decent person would have done. But Zaroth had an ulterior motive. He hoped that sharing the story would inspire her to give him more money, enabling him to acquire even more beasts.


    "This is pretty much it," he leaned back in his chair as he finished recalling the story.


    Elysia took a second or two to respond, "Well, it''s good that you have another beast at least."


    Zaroth felt disappointment as she didn''t offer him more money, but he told himself that he shouldn''t get too greedy, as rushing too fast could have its own consequences.


    A moment later, Elysia''s gaze shifted to his right hand for a moment, before she spoke, "That vampire¡­ how are things going with her?"


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow in confusion, ''She must be asking about the Purifiers, I guess,'' he thought as he answered her question.


    "Good, we are steadily dwindling their numbers." S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Surprisingly, Elysia didn''t seem satisfied with that answer, so she made herself more clear.


    "I know about that. I meant, how do you feel? Have you¡­ felt any changes in your personality or body?"


    Zaroth scratched the back of his head; he wasn''t sure where the weird question was coming from.


    "I mean, I feel like I always have¡­ just maybe more powerful? But that''s it," he answered firmly.


    Elysia studied him carefully for a moment, checking to see if he was lying.


    Concluding that he had, in fact, told the truth, she sighed as she leaned back in her chair.


    "If you say so," she gestured with her finger toward the door.


    So, taking the suggestion and not wanting to take up too much of her time, he left.


    Watching his back as he left, Elysia couldn''t help but mutter,


    "It feels like he''s slowly becoming a part demon¡­ is it because of that woman, Midnight?"


    Shifting her gaze to the red pills that Zaroth had given her before, she scoffed.


    "Well, I guess as long as it''s in the name of strength, people would do anything to get it."


    *****


    If he was thinking logically, the best course of action was to attack another church with Midnight, making use of Nightshade and the beast''s ability to kill silently.


    But he had gotten sick of fighting, so Zaroth decided that he wanted to spend this night just relaxing.


    It had been far too long since he''d last gotten drunk¡­


    "This is the best!" Roran proclaimed as he slammed the empty cup loudly on the old wooden table.


    "Goddammit, you''re right!" Zack spoke as he did the same, almost falling off his chair.


    "Fuck it! It''s been too long!" Lily exclaimed as she ordered two more bottles of alcohol.


    It seemed that Zaroth''s friends also thought the same way, as all of them were drinking much more than usual.


    Deciding to follow their example, he released his constraints as well.


    He had already found himself almost naked on the roof of the academy after getting drunk. What''s the chance that something worse happens?


    *****


    His head felt like it was splitting into a million pieces, while his stomach ached in pain.


    "Never again!" Zaroth muttered as he opened his eyes.


    The first thing he realized was that he wasn''t in the bar anymore, but in an old-fashioned room.


    The second thing that grabbed his attention were the dozens of men that lay on the ground, all passed out. Most of them had heavy injuries.


    Feeling pain in his hands, he saw that his knuckles were bloody red¡­ almost like he had punched the shit out of a dozen men¡­


    Observing the surroundings, he noticed that Roran was sleeping on a counter, and Lily was on top of him, sleeping as well.


    Zack wasn''t far, as he was taking a nap in an almost broken wooden chair.


    He groaned as he stood up.


    "Did we take down a gang or something?" he asked himself as he glanced at his bracelet, only to curse out loud.


    It seemed that the eighth round was today, and considering the time, he was almost late.


    Massaging his forehead, he waited for the hangover to pass.


    "Man¡­ why do I always regret getting drunk, only to do it the next day as well?" he asked himself.


    But unfortunately, no one knew the answer to the question.

 Chapter 148: Round 8

    Seeing as everybody were passed out around him, the only one that he could ask for information was Luna.


    "What the hell happened?" Considering that she was currently in his soul, he could have communicated with her using his mind, but due to the pain he was experiencing thanks to the hangover, it was easier to speak out loud.


    ''You decided to punish a gang of members that happened,'' she answered indifferently.


    Zaroth grimaced as Luna seemed reluctant to share the details.


    "Just tell me everything from the beginning," he spoke, sitting on one of the wooden chairs, clutching his head, waiting for the hangover to pass.


    Though to his regret, his head wasn''t the only thing that hurt, as his stomach seemed to ache strongly as well.


    Luna sigh echoed in his head, and a second later, she began,


    ''You were having a good time with your friends¡­ Honestly, maybe too good a time. The four of you probably drank more than six bottles of pretty strong liquor.''


    "I guess this explains the hangover," he muttered quietly not to interrupt her.


    ''After some time, your bracelet shined, and you saw that you had received a message that the eighth round was going to be the next day, so you got pissed.''


    Luna''s voice began to carry a faint hint of amusement as she recalled the events.


    ''You began to curse about how stupid the system that the emperor had created for the tournament was, saying things like why do we get less than twenty-four hours to prepare, and other stuff like that.''


    Zaroth crossed his arms as he leaned back in his chair. He had to admit, even if he had been drunk at the time, he was right. After all, if someone wanted the students to truly prepare themselves, they would be given a warning earlier.


    There was a chance that the emperor wanted to test how the students would react to unexpected situations, which would probably prepare them better for a war.


    Shaking off the unnecessary thoughts, he focused on listening to Luna.


    ''With a curse, you got up from the chair and said to your friends that you had to go earlier than planned because you had to be ready for the fight tomorrow¡­ until suddenly the doors of the bar burst open, and a few men with tattoos on their necks entered the bar.


    Zaroth shifted his gaze to the men lying unconscious on the floor. As he focused his still blurry vision, he realized they had bear tattoos on the sides of their necks.


    ''Long story short, it turned out that this gang, who called themselves the Bearborn or whatever, had been harassing the bar for protection services. So, hearing this, you did the most sensible thing.''


    Raising an eyebrow, he asked, ''Ignore the situation and walk home?'' This was certainly what he would have done under normal circumstances.


    ''No, you were still pretty pissed¡­ and drunk, so you decided to vent your frustration on the men, and funnily enough, once your friends saw you fighting, they too joined the fight without asking any questions.''


    He threw a quick glance at his friends.


    ''After you beat them up, the owner came out and began to speak about how they were going to harass his bar even more now, and Lily got the idea to find their hideout and just get rid of them.


    Zaroth scoffed. "But why would she do that? And why would we agree with her idea?"


    ''A lot of alcohol, remember?'' she replied immediately.


    "Fair enough." he had to admit that she was right.


    ''Well, you found one of their hideouts, beat them up, and then went to sleep. That''s pretty much it.''


    With a grunt, he stood up and shook Lily''s body, then Roran''s. After they woke up, he explained the situation to them.


    Considering that he had taken time to let the hangover pass, there was a serious chance he was going to miss his match now, meaning he could be disqualified. He could imagine what Elysia was going to do to him if she learned that he had failed to advance in the tournament for such a stupid reason, which motivated him to run even faster.


    "Barely made it!" he muttered as he took ragged breaths and entered the arena.


    He was in a pitiful state. He had run all the way to the arena, hadn''t had time to put on his armor, and for weapons, he only had the two daggers that he had started carrying everywhere he went.


    ''I hope my opponent is a weakling,'' he thought as he shifted his gaze to his opponent.


    It was a man of average height with red hair.


    Zaroth''s opponent seemed offended that he had arrived already exhausted, but it wasn''t like there was much to be done about that.


    "Come, Ignis!" the red-haired man spoke, and a second later, some weird mass of fire appeared right next to the man''s side.


    "Is that a spirit?" Zaroth asked himself.


    Not giving Zaroth a chance to recover, the red-haired man commanded the spirit to attack with a fireball.


    Seeing the fireball fly toward him, Zaroth raised an eyebrow as he sent one of his own. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The two fireballs collided and disappeared.


    Judging by the puzzled expression on his face, the red-haired man didn''t seem to know how to react. Seeing this, Zaroth couldn''t help but smile as he licked his dry lips.


    It seemed that his opponent had turned out to be a weakling after all.


    *****


    Looking at the beaten body of the man, Zaroth didn''t bat an eye as he glanced around the arena at the crowd cheering for the fight that had just taken place.


    "Honestly, arriving here on time was more difficult than the actual fight," Zaroth muttered as he began to make his leave.


    He felt bad considering that he had left his friends to deal with the mess with the Bearborn gang, and he wanted to talk with them about the fight that had transpired.


    Just like that, the eighth round was over.

 Chapter 149: Crimson Resolve

    "Sir, Roderic¡­ do you think I did everything I could have?" Hearing Althea question, Roderic''s stomach began to ache.


    He coughed awkwardly before replying.


    "The city had been under siege for too long, we didn''t receive any amount of help, be it finance or more manpower¡­ it is a miracle that we managed to hold out for so long."


    Silence befell the carriage that was transporting the two people. Under normal circumstances, they should have used a teleportation circle, but considering that it was destroyed because of the surprise attack, there wasn''t much to be done about that.


    Leaning forward, Althea clutched her head with both of her hands as tears began to fall.


    "It is frustrating, so many people died for this meaningless war¡­ while I am unable to help my people in any way, shape, or form."


    Roderic gritted his teeth, in situations like this, he was supposed to comfort the grieving person¡­ but he had a wife who was soon going to give birth. So, he wasn''t going to risk touching Althea, even if there was a one-in-a-million chance that touching her could infect him with her curse. He wasn''t going to take the chance.


    In the end, he could only shift his gaze to the small window and observe the once-proud city that was now engulfed in flames.


    That was until the driver of the carriage shouted, his voice filled with terror.


    "We are being followed!"


    Not hesitating even for a second, Roderic exited the still-moving carriage and shifted his gaze to their pursuers.


    There were five soldiers riding atop horseback.


    His eyes darkened for a moment. There were fewer than he expected, and as such, he wasn''t going to have trouble getting rid of them.


    In less than two minutes, their pursuers were already dead. So, Roderic, running full speed ahead, managed to catch up to the carriage and sit back in his spot.


    Less than a second was needed for observation to conclude that Althea had managed to get her emotions sorted.


    She was back to sitting calmly in her seat, with her back against the carriage''s wall.


    "I must thank you again, Sir Roderic, if it wasn''t for your involvement, then I doubt I would have been able to survive." S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He studied the queen for a second before replying, "As I told you, I am not the one that should receive your gratitude, but Elysia."


    A faint smile appeared on the queen''s face as she replied, "Yes, you are right."


    It seemed that she would still need a bit of time to process the reality.


    The Draconian Empire had lost yet another city, and the Crimson Sun Empire was slowly advancing.


    *****


    He couldn''t help but smile, standing atop the corpses of the dead soldiers of The Draconian Empire. In that moment, he felt like he was on top of the world. That was until a male voice broke him from his trance.


    "General Hadrik," the soldier spoke firmly as he bowed at a ninety-degree angle.


    It wasn''t because he was scared, on the contrary, everybody had nothing but respect for their general.


    "So? What happened with the men we sent after what we suspect to be one of their queens?" the general asked, not shifting his gaze from the corpses.


    "Sadly, we have lost contact with them."


    "They were skilled men, meaning they had someone much more skilled to get rid of them¡­ only a queen would be able to have such strong bodyguards, so our theories were correct."


    "I am sorry, sir! We are going to send another, much larger¡ª"


    "No need," the general cut him off as he took a step forward.


    With a confused look on the soldier''s face, he followed.


    "If there was a queen in a city that was under siege, this meant that it was no doubt Althea¡­ why would we waste our men to try and kidnap a defective woman?"


    The soldier grimaced for a moment. Most people in the continent knew about Althea and her condition, which in time had earned her the term ''defective woman.''


    The soldier knew that his general was right, but nevertheless wanted to voice his opinion on the matter.


    "Even if she is defective, if we managed to kidnap her, wouldn''t that give us a chance to trade her with Princess Solara Virelia?"


    The general stopped and abruptly shifted his gaze to the soldier, there was a clear anger in his eyes, one that he rarely displayed against his soldiers.


    In turn, the soldier could only freeze in fear.


    "Listen to yourself," the general began as he took a few steps toward the man, stopping an arm''s length away from him.


    "To make an exchange would mean that two sides offer things of equal value."


    The general''s voice grew even colder, "There is nothing in this world that will be equal to Princess Solara. Did I make myself clear?"


    Gulping audibly, the man managed to nod slightly.


    With a sigh, General Hadrik returned to his usual voice.


    "You don''t have to worry about our princess, she will be fine."


    "Even if you say that, sir, I can''t help but worry!"


    The general scoffed as he stopped and pointed with his finger.


    Following the gesture, the soldier''s gaze fell upon the battlefield.


    Tens of thousands of men were lying dead on the ground. There was so much blood that a small river had begun to form from it.


    The smell of ash lingered in the air as countless of the city''s houses burned.


    And all of it was illuminated by the beautiful sun at the top of the sky.


    "We did this, in less than a month," the general began.


    "We made our enemies fear us, resent us, hate us. As we killed them, their brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, and everybody they knew and loved."


    Hadrik''s eyes brightened up as he met his soldier''s gaze.


    "We are capable of such destruction! And yet this isn''t even our main army!" His voice was so loud that the other soldiers in the vicinity had stopped what they were doing as they shifted their gazes to the general.


    "Our main army is still back home, getting ready to deliver a devastating strike, one that will put a stop to The Draconian Empire! And all of this because they dared to kidnap Solara Virelia, our princess and the future queen of our empire. She isn''t a woman that could be intimidated in any way, shape, or form. At this moment, she is waiting, waiting for our arrival!"


    The general glanced around the area, looking each and every soldier present in the eyes.


    "We have already proved that we don''t need the main army to bring The Draconian Empire to its knees! I say we are enough to conquer the capital on our own!"


    Moved by the words of their general, the soldiers began to chant in unison.


    "Let the crimson river flow!"


    The general smiled as he extended his arms to the side. He couldn''t help but express pleasure of the highest degree. How could he not? After all¡­


    "We thirst for their blood, and the Sun shall drink!"


    They were soon going to take their princess back.

 Chapter 150: Echoes of War

    "So what did you do?" Finally managing to reunite with his friends, they decided to go for coffee together. They still had a hangover from the previous night, and as such, they mutually agreed to skip the day of lectures.


    Hopefully, Elysia wasn''t going to be mad, considering that skipping had become a daily occurrence for them.


    Taking a sip of her coffee, Lily replied, "Nothing much. We just left."


    "Just left?" Zaroth raised an eyebrow. "Didn''t you try to learn what happened or...?"


    "It''s just as we suspected. We found one of the Bearborn hideouts, entered, and beat them to a pulp," Zack joined in.


    "And the most important thing is that the gang seemed to have been scared by our actions. As such, they''ve come to the owner of the bar and promised that they wouldn''t try to nag him for money any longer. Thanks to this, as a reward, we can now drink as much as we want at the place without having to pay for anything," Roran exclaimed. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Just looking at the man, it was clear that he had somehow already recovered from the previous night. No doubt eager to go and enjoy the free drinks.


    Lily nudged him with her elbow. "Until the end of the week, we are not going out to drink," she commanded.


    Roran was about to protest, but she interrupted him. "You might not need a long time to recover, but we do. So unless you want to go alone and get drunk, you''ll have to wait."


    At her words, Roran could only grimace as he had to accept his fate.


    Meanwhile, Zaroth was watching them with amusement. After which, he shifted his gaze to Zack and asked, "...So, has anyone tried to get to you?"


    Zack met his gaze as he answered. "Surprisingly, no. I''m not sure what Elysia did, but at least for now, the assassin''s attempts seem to have stopped."


    "Do not let your guard down yet," Roran advised, his face suddenly turning cold. "You should always be prepared for an attack. Because if you aren''t, this could cost you your life."


    "Roran is right," Zaroth had to agree. "Even if the danger is lifted for now, you will soon, no doubt, have to fight with your family in the future."


    Zack nodded at his words. "Yes¡­ and when that moment comes, I hope that I can count on you for help."


    Zaroth couldn''t help but smile slightly at his words. "Of course you can¡­ but to help you, we need to know what we are going against. So, can you tell us what your uncle and his subordinates are capable of?"


    Taking a deep breath, Zack leaned back in his chair as he began, "You, as outsiders of our clan, might not know, but we operate in a certain manner. In short, my uncle¡­ Alexander, he is the leader of the White Fang Clan, and as such, opposing him is the same as opposing the clan."


    Lily scoffed at his words. "Yes, we know. About that, you don''t have to worry about it," she reassured.


    Seeing that Zaroth and Roran were agreeing with her, Zack continued, "I''m going to tell you how our clan functions."


    *****


    "Report," Draconis spoke coldly as he gazed at the man.


    Taking a deep breath, Warren began, "The city that Althea had been sent to has fallen, my Majesty."


    Seeing that the emperor''s eyes began to shine with hope, Warren quickly added, "And Althea is currently returning safely to the capital."


    Draconis'' easy demeanor seemed to darken at the news, but nevertheless, he spoke, "So what you''re telling me is that the Crimson Sun Empire is getting closer?"


    Warren nodded a little. "Yes, and due to the fact that they are getting dangerously close, the White Fang Clan has deployed their troops close to the border, alongside their head leader, with the hope of slowing down their advancement."


    "That is good. At least until Alexander is there, he won''t pester me about getting rid of his nephew¡­"


    The old man awaited further orders, but seeing that the emperor wasn''t saying anything, he spoke up.


    "If I may ask, Your Majesty, what do you think the best course of action is?"


    Draconis raised an eyebrow as he studied the old man in front of him. "Keep things as they are right now."


    Warren wanted to protest but stopped as he sensed that the emperor wasn''t done.


    "The tournament would soon be entering its final stage. Once that happens, my plan would be nearly completed. You and your army just have to grit their teeth and wait patiently."


    The old man grimaced as he bowed. "Understood."


    The situation on the border was catastrophic. They needed more time, money, and manpower, but it seemed that the emperor wasn''t planning to grant it to them, meaning they were on their own.


    "Warren," hearing his name being called by the emperor, the old man froze as he turned back to face him.


    "You may think that it is unfair that you are fighting a losing war with so little resources, but that is precisely why you are standing there."


    The old man listened to the words of the emperor intensely.


    "You have to prove yourself. If you manage to lead our troops to victory despite the big disadvantage you possess, then you may be worthy to join me. You may be worthy to learn how I am going to conquer an entire continent alone."


    "I am thankful for the trust you have in me, my Majesty," the old man replied as he lifted his head high and exited the room.


    Before he came to speak with Draconis, he felt nervous, like there wasn''t a way out for him and his army. But if his Majesty had placed his trust in him, it would mean that there was clearly a way for him to win.


    The question was, how was he going to achieve that when the odds were so stacked against him?


    This was certainly going to be one difficult challenge to overcome.

 Chapter 151: The Nature of the Elves

    "You can say that we have been neglecting the elves as we haven''t talked much about them. As such, today''s lecture would be focused solely on them," Elysia''s voice echoed around the room as the students listened closely to her words.


    "First, is there somebody that knows something about their physical appearance?"


    Seeing that nobody had raised their hands, the chairwoman sighed as she began,


    "The easiest way to spot an elf is by their ears¡­ is what some of you may think," Elysia spoke as she pointed to one of her ears.


    "I hope that most of you at least know that elves have longer and pointier ears than us humans¡­ but if you think that you will spot an elf that way, you are mistaken."


    Elysia moved her finger from her ear to her hair,


    "Remember, nearly all elves, regardless of gender, have long hair, which allows them to easily conceal their ears if they choose. As a result, it becomes difficult to tell whether you''re looking at an elf or a human, even without them using magic to disguise their ears as ordinary."


    "So how is the best way to tell them apart?" Zaroth spoke up, his voice echoing around the room.


    He was the only one bold enough to ask questions during Elysia''s lectures. This was an opportunity he was going to take¡ªif he showed that he wasn''t scared of asking questions, he would surely appear mature, no?


    A small smile appeared on Elysia''s face before she explained further, "The face, or more accurately, their skin."


    "Their skin?" Zaroth raised an eyebrow as he muttered.


    Seeing the confused faces on the students, Elysia brought her finger to her cheek.


    "All of you, do the same."


    Following the command, they did. The chairwoman began to drag her finger across her cheek, and so did the students.


    "What did you feel?" she asked.


    "... bumps?" After hesitating for a moment, Zaroth called out. While his skin was relatively smooth, there were small bumps that made his skin uneven.


    "That is right. One thing that differentiates us from the elves is our skin. While a human''s skin, no matter how smooth, will always have small bumps, an elf''s skin is the epitome of perfection. If you drag your finger on their skin, it would be like glass¡ªperfect with no imperfections. This is something that is much harder to mask with magic, so the best way to spot an elf is by examining their skin."


    Seeing that Zaroth had raised a hand, Elysia permitted him to speak.


    "So there isn''t a human that has skin as smooth as an elf''s?"


    Elysia nodded, "Yes, it is simply in our biology. Our skin will always have imperfections unlike the elves."


    Zaroth''s eyes suddenly narrowed as he sensed a chance¡ªcould he finally tease her?


    "But your skin looks perfect to me, and you''re a human, not an elf."


    Elysia raised an eyebrow at his statement, "This is called makeup, Zaroth. In the morning without it, I don''t look that way."


    Funnily enough, since Zaroth was sitting in the front and the other students were sitting so far away, if he wished to, he could whisper something that only he and Elysia would be able to hear.


    And, of course, he made use of that opportunity.


    "Frankly, I don''t believe you. I guess I will have to wait for the moment when I can see your face right after waking up."


    At his words, Zack coughed awkwardly, while Roran massaged his forehead as his head began to hurt. Meanwhile, Lily''s gaze was shifting between Zaroth and Elysia, utterly captivated by the way Zaroth was so forward with flirting with her.


    With a sigh, Elysia turned toward the white desk, not paying attention to Zaroth''s advances. She probably didn''t want to scold him in front of the whole class.


    "Next is the way they use magic," the chairwoman approached the white desk and drew a weird-looking symbol¡ªone that Zaroth had never seen.


    "Does anybody know what this is?"


    Judging by the silence in the room, it seemed that nobody had an idea.


    "This is one of the primary ways elves use magic¡ªrunes."


    Zaroth''s interest was immediately piqued. This was something he had heard of but didn''t know much about, as there were sadly no books on the topic in the library.


    "Not much is known about them, but the little information we know about them is enough to categorize them as a very powerful tool."


    Shifting her gaze to the students, she spoke, "Do you remember how you were teleported to the forest when the hunting competition took place? This was only possible with the work of the runes."


    Feeling his heart rate increase, Zaroth''s eyes began to shine. How couldn''t they? If a rune was capable of such incredible magic, then he would want to learn how to use them.


    "If it is something so powerful, why aren''t we learning it? This is probably what you are asking yourself, am I right?" Elysia seemed to be able to guess Zaroth''s thought pattern perfectly.


    "It''s because we humans can''t use them. Or at least, to my knowledge, there has never been a human who could use them. It is a secret that is kept strictly among the elves, meaning that if we want to establish more of the teleporting circles in our empire, then we would have to pay a hefty amount to one of the elf kingdoms."


    ''I guess we humans aren''t on good terms with them too¡­ figures,'' Zaroth thought.


    Realizing that if he wanted to learn more about these runes, he would need to speak with an elf for an explanation, it seemed one more mission had been added to his list.


    Glancing at the clock and seeing that they didn''t have much time left, Elysia sped up.


    "What else differentiates us from the elves? They don''t receive blessings from the gods like we do. They live much longer and don''t physically age, no matter how old they are. So, an elf who looks young could actually be several hundred years old."


    ''Wait, this doesn''t make sense,'' Zaroth thought as he interrupted Elysia.


    "But if that is the case, shouldn''t it mean that there are so many of them that they could overrun us if they wanted?"


    Elysia couldn''t help but smile, seeing that Zaroth had finally asked a sensible question.


    "If you think like a human, it doesn''t make sense, indeed. But there''s something fundamentally different that sets us apart from the elves."


    She pointed to her heart as she continued,


    "We humans are lucky to live to a hundred years old, and most of these years, we have already aged, unable to do much. While the elves do not have that problem. Death is so far away from them that they do not feel the need to rush their stages in life, meaning that they have a low sex drive and take a long time to reproduce."


    "So¡­ they are just lazy?" Zaroth couldn''t help but ask.


    Elysia scoffed at his words, "Yes, if you look at it that way. If elves felt the constant fear of death that humans do, perhaps things would be different." sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "...Then what would happen if they made it their goal to conquer more continents?" He asked.


    Elysia''s eyes seemed to darken even more than usual.


    "Frankly, in that case, humanity wouldn''t stand a chance against them."

 Chapter 152: Nightshades hunt

    Something has awoken. Something that shouldn''t have been disturbed.


    And it''s coming. For all of us.


    ¡­


    Opening her eyes, Vera took shallow breaths. Getting out of the bed, she took slow and steady steps towards the bathroom.


    Entering it and locking the door, she undressed as she turned on the hot water.


    Despite the fact that her sweat was being washed off, it couldn''t be said about her worries.


    "So many dreams, what is real anymore and what is not?" she muttered.


    Over the past few days¡­ weeks¡­ months she had been suffering from unimaginable nightmares, each and every time they ended with millions of people dying.


    It was to the point she had begun to wonder, were these those visions that she often got, or were they just unrelated nightmares?


    Nevertheless, she still felt exhausted beyond belief. Naturally, she wanted to vent her feelings and frustrations, and the only person that came to mind was Sofia.


    Remembering her friend, a small smile appeared on Vera''s face. "I want to see her," she muttered.


    After her shower was done, she dried herself and approached the mirror. She hadn''t placed her mask yet as she wanted to see how she looked.


    The moment she did, her mood became even worse. There were heavy bags under her eyes, clearly due to sleep deprivation.


    Not wanting to look at herself anymore, she sighed and put her mask back on.


    It didn''t matter how much she was suffering as today was the start of a new day.


    *****


    "It really is weird how little Purifies around there are, it''s like their numbers are dwindling," Sofia muttered to herself. A second later, her eyes darkened, remembering Midnight and Zaroth, who were most likely the reason something like this was happening.


    "Do you not like this change?" Vera asked quietly.


    Sofia hesitated for a second before replying, "I¡­ you know that I don''t really like them, but even so, it is-"


    "It''s just that you know they are supporting the emperor and there is a part of you that wishes you could help them, earning the approval of your father in the process?" Vera interrupted her.


    Sofia''s eyes widened for a moment. It seemed that Vera''s words had hit a sore spot.


    "You might think my words are harsh, but it is time you see reason, Sofia," Vera spoke softly as she leaned back in her chair.


    Taking a few moments she needed to think, Sofia shifted her gaze to her friend only to see that she was sleeping.


    "Gosh, how tired can you be to drift to sleep in the middle of a conversation?" Sofia chuckled as she brushed Vera''s hair to the side.


    Seeing that there was no point in trying to wake her up, since Vera was sleeping like a log, Sofia realized she had to carry her.


    She sighed as she stood up, "You have to be thankful you have a friend like me."


    *****


    The tournament had almost entered its final stage, and Zack''s family was also a threat. As such, Zaroth didn''t plan to play around.


    He needed more strength, as such, he was going for another hunt with Midnight that night.


    Looking at the big church, his eyes studied the exterior of the building carefully. Thanks to Darkgaze, a skill that allowed him to see well in the darkness, he was able to see almost as well as it was daytime.


    "This is a big one," he muttered under his breath.


    Midnight threw him a glance before responding, "Yes, we''ve more or less dealt with the small churches. Now it''s time to start handling the bigger ones."


    Taking a step closer to her, he whispered, "How many people can we expect?"


    After a few seconds of thinking, she answered, "At least ten, if not more, so don''t let your guard down."


    He nodded as both of them took a step forward.


    A second later, they stopped as the doors of the church opened and a man wearing silver armor exited.


    Stopping in front of the doors, the man began to scan the surroundings.


    "Is¡­ he guarding the entrance?" Zaroth asked himself.


    "Not surprised, considering that so many of the small churches have been attacked. They would surely have tightened up the security," Midnight muttered.


    Taking a few moments to ponder the issue, she shook her head.


    "Let''s get out of here. Attacking now is too risky."


    But Zaroth didn''t pay attention to her as he realized that this was the perfect opportunity to test his new beast.


    His eyes narrowed and began to shine green, and a second later, a panther materialized next to him.


    The panther''s fur was so dark that it blended seamlessly with the cover of the night. The only thing that was visible were the beast''s golden eyes.


    Patting Nightshade on the head, Zaroth gave his command. Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Kill this man without alerting the others."


    With a quiet grunt, the beast lowered itself and began to approach its new target.


    Zaroth watched with anticipation, until he felt Midnight''s hand on his shoulder.


    He turned around.


    "When did you get a new beast?" she whispered.


    Scratching the back of his head, he smiled awkwardly, "I guess I haven''t told you about that¡­ when we''re done here, I''ll explain."


    Despite the concerned look on her face, she nodded a little.


    Seeing her reaction, Zaroth returned his gaze to Nightshade. Seeing that the beast had gotten close to its target, he held his breath.


    The purifier that was outside was probably using some kind of magic to see in the dark, considering the fact that his eyes were glowing.


    And yet he was looking in front of him and not to the side, where Nightshade was slowly creeping up from.


    Thanks to its instincts, keeping its belly low to the ground, the man wasn''t able to see the danger that had approached him with his peripheral vision.


    Before the man realized what was happening, Nightshade jumped toward him, bringing down her large white fangs on the man''s neck. The beast closed its mouth with considerable force.


    The bite might have been weaker than Silverfang''s, but it was enough, considering that it was a suprise attack.


    Blood began to fall down from the man''s mouth as his eyes widened in horror. He had finally realized what situation he was in, but alas, it was too late, as his body went numb.


    Nightshade didn''t let the body fall to the ground, however, as this would surely create a loud sound. So, the beast made sure to quietly place the dead man on the ground.


    Approaching Nightshade with a smile, Zaroth patted the panther on the head.


    "Oh, you''re so much better than I thought you would be!"


    Despite watching the hunt from close up, he didn''t hear a single sound the entire time.


    This was how quiet Nightshade was when she attacked.


    Shifting his gaze to Midnight, he smiled,


    "Well, one man is already down, so I say we just get rid of the rest in the church. What do you say?"


    Midnight raised an eyebrow as she approached Nightshade and placed her delicate hand on the beast''s fur. With a sigh, she spoke.


    "Okay, let''s kill them."

 Chapter 153: Beneath the Sacred Roof

    Not wasting any time, Zaroth placed his hand on the doorknob.


    "Wait!" he heard Midnight, so he froze.


    "Don''t forget that this isn''t like the small churches that we attacked before. This one will no doubt be full. We can''t just attack recklessly!"


    Letting go of the doorknob, Zaroth shifted his gaze to her.


    "Then what do we do?" he asked.


    Unless he was mistaken, there was no other entrance to the church other than the main one.


    Midnight pointed with her finger upwards, so Zaroth followed the gesture.


    His eyes landed on a window close to the top of the building.


    "Cool and all, but how do we reach it? It''s at least thirty-five meters away from us!" he complained.


    Without saying anything, Midnight approached the body of the man that Nightshade had killed, and she brought her fangs down on the man.


    Quickly drinking a few liters of blood, it seemed like her hair got more beautiful while her face became even more breathtaking.


    Taking a step toward Zaroth, she embraced him.


    Raising an eyebrow, he muttered, "I mean, it''s not like I don''t like it, but it isn''t the time for this sort of¡ª"


    He stopped mid-sentence as suddenly two large wings appeared out of Midnight''s back.


    Before he had realized it, his mouth had opened a little in awe. He had seen her naked body multiple times at this point, but he was surely going to remember if there were wings that she kept hidden.


    Did she have some way to make them manifest from nothing?


    Zaroth didn''t have time to ponder on the question as he was lifted high from the ground. Truthfully, he had never experienced flying up to that point, and it was safe to say it was both terrifying and amazing.


    Terrifying because watching the ground get farther away from him was like he was experiencing a nightmare.


    While amazing because Midnight was embracing him so tightly that he was able to feel her body pressed against his.


    ''Everything has its pros and cons, I guess,'' he thought, shifting his gaze to Midnight''s face, trying to forget about the fact that he was flying.


    A second later, they reached the window that was thankfully opened and entered undetected.


    Letting go of Zaroth, Midnight retracted her wings and fixed a part of her clothing.


    After she was done, she realized that Zaroth was staring at her with his mouth still open in awe.


    With a smirk, she asked, "What?"


    "What¡­ what do you mean, what?! You can fly?! You can have wings?! Since when? Why did you not tell me?!" Despite whispering, it was clear that he was feeling frustrated.


    "I mean¡­ you didn''t tell me that you had a new beast, did you?" she retorted.


    Being taken aback for a second or two, he replied, "I¡ªthis¡ªif I had known about this, then we might have acted differently from the beginning! This changes so many things! Have you even explored this power?"


    Taking a step closer to him, she embraced him in her arms as she whispered, "If that''s what you''re into, you can explore it later in the night once we go to your bed."


    Feeling his body get hotter, he muttered, "Stop with your distractions, we have Purifiers to kill."


    Laughing quickly, she let him go.


    "This woman!" he cursed silently as he observed where he had found himself.


    They were in what appeared to be some kind of attic, considering that the air was heavy and there was a lot of dust in the air.


    After waiting for Midnight to calm down, they found a staircase that led downward, so they took it.


    Once they descended to the next floor, Zaroth grimaced. Sadly, it seemed that the interior of the building was well-lit, so Nightshade''s advantage was gone here.


    "No matter," he muttered as he summoned everyone excluding Luna.


    Nightshade appeared to his right, Silverfang appeared to his left, and the other four wolves appeared behind him.


    "Is it a good idea to summon them so early?" Midnight whispered.


    "It''s too well-lit to be stealthy at this point, plus summoning takes time, and it''s better to have them out than not."


    Midnight knew that he was right, so she didn''t protest as they continued their walk in the church. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Wait!" Midnight muttered as she extended her arm to the side, so Zaroth and his beasts complied.


    Shifting his gaze to the front, he saw that there was what looked like a balcony that overlooked a large room.


    Moving quickly to make sure that he wasn''t spotted, Zaroth observed how many Purifiers were in the grand room.


    His face darkened as he began to count.


    ''One, two, three.'' At the end, he counted ten Purifiers.


    It was clear that this wasn''t going to be an easy battle.


    "Do you have a plan?" Midnight spoke.


    Scratching his chin, deep in thought, a second later, a plan came to mind.


    "Yes, it might sound a bit risky, but it''s worth a try."


    *****


    "What could be the reason for all these recent attacks?" a priestess whispered quietly at the statue that she was kneeling in front of.


    "It must be the work of sinners. No need to worry, the gods will surely protect us." another priestess answered back.


    Due to the recent events, the number of personnel that was employed in the churches rose significantly.


    Usually, it was rare for a church to have even one priestess present, but at the moment, there were three here.


    Not to mention the seven paladins that had been tasked with keeping them safe.


    One thing was for certain, nothing was going to get through them.


    They had even stationed one man at the entrance, so surely they would have been alerted if they were under attack.


    Or, that was what they thought until a figure wearing a black robe jumped from the second floor to the first one.


    The man immediately removed his robe, allowing the Purifiers to see his white hair and green-cat-like eyes.


    Zaroth smiled as he shouted with all his might, making sure that he had gotten the attention of everybody in the room.


    "Behold, your nightmare has arrived!"

 Chapter 154: Cornered

    The paladins took a second to register what had happened.


    A man had jumped from the second floor to their level. How had this individual managed to enter the building without opening the front gates? Why didn''t the paladin at the front gates alert them that an individual had gotten so close? Was he perhaps dead?


    A second later, they all charged at Zaroth with their swords raised high.


    It was clear that the white-haired man wasn''t a believer, and as such, there was no doubt in their minds that it was a threat.


    One that needed to be eliminated as fast as humanly possible, as it could pose a danger to the three priestesses.


    Zaroth''s eyes widened for a moment. The instant the three priestesses began their prayers, the paladins surged into motion, moving at twice the speed they had just a moment before.


    Taking hold of his daggers firmly in his hands, he brought them to his side as he smiled darkly.


    "This will be interesting," he muttered under his breath.


    In a blink of an eye, there were already three paladins upon him.


    Forcing his foot to move faster than it should have been possible, he managed to dodge their strikes, although it was a close call.


    He didn''t even have a second of rest, however, as there was already a paladin on the place he had dodged into.


    Seeing the giant sword heading toward his direction, Zaroth grimaced as he used his daggers to block the paladin''s strike.


    A shockwave spread around his body, it was clear that the paladins weren''t just two times faster than normal due to the spells the priestesses were casting, but two times stronger as well.


    Seeing a kick directed toward his ribs, Zaroth managed to twist his body and put one of his arms in the way with the intention to take the hit.


    He was sent flying, and a second later, he collided with the wall.


    Wearing a light armor under his robe was clearly the right move, as it managed to protect his back somewhat, leaving him with just a light bruise.


    Knowing that it was a bad idea to try and rest, he opened his mouth and let out a fire breath while firing two fireballs from each of his hands.


    Sadly, the spells didn''t seem to have much of an effect, as the fireballs disappeared upon contact with the paladins'' armor, while his fiery breath was rendered useless as well.


    With a grimace, he tried to take a step back as he was surrounded on all sides, only for his foot to hit the wall behind him.


    He was cornered.


    ''You sure that you don''t need help?'' Luna''s voice echoed in his mind.


    He didn''t need a time to think before responding, ''Yeah, I am just fine on my own.''


    Honestly, it was a humbling experience, one that he desperately needed. It was clear that his powers were going to his head, and he was beginning to act arrogant, but in this situation, as he was surrounded by the seven paladins that were empowered by the priestesses'' prayers, he literally had his back against the wall, cornered.


    It was a reminder that he had so much more growth to achieve.


    In this situation, a sane person would have displayed despair, or at least some degree of nervousness.


    And yet, before he realized it, Zaroth''s mouth had turned into a menacing smile.


    One of the paladins'' eyes widened as realization hit him.


    The seven paladins had surrounded the man who had just infiltrated the church, but in doing so¡­ they had left the priestesses alone.


    Without hesitating, he turned his whole body toward the three priestesses, only for his eyes to widen in shock.


    There was one woman with crimson eyes and hair, with bared fangs into one of the priestesses.


    The other was being torn apart by a pack of wolves, led by a larger, more formidable one.


    And the last one was already dead, as a panther with dark fur stood above her corpse.


    A second later, the overwhelming power that the paladins were feeling disappeared. Their faces darkened as realization hit them that the priestesses were already dead.


    "Not too shabby of a plan, no?" Zaroth muttered under his breath.


    His plan was simple. He was going to jump from one side of the balcony and attract the attention of the paladins. They would surely all move toward him with the intention to attack.


    Meanwhile, Midnight and his beasts would jump down from the other side of the room. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    At that point, the paladins would be too far away from the priestesses, who were already facing Zaroth, meaning that they wouldn''t sense the attack until it was too late.


    And as a result, the priestesses were dead.


    The only problem was that Zaroth was surrounded by the paladins, and he would need to hold them off for a few seconds until his beasts and Midnight arrived.


    "Let''s see what you''ve got," he muttered, dashing toward the closest paladin.


    His main goal should have been defense, but as everybody knew, there wasn''t a better defense than attack.


    Now that the paladins weren''t empowered as the priestesses were dead, their reaction time was slowed, and he had lunged toward one of the paladins who had his back against him.


    As a result, before anybody could reach Zaroth, his daggers had already pierced the man''s throat, killing him on the spot.


    Zaroth''s eyes narrowed like hunters as he suddenly got a deeper understanding of how to use his demonic skills.


    Shifting his gaze to the next target, he smiled darkly.


    "One down, six more to go."


    The remain paladins took a step backward, trying to compose themselves as they had just seen their comrade be killed in cold blood.


    But Zaroth wasn''t going to be nice enough to give them time to rest, as he lunged toward his next target.


    Meanwhile, Midnight and Zaroth''s beasts were just seconds away from joining the fight.


    The paladins gulped audibly as the possibility that they would all die came to them.


    They had been serving the church and the gods for so long, and their lives would end as two individuals¡ªone a Beast Master and the other a vampire¡ªwere going to use them to gain even more strength.


    At this moment, a thought came into their minds, a doubt about what they had been doing their whole lives.


    Had they perhaps been mistaken to believe in the gods?


    Had they... wasted their entire lives?

 Chapter 155: Fun Interpreted

    "One!" Zaroth shouted as he charged at his second target.


    The paladin raised his sword, ready to meet Zaroth''s daggers.


    A second after a metallic sound echoed around the grand room.


    Both Zaroth and the paladin felt a small shockwave spreading around their arms, but Zaroth, thanks to the fact that the blades on his weapons were smaller, meant that he would feel less resistance.


    Mimicking the things that he had read in that book when he was in the library, he twisted his body in an unnatural angle, and a split second later, his left dagger had pierced the paladin''s arm, making use of the small crack in the man''s armor.


    Bringing his face close to his enemy, Zaroth opened his mouth and let out a fire breath.


    His skill might have been ineffective earlier, but what about now when they were so close to one another?


    The man screamed as he felt his skin catching aflame, and the way his skull began to melt.


    And sadly for the man, the other five paladins, despite wanting to help, could not as Midnight and Zaroth''s beasts had already reached them, so all of them were occupied.


    "SHIT!" one of the paladins cursed as he was forced to deal with two wolves that no matter how much he hurt them, just got back up almost as if they didn''t feel pain. Almost as if they weren''t alive.


    Making use of the chance, Zaroth jumped behind the man and brought both of his daggers down on the man''s head, killing him instantly.


    The feeling of understanding his demonic skills better didn''t stop him, however, as he had already dashed to his next target.


    One of the paladins that was busy dealing with Nightshade was attacked from behind, as such, he died before he even realized what had happened.


    So was the one that was fighting with Silverfang.


    It seemed that Midnight had long killed her opponent, as she was clearly having trouble injuring her enemy just enough to immobilize them, but leaving them alive for Zaroth to finish.


    It didn''t take long until all of the paladins were dead, and an eerie silence fell upon the church''s grand room.


    Taking an exhausted sigh, Zaroth sat on the ground as he watched Midnight begin to drink the blood of the slain Purifiers.


    Deciding to see his progress with his demonic skills, he closed his eyes and commanded the darkness to wrap around his body.


    Despite the room being fairly well-lit, he still managed to move a part of the darkness. He was getting a better grasp of Darkveil. Meaning all the killing he had been doing up until now hadn''t been for nothing.


    "Still a long way to go, though," he muttered as he dismissed all of his beasts, leaving him alone with Midnight, though she didn''t pay him much attention as she was too busy drinking blood.


    ''Crazy how vampires work, just by drinking blood she gets stronger¡­ I wonder what else she can do besides using wings?'' he wondered.


    The more blood she drank, the closer to evolution she got, so she surely had more skills at her disposal... Maybe he could ask her to teach him more stuff?


    Seeing that Midnight was going to take her sweet time, Zaroth began to study the interior of the church.


    Everything was beautiful and pristine as expected¡­ excluding the large amount of blood that was spilled on the floor.


    "What even is the point of this stuff?" he muttered as his gaze stopped at a large statue of a woman.


    The statue depicted a woman with a spear in her right hand and a shield in her left. Was this supposed to be a god? Or some kind of legendary warrior?


    Zaroth wasn''t an expert when it came to history and religion, and honestly, he didn''t care. He wouldn''t pay a second thought to the statue if it wasn''t for Luna''s sudden words.


    ''Summon me,''


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow. He wasn''t expecting that Luna would want to wander around the church, much less considering that Midnight was here.


    But honestly, he was too curious to see what would happen, so he summoned her.


    Midnight shuddered for a second as she shifted her gaze to the menacing dragon in human form.


    This was the second time she was seeing Zaroth''s strongest summon, so even if she didn''t want to, she felt nervous.


    "Relax, bloodsucker, I am not here for you," Luna spoke coldly as she approached the statue.


    Zaroth smiled a little at the unexpected comment. Calling Midnight "bloodsucker" was certainly funnier than it had any right to be.


    Luna, not paying any attention to Midnight''s gaze, stopped in front of the statue.


    And suddenly, she turned into a dragon.


    Not expecting that, Zaroth clutched his heart as he felt a dangerous amount of mana leave his core at an alarmingly fast rate.


    Midnight''s eyes had widened a lot as just witnessing Luna''s dragon form filled her with dread. And the fact that the dragon''s body wasn''t made of anything other than bones clearly didn''t make it any less menacing.


    Not wasting any time, once Luna''s transformation was complete, she slashed with her claws and broke the statue into dozens of pieces. Once she was done, she turned back into her human form.


    Taking a few ragged breaths, Zaroth spat, "Hey, at least warn me if you''re going to do something like this!"


    Putting on an alluring smile, Luna responded, "Alright, I will keep it in mind."


    Zaroth was clearly not done, but before he could retort again, Luna approached him and made him lay his head on her lap.


    "Shh, you are exhausted, you can just relax for a moment."


    Zaroth''s eyes widened as he realized that his body ached, so he didn''t move and closed his eyes, taking the break as advised.


    "What do you think you are doing?" Hearing Midnight''s voice, Zaroth opened his eyes only to see her staring down at him and Luna.


    "I am letting my master rest on my lap," Luna immediately replied.


    "This is something that I will do, not you," Midnight retorted.


    It seems that, for some reason, Midnight forgot the fear she was feeling just seconds ago¡­ Was this perhaps¡­ jealousy? S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Luna raised an eyebrow and pressed her finger to her lips. "Sure, you should have, but since you were too busy drinking the blood of the corpses, it seemed like you weren''t going to do it. So, I took care of it instead"


    Seeing the two beauties fight over him, Zaroth couldn''t get rid of the grin on his face.


    ''I might be popular with the ladies, eh?'' he asked himself as he observed them silently.


    His mood quickly soured, however, as his bracelet shined, indicating that he had gotten a message.


    Once he read it, he massaged his forehead.


    Tomorrow morning was going to be the next round, the last one before the matches started to be held in the grand arena, observed by the emperor.


    And considering that it was so late at night, he wouldn''t be able to be in peak condition tomorrow if he didn''t begin to sleep immediately, which wouldn''t happen considering that he was still in the church.


    It seemed that he really had shit luck.

 Chapter 156: Round 9

    "Remember, this is for your father," Sam whispered as he tightened his grip on the old sword he was carrying. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Some would ask him why he would bring such an old sword to the tournament. The answer was simple, it was a family treasure. This was the sword that his father had used to slay an Epic creature in the past.


    Originally, Sam wouldn''t have wanted to use the sword as he didn''t feel worthy yet¡­ but that changed about a year ago when his father had gotten an illness.


    The healers told him that unless a healer of the highest level performed a skill on the sick man, he would die.


    And Sam and his family, being poor, couldn''t afford such things¡­ that was until the emperor announced the tournament.


    Sam might not have been part of the most prestigious academy in the empire, and yet he didn''t give up. He trained endlessly until exhaustion and beyond, all in the name of winning the tournament, all so his father could walk again.


    He wanted to repay his father for all the time he had taken care of him, Sam felt it was his duty as his only son


    "This is the ninth round. After this, the rounds would be held in the grand arena, watched by the emperor," Sam hyped himself up as he entered the center of the arena.


    His gaze immediately fell upon the audience. At the beginning, there were hardly any people who watched the matches, but now, as time passed and the amount of matches decreased, the small arenas were barely able to contain the thousands of people who had come to watch the fight.


    Sam froze when his gaze fell upon a woman with crimson eyes and hair.


    He didn''t know her, but in that moment, he fell for her. He had seen his fair share of beauties in the capital, but nobody could hold a candle to her.


    "Another reason to not lose," he muttered as he shifted his gaze to his opponent. Now, he didn''t just want to win because of his father, but he also wanted to ask the girl out after the match.


    "¡­?" His mouth opened a little in confusion.


    Sam was in the ninth round, so he was expecting to see giant, rough-looking men and dangerously cunning women¡­


    And yet, the man in front of him didn''t seem that threatening, in all honesty.


    True, the man had unique outer appearance as he was on the shorter side with white hair and green cat-like eyes.


    "Is he dragon descendant?" Sam asked himself. He didn''t know a lot about these people, but from the few rumors he had heard, they were a dangerous bunch.


    "I shouldn''t underestimate him¡­" Sam scolded himself as he got into battle pose.


    "Ladies and gentlemen!" The announcer stepped into the middle of the area as his shout sliced through the muttering around the arena.


    "Today we shall witness another fight in the name of the emperor!" the announcer spoke as he shifted his gaze to the side.


    "On one side we have Sam!"


    A few people cheered at the mentioning of his name, which made Sam feel nice. Sadly, it seemed that the crimson beauty didn''t react when his name was called out.


    "A pity¡­" he muttered under his breath.


    "And on the other side we have Zaroth!"


    A lot more people cheered than before, most likely because they had remembered Zaroth and his actions in the other rounds.


    Sam felt his heart ache as he saw that the crimson beauty was also one of the people who were clapping enthusiastically.


    Shaking his head off of the unnecessary thought, Sam focused on his opponent.


    "For father," he spoke as the ground around him shook, and a second later, two humanoid creatures made from the earth, each about two meters tall, rose.


    Even if Sam hadn''t received a very strong blessing from the gods, that didn''t mean he would give up.


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow as he saw Sam''s abilities.


    Then he smiled.


    A few moments later, Zaroth was surrounded by his beasts, four normal-sized wolves and one much bigger than the rest.


    "He is a Beast Master?" Sam asked himself.


    "Well, if that is the case, he must be weak up close!" Coming to that conclusion, Sam charged toward Zaroth, with his two golems to his sides.


    ''I will reach it! I will reach the end of the tournament and wish for my father to be healed!'' With that thought, Sam used every fiber of his body to run forward.


    Contrary to his expectations, Zaroth, rather than trying to make space between them, unsheathed the two daggers and met Sam''s charge with his own.


    ''Is he confident or just delusional?'' Sam asked himself. Usually, a Beast Master was weak in close combat, so why was his opponent rushing toward him?


    "No matter." Sam muttered as a smile appeared on his face. This was clearly going to be an easy fight.


    Reaching Zaroth, he swung horizontally.


    Zaroth moved so fast that he appeared like a blur. Thanks to his short height, he had an easier time going below the strike.


    "What¡ª" Sam certainly didn''t expect the Beast Master to be so agile.


    Before he could react in any way, Zaroth used his left dagger to pierce Sam''s side.


    "Fuck!" Sam shouted as he tried to make some distance between them. But Zaroth wasn''t letting go, using his other dagger to pierce Sam''s leg, making it much harder to move.


    "Help!" he shouted as he shifted his gaze to his golems. It seemed that he had underestimated Zaroth, so he was going to have to rely on his golems to close the gap.


    Or at least, that was the plan until he saw that both of his golems were already broken. As a result, he was currently being swarmed by a pack of wolves.


    ''I¡­ lost? What about my wish? What about father?'' Sam had a hard time registering what had just transpired.


    And he didn''t have the luxury to think about it as he saw a dagger heading toward his head.


    ''I am going to die?''


    Before the dagger killed him, however, it was stopped by the observer of the fight.


    "Zaroth wins! He advances to the tenth round!"


    Cheers burst all around the arena as Sam fell on his bottom, clutching his wounds in pain.


    "No¡­ NO NO NO! I can''t lose! I can''t!" he screamed in frustration. He was supposed to win! He was supposed to use his wish to make his father better! Not lose before even the main fights started!


    "You fuck!" Sam shouted, his voice burning with fury as he glared at the person who had shattered his dreams, Zaroth.


    Hearing the insult, Zaroth smiled menacingly as he answered.


    "Oh? What is this? You''re salty? Then I guess you should have trained better." Zaroth mocked him as he began to head out of the arena, not paying attention to the cheers around him.


    Meanwhile, Sam lay on the ground, taking ragged breaths. He was losing too much blood, and he had to wait for a healer to come and fix him up.


    Before he realized it, his eyes had teared up. His dream was broken¡­ shattered¡­ he would be forgotten, and his father would die, all because he was too weak.


    This truly was an unfair world.


    *****


    "What the hell was that?!" Zaroth complained as he walked side by side with Midnight.


    Raising an eyebrow, she asked, "What is it?"


    "I thought that there was supposed to be some kind of sportsmanship when we fought in the tournament! Why must my enemy curse me when he loses? It''s his fault he was too weak anyway," he answered.


    Midnight smirked, "Zaroth, you know that each person has a dream they wish to achieve, and by winning, you are shattering other people''s dreams."


    Zaroth scratched the back of his head, "Oh, I know¡­ and honestly, I don''t give a shit about other people that I''m not close to."


    "Really?" Midnight whispered, putting her hand on his shoulder and leaning in closer.


    "What about me?"


    Feeling his body getting hotter, he replied, "You are... one of the people that I''m close with."


    After a second, he added, "... You know, after this fight, I feel pretty tired. I''m planning to go to bed¡­ want to join me?"


    Her lips curved into an alluring smile as she answered


    "Sure."

 Chapter 157: Breaking the Faith

    "I deeply apologize for the interruption, Your Majesty, especially at such a critical moment when the tournament is about to enter its final stage." Elowen spoke, she was wearing a black robe, unlike the other Purifiers who usually wore white. Her long silver hair fell to the side, and her mouth and nose was covered by a black mask.


    Her body, face, and voice were all mesmerizing, as if she were blessed by the gods themselves, given her striking appearance. It was a shame that she was hiding half of her face with the mask.


    Was it her beauty that led her to join the Purifiers, or was there another reason?


    "I will always make time when it comes to speaking with the Purifiers," Draconis replied, watching the woman from his throne.


    Both of them knew the reason why she was here, but he was supposed to act oblivious to the situation, as if he hadn''t planned all this from the very start.


    Leaning back, he spoke coldly. "As you know, the tournament isn''t the only thing on my mind. As such, don''t beat around the bush and say what you want to say."


    He was trying to appear as threatening as he could, but sadly it seemed that it didn''t have any effect on the woman in front of him.


    Which wasn''t surprising, considering that this woman was one of, if not the highest-standing member of the Purifiers.


    As such, he wasn''t arrogant enough to try and read her thoughts. The woman before him was like a wild card, one that he would try not to make enemies with... at least for now.


    Pursing her lips, she spoke softly, her voice sounding pleasant to the ears, like a melody.


    "We have received numerous reports of churches being attacked, leading to the deaths of hundreds of Purifiers. The Elders granted you enough time to address this threat, yet you have failed to act. Therefore, we will cease our support of the Draconian Empire. This decision is final, and we will withdraw the stationed Purifiers immediately"


    Draconis'' facial expression didn''t change as he listened to the woman. After she was done, he pretended to think for a moment and then sighed.


    "And what about the millions of believers in our lands? You plan to just abandon them?" he asked.


    "We didn''t want to, but the fact that you have allowed so many of our people to be slaughtered without being able to stop it is a clear indication that we are not welcome in your lands."


    Extending his finger to the door, the Emperor spoke coldly, "If that is all, leave."


    Elowen did just that, not bothering to bow to the man in front of her.


    Once she left, Draconis couldn''t hide the happiness he was feeling at the moment as his lips curved into a menacing smile.


    "Ah, my people!" he began to practice his speech for when he would observe the tournament personally.


    "Unfortunately, the Purifiers have abandoned us! But fear not! You have me, your Emperor, and the creator of this grand tournament! I understand that you must feel heartbroken and betrayed, that the religion you''ve trusted for so long has left our lands. But this only reveals their true colors! It''s because we are in the midst of war with our neighbors, at a time when we need faith and hope to guide us forward, that they chose to abandon us!"


    He stopped for a second to add dramatic effect.


    "They have proven to us that we don''t need their twisted religion! For we have one another¡ªand me, as your unifier! Now, let us put aside our struggles and enjoy the battles of the tournament!" Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    His plan was slowly growing into fruition. He didn''t know who this vampire was that was suddenly running rampant and killing Purifiers left and right, but it was too beneficial to try and stop the demon.


    Now, thanks to the demon''s actions, the Purifiers would stop supporting his empire, making the citizens that believed in them feel hurt and betrayed.


    And who was going to listen to their struggles now? How and where were they going to vent their frustration now?


    Of course, what better place than the tournament he had created for this exact purpose? The people would begin to favor the Emperor even more, their faith in him would increase, while their faith in the outside forces would plummet.


    And the more they believed in him, the easier it would be to manipulate them for his own gain.


    He could practically taste it.


    How close he was to completing his plan.


    *****


    "And on the other side, we have the person that was in third place in the hunting competition! Grace!"


    Once the announcer spoke the name of the blonde woman with blue eyes, the audience burst into cheers. This was no doubt their favorite participant in the tournament.


    She was not only beautiful but extremely deadly as well.


    As the match started, Grace''s opponent dug his foot in the ground and dashed toward her.


    Raising his scythe high in the air, the skilled man was prepared to go for the kill.


    But after four steps, he found himself unable to move. He was caught in something.


    A golden thread that had wrapped all around the arena in an instant.


    The man''s eyes widened in horror, and before he could react in any way, shape, or form, Grace pulled a certain thread that was close to her, which made the threads her opponent was caught in tighten as they all began to dig deep into his flesh, causing severe wounds.


    She released the man seconds before he was killed, and he collapsed on the ground, barely alive.


    "And the winner is Grace!"


    The audience cheered once again in celebration.


    Grace smiled as she raised her gaze to the beautiful sky.


    The ninth round was over, she had advanced to the next round, where she was going to be observed by tens of thousands of people, alongside the Emperor.


    The main event was about to start.

 Chapter 158: A Strategic Gamble

    Bored, Zaroth had no other choice but to pass the time talking to Luna.


    It was that the lecture didn''t interest him, especially since it was about geography. While he understood it might be important as they taught it, he''d rather ignore the professor''s teachings.


    ''Do you think it''s wise for me to go and ask Elysia for more credits?''


    ''To be honest, I think she was correct. If you had saved more credits, you wouldn''t have to wonder if it is okay to go and pester her for more,'' Luna responded.


    ''Yeah, yeah, I know, but after acquiring Nightshade so easily, I want to buy more and more beasts. Plus, Nightshade would surely like to go to the arena and tear his enemies apart.''


    ''Can you even support more beasts?''


    Luna was asking the valid question. Even though he had gotten stronger, he had Silverfang and Nightshade, both of which were Rare beasts, that wouldn''t even count the four other wolves he had at his disposal. There was the possibility that his mana core wouldn''t be able to keep up with them.


    ''But isn''t this the way I train my core to begin with? I use more mana than I''m supposed to, and slowly my core becomes stronger,'' he retorted.


    ''Well, if you want another beast, two options come to mind. One is to go and pester Elysia for more money, though if you plan on courting her, that''s a bad idea. The other is to use your savings and place a bet in the beast arena.''


    Zaroth''s eyes widened for a moment. For some reason, this option never occurred to him.


    He needed more money¡ªwhat better way to get them than betting?


    But of course, there was always the chance that he would lose, leaving him broke¡­


    "Wait, lose?" he muttered as he scratched his chin.


    He wasn''t well informed about how the betting in the beast arena proceeded.


    But what if he could enter with his own beast? Nightshade was now undead, meaning no matter how badly hurt, the panther would just get up like nothing had happened as long as Zaroth had mana.


    He could always bet on his beast to win, knowing defeat was impossible, and in time that would massively increase his funds.


    Not only that, but this was exactly Nightshade''s desire, to dominate the arena.


    So that way, Zaroth would be killing two birds with one stone¡ªhe would become richer while his beast would advance further toward evolution.


    ''Luna, you might be a genius,'' he had to praise her.


    Even though he wasn''t looking at her, as she was in his soul, it felt like she had raised her eyebrow.


    ''Might? I am and always will be.''


    Zaroth grinned a little. It seemed that she was not only immensely beautiful and deadly, but also had the confidence to back that up.


    "You there, why are you grinning?"


    Hearing the professor''s question, Zaroth realized that he was still in the middle of the lecture.


    Trying his hardest to come up with an excuse, he spoke.


    "I just remembered an old memory."


    At his answer, the professor seemed to grimace.


    "I see. I guess my class is so easy that you think focusing on it isn''t important, huh? Then how about you come up here and solve the question on the whiteboard?"


    Ignoring the stares that the whole classroom was giving him, Zaroth stood up with a sigh. Not missing the fact that Zack was barely able to contain his laughter while Roran was massaging his forehead in disappointment.


    Taking the marker out of the professor''s hand, Zaroth stopped before the whiteboard as he read the question,


    ''Draw a map of the Eldorwyn continent.''


    Was this even a question? he wondered.


    "This is the continent that we''re on, right?" he muttered as he began to draw.


    He wasn''t an artist of any kind, but the answer wasn''t going to be judged on beauty, but on how accurate it was.


    Zaroth first drew the Draconian Empire that was next to the ocean. Then he drew the Crimson Sun Empire and how they roughly bordered each other¡­ and then his mind went blank as he realized that he knew jack shit when it came to geography.


    ''Were there like three or four more? Fuck it, let''s improvise,'' he thought as he began to draw whatever came to mind.


    Even if he upset the professor, it wasn''t like Zaroth would suffer any consequences for his actions.


    *****


    "This was so exhausting!" Zaroth complained as he walked with his friends.


    "It is every day as normal. You just feel impatient because the tournament is about to enter its main stage," Lily responded.


    "But you''re right, it does feel like the academy is starting to feel more and more like a chore," Zack agreed.


    "If you feel so exhausted, we can quickly hit the bar, you know?" Roran suggested.


    Considering that it had been about a week since the incident where they had beat up a gang, it was high time to go and relax a bit before the fights started.


    "Plus, there is something that we should discuss," Roran added as his expression grew darker.


    Zaroth, of course, knew what he was referring to. Before, when the tournament had started, there were 65,536 participants, but now only 128 would remain, meaning the best of the best¡ªthe very crop of the empire.


    So it would be egotistic to think that Zack, Roran, and Lily would advance to the later rounds if they don''t use their true powers. Honestly, it was surprising that they had made it so far without using them.


    But the problem arose, revealing that the extent of their powers would mean that the emperor would see it and know exactly what they are able to do, which in the future could screw them over considering that they were with Elysia and she was planning to get rid of the emperor.


    "Roran is right, we must relax a little before speaking about the important stuff," Zaroth spoke as he activated his bracelet. S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He was going to spend the night with his friends, meaning that tonight he wouldn''t be able to hunt Purifiers alongside Midnight, so he had to inform her about that fact.


    Or at least, that was his intention until he saw, with his peripheral vision, a striking beauty with crimson eyes and hair walk hurriedly towards him.


    He would have been happy to see her if it weren''t for the fact that his friends were with him¡­


    It looked like they were about to meet each other for the first time.


    Hopefully, they weren''t going to create problems about the fact that he was sleeping with a vampire.

 Chapter 159: A Moment of Truth

    Not wasting any time, Midnight addressed Zaroth as soon as she reached him.


    Grabbing his hand, she spoke, "We have to talk."


    He raised an eyebrow in response, "Sure, about what?"


    Midnight shifted her gaze to the three people that were alongside him as she whispered, "It has to be in private."


    Lily immediately put her hand over her mouth as she pieced that this was the woman that Zaroth had been most likely talking about for such a long time.


    Roran was watching them silently with unreadable emotion on his face.


    Meanwhile, Zack''s eyes had widened significantly, he had the gift to be able to see what kind of blessing an individual possessed.


    But what did he see when he was looking at a demon? They didn''t possess blessings of any kind.


    Would he be able to see beyond it, realizing that the woman in front of him wasn''t human, but a vampire instead?


    Sensing trouble, Zaroth went with Midnight to somewhere private, reassuring his friends that he would soon be back.


    "What is it?" he asked as he gazed at Midnight.


    By her serious facial expression, it was clear that it wasn''t good news, especially as she approached him so openly in public.


    Parting her lips, she spoke, "They¡­ are gone."


    "What? Who are they?" he asked in confusion.


    "The Purifiers, they have deserted all the churches."


    "Wha¡ª" Zaroth began to speak but stopped midway as he wasn''t sure how to take the information.


    The Purifiers were gone? Just like that? How and why? What would happen to the millions of believers in the empire?


    "What do you mean they are gone?" he asked, just to make sure.


    "I mean that they are gone. One day they were in churches, now no matter how hard I look, all the churches are closed with not a single member of their organization in sight," she replied.


    "Could¡­ we be the reason for that?" he asked.


    "Maybe. For all I know, the Purifiers are operating in several continents across dozens of empires, so if they thought being here was too much of a chore, they might have left."


    Zaroth massaged his forehead as it suddenly began to hurt.


    A second later, his heart skipped a beat as realization hit him.


    Midnight was here because she was hunting Purifiers, but what happens now when all of them aren''t in the empire anymore? Would she leave?


    "What do you plan to do now?" he asked as his gaze fell on her.


    She might have been a vampire, but he had gotten attached to her. Not to mention that he was sure he could still learn more demonic skills from her. So he would want to keep her close to him as long as possible.


    With a sigh, she responded, "I¡­ am not sure, honestly. Do I go to another empire and start my hunt there? But considering that I will have to find a way to blend in all over again, it would be troublesome¡­"


    Staring, he put his hand out and grabbed hers. Her crimson eyes widened for a moment in surprise as she met his gaze.


    "Stay," he spoke firmly as he took a step toward her.


    She looked away in response, "I¡­ Zaroth, I am a demon¡­ a vampire, so I need to feed on humans, even if it''s not for me to get stronger, at the very least to survive, and now that my source of food is gone, I wouldn''t be able to stay here much longer."


    Hearing her words, he grimaced, he knew that she was right. Elysia no doubt knew that she was a vampire but had let her roam free because she was killing Purifiers that had sided with the emperor.


    But would she overlook it if Midnight started to hunt normal people? He wouldn''t care in the slightest, but it was hard to say when it came to Elysia¡­


    "Fuck!" Zaroth cursed in frustration. No matter how hard he thought, nothing came to mind. How could he find a source of food for Midnight that Elysia wouldn''t object to?


    And seeing that Luna was keeping silent, she didn''t have an idea either.


    Or she had one, but was reluctant to share, as maybe she didn''t like Midnight all that much¡­


    Zaroth''s thoughts were interrupted as he heard footsteps behind him.


    As he turned his head, he saw his three friends looking at him with hostile gazes¡­ no, not him, but behind him¡­ they were looking at Midnight.


    After a second of silence, Zack began to speak.


    "Zaroth, do you know th-"


    "I know everything," Zaroth immediately responded as he got between them and Midnight.


    "It''s a long story," he added with a grin, trying to lighten the mood.


    Now he not only had to worry about finding food for Midnight, but also had to see if his friends would object to him dating a demon.


    "How long?" Lily questioned, catching everybody off guard.


    Was she asking how long they knew each other or how long they were dating?


    "About a few months," Zaroth responded, truthfully, he was bad when it came to remembering dates, so this was the best answer he could give.


    Taking a step forward, Lily approached Midnight. Roran seemed on edge but didn''t move, most likely because he had talked with Lily before this.


    "What are you to Zaroth?" Lily asked, stopping before Midnight. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    After a second, she responded, "A fri-... a lover."


    "And why are you here?"


    After a moment of hesitation, Midnight responded, "To get stronger."


    A brief silence fell on them, until Lily sighed.


    "Well, if he is fine with it¡­" Lily spoke as she took a step backward.


    "I mean, we''re all aware that we''re abnormal, so accepting another abnormality isn''t that difficult." she added.


    Zaroth sighed in relief, at least it seemed his friends didn''t seem to be hostile towards Midnight anymore.


    But his relief didn''t last long, as he still had to come up with a way to find Midnight''s source of food.


    An idea suddenly came to his head. He had been thinking about too many things at once and wasn''t making any progress. So the solution was to relax a little, and maybe something would come to mind.


    Shifting his gaze between his friends and Midnight, he sighed.


    ''Fuck it, things have been crazy enough already, there isn''t a way to make it worse,'' with that thought, he spoke.


    "We were actually planning to get hammered at a bar¡­" his gaze stopped at Midnight.


    "Do you want to come along?"


    Midnight seemed stunned for a second as she gazed at Zaroth''s friends for a moment.


    "I¡­ doubt that they would want me to come."


    "Ridiculous!" Lily spoke as she met Midnight''s gaze. "There is not a chance that I''m going to miss the chance to speak with the woman Zaroth is seeing!"


    Grabbing her hand, Lily pulled Midnight along firmly.


    "You are coming with us no matter what!"


    Midnight''s eyes widened, moving her gaze, she stared at Roran and Zack, Who were watching silently.


    They didn''t agree¡­ but they didn''t seem to be against the idea as they didn''t object.


    It seemed that today, the four legends had gained a new member.

 Chapter 160: The Night of Revelations

    Honestly, it was weird. Zaroth had gotten used to when he was sitting on a table to be either alone or with his three friends. But this time Midnight was here as well, this was certainly going to take some time to get used to.


    "I love him! I really do! But sometimes he just gets so unbelievably lazy that it irritates me to no end! But if you just happen to mention alcohol, he suddenly seems to get sudden bursts of power!" Lily complained as she slammed down the empty cup on the wooden table. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Midnight was clearly having trouble getting used to the situation as well, she had most likely never entered into a bar, nor had she happened to chat with a woman in such a friendly manner.


    At least Lily seemed happy. She had probably been fed up going out with only boys, so she could finally vent her frustrations to another person of the same gender.


    Shifting his gaze to Zack, Zaroth saw that the man was massaging his forehead.


    "What is the matter?" he asked.


    Meeting his gaze, Zack complained, but not before taking another sip out of the mostly empty bottle.


    "I saw her! When we were in the forest during the hunting competition! I saw her, and yet I didn''t notice that she was a vampire then!"


    Leaning back in his chair, Zack groaned in frustration. "Gods, I''m really that distracted?! How could I miss a demon when I meet it so close up?!"


    Leaving the man to his own thoughts, Zaroth shifted his gaze to Roran, who, despite being in the bar, seemed to be the most serious of all of them, which was clearly a rarity, usually, the alcohol would have boosted his mood.


    Not to mention, this was the bar they had helped to deal with that gang, meaning that the alcohol was free! ¡­Not the food though, just the drinks.


    "Something on your mind?" Zaroth asked.


    Roran shifted his gaze from Lily and Midnight to Zaroth as he responded.


    "It''s weird¡­ so many different people have come together and are chatting like friends. I''m not sure how to feel about that¡­" Roran admitted.


    By the look in his eyes, it seemed that something was weighing on his mind¡­ no, this weight had been there since Zaroth had met him for the first time, it was just that now, as Roran seemed more comfortable, he wasn''t putting on a brave face constantly.


    "We can always talk," Zaroth spoke with a smile as he handed his friend a newly opened bottle.


    Taking it from his hands, Roran looked at his reflection in the glass for a moment before taking a few heavy sips.


    "There isn''t much to talk about, honestly¡­ it''s just that once I lost everything¡­ almost everything, I thought that from now on I wouldn''t have time to truly relax."


    "And yet you do now," Zack joined in as he tapped Roran on the shoulder.


    In response, Roran smiled slightly. "You''re right¡­"


    Zack and Zaroth grinned as they watched Roran gulp down the bottle without a second thought.


    Thankfully, they managed to cheer him up. Now, the alcohol was hopefully going to do the rest.


    After he was done, he slammed it loudly on the table as he shifted his gaze to the cute waitress that was nearby.


    "One more bottle!" he shouted amidst the loud bar as he held up a finger.


    "Make it two!" Zaroth shouted as he raised two fingers.


    "Three!" replied Zack, holding up three fingers.


    After the cute waitress brought them three orders, they began to see who was going to outdrink each other.


    As time passed, the girls seemed to start getting along more and more.


    "I want to say the truth!" Midnight spoke as she put the glass down. She didn''t have much experience when it came to drinking alcohol, but truth be told, she enjoyed it.


    Lily turned her head, only for her eyes to widen as she felt Midnight embrace her.


    "I didn''t know that I would find humans that would accept me! You guys are the best!"


    Thankfully, it was late at night, and everyone in the bar was so utterly drunk that no one paid any attention to the table of five.


    That meant they could chat about anything, without the fear of being overheard.


    Tapping at Midnight''s shoulder, Lily managed to mutter, "Okay, okay. Let go! You''ll break my ribs at this rate!"


    Midnight did as instructed as she muttered a quiet, Sorry.


    "The fuck did you just say?!" Zaroth shouted as he got up on the table.


    It was a mystery as to why he was naked above the waist.


    "I said that you haven''t beaten me yet!" Roran responded as he did the same motion.


    It was a mystery why the two seemed to remove their shirts when things got heated in their drinking match, but at this point, it had almost become a tradition.


    It seemed that Zack had decided he had enough for now and headed to the toilet. But, for some reason, he had gotten into an argument with some drunkards. There was most likely going to be a fight soon, which, strangely enough, had also become a tradition.


    "By the way, I wanted to say how beautiful your nails are!" Lily spoke, only to raise an eyebrow as she saw how red Midnight''s face had gotten.


    For some reason, the vampire was looking to the side, wearing an alluring smile on her face, while her crimson eyes shone like a hunter ready to devour its prey.


    Following her gaze, Lily saw that Midnight was busy staring at Zaroth''s naked body.


    Was this how vampires looked when they got heated? Or was it because she had had a lot of alcohol to drink?


    Lily usually wouldn''t have scolded Roran and Zaroth for getting up on the table under normal circumstances, but with Midnight there now, she wanted to avoid attracting attention. If someone else discovered that Midnight was a vampire, it could prove disastrous.


    "Get down!" Lily spoke as she grabbed Roran''s hand.


    "Not until I show him that he can''t beat me!" Roran shouted in response.


    "Gods! Just because of the free alcohol, you''re embarrassing yourself! At least show some dignity in front of Zaroth''s girlfriend!"


    Hearing Lily''s words, Zaroth''s eyes widened as he suddenly felt an idea pop into his head.


    Getting off the table with a silent jump, he shifted his gaze to Midnight, who, for some reason, was red¡­ more than usual, and took ragged breaths as she looked at him.


    Trying not to pay attention to the alluring face she was making, he approached her with a smile.


    "I figured it out!" he proclaimed, stopping in front of her.


    Taking a few seconds to compose herself, Midnight spoke without lifting her gaze, which was locked on his chest and abs. "Figured out what?"


    Zaroth''s smile seemed to get even wider, clearly pleased with himself.


    "Where to find you a source of food, one that no one would object to!"


    It seemed that his plan to get drunk and forget the uncertain thoughts had worked much better than expected.

 Chapter 161 - 161: Unexpected Value

    "What is it?" Midnight asked, getting closer to Zaroth as she was having trouble hearing him speak due to the loud bar.


    "Criminals! Like gang members and similar! No one would object, killing them as it would be making the public a service!"


    Midnight''s eyes widened for a moment as she realized that he was right. Maybe because before she was thinking about so many things, the obvious solution to her problem didn''t occur to her.


    She would have praised Zaroth, but due to the fact the bar was so loud, she had to get closer to him to be able to hear him, meaning that right now she was pressed tightly against his naked torso.


    And considering the large amount of alcohol she had drunk up until that point, it was safe to say that her priorities weren''t what they should have been.


    Wrapping her arms around his neck, she brought her mouth close to his ear as she whispered,


    "Do you think that we can spend some alone time?" Because her nose was close to his neck, she was able to practically smell the blood running down in his veins, which only seemed to excite her more and more.


    Zaroth''s eyes widened for a second as he quickly picked up on what Midnight was trying to tell him.


    Truth be told, he was a simple man, so he didn''t really think things out before doing what he desired. As such, he shifted his gaze to his friends about to tell them that he and Midnight were going to spend some quality time together.


    That was until the doors of the bar burst open and a few men walked inside.


    Despite the bar being full of drunkards, everybody instantly went silent once their gazes fell on the new guests.


    "I have heard that there has been a problem with collecting the protection fee and even that you have beaten up some of my personal." A two-meter-tall man with a gray beard and a black eyepatch spoke as he took a step forward.


    Zaroth made sure to overhear on the nearby table what they were talking about.


    "Isn''t that the leader of the Bearborn gang?"


    "Shh! Do not talk, you don''t want him overhearing you! He could have you beheaded at a moment''s notice!"


    Scratching the back of his neck, Zaroth tried to remember where he had heard that name before.


    A second later, he heard Luna''s voice echo in his head.


    ''The gang that you and your friends beat up when you were drunk,''


    "Oh yeah, I almost forgot how they were called," he muttered under his breath.


    The sudden appearance was welcome, as he and Midnight were just talking about where she was going to eat from now on. And looking at the leader, he could prove to also strengthen her, as he didn''t look like a total pushover.


    The bad thing was that the person had entered at the worst possible moment, when Zaroth was about to have some fun with Midnight. Roran seemed frustrated that he had been interrupted from his drinking, and Zack, who was about to fight with a few drunkards, cracked his fists, surely looking for a fight.


    "Fuck, it will be nice to let out some steam before the main tournament starts," he muttered as he took a step forward, catching the attention of everybody in the bar.


    "Yeah, me and my friends roughed up your subordinates, how nice of you to show your face to us. Now we won''t have to waste time trying to find you."


    Zaroth smiled menacingly as his eyes narrowed like a hunter.


    This was certainly going to be fun.


    *****


    What differentiates a demon from a human?


    Not the fake demons like vampires and similar, but the real ones.


    It was simple¡ªthe ability to feel empathy.


    Then, as the black mass had taken the body of the father of Emily, why was it looking out for her?


    It had pondered the question for a long time, sure that it wouldn''t get attached to a human, and yet on the surface, it seemed that it did.


    No matter how much it thought about it, the answer didn''t come to it.


    That was until it went out in the park along with the body''s daughter.


    This was an activity they had done before, as it needed to play the role of a loving father, so it was going to be like any other day¡­


    That was until it felt something pulling on one of its legs.


    Shifting its gaze to Emily, the thing spoke.


    "What is it?" Its voice, even though sounding a bit scary, was carrying a hint of emotion¡ªsomething that the thing had been practicing for a long time.


    Not answering its question, Emily pointed with her finger below a tree.


    Following the gesture, the thing saw that there was a dead bird lying on the ground.


    "What about it?" the thing asked.


    "Don''t you see the nest on the tree? I think there are some small birds there."


    With a sigh, the thing walked over to check. It honestly didn''t care, but it had a role to play.


    Stopping before the nest, it saw that there was one weak chick that was laying on it. It seemed malnourished¡ªmost likely the one the ground below it was its parent. Meaning that it was going to starve to death.


    "Pick me up! I want to see!" Emily spoke as she stretched her arms upwards.


    With an annoyed expression, it did just that and put her on its shoulder.


    Seeing the weak chick, she went quiet for a few seconds, and then she spoke.


    "Can we take it home?"


    The thing raised its eyebrow, "Why?"


    It was actually curious¡ªwhy would this small child care for such an insignificant creature, one that shouldn''t concern her in any way?


    "Because I feel bad when I see it be hurt," Emily spoke.


    "You¡­ feel bad?"


    "Yes!" she exclaimed as she stretched her finger to it. "Don''t you feel bad when you see it hurt? Won''t you feel bad if it dies and you could have changed that outcome?"


    Truthfully, the thing didn''t understand what the girl was trying to tell it.


    That was until its eyes narrowed as realization hit it


    Moving its lips into a menacing smile, it spoke, "Sure, we will take it."


    "Really?! I love you!" the girl spoke as she hugged what she believed to be her father.


    Meanwhile, the thing didn''t move its gaze from the bird.


    Humans were complicated things with numerous emotions, and kids like Emily didn''t know how to regulate them properly.


    As such, today she had displayed something that could prove beneficial when it came to getting rid of humans.


    Empathy¡ªthis was something that the being didn''t understand too well.


    But¡­ if it could learn how it works, its ability to manipulate humans would rise significantly.


    Shifting its gaze to Emily, it finally understood why it felt attached to her.


    It wasn''t to her, but to the value she was providing.


    She was like a gold mine, constantly teaching the being how humans worked.


    And with that knowledge, the being would soon be able to acquire what it wanted.


    It seemed that acting as a father had given it much more than it had initially expected. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 162 - 162: Plans and Pledges

    "I wish to thank you, Sir Roderic, for being with me and acting as my bodyguard. Even if it was because of somebody else''s orders, I want to express my gratitude toward you. As such, if ever you find yourself in trouble, you can come to me. I will try to help you even with the minimal influence I possess."


    Hearing Althea''s words, Roderic bowed deeply before taking a step back.


    "I hope we meet again, Miss Althea."


    Watching the man walk away, Althea sighed in exhaustion. She had finally returned to the capital, but that didn''t mean she would be able to relax just yet, as she had to report to the emperor.


    "No rest for the wicked," she muttered as she took a step forward, entering the castle.


    She wasn''t going to enjoy this.


    *****


    "Sadly, by then, they overran the city, and so I had to retreat by carriage as the teleporting circle was destroyed."


    Finishing her report, Althea didn''t move her gaze from the ground as she awaited the emperor''s judgment.


    "You left?... Of course, why do I expect anything from you? If you were to act like a proper queen, you would have given your life for the people there rather than running away."


    At his words, Althea grimaced. Even if he was right to an extent, that didn''t mean that Althea hadn''t done anything.


    In fact, the situation in the city was dire, and the only reason it had managed to hold out for so long against the enemy''s attack was because of her actions.


    Not to mention that the fact that the Crimson Sun Empire was attacking with such ferocity was because the emperor had captured their princess.


    As he was the biggest reason they had fallen in the situation, he didn''t have any right to lecture her about morality and whatnot.


    But he was the one that held all the power, while Althea did not. As such, she could only stay silent at his words.


    "Not going to defend yourself?" Draconis scoffed in utter disbelief.


    "I am going to be honest, I feel a bit curious as to what your thoughts are¡­ but I refuse to read them. I am not going to interfere with something as vile as you."


    Finishing his speech, he pointed toward the grand gates.


    "Go, get out of my sight."


    At his command, Althea bowed and began to do what she instructed until the emperor''s next words stopped her.


    "The tournament has entered its final stage, as such, not only I, but my wives as well, will witness the fights live from now on. Sadly, that means that you will have to be there as well for public appearances." He made his next words as cold as possible.


    "I hope you know what that means."


    Nodding silently, she exited the throne room.


    Draconis was referring to the fact that he wanted her to stay in the back as always, trying to remain as hidden as possible.


    It was something that she was rather familiar with, so she didn''t feel offended by his words.


    With some free time and solitude at last, she could finally focus on uncovering the emperor''s plan.


    But before doing that, she had to contact Elysia.


    *****


    "I have returned," Roderic spoke as he bowed to the chairwoman. S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Elysia looked at him with indifference for some time, then she shifted her gaze to the bottle of pills she had been given by Zaroth.


    Now, she had more or less an idea of what those pills do, but the problem was that she didn''t know why they needed something like this in the first place.


    That was something that irritated her, even if she didn''t show it on her face.


    Was this the reason why they had allowed Zaroth to give her the pills? Was it because they felt confident that she wouldn''t be able to guess what they needed them for?


    "I see, you are free." She spoke coldly as she leaned back in her chair.


    Without saying anything, Roderic left her office.


    With a sigh, she looked out the window.


    "What is the point?" she muttered as she gazed at the bottle.


    "What could they be gaining by changing a person''s soul?"


    This was a question that she had to find the answer to as soon as possible.


    *****


    "Now that we have dealt with the problem, again, could I take it that the food will be free from now on as well?" Zaroth asked with a smile as he gazed at the bar''s owner.


    "O-Of course, sir! This is the least we could do to thank you for getting rid of the threat to our small business!" the owner bowed his head a little, clearly scared out of his wits when he looked at Zaroth.


    "That is great to know!" Zaroth exclaimed as he patted the man on the shoulder.


    Now that the drinks, alongside the food, were free here, it was obvious that this was the only bar he and his friends would go to from now on.


    Exiting the bar, Zaroth walked to where the unconscious bodies of the Bearborn gang lay.


    "Finished?" Lily spoke as she got up.


    "Yeah, the food will be free from now on as well," Zaroth spoke with a clear sense of pride.


    "Good to know, now come on, let''s go," Lily nudged Roran with her elbow with the intention to wake him up.


    The man was sleeping peacefully until her actions woke him. Getting up with a grunt, he spoke, "... sure," after which he began to head out alongside Lily.


    "I guess that is my cue as well," Zack spoke as he waved with his hand goodbye.


    That meant that Zaroth was left with Midnight alone, excluding the bodies of the Bearborn gang.


    After the gang entered the bar, Zaroth and his companions beat them to a pulp and then moved their bodies elsewhere, telling the bar owner that they were going to hand them to the guards,


    But in reality, they were going to use them for something else.


    Shifting his gaze to Midnight, he spoke.


    "Well, bon app¨¦tit."


    Without hesitation, she went to the first unconscious man as she bared her fangs to his neck and began to drink.


    The gang members had been locked up and were going to be kept in an unconscious state. Midnight was going to come here periodically to drink blood.


    The plan was perfect as no one was going to miss some gang members that only made trouble.


    Not to mention the fact that their leader was here as well, meaning that their gang, left without a leader, would surely disband soon.


    So, in a way, they had done a good deed! Now, whether or not that equaled the bad deed of locking these people up for Midnight''s source of food was a completely different matter.


    But neither Zaroth nor Midnight felt remorse in any way, shape, or form, and the same could be said about Zaroth''s friends.


    The only thing that Zaroth regretted was that he wasn''t able to spend some quality time with Midnight as there wasn''t time, but seeing her happily eat filled him with a warm feeling.


    "It is not too bad, I guess," he muttered under his breath.


    The night turned out to be more productive than anyone could have thought.

 Chapter 163 - 163: Grand Announcement

    It was all well and good, but at the end, they didn''t talk about whether they were going to use their real powers in the tournament or not.


    With that realization, Zaroth woke up and sat on his bed.


    Shifting his gaze to the side, he saw Luna silently sleeping, carefree as ever.


    It certainly felt weird sharing a bed with her, considering that they hadn''t slept together, but strangely, Zaroth felt comfortable when he was sleeping next to someone.


    It reminded him that he wasn''t alone.


    Checking his bracelet, he saw that he hadn''t received any new messages, which was certainly weird, considering that he was supposed to receive one regarding the tournament. S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Maybe there was a delay?


    Not thinking too deeply about it, he got up with the intention to take a shower. It was going to be another normal day as ever.


    *****


    "Normal, my ass!" Zaroth cursed as he noticed the large number of students walking in the same direction.


    It seemed that everyone was gathering toward the academy yard.


    "What is happening?" he asked himself as he decided to follow the crowd.


    "Attention!" a man who had stood up on a podium spoke firmly and clearly.


    "The main event of the tournament has arrived! There are currently 128 participants left in the tournament, as such, all matches from now on will be held in the grand arena under the emperor''s gaze and his family!"


    A few murmurs began to resonate inside the massive crowd.


    "As we want to give as many people as possible the opportunity to attend the grand event, every Sunday from now on, a full round will be played!"


    Doing the math, Zaroth concluded that after seven weeks, the tournament would already be over.


    This was clearly smart, that way, there would be built-up hype, ensuring as many people as possible would want to watch.


    "Also, now you, as well as the public, will be notified about the matchups a week in advance! As today is Monday, you will be able to see the pairings on the boards around the academy!"


    Zaroth''s eyes narrowed. This was certainly a welcome change, as now he would at least have the chance to get ready and study his opponent before the actual fight.


    "Now, you might be wondering, how are you going to watch these matches?" the man spoke as he lifted up a finger.


    "Fear not! For the emperor is generous, as such, you will be able to buy tickets for each round a week in advance. But be aware, as there are a lot of people that will want to watch the matches live, so buy the tickets before they run out!"


    Reaching in his bag, the man continued, "But what if I don''t have the money to buy a ticket?"


    Getting out of his bag some kind of orb, the man tapped it, and a moment later some kind of hologram appeared high in the sky.


    It seemed that the orb was somehow casting an image without being affected by the light rays of the sun.


    "If you are on a budget or going to be away from the capital, you can buy one of these devices. With them, you will be able to watch the fights as well! Just keep in mind that witnessing it live is a much more enjoyable experience than watching some hologram in the sky!"


    Focusing his eyesight, Zaroth saw that the image that the orb was currently showing was the center of the grand arena.


    "This is some cool tech," he couldn''t help but admit.


    With a cough, the man tapped the orb again and the hologram disappeared.


    "If you wish to buy a ticket or one of these orbs, you can do so at a licensed shops that have been set up all around the empire. Well, happy day!" the man bowed and a moment later stepped out of the podium, disappearing into the crowd.


    Ignoring the loud conversations all around him, Zaroth scratched his chin deep in thought.


    ''What do you think?'' It never hurt to ask Luna for her opinion.


    ''There is a good side and a bad side to everything.''


    Zaroth had to agree, at her words


    But at the moment, he failed to see the good side as only negatives were jumping out at him.


    For instance, now that he knew these orbs existed, it meant that much more people would be watching the fights than expected, meaning that once you used some kind of skill in the arena, it would be the same as announcing it to the whole world.


    This immediately meant that Zack would not be able to use his blood manipulation ability, as he had been forbidden by his uncle from doing so.


    Zaroth, though not thrilled at the idea of revealing his abilities to the whole world, knew it was only a matter of time before it became a necessity.


    "Or is it?" he muttered as he shifted his gaze to the clouds in the sky.


    "What if¡­ for instance, someone obstructs the whole arena, making it impossible to see inside? This could keep a person''s abilities secret for longer¡­"


    Coming to the conclusion that there would be time for pondering later, he approached the board where the list of the participants was supposed to be displayed.


    "For fuck''s sake, why are there so many people?!" With a curse or two, he finally managed to push past the crowd and reached the names.


    Focusing his eyesight to read the small text, he began to search for his name and that of his friends.


    Soon after, he licked his dry lips as he found himself.


    Surprisingly enough, there was also a list of the known abilities of every individual, meaning that Zaroth wouldn''t need to waste time trying to find and then spy on his opponents with the intention of learning what they were capable of.


    Of course, he didn''t rule out the idea that some people had hidden some of their abilities, like he had, but the provided information was better than nothing.


    "¡­Oh?"


    A menacing smile spread across his lips as he studied the analysis of his opponent.


    This was a rarity.


    It seemed that his opponent was a Beast Master, just like him.

 Chapter 164 - 164: The Undead Advantage

    Zaroth''s opponent was named Aiden. Unfortunately, the analysis only revealed that he was a Beast Master, but it offered no details about the beasts he controlled.


    It also seemed that his opponent''s primary weapon was a bow, which made a lot of sense considering the fact that most Beast Masters were weak physically, as such, most often than not, they would rely on ranged weapons like bows.


    Probably few were as proficient in close combat as Zaroth was.


    Weirdly enough, when he looked at his analysis, it only said that he was a Beast Master capable of using sword, spear, and daggers. There was no mention of the fact that he was able to use fireball and firebreath.


    Concluding that he had seen enough, he took a step backward from the announcement board and began to think, what was the best way to defeat a Beast Master?


    *****


    "Maybe I can try rushing by going to the beast arena and trying to buy another beast¡­ or maybe if I can make Midnight teach me another demonic skill¡­ no, this will take too much time," he muttered as he sat in his seat, awaiting the lecture to start.


    "Maybe my best bet is to practice attacking with my beasts at the same time?" Leaning back in his chair, he gazed at the ceiling.


    From the limited information he knew, his opponent was proficient with a bow, and the fact that there wasn''t a mention of another weapon must have meant that his opponent was weak in close combat, so maybe Zaroth could focus on improving his agility?


    "But I''m forgetting the fact that he is a Beast Master. Does he have my multiple weak beasts or one stronger one?" Zaroth asked himself.


    A second later, he shook off his head.


    "No, the fact that he has reached so far in the tournament must mean that he is a force to be reckoned with. It''s important I don''t get too cocky,"


    Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Zaroth looked to his side.


    It was Zack.


    "What are you mumbling about?" Zack asked.


    Zaroth grinned a little, "Nothing, it''s just that my opponent is a Beast Master like me, so I am wondering what the best way to approach the fight is."


    "Well, I doubt that they are stronger than you, so you can just relax," Zack exclaimed.


    In response, Zaroth raised an eyebrow, despite trying not to show it. Zack was worried, he most likely knew after the announcement of the orbs that he wouldn''t be able to use his powers as there was too much of a risk that his uncle was going to see him.


    Meaning that he wouldn''t be able to advance far into the tournament. Even if he was proficient in sword fighting, there was a limit on how much he would be able to achieve without using his powers.


    "What about you?" Zaroth asked in turn.


    Zack scratched the back of his head, "Well, my opponent looks weak¡­ but what I''m worried about is the opponent that I will have to fight after this."


    Raising an eyebrow, Zaroth awaited for Zack to continue.


    "It''s Grace, the one that managed to get third place in the hunting competition."


    Overhearing their discussion, Roran joined in, "You mean her team got third place."


    "Actually, no," Zack replied, "there''s a rumor that she was actually alone and yet managed to get third place all on her own. Apparently, she is a menace."


    If what Zack said was true, it meant that he most likely won''t reach the 12th round and beyond if his opponent was that strong.


    Shifting his gaze to Roran and Lily, Zaroth asked,


    "What about you?"


    Lily shrugged, "From what I saw, I don''t have the toughest opponents¡­ at least not yet."


    Roran nodded at her words, "Same with me."


    Their chatter was cut short as Elysia entered the lecture room and began to speak.


    "I am sure that you have seen the announcement outside the academy and you all might be excited, but that doesn''t mean that you are permitted to forget about the academy. Focus on today''s lectures."


    Turning to gaze at the ceiling, Zaroth continued to think about what was the best way to fight a Beast Master, forgetting about today''s lectures.


    *****


    Teamwork and harmony, at the end this is what Zaroth decided he was going to train from now on.


    Sure, he could have tried to rush the process and learn another skill or try to find another dead beast which he could tame, but if he couldn''t combine all of his abilities in a proficient way, was there any point?


    He was a Beast Master, yet he couldn''t recall a time when he had fought alongside all his beasts for an extended period. Usually, it was a quick, close-quarters attacks that ended in less than a minute or two.


    To call oneself a Beast Master, one had to be able to fight alongside their beasts for an extended period. As such, when the time for Live Combat Practice came, he selfishly requested that all his friends fight against him and his beasts.


    Cracking his neck, he summoned Nightshade, Silverfang, and the four other smaller wolves.


    He tightened the grip on his daggers as he glanced at Zack, Roran, and Lily. All of them were strong individuals, and now he was going to attempt to fight with them at the same time.


    It was going to be a grueling experience, but Zaroth was more than ready to welcome the pain, should this result in him getting stronger.


    With no hesitation, he charged towards them as his beasts followed behind.


    For the next two hours, the smell of blood rose in the air as the only sounds that could be heard were the clashing of metal and the roars of Zaroth''s beasts.


    *****


    Taking ragged breaths, Zaroth observed the room.


    The floor was hard to see by the amount of blood his beasts had bled.


    Of course, he had bled too.


    After two hours had passed, Zaroth finally felt his mana core drain completely, and not wanting to risk cracking it, he dismissed his beasts.


    Shifting his gaze to his friends, he saw that they too were taking ragged breaths.


    Even if he hadn''t technically won, the fact that he was able to hold against them for so long was impressive enough.


    "God damn it! Your beasts are a menace!" Roran exclaimed as he stumbled on the floor, exhausted and overwhelmed.


    Zaroth grinned proudly. Roran was right¡ªhis beasts being undead could attack without worrying for their own lives, as they were already dead.


    What''s the worst that could happen should they receive a fatal wound? Die a second time?


    A moment later, Zaroth''s eyes widened as a realization hit him.


    He wasn''t just a Beast Master, he was an Undead Beast Master, while his opponent surely was not¡­ S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Meaning that the best way to fight his opponent was to focus all available firepower on one beast, killing it in the process. Even if the beast didn''t die, his Master would surely want to avoid having his beasts killed and would dismiss them.


    With a satisfied sigh, Zaroth lay down on the bloody ground.


    He now knew how he was going to fight in the tournament.

 Chapter 165 - 165: A Fight for Glory

    The week passed in the blink of an eye. Zaroth was preparing for bed when he received a message.


    -----


    [Attention]


    To all participants in the tournament, congratulations for making it this far!


    Tomorrow, you will all be expected to go to the Grand Arena, where your matches will take place.


    You will also have the opportunity to watch the other fights for free.


    May the best win!


    All glory to Emperor Draconis VII, whose vision and authority have brought this Grand Tournament into existence!


    -----


    With a sigh, Zaroth shifted his gaze to Luna.


    She was cutely playing with Nightshade. It seemed that she really enjoyed cats.


    "This past week I have tried to improve my harmony with my beasts as much as possible," he muttered as he clenched his palm into a fist.


    He felt his heart rate increase.


    Tomorrow, he would be watched by hundreds of thousands of people live. And if you accounted for the many orbs being used, the number of viewers could easily reach millions.


    It was safe to say that he would become famous.


    A menacing smile appeared on his face before he even realized it.


    "Nervous?" Luna''s words made him raise an eyebrow.


    "Ha, no way!" he rejected the idea.


    Without saying anything, she approached him, wrapped her hands around his neck, and buried him into her embrace.


    "We are connected, Zaroth. I can feel what you''re feeling. There''s no point in lying to me."


    Zaroth opened his mouth to respond, but the warmth of her embrace was too comforting. In the end, he simply stayed still.


    *****


    "Holy fuck, this is epic." Zaroth couldn''t help but exclaim as he took a glance at the Grand Arena.


    He had been here before, but now that he was going to fight inside, it felt completely different. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As soon as he set foot inside, it was like the whole atmosphere changed.


    Entering the room where all the participants were supposed to gather, he began to look for his friends, it didn''t take long until he found them.


    "I can''t believe it! You actually came on time?!" Lily teased as soon as she saw him.


    With a grimace, he responded, "Come on! I''m not late that often!"


    Roran didn''t wait a second to interrupt, "Actually, you are. It''s rare that you''re on time."


    Zack''s laughter echoed across the room. It looked like Zaroth was on his own.


    There was still time until the matches started, so they began to speak about whatever came to mind.


    Sadly, as Midnight wasn''t a part of the tournament, she wasn''t with them, but Zaroth had no doubt in his mind that she was going to be watching somewhere from the front rows.


    "Attention!" a man shouted as he walked over and stopped at the podium.


    "First, congratulations on making it so far!" the man''s voice echoed across the now silent room.


    Everybody present was listening to the man intensely.


    "Today we have 128 participants, meaning we will have 64 matches."


    The man pointed towards the bracelet on his arm.


    "Everybody will receive a message consisting of a number. The number on it indicates when it will be your turn to fight."


    "While you''re waiting for your turn, you can either go and spectate the matches that will be happening or go and wait in the rooms that you''ve been provided with."


    After the man was done, he took a step away from the podium and disappeared from view. It seemed that this was going to be the explanation.


    Zaroth looked at his bracelet and opened the message he had received. His number was 26, meaning his fight would be the 26th of the day.


    Taking a deep breath, he muttered, "Now it''s the waiting game."


    He had originally planned to watch some of the matches, but he felt it would be wiser to head to the provided room and meditate until his turn came.


    He had gotten pretty proficient when it came to meditating, as such hours passed in a matter of minutes.


    After some time, he heard a loud knock on the door.


    "26, get ready," a woman''s voice called out from the other side.


    Without saying anything, he stood up and stepped out of the room.


    Following the confusing corridors, he finally found himself on one side of the arena.


    His eyes widened in awe.


    There were thousands... tens of thousands of people currently watching him, and if one were to count the people using the orbs to watch, that number could have been a millions or even more.


    His body shuddered as he felt a particular gaze. Looking toward it, he met the emperor''s eyes for a brief moment. The emperor was seated on his golden throne, surrounded by his beautiful wives.


    Zaroth, however, paid no attention to the emperor. His gaze was fixed on the woman sitting farther back, almost as though she had been instructed to remain hidden.


    When his eyes met Althea''s, he felt a surge of power. He didn''t just want to win, he wanted to show off for the queen.


    Realizing that it was a bad idea to stare at the emperor''s family for too long, Zaroth moved his eyes to his opponent. He saw Aiden, the man was on the shorter side, meaning that he was on the same height as Zaroth.


    He carried a wooden bow that was decorated with gold in his left hand, and on his back there was a quiver that stored dozens of arrows.


    Even though Aiden''s body was covered by armor, it was clear that he was skinny, meaning that he really wouldn''t be able to fight well in close combat.


    Zaroth smiled a little, as it seemed that his hypothesis had been correct.


    "My people!"


    Zaroth''s thought process was interrupted when he heard the emperor''s shout.


    "This fight shall be interesting as it''s the first time today we have two individuals of the same class! Both of them are Beast Masters!"


    A few murmurs rippled through the crowd, as Beast Masters weren''t the most highly regarded, but the emperor paid no attention and continued.


    "For the glory of our empire! For the glory of our people! May this match be interesting as the others have been, and more!"


    The audience erupted into cheers, signaling the beginning of the fight.


    Zaroth''s eyes shined, as did Aiden''s.


    They were summoning their beasts.


    This was going to be a fight for glory.

 Chapter 166 - 166: Frost, Fire, and Darkness

    For a second, Zaroth wondered if it was going to be a good idea to reveal Nightshade, as he had yet to use the beast in the arena.


    But he shook off the thought, he had enough hidden cards already. It wasn''t smart to be limiting himself too much.


    The air around him seemed to get heavier, and a second later, a black panther with golden eyes materialized next to him.


    On the other side, a giant wolf with silver fur and two sets of teeth materialized as well.


    And four other wolves appeared behind him.


    In the same moment, Aiden summoned his beasts as well.


    A two-meter, white-furred leopard with frosty claws appeared. The beast''s fur was whiter than the snow itself.


    Zaroth knew immediately, the moment his eyes landed on the beast, that it was a Rare creature.


    Aiden wasn''t done, however, as a giant tortoise with a blue shell appeared as well. Even from a distance, Zaroth got goosebumps as he felt how cold the air got just from the beast''s appearance.


    Another Rare beast.


    Finally, after the sparks settled down, a sleek, emerald-green snake with golden eyes and smooth scales appeared. Its body was covered in faint patterns that glowed.


    The beast was wrapped around Aiden''s shoulders and neck.


    He wasn''t sure about the snake, but by the appearance, it seemed that the snake was an Uncommon beast.


    Before anybody could react, Aiden raised his bow, knocked an arrow from his quiver, and shot it straight at Zaroth''s face.


    The arrow moved so fast that Zaroth almost missed the fact that the moment Aiden let go of the arrow, it warped as it turned into pure ice.


    Managing to rotate his head in time, the icy arrow missed his face by a hair''s breadth.


    Zaroth wasn''t sure if he should feel happy or sad.


    His opponent had turned out to have formidable beasts at his disposal. But at the same time, Zaroth was pretty sure that he understood¡ªor at least partially understood¡ªhis opponent''s blessing.


    From the way Aiden''s beasts looked and the fact that his arrows turned into ice when he let go of them, it was clear that the man''s blessing was connected with ice or cold in some way.


    Zaroth''s eyes narrowed like a hunter''s as he felt his heart rate increase.


    Before he realized it, there was a menacing smile on his face.


    Because, at that moment, he realized that while his opponent was proficient in using cold, he could control fire to some extent.


    Or in other words, he could counter him easily.


    Digging his right foot so deep in the ground it cracked, Zaroth charged towards his opponent, who was preparing to let go of another arrow.


    His beasts were at his side, and thanks to the work that he and his beasts had spent improving the harmony between them, Zaroth didn''t need to waste precious moments giving commands, as they now were able to grasp what their master wanted them to do.


    Nightshade was running full speed ahead towards the Snow Leopard, accompanied by two wolves. Even though the two cat beasts were of the Rare tier, Nightshade was proficient in hunting in the dark, not in the open. To make up the difference, two of the wolves had joined her.


    Silverfang, on the other hand, was already lunging toward the Frost Tortoise, accompanied by the other two wolves. Zaroth wasn''t sure how dangerous the tortoise would be, but he didn''t want to risk it, so the other two wolves had caught up with Silverfang.


    That meant that he was now charging toward Aiden and the snake on his shoulder, alone. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It was certainly a cocky decision to face the man with his snake alone, but Zaroth felt confident enough in his close combat skills.


    Of course, he hadn''t forgotten his plan to focus all attacks on one of Aiden''s beasts, but this would prove too difficult at the moment, as Aiden''s beasts were too strong. Letting them run free could pose the danger that he would be attacked from the back.


    His thought process was interrupted as Aiden let go of the second arrow.


    This time, Zaroth was prepared and used his right dagger to parry it to the side.


    Even though the ice arrow touched his dagger blade for less than a second, he felt the whole weapon getting colder.


    He grimaced as he realized that being hit even once by these arrows would make him immobile, and dooming him to lose.


    His eyes shined as a second later, he let go of a fireball toward Aiden, aiming at the man''s chest.


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    Aiden seemingly wasn''t surprised by that move, changing the trajectory of his next arrow and hitting the fireball, dispersing it in an instant.


    "You cunning fucker," Zaroth cursed with a smile as he approached his opponent even more.


    There were now less than twenty meters separating them, meaning Zaroth would soon have the advantage.


    Or that was the plan until Aiden''s Frost Tortoise''s shell seemed to get even colder.


    At the same time, the Snow Leopard opened its mouth and let out an ear-piercing roar.


    Zaroth shuddered as he felt the temperature around him drop even lower, below the freezing temperature of water, and an giant ice globe began to form around the battle, caging Zaroth and his beasts in it.


    The sun was blocked by the ice sculpture, and while some light rays managed to penetrate, the inside of the globe remained mostly dark.


    Aiden smiled as armor made of ice appeared around his body, and the arrow that he had loaded became even more menacing.


    It seemed that Zaroth''s opponent was much smarter than originally thought.


    Most likely, this was how Aiden had reached so far in the tournament. He would make his enemies believe that he was weak in close range, making them rush toward him.


    Once they did, he would trap them in the ice globe, where the temperature was very low, and so was the visibility.


    It was a magnificent strategy.


    And yet, rather than showing despair on his face, Zaroth widened his smile even more as his eyes shined.


    After all, how could Aiden know?


    That Zaroth had demonic skills that would make him stronger in the dark?

 Chapter 167 - 167: Shattered Ice

    ''He may be in his natural element, but that doesn''t mean that he would be able to see very well in the darkness, which would hinder him considering that he is using a bow.'' With that thought, Zaroth pushed forward, not stopping his charge.


    Without hesitating, he used Darkveil, and the darkness around him seemed to move as it embraced his body, protecting it.


    While he might have been well-protected, it didn''t mean that he wasn''t freezing his ass off.


    For a moment, he thought about using Fireball or Firebreath to warm himself, but he quickly abandoned the idea, as doing so would make him more visible in the darkness.


    While his opponent probably wasn''t able to see too well, Zaroth didn''t have any problem, thanks to Darkgaze, so he wasn''t going to let go of this advantage just because he was a little cold.


    The second Aiden let go of the string of his bow, it was like the whole globe shook by the force alone.


    It seemed that the arrow picked up speed suddenly, and Zaroth wasn''t able to react in time as he felt the arrow graze his shoulder.


    Thankfully, Darkveil managed to prevent the cold from reaching Zaroth''s skin, so he wasn''t slowed down in the slightest.


    ''If he had aimed a little better, it would have been all over,'' Zaroth grimaced at the thought.


    Seeing that Aiden was preparing to let go of another arrow, his hand moved on instinct.


    Using the fact that Aiden''s vision wasn''t as good as his at the moment, Zaroth threw the spear he was carrying on his back.


    Unlike his opponent, Zaroth had only one weapon he could throw, so he bided his time, waiting for the precise moment when his opponent would have the slightest chance of evading it.


    Unable to realize there was a spear flying toward him, Aiden didn''t move in time as Zaroth''s spear collided with his right shoulder.


    The ice armor broke as it allowed the tip of the spear to pierce Aiden''s shoulder but stopped it from dealing a serious wound.


    "If only I had some way to apply poison to it!" Zaroth muttered in frustration.


    Even if the damage Aiden had received had been minimal, it was enough as it gave Zaroth enough time to reach the man.


    ''You are mine!'' With that thought, Zaroth used his left dagger to attack.


    Surprisingly, Aiden managed to react in time as he pulled out a similar dagger that Zaroth was using.


    ''Of course, even if he is a bow user, that doesn''t mean he doesn''t carry melee weapons!'' Zaroth cursed as he couldn''t believe he had made such a simple mistake.


    Trying not to miss the advance, Zaroth attacked with his other dagger, but before the attack could reach its target, the snake that had been sitting around Aiden''s shoulder moved, opened its mouth, and bore its fangs toward Zaroth''s exposed hand.


    Sadly, it seemed that the bite was strong enough it broke through Darkveil and pierced his flesh.


    "Fuck!" he cursed as he tried to move his arms, only to realize in horror that his hands wouldn''t obey him.


    ''The fuck?!'' He couldn''t help but curse in his mind. He felt like he wasn''t in control of his own body as his hands didn''t move the way he wanted them to.


    A second later, his eyes widened in realization, ''Is that poison? Paralysis? I''ve been poisoned?''


    Before he could form any thoughts, Aiden raised his dagger and was about to strike.


    It seemed that the man used some ice magic to enhance the dagger this time, so there was no doubt in Zaroth''s mind that the weapon would be able to pierce his Darkveil.


    It seemed that all hope was lost until Silverfang opened his mouth and let out a howl.


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    The howl was so unbearably loud that everyone in the arena was dazed by the noise as their ears began to ring.


    Cracks appeared on the ice globe that had surrounded them, and a second later, it broke into pieces.


    Even some of the audience present were forced to cover their ears, as Silverfang''s howl was so loud that it even managed to reach them.


    Because Zaroth had experienced this howl before, he managed to move first and take a few steps back, as now his arms weren''t locking properly. He was the one at a disadvantage if he was in close range.


    Still, that didn''t mean that he wouldn''t attack as he opened his mouth and started using Firebreath.


    Aiden managed to put his hands in front of his head, protecting it, but Zaroth''s Firebreath reached the snake around Aiden''s shoulder and began to burn it.


    Aiden grimaced and desummoned his snake. It was just like Zaroth had expected, his opponent wouldn''t risk his beasts dying during the battle.


    Zaroth may have even smiled if it wasn''t for the fact that his arms didn''t obey him. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''How are my beasts doing?'' With that thought, he shifted his gaze to Nightshade.


    She was fighting against the Snow Leopard and was clearly having trouble, even the two wolves that had accompanied her weren''t enough to close the gap.


    Shifting his gaze to Silverfang, he saw that the beast was trying to pierce the shell of the tortoise, but was having trouble.


    There wasn''t a need for Zaroth to think of a plan as he immediately dashed toward the tortoise.


    Aiden sensing that Zaroth had abruptly changed his target grimaced as he let out an ice arrow against his back.


    It was going to reach him, no doubt, that was until the two wolves that were fighting alongside Silverfang changed their targets and lunged toward Aiden instead.


    One of the wolves, sensing that its master was going to be hit, jumped without hesitation as it used its body to stop the arrow from reaching Zaroth''s back.


    Aiden''s eyes widened in surprise. Zaroth had just used one of his beasts to save himself, and yet didn''t show any kind of remorse over it?


    It was like Zaroth wasn''t a true beast master, or this was what Aiden thought until the wolf that had taken the arrow meant for Zaroth got up on its feet.


    Aiden''s arrow had pierced the wolf''s head¡­ and yet the beast got up as if it didn''t feel any kind of pain?


    Sadly for Aiden, he didn''t have time to wonder about the issue as the second wolf that had lunged toward him also reached him, and as such, he was forced to defend himself.


    Opening his mouth, Zaroth let out another Firebreath aimed directly at the tortoise''s shell.


    Sensing the attack, the tortoise moved its body in a way that only the shell was going to be affected by the attack, while it used its massive head to attack Silverfang.


    Zaroth''s Firebreath hit the tortoise''s shell, and disappeared almost like it hadn''t made any kind of damage.


    And yet Zaroth attacked again in the same spot.


    Because the spot where his attack had hit just a second ago wasn''t as cold as the other ones.


    If the tortoise''s shell was too cold to be broken, what would happen if Zaroth managed to heat up the spot before attacking?


    The answer was simple, it was going to crack.

 Chapter 168 - 168: Round 10

    Watching fights was a beautiful experience, how two people tried their everything they could to best one another.


    How were they going to use their abilities? Were they going to lay a trap or just brute force their way to victory?


    Not only was it beneficial to see if there is something you may steal for yourself, but it was just fun watching two people fight with everything they had.


    Which was the reason as to why this match was so weird.


    Usually, the emperor didn''t feel much excitement when he watched the fights, as the people that were fighting were just students and, as such, weren''t that strong yet.


    But currently, he was solely focused on the fight. It was in that moment that he realized that he had never seen a fight between two Beast Masters, it was something that was hard to imagine unless one was to see it with their own eyes.


    These weren''t just two people fighting, their beasts were as well, and as such, it was hard to know the result of the match before its very end.


    After all, while one could more or less guess the actions of the fighters, it wasn''t possible to do with their beasts.


    After all, unlike humans, beasts were unpredictable and hard to control, even for their masters.


    Gazing around the arena, it seemed that most of the audience agreed with him, as most of them were watching silently, shifting their gazes between the multiple fights that were happening.


    Returning his gaze to Zaroth, the emperor''s gaze darkened a little.


    He had been informed about the man and that he was most likely an Elysia ally, which could prove troublesome.


    But at the same time, the emperor wanted Zaroth to win, he wanted the man to reach the very end.


    Only to lose to David, as he was one of his own men.


    Draconis licked his lips at the thought. His subordinate winning against the subordinate of Elysia was surely going to be a pleasant experience.


    Draconis wasn''t the only one that wanted Zaroth to win, nor did he want it the most.


    In fact, the person that wanted Zaroth to win the most was right behind Draconis, hidden in a corner watching silently.


    Althea had been informed about Zaroth and the fact that he was their ally, so him winning would be beneficial for her.


    But this wasn''t the only reason, as she didn''t forget the moment when her gaze had met with Zaroth''s. It was but a brief moment, but even from that distance, she felt something weird, something she hadn''t felt in a long time.


    Like she was being looked at like a human and not some kind of monster.


    Just the mere memory made Althea''s heart race, though she couldn''t quite grasp why.


    *****


    After a few attempts, Zaroth managed to weaken a section of the tortoise''s shell. Without hesitation, Silvefang seized the opportunity and leapt at the vulnerable spot.


    Ramming all its body weight into the spot, the shell cracked and broke.


    The tortoise screeched as a blizzard seemed to come out of the hole that Silvefang had made.


    "God dammit!" Zaroth cursed, it seemed that the tortoise wasn''t done yet.


    He was going to take a step back because there was a real chance that he would freeze to death.


    That was until he heard footsteps behind him, which didn''t belong to any of his beasts.


    In an instant, he had already turned around, only for his eyes to widen as he saw the snow leopard lunging at him with its jaws open.


    Managing to move his paralyzed arm, the leopard bit it instead of his throat.


    Zaroth couldn''t help but grunt as he felt the beast''s fangs pierce his flesh. The ice globe had been destroyed, taking the darkness with it, which meant that Darkveil would be affected as well.


    He didn''t have many options, and he began to feel his back starting to freeze due to the tortoise that was still screaming in pain.


    Silvefang seemed to be having trouble moving as the blizzard was largely upon him, almost freezing him.


    "FOR FUCK''S SAKE, HELP!" he commanded, and a second later, three of his unnamed wolves jumped toward the leopard that was biting his hand.


    Seeing that it had to let go, the beast growled as it shifted its gaze to the new threat.


    Meanwhile, Nightshade was attacking Aiden with everything she had, but due to her fight with the snow leopard, she bore heavy injuries, which made her slower and weaker than normal.


    ''I can''t let this go for too long!'' With that thought, Zaroth opened his mouth and let out fire breath, looking down on himself.


    His clothes and armor caught green flames, which, while it began to hurt, also made his body heat up, allowing him to move despite the cold blizzard.


    Forgetting all about appearance and looking cool, he braced his two feet on the ground as he dashed with everything he had toward Aiden.


    Thanks to the fact that the snow leopard had bitten his arm, it seemed that a part of his control returned.


    Moving as swiftly and silently as possible, he positioned himself behind Aiden. He tightened his grip on the left dagger, regretting that he''d dropped the right one earlier. For now, he would have to make do with whatever he had left.


    Aiden was clearly under pressure from Nightshade, yet somehow sensed that Zaroth had positioned himself behind him. With a grunt, he summoned his snake and unleashed it to strike at Zaroth.


    "No way I am falling for the same trick a second fucking time!" With a curse, Zaroth managed to lower his body just enough so that the snake that had lunged would go above him.


    Faster than a human can blink, Zaroth attacked, but Aiden managed to move just in time to make the dagger hit his thigh rather than his ribs.


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    Rorating his body unnaturally, Aiden, using his dagger, pierced Zaroth''s stomach. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Zaroth''s eyes narrowed as he gritted his teeth in pain.


    Nightshade, making use of the opening, attacked Aiden behind the knees, making him lose balance and fall to the ground.


    Zaroth''s dagger was stuck in Aiden''s thigh, so moving by instinct, he grabbed the dagger that had been embedded in his abdomen and pulled it out.


    He coughed blood as he felt how his blood began to leave him, and yet gripping the hilt of the dagger with both hands, he brought the weapon down toward Aiden''s head.


    Trying to save his life, Aiden raised his left hand, stopping the blade from reaching him, but due to the awkward positioning he was in, Zaroth began to apply force, making the blade that had pierced Aiden''s hand get lower and lower, approaching his neck.


    In a panic, Aiden tried to command his beasts to help, but it was futile. The tortoise was occupied with Silvefang, the snow leopard was being slowed by the four normal wolves Zaroth had, and the snake was being shredded by Nightshade.


    At this moment, Aiden was alone, and so was Zaroth. They didn''t look like Beast Masters, they looked like beasts fighting with everything they had, hoping they would survive.


    "This is it!" Zaroth shouted as more blood began to come out of his mouth and wound, and yet despite that, he pushed the dagger harder and harder.


    Aiden tried to think of a way to turn the tables, but nothing came to him.


    And the next second, Zaroth''s dagger firmly pierced Aiden''s neck, making him bleed from his mouth and eyes.


    Pulling the dagger from Aiden''s neck, Zaroth sensed the man would bleed out quickly. Yet, without hesitation, he attacked again, this time aiming for the head.


    But was stopped a second later as a third person appeared and caught Zaroth''s dagger with his hands.


    It was one of the observers that had been assigned to intervene if any participant looked like they were about to die.


    Zaroth realized what that meant, dropped the dagger to the ground, stood up, and took a few steps back.


    Shifting his gaze, he stared at the emperor.


    In reply, the man stood up as he proclaimed,


    "The winner of this fight is Zaroth!"


    Immediately, the thousands of people that were watching the fight burst into cheers, impressed from the incredible sight they had just witnessed.


    With a smile, Zaroth looked at the people that were cheering for him and his victory.


    Extending both of his hands sideways, he smiled.


    And collapsed to the ground as he had lost too much blood and wasn''t physically able to keep his consciousness.


    The tenth round was over, and Zaroth had advanced once again to the next round.

 Chapter 169 - 169: The Heart of the Fallen

    The emperor was away at the moment due to the fact that he and his family were going to attend the grand tournament and watch.


    Meaning that his castle would be empty.


    There was no way the thing was going to miss the chance.


    Sitting on the couch, it left the body of the father and exited through the window.


    It didn''t take a long time searching until the black thing spotted a soldier that served the emperor.


    Waiting for the right moment, it jumped onto the man''s head, entering through his mouth, nostrils, and eyes.


    Ten seconds later, it had fully contended over the soldier.


    With no hesitating, it took a step forward toward the emperor''s castle.


    It had searched the capital and had yet to find what it searched for, so the only logical place left was the castle.


    Reaching the grand gates, the being stopped and gazed at the two men standing their ground.


    "Hey, what are you doing here? Didn''t your shift end an hour ago?" one of the two men asked.


    The being smiled a little, replicating a greeting smile perfectly as it replied.


    "Actually, there is something that I forgot, it will not be a problem if I enter to retrieve it, right?"


    The soldiers raised an eyebrow, after some seconds one of them sighed,


    "Sure, just don''t take too long."


    With a nod, the being entered the castle.


    Once it did, the eyes of the man it was inhabiting widened as it felt it.


    Bump


    It was a faint sound.


    Bump sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A sound that many would not be able to hear or recognize.


    Bump


    But the being recognized it.


    Bump


    This was the reason it had entered the capital and pretended to listen to what the emperor had to say.


    It shifted its gaze to the ground as it enjoyed the pleasant sound.


    Bump


    It was here.


    A heart of a Primordial demon.


    Once it consumed it, the thing would surely evolve into an Archdemon.


    Licking its lips, it quickened its steps as it began to study the interior of the castle as fast as possible.


    There were numerous stairs that led up, but it didn''t care about them, as its mission was to go down,


    "Is this a basement door?" the thing muttered as it stopped in front of an older looking door compared to others.


    Taking the handle in its hand, it tried to open it, only to realize that it was locked,


    "Not surprised," it spoke as it used the hilt of its sword to break it and open it.


    It smiled as its gaze fell on a stair that led downstairs.


    "Bingo," it spoke with a menacing smile as it began to descend.


    It reached the first underfloor.


    Here there were a lot of of people locked up.


    "Is this some kind of prison?" it spoke as it studied the surroundings.


    Most of the people here were thinner than average, likely the poor who had been forced to commit crimes to stay alive.


    Seeing that the heart it was searching for wasn''t here, it decided to go to the next floor.


    On this one, the prisoners were primarily men and had a larger build than the average.


    By their expressions and faces, it wasn''t hard to imagine that these were the more hardened criminals, likely members of gangs and similar groups.


    "Not this one either," it muttered as it descended to the final floor.


    Stopping before a grand door, it smiled.


    The heart was somewhere here.


    In normal circumstances, the thing wouldn''t have been able to go past the door, but for some reason, it was open.


    Was it just a coincidence, or was there another reason?


    Not missing the chance, it stepped inside.


    Once it did, it grimaced.


    There were a lot of humans here locked up like the other floors, but these ones were weird¡­ their bodies, their voices, their presence was too chaotic to be considered normal.


    They were something else.


    ''What kind of weird experiments have they been doing here?'' The being wondered a second later, it shook off its head.


    This wasn''t a matter that concerned it.


    The only thing that concerned it was the disguised scent in the air, but it tried not to pay it any mind.


    Using its hearing, it began to walk to where it believed the heart was located.


    With each step it took, the sound of it only increased, and so did the being''s hunger.


    BUMP


    It was close¡ªso unbelievably close.


    "It is quite rude to enter this place, you know?"


    Hearing a familiar voice, the being shifted its gaze to the source.


    There, a man in a suit with a suitcase in hand was standing with his usual smile on his face.


    "Is this supposed to be a betrayal?" the salesman asked.


    The being scoffed, "It''s betrayed only if I were ever on your side, fool." Your journey continues with My Virtual Library Empire


    With a sigh, the salesman opened his suitcase. "What was I thinking? Expecting a demon like you to have common sense?"


    Sensing danger, the being took a step back, which caused the salesman''s smile to widen even more.


    "Oh? Are you scared? You don''t have to be, after all, you demons don''t have souls, as such there isn''t much I can do to you¡­"


    The salesman''s eyes shined as he uttered the next words.


    "Or perhaps¡­ the rumor that demons don''t have souls is false? Well, in any case, come here. Why don''t we find out?"


    The being would have taken the offer to fight if it had possessed a more powerful body, but sadly it was currently just a common soldier, as such it didn''t have many options, other than one.


    Run.


    *****


    Most people would have surely gone insane by now, spending so much time in the darkness away from any kind of human contact.


    Yet Solara Virelia wasn''t most people, she was a princess of the Crimson Sun Empire for a reason.


    Rather than going insane, she had only one problem¡ªshe was bored.


    As such, she often listened to what was happening from the other side of the door to distract herself.


    About once every two to three days, there would be the footsteps of multiple people walking in.


    Curiously enough, there always seemed to be many when they entered, but only a single set of footsteps left, meaning there were more prisoners locked here besides her.


    Which made her feel kind of nice, knowing that she wasn''t completely alone.


    Her thoughts were briefly interrupted as loud roars from inhuman creatures echoed beyond the door. These roars were far more frightening than usual, indicating that something new was happening.


    Sadly, they didn''t last long, and soon after, the silence returned.


    "The fun is over, I guess," she muttered, and a second later smiled as she felt something that she had been expecting for a long while.


    The presence of her people was far, but she could feel it, meaning the Crimson Sun Empire was slowly advancing, trying to rescue their princess.


    "Ah, soon, soon I will be free, and I''ll be able to burn this empire to the ground," she exclaimed, resting her back against the wall.


    Now that she was sure that her empire was advancing, all she had to do was wait for the inevitable.

 Chapter 170 - 170: Recovery

    The moment of his triumph, the thousands of cheers bursting from the countless seats, his opponent''s body lying on the ground slowly dying from blood loss, while he was showered in glory.


    Zaroth had never really cared about the public opinion or how the normal people perceived him.


    But in that brief moment that didn''t last more than a few seconds, he felt like he was on top of the whole world.


    Who could have imagined that he would reach this kind of popularity? Him, a street kid that had spent more than a decade looking after his cursed mother.


    He knew that he was fortunate to be in this position, many would even kill to be in his position.


    Explore new worlds at My Virtual Library Empire


    And yet¡­ he felt it deep in his heart, deep in his soul. He wanted more, he desired so much more.


    And he would take it, as his greed knew no bounds.


    His dream was interrupted as a feeling of unpleasant scent hit his nostrils. Zaroth grunted and slowly opened his eyes.


    The first thing he noticed was that he was in a white room.


    "You alive?" Hearing a familiar voice, he shifted his gaze to it.


    A white robe with a red cross, a cigarette in hand and heavy bags under her eyes, most likely due to overwork.


    It had been some time since he had seen Sylvia.


    "More or less," Zaroth answered with a hint of sarcasm, trying to sit only to fail as his muscles were too much in pain.


    With a sigh, Sylvia walked over to a counter and picked up a paper, putting out her cigarette as she began to read. S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Frostbite and simultaneous third-degree burns, paralysis poison in your system, a heavy wound to your abdomen damaging your liver and stomach, and significant blood loss."


    After she finished reading the report, her gaze returned to Zaroth.


    "It''s actually impressive how many times you''ve been on the brink of death, only to survive by sheer luck," she said.


    At her words, he could only grin. "Well, I do seem to have a knack for evading death."


    Sylvia''s eyes darkened even more. "Do not push your luck, boy. If you do not treasure your life, only death will await you," she advised.


    It didn''t feel like a smart idea to retort to the doctor that had just saved his life, so he simply nodded.


    "How long have I been out for?" he asked, the first thing that came to mind.


    "About a day," she replied as she began to head out.


    Had she waited all this time for him to wake up, or had she come here to have a quick cigarette break and he just happened to wake up by coincidence?


    "I advise you to spend the day resting. You don''t want to push yourself too hard."


    Raising an eyebrow, Zaroth asked, "But what am I supposed to do?"


    It was a weird question, but he had the tendency to get bored very easily. As such, he often found himself doing something, even if it was pointless, because standing in one spot for too long made him feel unproductive.


    Sylvia scoffed at his words. "I don''t know, invite a friend or something? I''m a doctor, don''t ask me about things that don''t concern your health."


    Her words were harsh, but he couldn''t retort as he didn''t have the energy for it.


    With that, Sylvia left the room, leaving him alone.


    A silence fell onto the empty room, which irritated him a little.


    ''How can I spend a day sleeping only to wake up so damn tired?!'' he complained.


    ''This is what happens when you exert yourself,'' Luna replied back.


    ''This may be true¡­'' he had to admit.


    But even so, thanks to the fight, he now knew what he was missing, primarily two things,


    First, it would be good if he had some kind of beast that was able to produce poison, this could prove valuable beyond belief.


    The second thing he needed was a strong beast, not talking about tiers, but strong as its primary strength was pure power.


    This was also something that he understood he needed after the fight in the tenth round.


    Funny enough, it seemed that both of the things he needed were beasts, meaning he knew where he was headed next after recovering.


    It was time for him to go again to that beast arena and begin his search for other suitable beasts.


    After all, during his fight with Aiden, he had proved that he was able to command all his beasts relatively well, so adding one or two more wasn''t going to hinder him or his mana core in the slightest.


    The money he would need would be earned by betting, after all, his beasts wouldn''t die, meaning he would already know the outcomes of the matches.


    ''Great and all, but before anything else, you need to rest,'' Luna advised.


    ''I hate it when you are right.'' Zaroth complained.


    Now that he didn''t have much to do other than wait, he opened the group chat, where they had also included Midnight not too long ago, and began chatting with his friends.


    It seemed that all of them had passed their matches as well, meaning all of them had advanced to the eleventh round.


    Now that he had invited them to the room he was staying in, all he could do was wait for them to arrive.


    The first one to show up was Midnight.


    As soon as she entered the room, her gaze fell on his body, and a second later, she smiled as she spoke.


    "You don''t look so well."


    Zaroth was about to retort, but guessing in time that she was most likely just trying to tease him, he didn''t lose control over his emotions.


    "Yeah, I have lost too much blood," he simply replied.


    Seeing that her teasing wasn''t going to get to him, Midnight sighed as she approached him. Putting one of her hands behind his head, she helped him get into a sitting position.


    ''You look like a princess in distress,'' Luna teased, echoing in his mind.


    Zaroth, in return, coughed awkwardly as he asked Midnight, "So I assume that you watched the fight live, right? How did I do?"


    Studying his expression for a few seconds, she took some time to answer.


    "Yeah, I saw it. It was probably the ugliest one of them all."


    Zaroth didn''t know if he should be happy or sad at her words.


    Seeing the confusion on his face, she added, "Which is good. This is how a real fight should look like, a struggle to survive¡­ you made a strong impression, I suspect you may become famous."


    "Famous..." Zaroth muttered her words under his breath, it was a weird thought¡ªhim being famous.


    But he didn''t have much time to ponder the issue, as the door opened again, and Roran entered alongside Lily.


    Zack came a few minutes later.


    Zaroth didn''t have the opportunity to walk around, so they spent the day mostly chatting, trying to pass the time, as he recovered.


    Once the next day arrived and he felt better, he immediately went to the beast arena.


    It was time to bet!

 Chapter 171 - 171: Hollow

    Stopping before the bank for a moment, he appreciated its beautiful exterior. The sight of it showed how wealthy its owner was.


    After he was done, he entered and headed toward the underground beast arena.


    At the moment, he had exactly one thousand credits, which wasn''t enough to buy anything alive or dead, so his only option was to bet.


    "First things first, I have to find a way to register my beast for a fight," he muttered as he wondered who he was supposed to talk to about the matter.


    Not knowing who he was supposed to speak to, he approached what he assumed was a member of the staff.


    "Can my beast enter the arena?" he asked the woman, who wore black clothes that were too tight for her, making her curves appear more pronounced.


    Was she dressed like this to entertain the males who had come to the arena? If it was intentional, it was smart, as just by looking at her body, it was easy to tell that she was a true beauty.


    He wasn''t able to see her reaction, as the black half-mask she was wearing covered too much of her face for him to tell.


    "Are you transporting one, or are you capable of summoning?" she asked. Her voice didn''t carry any kind of emotion, it seemed that she was a professional indeed.


    "Summoning," he replied firmly.


    "Then please follow me."


    Zaroth did as he was instructed.


    Going through multiple corridors, he was led to a room with a similarly dressed woman.


    "If you wish for your beast to fight, you have to register."


    Nodding, he appreciated the receptionist and did just that.


    Thankfully, they didn''t ask for any personal information, just how the beast would be transported, what tier it was, its gender, and how aggressive it was.


    After filling out the information, the woman at the reception took the paper and quickly scanned it.


    "You have a Rare beast under your command? It''s not every day we have beasts of the strongest tier enter the arena," the woman exclaimed.


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow, though it wasn''t visible considering that he was wearing a half-mask.


    "But¡­ there are stronger beasts than the Rare tier, right? Why would you call it the strongest?"


    The woman''s mouth opened a little, then burst out laughing, unable to believe his words.


    Taking a few moments to calm down, she explained.


    "Yes, while there are stronger beasts, it is incredibly hard to keep them contained. The reason we are the most prestigious beast arena is because we can hold fights between Rare creatures, anything beyond that would be a logistical nightmare."


    "This makes sense, actually," he had to admit, that the woman was right.


    After a minute or two, writing some things on a piece of paper, she turned her attention back to him.


    "Everything is ready, the only thing that remains is to choose a codename to use."


    "A codename?" he asked.


    With a smile, the woman explained, "Yes, we keep the identities of our clients a secret, as even we don''t know them. But we have to refer to them in some way, so we give you the option to choose a codename you''d like to use."


    ''Fuck!'' Zaroth cursed in his mind. This was an important decision, and he was bad at coming up with names.


    ''Any ideas?'' His only hope was Luna, as she at least seemed to have a knack for these kinds of things.


    She didn''t take long to think of a name as she replied immediately, ''What about Hollow?''


    ''...I like the sound of that.''


    "Register me as Hollow," he spoke firmly.


    The receptionist smiled in response, "Oh, mysterious, eh? Is that supposed to represent your soul being empty or something?"


    Zaroth smiled awkwardly as he scratched the back of his head. For some reason, he took that as a compliment, and he wasn''t used to receiving them, so his cheeks got a bit red. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Luna wanted to explain that the reason she chose that name was because sometimes he acted so clueless it seemed like his head was empty¡ªhence the name. However she decided it would be funnier to reveal that later down the line.


    Zaroth''s registration was done, so now it was time to summon Nightshade and have her fight.


    Thankfully, she was the one that looked most alive out of his beasts, excluding Luna, and as such, he doubted the beast would arouse suspicion.


    The battle was scheduled to happen in ten minutes, which didn''t leave him much time. Thankfully, the process was simple.


    He summoned the beast and put her into a cage that was to be transported to one of the arenas.


    Rushing, he reached the place from where the audience was watching and sat in one of the front rows.


    Soon after, Nightshade appeared at one side of the arena, while at the other¡­


    "Does that even count as a beast?" Zaroth muttered under his breath.


    Nightshade''s opponent appearance seemed more like that of an insect rather than a beast.


    It looked like a wasp but twice the size of an average man. The most notable thing about its appearance was its black exoskeleton, which looked like no metal Zaroth had ever seen.


    The head was unusually large for its body and had reddish eyes. It bore four sets of wings that appeared to have been clipped, likely making the beast harder to escape from the arena and causing disruption.


    Strangely enough, at the end of its body, it didn''t have a stinger but a scorpion-like tail from which green liquid was slowly coming out¡ªmost likely poison.


    Was this a fair fight? Considering the wings had been torn off? Zaroth wondered.


    Not that he didn''t like the fact, it was going to be nice if Nightshade managed to snatch an easy victory.


    "Ladies and gentlemen!" the man at the center of the arena spoke as he addressed the audience.


    "At one side, we have the Demonic Wasp!" the man spoke as he pointed towards the insect beast.


    "And at the other, we have a Nightclaw Panther that is under the property of Hollow! Who is going to win this fight? Place your bets now!"


    Without hesitation, Zaroth did the most sensible thing and bet everything he had on his beast.


    It was either go big or go home!


    Of course, the fact that Nightshade''s opponent appeared to have some sort of poison at its disposal meant that victory wasn''t guaranteed. If the poison turned out to be a paralytic, and Nightshade became paralyzed, she would lose, even if she were undead, as it would be pointless if she couldn''t move.


    But one couldn''t win big if they didn''t take risks from time to time, right?


    "The bets are placed!" the announcer called out as he exited the arena, clearing the way for the fight to begin.


    The beasts were released from their cages and stared at one another in the eyes.


    "Let the better one win!"


    At the man''s words, the two beasts dashed toward one another.


    Zaroth leaned forward as he observed the fight with interest.


    Today, he was either going to become rich or be completely broke.

 Chapter 172 - 172: The Beasts Triumph

    "Make me rich!" Zaroth muttered as he watched his beast charge at the Demonic Wasp.


    Even if its wings had been torn off, it still had its legs allowing the Demonic Wasp to move.


    Moving its tail, it targeted Nightshade.


    While she was proficient in hunting in the dark, that didn''t mean that she was at a disadvantage at the moment, as her other strong suit was her speed, which would come in handy when she had to dodge the tail of the Demonic Wasp.


    The beast''s tail moved faster than Zaroth expected, yet Nightshade somehow managed to dodge the attack.


    The funny thing was, not only was she fast, but she also managed to move with surprising grace as she dodged.


    "I guess cats really do have faster reaction times," he muttered under his breath.


    Moving so fast she appeared as a blur, the panther raced toward the Demonic Wasp, opened her massive jaws, and bit down hard.


    Sadly, it seemed that the exoskeleton of the Demonic Wasp proved too tough for her to break, so she took a step back.


    Not giving her a chance to rest, the wasp began to attack with its tail repeatedly, only for Nightshade to dodge the attacks one after another faster than the audience could blink.


    "These two are incredible!" one man shouted.


    "I can barely keep up with them!" a woman that sat close to Zaroth exclaimed.


    A smile found itself on his face before he had even realized it, he was proud of his beast.


    The wasp''s roar echoed across the arena as it shifted its attack. Instead of using its tail on Nightshade, it charged toward the panther and awkwardly leaped, attempting to use its size to crush its enemy beneath its weight.


    Nightshade, however, didn''t seem surprised and even welcomed the attack as she twisted her body into unnaturally sharp angles and lunged toward the wasp''s eyes.


    The panther was making use of the fact that the wasp''s exoskeleton didn''t cover its eyes.


    Slashing, Nightshade managed to inflict heavy wounds on the beast''s eyes, making it go partially blind.


    Screaming in pain, the wasp began to attack with its tail in a chaotic way, but Nightshade moved behind the attacks as she continued her focus on the wasp''s eyes.


    The fight didn''t last long, as soon after, the wasp produced one last grunt and collapsed on the ground, dead.


    "The winner is the Nightclaw Panther!" the announcer exclaimed as he got back into the arena.


    The crowd burst into cheers, it seemed that they had become fans of Nightshade.


    "Unfortunately, the beast is already owned by Hollow, as such, it is not for sale," the announcer spoke as he threw a brief look at Zaroth.


    "Two hundred thousand!" one man got up from his seat.


    "I will buy it for three hundred thousand!" a woman exclaimed in turn.


    A few other people stood, and the price only seemed to rise and rise.


    Enjoying watching them waste their energy, Zaroth let them continue betting. After a minute or two, he stood up and exclaimed.


    "The beast is not for sale no matter how much you are willing to pay!"


    He wouldn''t be able to sell the beast even if he wanted to, as she was bound to his soul. But of course, he wouldn''t have done it even if he could, since Nightclaw had the potential to reach Epic tier, which would make her simply invaluable.


    At his words, a few disappointed grunts were heard around the arena as silence fell.


    Smiling at the silence, the announcer spoke,


    "Does anyone want to purchase the body of the de-"


    *****


    "This was kind of fun," Zaroth muttered as he used his bracelet to see how much credits he had amassed. His wealth had doubled, so now he had two thousand at his disposal.


    It was still far from enough to buy something, but he was slowly getting there.


    He wanted his beast to fight again in another match, but as it turned out, fights between Rare beasts were rarer than he had thought, so it wouldn''t have been possible for his beast to fight again today.


    Of course, he could have used the normal wolves at his disposal, but they were too weak to bother with, as he doubted using them would gain him much of a return.


    Deciding it was going to be a waste if he just went home, he decided to observe some fights between the weaker beasts.


    Who knows, maybe he would take a glance at something that may prove useful, and he might even be able to buy it. Surely, the corpse of the low-ranked beasts wasn''t going to be this expensive!


    *****


    "Nature truly is a wonder," he muttered on his way home. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He stayed in the arena and watched multiple fights, saw beasts that he didn''t even know existed, and learned when there would be fights between Rare beasts again.


    Sadly, it seemed that he wouldn''t be able to amass great wealth as fast as he had hoped to, but he had to remind himself that patience was always rewarded.


    Because he had gone to the arena when it was still very early in the morning, he was able to make it to the academy without missing any of the lectures.


    Not that he would have minded if he had missed any of them, with the exception of the first, as it was the one taught by Elysia.


    Walking through the academy corridors, he noticed something that was rare.


    He was being stared at.


    ''Do I have something in my teeth?'' he wondered. After the first days he had spent in the academy, most of the students had gotten used to his unique look and didn''t pay him much attention, so this was hard to explain.


    "Did you watch it?" one girl whispered to her friend.


    "Yeah, he fought like some kind of beast," her friend immediately responded.


    "It was so gross. Honestly, I couldn''t eat after that, as the match was so gruesome," the girl complained as her hand trembled a bit.


    "Really?... I thought it was kind of hot," her friend spoke with embarrassment, her cheeks turning a bit red.


    Raising an eyebrow, Zaroth muttered, "What the hell are they talking about?"


    ''Most likely about your match in the tournament,'' Luna answered, echoing in his mind.


    His eyes widened for a moment before he didn''t really believe Luna''s words, but it seemed that she had been correct.


    He was becoming famous.

 Chapter 173 - 173: Divided We Stand

    "General Warren!" a tired soldier entered the tent of his general and bowed.


    "What is it?" Warren asked, shifting his gaze to the man.


    "The Crimson Sun Empire is sending scouts at the eastern and western cities, they are most likely searching for a weak link to attack."


    Hearing his subordinate''s words, Warren scratched his chin deep in thought.


    "How is the army morale?"


    Hearing the general''s question, the soldier''s eyes darkened for a moment. "Honestly, not good, sir. Most of them think that it is pointless that we have divided our forces so much. The general perception is that we should unite and crush the enemy once and for all!"


    Warren smiled at the man''s words and stood up from the old chair he was sitting in.


    Picking up a map that had been set aside, he spread it onto the table.


    It was a highly detailed map that showed the Draconian Empire in its entirety. Not only were the cities shown, but even the smallest of villages on their lands.


    Warren pointed at the few cities that had been crossed out with a marker, indicating that they had been conquered already.


    "Have you heard that the best way to fight an enemy with large forces is to divide them¡­ just like we are currently?"


    The soldier parted his lips as he answered, his voice lingering with hesitation. "¡­ Yes, I have. That is why I also share the common belief that we should unite and strike."


    Warren smiled faintly at his words. "Your way of thinking makes sense¡­ that is, if one ignores the bigger picture."


    The soldier raised an eyebrow. "What is it, sir?"


    Pointing to the map, the general commanded, "I am not going to be around for much longer, as such, I will have to be replaced with others¡ªhopefully more capable than me. Try and see what I am talking about. Come to your own conclusions."


    The soldier hesitated for a second, then studied the map.


    The four closest cities to the enemy had already been conquered, forcing the Draconian forces to retreat and fortify the surrounding areas. Their troops were now stationed along the borders of those lost cities, ready to respond to any further incursions.


    "..."


    Despite his efforts, the soldier couldn''t grasp the full reasoning behind the general''s decision. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    With a sigh of disappointment, Warren spoke. "There are several reasons why our forces are divided and why we are waiting rather than attacking."


    He pointed to the crossed-out cities. "First, our army is large, while the enemy has yet to deploy their main forces. That means we are slower. If we gather all our troops in one place, the enemy could simply bypass us, advancing deeper into our lands¡ªcloser to the capital, where they intend to rescue their princess."


    Holding up two fingers, he continued, "Second, while their forces are few in number, the strongest units they have are commanded by their best general, Hadrik. If we attack recklessly, we would lose too many men."


    Warren then gestured toward the cup of water on the table. "And third, keeping our forces divided makes supplying them easier, reducing the strain on our cities. A true leader doesn''t only think about the war but also the people who sustain it. If our actions cause their suffering, we risk internal unrest, which could prove disastrous."


    The soldier frowned. "That may be true, but doesn''t that still put us in a bad position?"


    "No. Right now, we are at a stalemate. General Hadrik is no fool¡ªhe has likely seen through my plan. If he wants to push deeper into our territory, he will have to go through one of our fortified cities first."


    The general''s eyes gleamed with a dangerous intensity. "If that happens, the forces stationed there will slow them down while confirming their attack. Meanwhile, we can mobilize our troops and encircle the enemy army as they focus on the city. No matter how strong they are, once surrounded, they will be doomed."


    Scratching the back of his head, the soldier hesitated. "So¡­ we''re at a stalemate because Hadrik understands your plan and doesn''t know how to proceed?"


    "Precisely," Warren spoke as he got back in his seat.


    "Even if that''s true, isn''t it still a problem? If word spreads that we allowed a small enemy force to cross our borders unchecked, wouldn''t that make us a target? If that happens, wouldn''t other empires see us as weak and seize the opportunity to attack, not just the Crimson Sun?"


    Hearing his question, Warren smiled, it seemed that the soldier was able to somewhat think for himself.


    "Yes, sadly, your words are correct."


    "Then why aren''t you doing something to address the matter?" the soldier asked.


    With a sigh, Warren shifted his gaze to the ceiling.


    "The emperor''s orders were to slow them down. Not stop them. It seems that His Majesty has something in mind."


    Upon hearing the general mention the emperor, the soldier flinched slightly before quickly bowing in respect.


    He might have been brave enough to question the general''s judgment, but doing the same to the emperor would just mean he would be given the death penalty, no questions asked.


    Shifting his gaze to the entrance, the soldier was about to leave until the general''s words stopped him.


    "You said our morale is low, right?"


    "Yes, sir," the soldier said, frowning.


    Without saying anything further, Warren tossed him something.


    The soldier caught it with his right hand, and as his eyes fell on the object, he realized it was one of the numerous orbs used to observe the grand tournament from a distance.


    "Sir, is that¡ª"


    "The emperor has ordered a number of these orbs to be transported to the places where soldiers are stationed. You can blow off some steam by watching the fights. One must rest their mind every once in a while, too."


    "Thank you, sir!" the soldier shouted, bowing at a ninety-degree angle.


    "If you want to thank someone, thank His Majesty. Now, leave. I have more work to do."


    Leaving the general''s tent, the soldier observed the surroundings. There were about a hundred tents hosting about a thousand soldiers.


    Reflecting on the general''s words, he noticed that, despite their irritation, the troops were well-fed and in decent condition.


    "The old man seems to know what he''s doing," he muttered, heading off for his meal.


    "I just hope the emperor does too."

 Chapter 174 - 174: United We Stand

    "Look, isn''t that disgusting? How can they call themselves an empire when they rely on such disgraceful tactics?" General Hadrik spoke with disgust as he glanced at the horizon.


    "I have to agree with you, sir," one of the soldiers Hadrik had taken with him when he went for the scout mission spoke evenly.


    "Rather than attacking us and trying to seize their cities back, they choose to stand back and wait. It is an honorless tactic, no, even worse, it is cowardly!" S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Shifting his gaze from the horizon, the general got off the horse he was riding with a grunt. Gazing at the men he had brought with him, he commanded,


    "We have ridden enough, take a moment to satisfy your hunger and wet your throats."


    With a nod, the men complied. They got off their horses as well.


    They acted silently and in harmony. They were truly the best the empire had to offer.


    One gathered wood and started a fire, another took out part of the food they had started the journey with, and others took out a few cups and began to fill them up with water.


    There was one that climbed high into a tree, making absolutely sure that there weren''t any enemies around them.


    Once the temporary camp was settled, they all began to eat and drink silently. There wasn''t a hint of happiness or gratitude. Even in this somewhat safe environment, they were still in the middle of war, deep in enemy territory, and as such, they didn''t allow themselves even a moment of true rest as all of them were on guard.


    "Was it truly wise to leave the army and come so far here to scout, sir?" One of the men finally broke the silence that had fallen on them.


    Not bothering to look the man in the eyes, Hadrik replied,


    "These spineless cowards wouldn''t attack even if they knew that the enemy general isn''t there, so there is no need to worry about the matter."


    Despite being trained to not show emotions, it was clear that the elite knights that were alongside the general had worried looks on their faces. It was rare that they saw their general so angry.


    "How do you think we should proceed?" another man asked as he gazed at his empty cup.


    Hadrik sighed as he shifted his gaze to the cloudy sky. It was soon going to rain.


    "We have invaded their territory and conquered a few of their cities¡­ and yet rather than fighting back, they do not dare to attack. Instead, they have fortified their cities¡­ almost like they are waiting for something."


    That thought was what bothered the general so much. It was clear that his enemy was biding for time. But why? What could they hope to achieve by doing that?


    It wasn''t like the other empires were going to come to their aid¡­ nor would they deploy all their forces just to deal with the few thousand men Hadrik had gathered with him.


    "Maybe they would send their strongest forces? Is that why they are waiting?" Hadrik muttered under his breath.


    He wasn''t seeing the full picture, which was rare for him. He had to find what he was missing as soon as possible. It wasn''t just the lives of the men he was commanding that were at stake, it was something much more important.


    Solara Virelia''s life was to be protected at all costs, and yet they had managed to let the enemy capture her.


    It was a disgrace to the Crimson Sun Empire and their abilities.


    Making up his mind, Hadrik gazed at the men he had taken with him.


    "Once our rest is done, we are to return to the main camp."


    One of the soldiers raised an eyebrow.


    "Do you happen to have come up with a plan, sir?"


    Meeting the knight''s gaze, Hadrik spoke, his voice tinged with regret.


    "Yes. We tried the honorable way¡­ but it seems that there would be no honor in this war. As such, once we are united with the main camp, we will immediately move."


    His eyes seemed to darken more than usual. "If they think we can''t go around them, they are severely mistaken."


    *****


    "The general is coming back!" The woman''s voice, stationed to stand guard, echoed across the captured city.


    The army was stationed in one of the cities that they had conquered. After killing everybody, including the civilians, they concluded that the place would make a good temporary shelter.


    "General Hadrik!"


    As soon as they saw their leader, the soldiers in the vicinity all saluted in respect.


    "Where is Thorne?" Hadrik was asking for where his right-hand man was.


    "Good to see you return safe and sound, my liege," a younger man in his late twenties came at the general''s request.


    "Have we been attacked?" Hadrik asked despite already knowing the answer.


    "No, sir, we haven''t been bothered at all. It''s like they are reluctant to oppose us."


    Hadrik scoffed as he heard those words. "Figures¡­ spread the word, I want the thousand best men in our camp ready to go the next morning!"


    Thorne''s eyes widened at the general''s words. "Do you have a plan, sir?"


    "Yes, our enemy is too afraid to attack us, leaving us with no choice but to move toward them instead."


    Raising an eyebrow, Thorne asked, "But wouldn''t that be playing right into their plan?"


    "No, we would go around them."


    "With all due respect, we can''t. They have fortified the nearby cities, and if we attack by land, we''ll be spotted immediately."


    "That is right." Hadrik smirked as he pointed east.


    "If we attack by land, that is, but they''ve left us no choice. You''ll stay here with the main army, so we seem uncertain of our next move. Meanwhile, I''ll lead the chosen men around their empire by the ocean."


    The general''s eyes seemed to shine menacingly as he spoke. "They will regret moving such a large force far from their capital."

 Chapter 175 - 175: The Crimson Widow

    The past three days, Zaroth spent every free hour studying the beasts in the arena.


    While there were no books in the arena detailing the beasts, thankfully, the academy''s library held a vast collection covering all kinds of creatures.


    Using the privilege he had access to, he made sure to memorize as many facts and details about the beasts as he could.


    Each day, he had Nightshade practice in combat, and with every victory, he doubled his wealth by wagering everything he had. As a result, he now had twelve thousand credits at his disposal.


    On the fourth day, he entered the beast arena again, but this time, rather than intending to fight, he was going to buy another beast.


    While he could have kept doubling his wealth, he felt it would be smarter to prepare extra for the upcoming round. Last time he barely managed to win, so he wanted to reassure himself that he would have more options from now on, should the need arise.


    There were multiple arenas with fights happening at the same time, observed by countless rich folk.


    Some of them seemed to be here only for the spectacle, as they simply enjoyed the fights without doing anything else.


    ...Well, there was one more thing they were enjoying, most of the staff were women who, consciously or not, seemed to be chosen for their alluring bodies. Many of the men stared shamelessly at them, while the women in question didn''t seem to protest, as long as they weren''t touched in any way.


    Others seemed to take advantage of the bars selling alcohol, using it as an excuse to get drunk.


    Zaroth, of course, wasn''t foolish enough to get drunk in a place like this, but out of curiosity, he decided to check the prices.


    Once he saw them, his face paled, though it was hard to see due to the mask that he was wearing. S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    So many credits for so little?!" he couldn''t help but mutter in disgust. It seemed that this place didn''t earn most of its money from entrance fees or selling the beasts in the arenas, the alcohol probably brought in a much bigger share.


    "For fuck''s sake, who pays millions for a single bottle?!" He had never held six-digit credits, and yet these people were giving seven digits like they were candy.


    Some people are really privileged, I guess." In the end, it only reinforced what he already knew¡ªthat the world was simply unfair, with so many people going to bed hungry while these aristocrats threw away so much money.


    He clenched his fist, vowing to become one of the privileged.


    "Back to the topic," he whispered to himself as he began to look at what kind of beasts were fighting in the arenas.


    He had already concluded that he needed two types of beasts, one would be a beast that primarily relied on pure power.


    While it wasn''t a bad thing that he had a lot of stealthy beasts at his disposal, as even the wolves could hunt silently, he needed something that could simply crush the enemy without a problem.


    The second type of beast needed to have some kind of poison.


    He had realized this when he fought against Aiden, but if one were to use poison effectively, it could become overpowering.


    There was also the matter of what kind of poison. If he could choose, he would pick a beast that could cause paralysis, but there were others that could prove equally beneficial.


    "First, I have to acquire it, I can master it later," he muttered to himself.


    After checking all the current matches that were happening, he sadly concluded that there wasn''t a beast that fit one of his criteria. As such, he was left with no choice but to find a nice place and wait for some of the fights to end.


    "Please! Just once more! I know I will get the next one right!" A man in an unkempt suit was begging on his knees at a woman who wore black clothes that accentuated her curves.


    ''Why is he begging to one of the staff?'' Zaroth''s interest was piqued, so he decided to eavesdrop, as he currently didn''t have much to do anyway.


    "There is nothing I can do about that, sir. If you''ve used all your money, we can''t supply you with anymore."


    "Like hell you can''t! Do you know how much I have come here to bet?! I am a loyal customer! I even took a debt to come here again! Can you please make an¡ª"


    He stopped mid-sentence as he was hit in the back of the head and he went unconscious.


    Another woman from the staff had struck the man and made him pass out. Without saying anything, both of them took the unconscious body of the man and began to carry him somewhere else to not disturb the others.


    "This was sad," Zaroth had to admit.


    This man had not only lost everything, but even taken a loan to keep betting? Is this why the older folks often spoke about how dangerous gambling is? Once you get addicted, you are going to pay dearly.


    "Better watch myself and my betting, then."


    After a dozen minutes, it seemed that the majority of the fights were over, and Zaroth began to inspect what they were going to bring out.


    Sadly, nothing again caught his interest¡ª


    "Hmm?" Just when he was about to lose all hope, his gaze stopped at a particular monster that he had read about in the library.


    "Crimson Widow Spider," he muttered under his breath.


    These breeds of spider were enormous, nearly the size of a horse, with glossy, blood-red exoskeletons. Their legs were long, each tipped with barbed claws that helped them climb and ensnare their prey. Their eyes were multifaceted, glowing crimson, and their venomous fangs dripped with liquid.


    While this wasn''t exactly what he had envisioned when he thought about a beast capable of producing poison, it wasn''t a bad beast nonetheless.


    From what he remembered reading in the book, while this kind of spider indeed had poison, they relied heavily on their large body to catch their prey.


    "¡­Now that I think about it, this might work better than expected," Zaroth muttered as he sat in the front rows, ready to observe.


    He wasn''t interested in the fact that the spider was strong physically, its poison could be very beneficial.


    Zaroth parted his lips, recalling what the book had said.


    "The Crimson Widow''s fangs deliver a toxic venom that causes immediate internal hemorrhaging. When it bites, the venom quickly spreads through the bloodstream, causing severe blood loss and intense pain. The venom''s effects cause dizziness, blurry vision, and a sense of weakness, making it difficult for the victim to fight or escape¡­ Over time, the venom can lead to organ failure if untreated."


    His eyes sparkled as he imagined how much more lethal his weapons would become if he coated them in the poison.


    "That settles it then," he smiled darkly as he leaned forward, gazing at the spider.


    "You will become a part of my collection."


    The only problem was whether the spider was going to lose or win in the upcoming fight.


    "Die¡­ die so you can join me," he muttered menacingly as the match began.

 Chapter 176 - 176: In Disguise

    "Beautiful," Zaroth couldn''t help but mutter as he took a glance at Crimson Widow''s opponent.


    Both creatures were of Rare rank, meaning there shouldn''t have been a significant gap between them. The spider was a terrifying sight¡ªmenacing and dangerous. One look at it made it clear that this was no ordinary beast, but something far more monstrous. In contrast, its opponent¡­


    A mesmerizing orange fur, its white eyes were like the moon themselves. The beast was so clean that it looked like its body was glowing.


    An orange fox, its body was smaller than the average wolf, yet even from a distance, Zaroth was able to feel how much power the being had.


    How could something be so beautiful and deadly at the same time? He wondered.


    As the menacing spider charged, the fox opened its jaws and unleashed a deafening howl. Zaroth was forced to cover his ears from the sheer volume. He had heard Silverfang howl before, but this was on a whole new level.


    The audience mimicked his motion and covered their ears as well, while the spider seemed taken aback by the loud noise.


    Zaroth couldn''t help but be impressed, he had read that one of the weaknesses of the Crimson Widow''s is its delicate hearing, meaning a ear-piercing howl like this would have surely damaged it severely¡­ This was what fascinated Zaroth¡ªit looked like the fox knew the spider''s weak spot and managed to capitalize on it immediately.


    Before the spider could even comprehend what had happened, the white eyes of the fox seemed to spark, and a second later, the arena was engulfed in flames.


    Zaroth, having a dragon at his disposal and capable of using fire attacks, was mostly fine, but a quick glance around the arena showed that a large part of the audience had gotten up from their seats and taken a step or two back out of fear.


    The spider''s pained scream echoed across the arena as it felt its body being melted.


    Not giving the spider a chance for rest, the fox charged, opened its jaws, and bit down on the spider''s head.


    "Incredible!" Zaroth couldn''t help but mutter. The fox had not only moved with lightning speed, but it had also leapt onto the spider''s back and sunk its teeth into its head, rendering the spider unable to move or rotate anymore.


    The fox''s bite was not strong enough to crack the tough exoskeleton, but it wasn''t needed, as it seemed the incredibly hot fire was enough to cook it from the inside out.


    It made a few attempts to reach the fox behind its head, but in the end, it all proved futile.


    Its limbs gave out, its eyes dimmed with the loss of life, and the spider collapsed to the ground, shaking the arena as it fell.


    It was supposed to be a fight between Rare beasts, yet it was so one-sided. How could this be? Zaroth wondered. The stunning fox seemed more like an Epic beast than a mere Rare.


    It took him a moment to snap out of the trance, the fox was too mesmerizing to be just a beast.


    Shaking his head off the unneeded worry, he glanced at the body of the spider and then smiled darkly as he saw that there was a certain type of energy coming out of the corpse, indicating that the beast could be resurrected and tamed.


    "Bingo!" he whispered under his breath, as he licked his dry lips. He was going to acquire the spider today.


    He was clearly lucky that the spider had met its match, so he could buy the corpse.


    ''Still, that fox is incredible¡­'' he had to admit, and looking at the glances the audience was giving the fox, he wasn''t the only one that thought this way.


    After the fire in the arena subsided, the announcer stepped into the center. A group of wealthy onlookers were already eager to purchase the victorious beast, but their hopes were quickly dashed as the announcer spoke.


    "The winner is the fox. Unfortunately, the beast cannot be purchased, as it is the property of Destiny."


    ''Destiny?'' Zaroth silently repeated the name in his head. This was the first time he had seen someone use their beast to enter the arena. It seemed that, unfortunately, he wasn''t the exception.


    "Still, ''Hollow'' sounds much cooler!"


    After the audience calmed down, the announcer spoke again. "Is there anyone that wishes to buy the body of the Crimson Widow?"


    Zaroth observed the arena, waiting to see if somebody was willing to buy the beast. It seemed that nobody was interested, and he had to thank the fox for that, because the fox was so strong it made the spider appear weak, so nobody wanted to buy the body.


    In the last moment, he raised his hand to indicate that he was buying it.


    ''I really am lucky, not only I got it, but even for cheap!''


    *****


    "I''m not even going to waste time thinking about whether you''d want to serve me," he said menacingly, placing his hand on the beast.


    Its exoskeleton was still hot from the fox''s flames, but other than that, its body was fine, meaning once it was resurrected, it shouldn''t look too undead.


    After a moment, he heard a voice in his head¡ªthe so-called system, a mystery he had yet to begin deciphering. How it worked remained beyond him.


    [Crimson Widow judges your soul.]


    [What is your purpose?]


    "To take everything I want." Zaroth immediately answered, he had begun accustomed to being asked the question. However, what he hadn''t expected was what the spider desired¡­


    ''It would probably want me to kill the fox or something similar,'' he thought.


    [Crimson Widow desires conquest over the human that killed it.] S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Zaroth''s words got caught in his throat, as his mind raced.


    "...human?" he spoke in disbelief out loud.


    ''But the spider died by the hand of the fox, not by a human, unless¡­''


    "That fox¡­ it wasn''t a beast, but a human in disguise?!"

 Chapter 177 - 177: A Beast’s Burden

    Zaroth hadn''t lived for a long time, and yet he had the assumption that there were few things in the world that could surprise him at this point.


    In the few months that had passed since acquiring Luna, he had thought he was starting to get used to the unfamiliarity of the world.


    But as it turned out, he was severely mistaken.


    He knew there were all kinds of classes out there, as well as an unknown number of gods, each granting different powers through their blessings.


    And yet, despite knowing it in theory, it had never crossed his mind that there could be a person capable of disguising themselves as a beast.


    Yes, even though Zaroth was a Beast Master, a person that was supposed to have deeper connections with beasts than normal, he didn''t manage to see past the disguise of the said human.


    And he wasn''t alone, as the organizers had somehow allowed the human disguised as a beast to enter the arena. Unless, of course, they had known about it from the beginning, or the disguise was so perfect that no one was able to see past it¡ªeven the experienced.


    If it hadn''t been for the mysterious system feeding him the information, he would have never known.


    "The fox was supposed to be owned by an individual called ''Destiny,''" he muttered to himself.


    "Was ''Destiny'' the human who had disguised as a fox, or was it somebody that worked with them as a team?"


    Zaroth''s stomach growled, it wasn''t because he was hungry, it was because he was curious, he was a curious person by nature, and learning such interesting pieces of information made his body shiver in excitement.


    He suddenly felt the urge to investigate who this individual was. Just how strong were they? Could they be an ally or a foe? Were there more like them out there? Countless questions flooded his mind.


    But alas, a second later, he grunted as he realized that investigation wasn''t possible¡ªat least, not currently.


    After all, even the organizers of the beast arena didn''t know the identities of those who entered with their own beasts, there was a reason he had a codename.


    Once you entered the bank, put on the mask given by the old man, and stepped into the beast arena, no one would know who you were. They would only know who entered and who exited, but not who did what,


    Worse still, if he tried to somehow sniff out the information, he could get into trouble.


    He, of course, was somebody that enjoyed the privilege of having his identity hidden, and trying to learn more about ''Destiny'' could mean that he would lose that privilege.


    He shook off the thought, finding ''Destiny'' and confronting this individual, would be necessary only if he wanted to evolve the spider. And while it could be great if he could make the beast reach Epic tier, at the moment, it wasn''t a necessity, and the trouble could prove more than it was worth.


    ''But what about the taming part?'' Zaroth was supposed to promise that he would fulfill the beast''s desire in order for it to submit to him. Was he supposed to lie? Would lying even work, considering that the spider was currently judging his soul?


    Zaroth feared that if he attempted to lie, he would be exposed immediately and lose access to the beast¡ªsomething he absolutely didn''t want to happen. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The Crimson Widow¡ªor rather, the spider''s poison¡ªwas just too strong, too valuable to let go, especially now that he had bought the beast.


    So he was left with no other choice but to believe the words he was going to say next with his whole heart.


    "Join me, and I will do everything in my power to grant your desire." It wasn''t a lie, as he said ''everything in my power,'' not that it was guaranteed to happen.


    There was silence for a few seconds, which made him gulp anxiously, before the chance of falling to tame the beast didn''t seem real¡­ but now it did.


    [Crimson Widow is moved by your determination.]


    [Crimson Widow responds to your call.]


    [Crimson Widow forms a pact with you.]


    [You have formed a contract with Crimson Widow.]


    Zaroth couldn''t help but let out a sigh of relief as euphoria washed over him. He had done it, he had acquired the beast and its deadly poison.


    The body of the Crimson Widow shivered, and its legs moved . Then the spider rose slowly as its crimson eyes focused on its master.


    Zaroth didn''t know how to react. He didn''t particularly hate spiders, nor did he like them. Just a few hours ago, he had thought of them as roommates that would occasionally chill in the upper corners of his room...


    His perspective was shattered, however, as he gazed at the spider that was the size of a horse.


    With hesitation, he stretched out his hand and placed it close to the beast''s head.


    The spider blinked in confusion a couple of times, closed its eyes, and brought its head next to his arm.


    "At least it likes me," he muttered with a sarcastic smile.


    "Next, naming would be in order, so I will probably have to ask L¡ª"


    Zaroth stopped mid-sentence as his vision blurred, and a second later, he sat¡ªfell¡ªon his bottom.


    What?" he whispered as he clutched his head in his hands.


    He was about to ask Luna how she thought they should name the beast until he was assaulted by a violent headache.


    This was a headache that he had never experienced before. He had gotten drunk a couple of times, so he had somewhat gotten used to the hangovers¡­ but this was next-level¡­ entirely next level.


    Saliva fell from his mouth as he struggled to keep it closed. Thankfully, his half-mask only covered his upper face, so the saliva dropped to the ground rather than making a mess inside the mask.


    The corners of his eyes began to tear up. Against his will.


    His heart rate increased and his limbs began to tremble.


    It was hard to think, ''Did I accidentally infect myself with the spider''s poison?'' Zaroth asked himself. But a second later, he realized that wasn''t the case as he wasn''t bleeding¡­ just in pain.


    ''Luna?... Luna?'' Without anything else coming to mind, he asked the one person that he trusted the most. At least she was always with him.


    But this time no answer came, so he asked again. And he was met only with silence.


    ''What the fuck is happening?'' he cursed, as his back pressed against the ground, and his eyelids started to feel heavy. He was going to pass out.


    NO!'' he shouted in his mind. He was still in the beast arena and didn''t have much information about the place, so he considered it a hostile environment. Meaning collapsing here could only spell trouble.


    Not to mention that the Crimson Widow that was supposedly dead was now moving. If someone were to enter the room, they were sure going to learn that he was able to resurrect the dead beast, which could prove disastrous.


    But alas, all of his efforts were in vain as his mind, assaulted by the terrible pain, shut down, and he passed out.

 Chapter 178 - 178: Hellweaver

    "Sir?" Zaroth was awakened by a gentle shake. With a grunt, he opened his eyes. The first thing his gaze fell upon was one of the women with alluring bodies that was part of the staff.


    "What happened?" he managed to mutter.


    "You were taking too long, so I entered the room only to find you passed out."


    "How much time has passed?"


    "Less than a minute."


    Taking a few moments to compose himself, Zaroth slowly stood up. His eyesight naturally went to where the Crimson Widow was supposed to be.


    But thankfully, the beast was nowhere to be found. It seemed that after he had passed out, the spider had entered his soul, most likely sensing that if it was seen, it could spell bad news.


    Letting out a sigh of relief, he turned to the woman.


    "I''m fine now, thanks. I guess I just had too much to drink," he lied as naturally as he breathed. He hadn''t drunk a drop of liquor, but at the moment, it was the most believable lie he could come up with.


    It seemed his lie, masked with a hint of sarcasm, worked as the lips of the woman curved upward a bit. "I see. Well, it''s fine, I guess. But about the Crimson Widow¡ª"


    "It''s alright." Zaroth spoke as he quickly made his way out of the room, not wanting to be asked more questions.


    He raced the stairs out of the beast arena as fast as possible, exiting the bank, and only then did he calm down a bit as he asked Luna.


    ''What happened? Why did you not answer my call earlier?''


    Her reply came immediately. ''I did, but for some reason, you didn''t hear me.''


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow in doubt. Luna was in his soul. She couldn''t have been closer to him than this, and yet he was unable to hear her answer?


    She was either lying, or something wrong had happened with him. He doubted that Luna would make such a blatant lie. It seemed that the moment he tamed the Crimson Widow, something inside of him changed.


    ''I think it''s because of the amount of beasts you possess.'' Luna caught him off guard.


    ''What do you mean?'' he asked, confused.


    ''Think about it. While in the academy, they didn''t discuss much about Beast Masters, as it was a disliked class by most of the population, and there wasn''t much information in the library books. One thing that occasionally came up was that there was a limit on how many beasts a Beast Master could possess.''


    After a second, she added, ''After all, if there were no such limit, what stopped a person from simply taming thousands or millions of beasts and making an army of their own?''


    ''Their mana?'' he answered.


    ''Possible, but it''s clearly not that simple. The state you got into the moment you tamed the Crimson Widow¡­ maybe your core is too weak, and having too many beasts¡ªeven if they aren''t summoned¡ªis spreading it too thin.''


    He frowned. If this was true, it meant that he had reached a cap on how many beasts he could possess. Of course, theoretically, he could try and somehow get rid of his weaker beasts, like the weak wolves, to make more space for stronger ones, but he doubted that it was a smart idea.


    Not to mention, how was he supposed to do that? At the moment, something dawned on him.


    Possibly the only weakness of the fact that he was an Undead Beast Master.


    For a normal Beast Master, if they wanted to get rid of one of their beasts, they could simply have them killed¡­ but Zaroth''s beasts were undead. There was no killing them, meaning he was most likely stuck with them forever.


    "Still," he muttered as he glanced at the sky. Even if that was correct and he was unable to acquire more beasts for now, it wasn''t such dire news.


    Now that the Crimson Widow was under his control, the poison issue was resolved, and if the need for raw power arose, he could unleash the spider as a formidable force. Given its size¡ªroughly that of a horse¡ªit was clear the beast could fulfill that role with ease.


    So now, his team was more or less balanced.


    Cracking his neck, he muttered, "I suppose it''s now a matter of finding harmony with them and how effectively I can fight alongside them."


    *****


    Once he got back into his apartment, he summoned Luna, and she got busy coming up with a name for the spider.


    Zaroth still felt a bit lightheaded, so to pass the time, he undressed and started his training regime.


    He had tried not to miss a day, and as a result, his numbers were already very impressive.


    Hundreds of squats, more than a hundred push-ups. The only thing he struggled with was hitting the one hundred pull-up mark, but he was getting close.


    He threw a quick glance at Luna. At first, he had started training with the goal of seeing her naked once he reached those numbers. While he was still excited by that idea, gradually another desire took precedence¡ªone that was, if not greater, at least equal to that goal¡ªgaining strength. It was addicting beyond belief, more so than any liquor, any gamble, or even any woman in the world.


    Letting out a sigh, he shook off his head and went to take a nice shower.


    *****


    "This was great," he spoke with a grin as he exited, with a towel around his waist. Not minding Luna, who was still busy thinking, and his other beasts, he got dressed up as he shifted his gaze to the kitchen.


    ''What am I going to eat, I wonder?'' Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He didn''t have time to ponder the issue, as Luna suddenly exclaimed.


    "I got it!"


    Zaroth shifted his gaze to her with anticipation. She was the one with the better naming sense, so whatever she named the Crimson Widow, that was how they were going to refer to the beast from now on.


    Meeting his gaze, she spoke with an alluring voice. "Let''s name it Hellweaver!"

 Chapter 179 - 179: Round 11

    The eleventh round had arrived, and Zaroth stood carefully studying the opponent before him.


    At the same time, his eyes shined and his beasts materialized. He had debated whether he should summon Hellweaver or not. While the beast was powerful, it wasn''t a bad idea to keep it as a hidden card should the need arise. S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    In the end, he decided he was going to keep the beast hidden for now. If his theory was correct, his opponent was much weaker than the last one, so he shouldn''t have trouble winning.


    Reaching behind his back, he unsheathed his sword. It had been some time since he last used one, and since forgetting how to wield it wasn''t an option, he decided to take advantage of his opponent''s weakness to practice.


    A green liquid dripped from the sword in his right hand. As the drip hit the ground, Zaroth smiled. Even though he hadn''t summoned Hellweaver yet, he had quickly called upon it before the match began, covering his weapons with the beast''s poison.


    As a result, now the sword and the two daggers hidden behind his back were covered in the deadly liquid.


    "I really want to test it," he muttered as he gazed at his opponent.


    A woman of height similar to his, she had a black whip in her left hand and a ring on the right.


    Was the ring supposed to be able to use some kind of magic? He wondered.


    A second later, he shook off the thought as the fight began.


    In an instant, Zaroth charged forward alongside all his beasts.


    Seeing so many beings charging at her with full force, ready to kill, the woman''s pupils widened for a moment in fear.


    Zaroth smirked. "This is going to be easy."


    *****


    He and his beasts quickly overwhelmed her, so the match didn''t last very long.


    Once the match ended and Zaroth dismissed his beasts, he glanced at the woman. She had been swarmed by his beasts just a moment ago but appeared unharmed, except for the cut on her shoulder.


    Zaroth could have overwhelmed her with his beasts without even lifting a finger, but doing so wouldn''t grant him anything. Instead, he ignored the cheers of the crowd that screamed at his victory as he watched how his opponent''s eyes and mouth began to leak blood, and she fell on her knees.


    "Incredible," Zaroth couldn''t help but mutter.


    He had read what effect the poison was supposed to have¡­ but this exceeded his expectations.


    The woman collapsed to the ground, curling into herself as she writhed in agony, clutching her chest in pain.


    Zaroth had managed to inflict a wound on her shoulder, and this was the result.


    The woman was disoriented, in pain, unable to fight.


    Seeing the effect of the poison was mesmerizing. ''I really hit the jackpot with Hellweaver,'' Zaroth thought.


    Then, a second later, his eyes narrowed like a hunter. He felt something within him, like voices. They were quiet, but still there. If he had to characterize it, Zaroth would say it was similar to a desire.


    Kill her.


    One of the voices spoke. No doubt, it was the demonic symbol in his hand¡ªkilling her would help him better understand his demonic skills, making him stronger.


    But this wasn''t the only one.


    Dominance over the arena.


    This was something he had begun to feel after acquiring Nightshade. The beast''s desire was for dominance, and yet that desire seemed to extend not only to his beast but to him as well.


    Before he had realized it, he had taken a step closer to the woman.


    What if the match was over? What if the audience was cheering?


    He could still kill the woman in front of him. He was only going to gain from this and nothing to lose.


    The grip on his sword tightened as he began to raise it,


    But he was stopped as a man with a white robe and a red cross on it approached the woman and began to heal her.


    Zaroth gasped, almost as if he had broken out of some kind of trance, and put his left hand on his forehead.


    "Did I just lose control for a second?" he muttered, irritated.


    No, in the end, he concluded that he hadn''t.


    There was no way he would ever lose control.


    With that, he exited the center of the arena and began to walk toward the stands where the audience was watching. Even though his eleventh round was over, he wanted to see how his friends were going to do in the tournament, as fortunately this time he hadn''t passed out after his fight.


    He frowned, scanning the packed seats. It was clear that even if he wanted to find Midnight and watch the tournament with her, it would be simply impossible.


    Navigating his way and pushing past about a thousand people in the way, Zaroth finally arrived at one unusually empty part of the arena.


    This was the pavilion for the participants in the matches to come and observe the other matches should they wish to.


    It was mostly empty as most of them were in their assigned rooms, mentally preparing themselves for the fights. Honestly, Zaroth couldn''t blame them.


    Out of the few seats that were taken, two people caught his attention.


    He closed his eyes halfway as he gazed at a blonde woman with blue eyes. He, of course, knew who she was¡ªGrace, one of the biggest names in the tournament and a favorite of the audience.


    It wasn''t surprising in the slightest, considering her stunning beauty. It was clear why she was so popular, not to mention if the rumors were true, she was supposed to be a menace as well.


    Zaroth sat down on a seat that was far from the others, trying not to glance at the second person of interest.


    It wasn''t because he was scared of the man¡­


    Zaroth was scared of what was behind that man.


    David wasn''t hard to miss, not because of his unusually purple eyes, but because of the inhuman monstrosity that seemed to hover behind him.


    And even if Zaroth wasn''t looking at it, he felt that thing had its eyes locked solely on him.


    Before, when he had gotten the crimson pills, even if it was for just a few seconds, he made the mistake of making eye contact with that thing Luna had warned him about¡ªsupposed to be invisible to everyday people.


    Even if these few seconds weren''t enough evidence that he was able to see it, there was still doubt for certainty.


    This was probably why the three-eyed thing with hollow eyes was observing Zaroth.


    No doubt wondering if he was really able to see it, or if it was just dumb luck that his gaze landed on it.


    Trying to relax his body, Zaroth sighed. He was going to do everything in his power to not gaze at David or the thing that seemed to be following him around.


    ''I just hope that I don''t have to fight him in the ring,'' Zaroth thought.


    But sadly, he had a bad feeling that David wasn''t the one to lose matches.


    *****


    The first round for Lily arrived, and she managed to win. She wielded the skill of the elements, and her opponent, assuming she was physically weak, dared to approach her.


    He quickly regretted that decision, however, as she used some weird but efficient martial art and managed to neutralize him.


    "I should learn some martial arts too," Zaroth muttered under his breath.


    After all, even if one was proficient with weapons, they could still find themselves in trouble if they didn''t have one.


    ''One more thing that has to be done added to the list,'' Zaroth thought with a sigh.


    Not long after, it was Roran''s turn. The man used his powers to make countless weapons levitate and defeat his opponent.


    Though he used normal weapons and didn''t call upon his heavenly swords.


    After that, Grace stood up and began to head down, not surprisingly, each movement she made had a certain degree of¡­ grace.


    Zaroth grimaced as he knew what was coming.


    Not long after, the next match began. Lily and Roran had already arrived and were sitting next to Zaroth, though none of them talked as all of their bodies tensed.


    It was because it was Zack''s match. He, of course, was at a major disadvantage as he wasn''t allowed to use his powers.


    And out of all the people he could have been paired up against...


    It just had to be Grace.

 Chapter 180 - 180: Tangled Fate

    Zack tightened his grip on the sword. It wasn''t his bloodied blade, but it wasn''t an ordinary weapon either.


    It was one of the rare treasures he had managed to snatch before being cast out of his own home. This was once one of his father''s prized weapons¡­ or it had been, before his father was killed by his own brother.


    Taking deep breaths to calm himself, Zack glanced at his opponent. ¡­ he had to admit, even if he didn''t want to, she was beautiful. It was funny in a way she was named Grace, so it made sense that she had so much¡­ grace.


    Zack, of course, wasn''t a fool. Even if he knew that she was strong, that didn''t mean that he didn''t try to learn as much about his opponent as he could before the match began.


    She, unlike him, was a fourth-year student. It was clear that she had more experience than him.


    She attended the same academy as him, but considering that he didn''t spend much time speaking with the students of the higher grades, it wasn''t surprising that he hadn''t ever talked to her physically.


    It was unknown how, but she used some kind of golden thread to catch her enemy in a trap and immobilize them.


    Then, if she just pulled said threads, the impaired person would start to bleed and eventually either pass out, or she would pull harder, making even deeper wounds.


    Zack, of course, was unable to bleed. This too was part of his powers.


    This wasn''t something that he could control, however, so he hoped that his family wasn''t going to make it an issue that he wouldn''t bleed in the upcoming minutes.


    He shifted his gaze to the sky way above the audience that was busy observing the match.


    There was a small white globe that was levitating with a black dot that was pointing at the center of the arena.


    This was the device that captured the fight in real-time and transmitted them to the orbs that had been no doubt spread around the empire.


    ''Is the fucker watching too?'' Zack wondered, a second later he shook off his head as his white eyes seemed to brighten.


    It wasn''t a guess, he was sure that his uncle was watching the match with interest.


    Certainly waiting for Zack to slip up and accidentally use his powers, giving him the excuse to kill him with the pretext that he hadn''t followed the clan head''s orders.


    Of course, his uncle could have killed him whenever he wished to, but doing so would make his life tough due to political reasons, as such, Zack was still alive and able to fight in the arena.


    "Though I doubt that I will continue from now on," Zack chuckled as he studied Grace carefully.


    The silent beauty was looking at him with no expression on her face¡­ no, there was one, it was subtle, almost unnoticeable, but it looked like she was gazing at Zack with amusement.


    Zack grinned at her, raising his sword over his head, ready to attack.


    ''Fuck, she is so hot. Why do I have to humiliate myself like this? What even is the point? Sure, the wish from the emperor''s family would come in handy, but at this point, I am wondering if it is all worth it. After all, Elysia and the emperor are soon going to clash.''


    His thoughts were interrupted as the emperor raised his hand, and the match began. In the span of a second, Zack buried his foot as deep as he could and charged at Grace.


    Against his better judgment, he felt too frustrated not to use his powers at all, as such, he commanded his blood to flow through his veins faster, making him more of a menace.


    Hoping no one in his family would notice that he was using part of his powers, Zack pressed forward.


    He was distracted for a second, still thinking about his family, as such, he almost missed the golden thread that had appeared in front of him.


    Almost.


    With a grunt, he moved his body, managing to dodge it. But his white pupils widened as he realized that he was surrounded by the threads.


    They were probably about a dozen in front of him, and most likely more behind him. These threads got closer and closer, and in the span of a second, he was about to be caught in them and immobilized.


    "Not that easy!" Zack shouted as he leaped, dodging a section of the threads.


    Gripping the sword with both hands for maximum power, he brought it down as he made his blood run even faster. His strength combined with the effect of gravity managed to tear a few of the golden threads.


    Grace''s eyes widened for a moment in surprise. From her perspective, Zack wasn''t using his powers at all.


    ''Does he not have a class? No, considering that he has reached so far in the tournament, it means that he for sure has. Then why is he not using his powers?''


    This wasn''t the only thing that caught her attention, he was using a clearly expensive sword, but at the same time, it wasn''t one of the sharpest kinds¡­ and yet, he had managed to cut right through some of her golden threads? S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Her eyes sparkled as she breathed in more air and willed for more¡­ far more threads to appear.


    All of them were aimed high, convinced that Zack was still in the air. He should have been trapped, and yet, he saw them.


    This was one of the qualities that he had inherited from his father.


    With his enhanced eyesight, he could not only gauge the strength of a person''s blessing but also perceive things that most humans found difficult to detect.


    Blowing out all the air in his lungs, he made his movements go as low as possible, keeping his center of gravity very close to the ground.


    This action was performed so fast that most of the people watching the match were left in a daze, as they only presented a blur.


    Grace was no different. One moment she was going to catch the man and win the round, and the next, he had somehow managed to pass below the threads.


    And on top of it all, he was still charging at her with full speed, almost like he was unbothered by her threads.


    For a second, Grace''s heart beat faster. She had found an opponent that was not only able to dodge her attacks but he wasn''t even using his class at all.


    She licked her lips, "Use it!" she shouted, "You must have some kind of powers! Use them!"


    At her shouts, she extended her palms to the side and moved all of her ten delicate fingers. Zack had gotten dangerously close to Grace, it was just a few meters that separated them now.


    For a second, he saw a chance of victory, a path to win. But the hope was extinguished a split second later as he saw hundreds of golden threads coming at him from all directions.


    This time there wasn''t a way to dodge them¡ªthey were simply too much.


    "Fuck!" With a silent curse, he raised his sword as high as he could and slashed at the threads using the same tactic as before. Some of the golden threads snapped, but sadly, the momentum of the sword wasn''t enough in the end, and it was stopped.


    A blink later, Zack was caught in the hundreds of threads. Grace looked at him, still with curiosity in her eyes, but in the end, she sighed in disappointment and tightened the threads.


    "In the end, you weren''t that impressive¡­" she muttered, only for a second later to go silent. The threads were burying themselves deep in Zack''s body¡­ and yet, no blood fell¡ªnot even a drop.


    She frowned as she moved her fingers and made the threads tighten even more.


    Zack grunted in pain as he felt the threads going deeper and deeper¡­ and yet, no blood fell out.


    Suddenly, the excitement Grace was feeling returned... tenfold. "...he can''t bleed?... Does he control blood by any chance?"


    She didn''t have much time to think, as one of the observers of the fight called out, "I think that the match is over, Your Majesty!"


    A second later, the emperor sighed. "It indeed seems that it has."


    Hearing the words, Grace made her threads disappear, and Zack collapsed on the ground with a grunt.


    "The winner is Grace!" At the emperor''s words, the audience burst into cheers. They had cheered before, but it was the first time that it had been so loud.


    Not that it was a surprising considering that Grace was the one who took part in the fight.


    "I guess that is as far as I go," Zack muttered in a sarcastic voice as he sat on the ground.


    He was hearing those cheers, but these cheers weren''t for him, so instead, he looked at the ground as he felt the healer get close to him and begin his duty.


    That was until he felt a shadow over him. Shifting his gaze, he saw Grace towering over him, gazing at him with curiosity in her eyes.


    ''Is she here to mock me?'' Zack asked himself. Before he could form another thought, Grace parted her lips as she spoke, extending her arm to him.


    "¡­That was a good fight¡­ even if we know each other''s name, it doesn''t hurt to introduce ourselves again, right? I am Grace."


    Zack watched her for a second or two, then, before a doubt could form in his mind, he grasped her hand. "I am Zack. Nice to meet you."


    At the moment, he seemingly forgot about the fact that he had lost, as there was now another thought in his mind,


    ''Her hand¡­ it''s so soft.''

 Chapter 181 - 181: Crueler Than Demons

    Zaroth released a sigh, it seemed that this was as far as Zack was going to go in the tournament.


    He might have felt bad about it, but that was before he saw Zack''s eyes light up as he spoke with Grace.


    ''No way¡­ did he fall for her?'' Zaroth asked himself.


    A moment later, he shook off his head.


    ''Well, she is¡­ graceful. So, I understand it.''


    Seeing that Zack didn''t feel too bad about his loss, he shifted his gaze to Roran and Lily.


    Roran was massaging his head, while Lily was carefully observing Zack and Grace, who were still in the middle of the arena talking.


    She probably also realized what was going on.


    ''But considering that they are looking so relaxed, I guess I really am the only one that can see it,''


    Zaroth thought as he gazed back at the arena, trying to ignore the monstrosity hovering behind David, staring at him.


    Soon after, David rose up as it was time for his fight. Zaroth leaned forward a bit, ready to gather as much information as possible.


    There was something inside him telling him that David was the biggest threat in the tournament, and considering that he also worked with the emperor, the probability that David was the one Zaroth needed to prevent from winning was high.


    So, he needed as much information as possible.


    But sadly, he couldn''t gather much information at all. As soon as the match started, David moved lighting fast and pierced his opponent''s chest.


    A curse escaped from Zaroth''s mouth as his eyes darkened. It seemed that David was going to be a future problem.


    Trying to think positively, he shifted his gaze to the side, where Zack, after being healed by the medic, had joined them and was sitting next to them.


    By the way his eyes sparkled, despite that he had lost, it was clear that he was in a good mood.


    ''I guess this is what they call being in love,'' Zaroth thought.


    "Okay, don''t keep us waiting¡ªwhat happened between you and Grace?" he asked, gazing at Zack.


    Taking a second or two to hear him due to the loud cheering in the arena, Zack turned his gaze to Zaroth as he answered.


    "I¡­ think I may have scored."


    *****


    "Dad? Are you okay?" Hearing Emily question, the thing that had taken the body of her father glanced at the girl.


    "Of course, why wouldn''t I be?" it answered, managing to perfectly mimic the voice of a normal human.


    "It''s just that you''ve looked rather troubled recently," the girl spoke with a hint of concern in her voice.


    "Troubled?" The thing repeated her words, trying to make it seem as if it didn''t understand what the girl was talking about.


    But in truth, she was correct. After sneaking into the castle and getting so close to the primordial heart, it was forced to retreat with everything it had, and even then, it barely survived.


    After this event, another round was being held today, but it felt like sneaking into the castle again wouldn''t be possible, as they were undoubtedly expecting it now.


    So, it was forced to wait for an opportunity and try to think of some sort of plan.


    And it was harder than it wanted to admit. After all, even if it could more or less act like a human, it wasn''t able to think like one, making it harder to predict the next steps of its foes.


    "It''s late. Go to bed." But this wasn''t something that Emily would understand even if it shared it, so in the end, the thing wished to be left alone.


    The girl looked at her father for a couple of seconds, then sighed in despair and went to her room.


    The thing went back to gazing out the window, watching the way the sun slowly disappeared.


    About an hour later, it was alerted by a noise that came from the girl''s room.


    It rushed to Emily''s room as fast as possible, fearing that someone had found its location, which would mean it would have to flee.


    But a second later, it sighed as it saw that the girl was alone and just muttering in her sleep.


    "Mom¡­"


    By the tears that were falling from her eyes, it was clear that it was a nightmare, but it wasn''t like it could do anything, so it was about to leave.


    That was until it noticed that the girl was holding some kind of a book.


    "Can she read? Even though she is so young?"


    With its interest piqued, it took a step forward and silently snatched the book from the girl''s arms.


    Opening it to where the girl had read, the handwriting was messy and ugly, almost like it was written by a child.


    "She wrote this? Is this her diary or something?" the thing muttered as it began to scan the pages.


    After all, every piece of information that could help it understand humans better was valuable, no matter how it was created or obtained.


    Flipping to the first page, it read,


    Dad has been very angry recently. I don''t know why, but he is almost always screaming and throwing things at me. One of them hit my shoulder, and now it hurts a bit, but I am scared to tell him. I am not sure what he is going to say next.


    The being flipped to the next page.


    I haven''t been feeling well recently, so I asked my dad for help. He began shouting about how useless I am. At the end, I couldn''t stop myself and asked when mom was going to return, as she always took better care of me.


    Since then, I have been locked in my room, unable to go out. I am getting a bit thirsty, considering that two days have passed. I just hope dad could forgive me for making him angry.


    Next page.


    Why can''t I do anything right? Every time I talk to dad, he seems to be getting angrier and angrier. No matter how many drawings I show him, he just yells at me for wasting his time.


    At the beginning, I thought hugging him would make him feel better, but he always shoved me away quite forcefully.


    Now I don''t feel comfortable getting too close to him.


    Next page.


    It seemed that I have found a way to not make him angry. As long as I am quiet and don''t speak to him in any way, he seems happier. I guess the less he sees me, the better. S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The being scanned the next few pages quickly.


    My tummy hurts today, but I am afraid to tell him, so I am just going to wait for it to pass.


    There is this boy in my class that I really liked, but he sadly moved away. I feel sad, and there isn''t anyone that I can talk about this.


    Being home doesn''t feel safe now.


    I miss mom.


    Why is dad like this?


    Some of the writing had been smudged by some type of liquid¡ªwas this tears?


    Nevertheless, the next page looked clearer and more organized, like the child wasn''t writing with teary eyes anymore.


    I don''t know why, but dad changed. He isn''t loud anymore and doesn''t scream at me. He is just more quiet than usual.


    It is like my father is another person.


    I like that change.


    Next page.


    Today I made a mistake, but dad didn''t yell at me at all! He just told me that everything is fine and made me go to school saying that he would clean up the mess.


    ¡­


    Today we went to the park and saw a nest! Then dad lifted me up and¡ª


    The being closed the book and put it back into the girl''s arms, making sure not to wake her up.


    With silent steps, it exited the room. Going to the balcony, it gazed at the surroundings.


    "... being with me is better than being with her dad?" the being muttered under its breath.


    It was a demon, and yet its company was better than her own father?


    Not to mention, who would do something like this to their own child?


    With a sigh, the being took out a cigarette and lit it, feeling it calm its mind.


    The being learned something today.


    At times, humans can be far crueller than demons.

 Chapter 182 - 182: A Vision of Loss

    Sofia sighed and closed her eyes, trying to calm herself down.


    She had managed to win her eleventh round, advancing to the next one.


    And yet, there wasn''t a change in her fa¡ªthe emperor''s behavior towards her.


    It wasn''t surprising, honestly¡­ she was a failed child after all¡­


    Not that she knew what she had to be to be considered a success. Was it just strength, a way of thinking, or something else entirely? Sadly, she, as a failure, was never fated to know.


    She knew that there wasn''t any point in trying to prove herself to the emperor, and yet a small part of her longed for her father''s affection. Was it so bad that she was unwilling to give up to the very end?


    Was it so wrong to want a normal family? One where she could rely on them in hard times and have them rely on her as well? She often wondered what kind of life she would have lived if that had been the case.


    But no matter what she did, the emperor didn''t acknowledge her in the slightest.


    She would never know what a true family was like.


    The tournament was the last chance that she was going to get, and yet¡­


    She clenched her fist in frustration.


    Looking at the board, she saw who her next opponent was going to be.


    "Grace."


    Sofia was no fool, she knew that she didn''t have much chance against the deadly woman,


    She had quite the reputation, after all. And even if half of the rumors were true, then she was truly a menace¡ª


    One that Sofia doubted she would be able to overcome.


    But that didn''t mean that she was going to give up.


    "A week until our fight," she muttered as she headed off to see Vera.


    There wasn''t much for her to do except train, so before she dedicated the time, she wanted to speak with her friend for a bit.


    She was one of the people she considered family. Even if they were just friends, she knew she could place her trust in Vera with her life, should the need arise.


    It didn''t take her long to reach her friend''s house.


    She knocked on the door a few times and waited.


    Soon after, a woman wearing a white mask opened the door.


    Sofia''s eyes immediately darkened in worry as her gaze fell upon her.


    "Vera¡­" Sofia whispered, her voice lingering with concern.


    It wasn''t possible to see Vera''s face, but just the sight of her arms, which had become as white as a ghost, and the fact that she looked lighter, almost like she hadn''t eaten, told the whole story.


    "There is something that I want to tell you," Vera spoke as she leaned on the door frame. Her voice was exhausted and by the way her legs were shaking, it was clear it was taking everything she had just to have this conversation.


    Before she could finish, Sofia embraced her in her arms, for support.


    ''I¡­ wanted to come here to vent my frustration¡­ but it''s not me, it''s my friend who needs support. How can I be so selfish?'' Sofia cursed herself in her mind.


    Despite being surprised by the hug, Vera didn''t pull away.


    "Have the visions become worse?" Sofia asked.


    This was one of the things that no one truly understood about Vera. After all, if one were to tell them they were suffering from terrible visions, they would just play it off, saying it wasn''t that big of a deal and ignore them.


    Most of the general public thought visions were like nightmares and nothing more.


    But they were wrong. Vera was a strong woman, and she had been reduced to this state by her visions alone.


    It was safe to say that visions weren''t nightmares, but a torture instead.


    One that you couldn''t escape, even in your sleep.


    Few things sounded more terrifying than that.


    "¡­If¡­ I do something terrible, will you still be my friend?"


    Sofia''s eyes widened in surprise for a second.


    What was her friend talking about?


    She immediately wanted to reassure her, but as she wasn''t sure herself, she didn''t want to lie to her friend. So, instead, she chose to tell her true feelings.


    "¡­That depends on the thing, I guess¡­"


    After a second, she quickly added, "but I will prevent you from doing that bad thing in the first place."


    Vera chuckled weakly as she heard her friend''s words.


    "¡­You can''t change it. You can''t change fate, Sofia."


    In turn, Sofia frowned. "It''s clear that these visions are making you see things¡­ let go inside. It would be better for you to lie down."


    Sofia attempted to move, but Vera didn''t budge.


    She was momentarily stunned by the sudden display of power that her friend was showing.


    "I have tried, you know? Fate can''t be changed¡­ and yet I will try again, because if I don''t, what happens next would haunt me for the rest of my life, wondering if I could have prevented it."


    Sofia sighed. "What you''re telling me is that to prevent that devastating thing from happening, you have to do something bad?"


    No answer came.


    "What did you see? Can I at least help you somehow change this fate?"


    Hesitating for a second, Vera replied, "Win, win the match against Grace."


    Sofia''s eyes widened for a second. ''I never told her that my next fight was against Grace¡­ wait, win? Does that mean I am destined to lo¡ª''


    "I am sorry," Vera interrupted Sofia''s thoughts.


    Before Sofia could answer back, Vera abruptly turned and went back into her house, shutting the door.


    Left with no choice, Sofia banged on the door a few times.


    No answer came.


    "Shit," with a curse, Sofia began to head to her assigned apartment.


    "Fate¡­ in Vera''s vision, I lose?" she muttered to herself.


    A second later, she tightened her fists. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    If that was true, then she was left with only one choice.


    To make sure Vera''s vision doesn''t come true.

 Chapter 183 - 183: Unyielding

    Holding her sword, Sofia took a deep breath.


    She was in one of the many open areas where one could go to train, but unlike the others, this place was special, as there was one thing here that was hard to find.


    Her gaze shifted to the dummy in front of her, this, unlike the usual ones, was special as it was made of metal and was enchanted with magic. As such, cutting or damaging it in any way, shape, or form was incredibly hard.


    She had to thank the academy she attended. This was one of the privileges of going to the most prestigious one in the whole empire, they had a vast number of these dummies, specially made for students to train on. As such, damaging or even destroying them was not only allowed but encouraged.


    She had a week to prepare for the upcoming fight, and her goal was clear, to cut as many dummies in two as possible.


    Grace¡ªher opponent¡ªused some kind of golden threads to trap and defeat her opponents, so the best countermeasure that Sofia could come up with was to train her attacks to become so powerful that they would be able to cut the threads with ease.


    It wasn''t the most detailed plan, but sadly nothing else came to mind when she thought about how she should prepare.


    Her eyes shined a deeper shade of blue as a few clouds began to form in the sky above.


    Then she dug with her foot so deep in the ground that she cracked it.


    Exploding with impressive speed, she appeared like a blur to the bystanders. One moment she was far from the dummy, and the next she was next to it. Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    In the blink of an eye, her sword moved. From the point of view of the untrained, it might have looked like a regular slash, but it was so much more.


    Every movement, every slightest twist of the muscles, was precise, allowing her to deliver maximum damage.


    Her sword flashed with lightning speed, splitting the air and hitting the dummy.


    A metallic sound echoed around the training field.


    Sofia, acting almost as if it was expected, didn''t let her sword rest for even a second as she used the momentum to attack again.


    Her sword collided with the dummy again, and a second time, it was pushed back.


    Yet Sofia used the momentum again as she attacked with no rest. This time it was faster.


    One time, ten times, a hundred times.


    With each attack, it seemed that the speed of her attacks was only getting faster, delivering more devastating damage.


    After about an hour, she took a step back and glanced at the spot where she had been focusing her attacks.


    There was a small dent in the body of the dummy.


    With a sigh, she muttered, "Okay, this is the limit of my physical strength¡­ let''s see what happens when I use my powers."


    At her words, a few more clouds appeared in the sky as Sofia charged again.


    She wasn''t faster than before, but there was something different about the sword she was holding.


    It seemed like there was a ray of water that was following it.


    The sword hit the dummy, and the same thing happened again¡ªuntil the water flowing along the sword reached the dummy a second later and struck.


    This time, the sound that echoed around the field was much louder than before.


    Sofia threw a quick glance at the sky, searching for the position of the sun.


    "I have a few hours to train¡­ better make use of them."


    *****


    It was the middle of the day when she started her practice, now it was the middle of the night.


    Sofia''s chest rose and fell rapidly as she took hoarse breaths. Every muscle in her body ached with pain.


    Throwing a glance at her palms, she grimaced, they had long since begun to bleed from the strain she had put them under.


    But it was worth it.


    "It split," she muttered as she observed the dummy on the ground.


    Yes, it had taken her many tries, but she had eventually managed to break it in two. The result was ugly, but that didn''t matter, she had managed to achieve her goal.


    Grabbing a bottle, she drank all the water she needed and threw it to the side, adding to the large pile of water bottles she had drunk.


    Her training was done, and she was about to go home and rest, satisfied with her progress.


    That was until she remembered Vera and her words, the way she looked and acted.


    "Fuck," she muttered under her breath as Sofia stood up, grabbed her sword, and approached the next dummy.


    Taking a deep breath, the water surrounded her body once more, ready to strike.


    Vera was tortured from her visions, day and night, and Sofia had promised that she would help her friend.


    So she didn''t have any right to rest, she was going to train until the end.


    That was her thought as she charged at the dummy.


    When morning came, a few people arrived at the training field, only to widen their eyes in shock.


    The field looked absolutely demolished, like a storm had passed through the area just the night before.


    The ground had been torn up, with numerous craters as if they were created by attacks.


    Three dummies were lying on the ground as they had been cut in two,


    And a woman with striking blue eyes and hair was focused on demolishing the fourth one.


    It was truly a sight to behold.


    *****


    "Are you watching Vera?" Sofia muttered to herself as she took a step forward.


    The sound of thousands of conversations happening all around the arena reached her ears. She tried not to react as she felt numerous eyes on her, it was important to remain calm.


    Of course, she tried to ignore the disapproving gaze of her father as well.


    Stopping just before reaching the center, Sofia gazed at her opponent.


    Grace looked as elegant as always. Just from the distance, Sofia was able to tell how strong her opponent truly was. It seemed that the rumors really hadn''t been exaggerated.


    Gripping her sword tight, she got into battle stance. At her actions, it seemed as if a few clouds formed in the sky, and a thin layer of water began to surround her body.


    She had spent the early week training, pushing herself to the absolute limit.


    Was this going to be enough? She asked herself for a moment.


    A second later, she shook off the thought. She was going to win. She was going to make herself believe that, casting all hesitation and doubt away, helping her stay with a clear head.


    Her heart rate increased in anticipation for the upcoming fight.


    She was going to prove to Vera that fate can be changed. She was going to prove to her father that she wasn''t a failure.


    She was going to prove herself.


    Both Grace and Sofia charged at one another as the emperor declared the start of the fight,


    And the audience gasped as, until now, they hadn''t seen a fight of that magnitude.

 Chapter 184 - 184: Edge of Victory

    Sofia dashed with everything she had from the get-go. It was a bad idea giving Grace time to prepare.


    Behind her, several rays of water appeared, all ready to attack in multiple directions. In reply, Grace smiled as she took a step back and willed dozens of golden threads to appear, surrounding Sofia.


    Sofia, not showing even the slightest amount of hesitation or fear, slashed with her sword forwards.


    One of the water rays reached her strike, while the others attacked in proximity.


    Her sword, as well as the water, collided with the golden threads and managed to snap them.


    "Oh?" Grace spoke with a hint of amusement in her voice. It seemed that the unwanted princess had more fight in her than others said was the case.


    "No matter what, I''ll win in the end." Grace flicked her fingers, sending more threads shooting out. At the same time, she started circling the arena, moving quickly to keep her distance.


    Her threads were powerful and hard to control, requiring all ten of her fingers to wield. Because of that, she couldn''t use a weapon or fight up close.


    As such, her strategy was to keep as far away from her opponent as possible, while Sofia''s goal was to close that distance.


    With each step Sofia took, it felt as if the ground couldn''t contain her power, cracks forming with every step she left behind.


    Her legs weren''t the only things moving, however, as her hands moved with blinding speed.


    She was slashing so fast it appeared as a blur to the audience. But just because she was cutting down the dozens of threats in her way didn''t mean she wasn''t using force¡ªin fact, quite the opposite.


    Each attack was so precise that it was a wonder how she managed to keep up with the barrage for so long.


    But she had trained for a long time for this moment, quite intensely at that, so she wasn''t going to be an easy opponent.


    ''Ten left. Twenty right, about a dozen more from the back.'' Sofia''s mind was going into overdrive, trying to keep up with all the threats that were slowly closing in on her.


    If her sword failed to reach the threat, then one of the water rays around her body would shoot forward and snap it.


    "Shit," a quiet curse escaped from her mouth. While these water rays were certainly powerful, it took a lot from her to keep them maintained. It wasn''t just mana, but the moisture from her body was slowly dwindling as well. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Of course, Sofia had drunk multiple liters of water before the start of the fight, so all she could do now was try her best and hope her enemy would tire out before her.


    "This is fun!" Grace shouted as her heart began to beat faster.


    She halted her attacks on Sofia and began to gather the threads, weaving them together as they wrapped around one another.


    One, five, ten, a hundred.


    As the barely perceptible threads began to warp around one another, they visibly grew in size.


    Sofia, taking advantage of the fact that the attacks aimed at her had stopped, closed the distance as much as possible.


    But a second later, she was forced to stop, raising her sword in defense. The giant golden thread that Grace had finished wielding was ready and shot forward at Sofia.


    It shot forward with such speed that it was like it broke through the sound barrier. Colliding with Sofia''s sword, she gritted her teeth as she felt a powerful shockwave pass through her body and was sent back a few meters.


    "If that''s the case, I have a hidden trump card too!" Sofia exclaimed, as the number of water rays surrounding her body doubled, again and again.


    The newly formed dozen water rays converged into one, it resembled a giant wave on dry land.


    Feeling a dangerous amount of mana leave her mana core, Sofia shot forward like an arrow. As the wave wrapped around her sword,


    Aiming to do as much damage as humanly possible, she jumped and slashed with both hands holding the sword tightly.


    Her strength, amplified by the water wave and combined with gravity, struck the giant golden threads.


    A ear-piercing crack was heard around the arena, as the audience was forced to cover their ears to prevent their hearing from being damaged.


    This wasn''t the only action they were forced to do, however, as their eyes squinted before they could even react.


    Once Sofia''s sword collided with the giant threads, numerous water arcs and golden rays exploded in all directions.


    Some of them were aimed directly at the audience.


    Some rose from their seats out of reflex, trying to protect themselves, while others closed their eyes in fear.


    Fortunately, before any of the audience were hit, a magic barrier appeared and stopped all the attacks before they could cause harm.


    "I am not done!" Sofia shouted. Her attack had barely managed to cut through the giant golden thread, but that didn''t mean Grace was done. She began to attack with more threads as usual.


    Sofia could feel that her mana core was close to being completely emptied out, but she hoped that this was the case for Grace as well.


    Pushing past her limit, she forced her body to move despite the pain she was feeling.


    Using everything she had and cutting the threads in her way, she came close to cutting Grace.


    But just before her sword could reach, she was stopped as a few of the threads she had missed wrapped around her leg, preventing her from taking another step.


    "You!" Sofia shouted as she gazed into Grace''s eyes.


    Her opponent looked tired as well, and yet there was one emotion that was easy to make out¡ªexcitement.


    Grace was excited to fight such a strong opponent, being pushed to the limit.


    But in the end, it seemed that she won, as making use of the fact that Sofia had been caught and the water rays around her seemed to have weakened, making them unable to cut her threads, Grace moved and twisted the hand with which Sofia was holding her weapon.


    In protest, Sofia tried to break free with brute force alone, but her strength proved to be lacking as she was still locked in place.


    Taking ragged breaths, Sofia looked around, trying to find a way out of the situation, but it was hopeless.


    Her leg was caught, and her dominant hand that was holding the sword as well.


    With each second that passed, Grace was using more and more threads to keep Sofia in place, and she, in turn, could only grit her teeth as she felt the threads going deep into her skin, causing wounds.


    Not long after, the emperor''s voice rang out, announcing the end of the match and Grace''s victory.


    As soon as the emperor''s words echoed through the arena, the audience erupted into cheers as Grace released her hold on Sofia, who collapsed to the ground, completely spent.


    Grace wasn''t feeling much better, as her mana core had been exhausted so much that it had almost cracked.


    She was forced to go beyond her limit to win the match.


    Taking horse breaths, trying to calm down her beating heart, she gazed at Sofia.


    "Monster," she muttered with a hint of sarcasm.


    Shifting her gaze to the audience, who were cheering her victory, she chuckled quietly. ''And yet I won... I guess I am a monster as well

 Chapter 185 - 185: Brute Force

    This was an impressive fight," Zaroth couldn''t help but exclaim as he glanced at Sofia, who was lying on the ground unconscious, and Grace, who looked like she was barely able to keep standing on her feet.


    It seemed that Sofia was much stronger than he had originally expected. He wondered how he would have fared if he had been matched up against her.


    Her ability to move with incredible speed, combined with her exceptional swordfighting skills, made her a formidable opponent. To make matters worse, she could control these strange water rays that not only enhanced her attacks but also seemed to act on their own, making her a true menace to deal with.


    One thing was certain¡ªhe wouldn''t be able to win easily against her. He''d have to pull out nearly every hidden card up his sleeve, with the exception of Luna.


    But this wasn''t his only concern as he gazed at Grace. Sure, she was clearly spent, but she had displayed extreme mastery over her golden threads.


    Zaroth struggled to imagine how he would win against her. After all, even if he summoned all of his beasts, it would all be meaningless if they were caught in her golden threads, making them immobile.


    He wouldn''t be able to summon Luna, as he was going to keep her a secret for as long as possible, so it would mean that he would be forced to try and catch up to Grace before becoming exhausted. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Would he be able to do that?


    Sure, he was a bit shorter than average, meaning that her threads would have a harder time trapping him, but that wouldn''t work for long. He would still have to somehow reach her while evading dozens, if not hundreds, of threads all around.


    Was his stamina going to last long enough? Did Grace have more skills that she kept hidden, only for when things became truly dire?


    He didn''t have the answer to these questions, which meant that fighting her was not only going to be hard, but he should also expect her to have more tricks up her sleeve.


    He gritted his teeth. In this theoretical fight, while he might have a chance, it wouldn''t be a very high one. He just hoped he wouldn''t be paired up against her.


    With a sigh, he got up from his seat and began to head down. He had made use of the privilege of observing the fights of the others participating in the tournament, learning about what they could do and what they were weak against, but now it was his time to fight.


    *****


    "No matter how many times I step into the arena, it always feels epic," Zaroth muttered as he gazed at the seats that were full of people.


    Not only was he watched live by tens of thousands of people, but probably many more were watching him using the orbs that had been distributed.


    From what he had heard, they were in high demand, as people bought them eagerly. Not only that, but they weren''t nearly as expensive compared to getting tickets to actually watch the tournament live.


    So, it was safe to say that he was watched by over a million people in total.


    How did that make him feel?


    Strangely, he didn''t feel very nervous. It was mostly excitement and disbelief.


    After all, he struggled to imagine a million people, much less all of these people, having their eyes on him, watching with various expressions.


    So he tried not to think too hard about it as he gazed at his opponent.


    This past week, he hadn''t done much when it came to getting stronger. Sure, the training with his friends was as hard as any other day, and training his harmony with his beasts, but that was pretty much it.


    He had begun to hit a plateau when it came to the sparks connected to his mana core, his mana regeneration, capacity, and output as well.


    His body didn''t grow as strong as quickly as before, which was to be expected, after all, one couldn''t progress so fast forever.


    His technique was still lackluster, but he did everything he could to get better, though that took time.


    Midnight didn''t agree to teach him more demonic skills, as according to her, he was still not ready, as their connection hadn''t been strong enough.


    And on top of that, the number of beasts he could command seemed to have reached its limit¡ªfor now.


    So, because his rate of progress had stalled significantly, he was left with no other choice but to study his opponent before the match, as this was the best way to prepare.


    As such, he wasn''t surprised when his gaze fell upon her.


    A very tall woman with short red hair. She had muscles that were a sight to behold, it was obvious that the three years she had spent in the academy hadn''t been wasted, as she had trained to the limit.


    Moving her arm, she grabbed the giant hammer that she was carrying on her back and held it firmly with both hands.


    A single glance was all it took for a person to see how tough the hammer truly was. It was about a meter in width and about two meters in length. It must have weighed a ton, and yet the woman held it like it was no big deal at all.


    Zaroth couldn''t say for certain, even after getting as much insight about his opponent before the fight, but it seemed that her class and blessing gave her a body that was incredibly strong.


    Or in other words, she was the epitome of brute force.


    Zaroth had yet to fight an opponent with that kind of specialty, so he couldn''t help but feel his heart rate increase in anticipation of the fight.


    Taking a step back, he unsheathed the sword that he was carrying on his back with his right hand.


    In his left, he grabbed one of the daggers that he was carrying at his waist.


    From the green liquid that was applied to the weapons, it was clear that he had used Hellweaver''s poison on them before the match started.


    His eyes narrowed as he summoned Nightshade, Silverfang, and the other wolves.


    He was still keeping Hellweaver a secret for when he truly needed it.


    The emperor''s voice was firm as he announced the start of the fight,


    Zaroth almost smiled as his beasts charged towards their enemy.


    What was she going to do now? Use brute force to fight alone, or was she going to use a technique he had yet to see, ruining his plans in the process?


    In response to seeing so many creatures charging toward her at full speed, the woman smiled, as her eyes seemed to sparkle with excitement.


    Raising her giant hammer above her head, she then brought it down, making the entire arena shake with her power alone.


    The ground cracked and exploded by her brute force alone.


    In that moment, Zaroth''s eyes darkened. Just by that swing alone, it was clear that the woman didn''t need to use any kind of technique to fight, after all, her brute force was a terrifying menace on its own.

 Chapter 186 - 186: The Poisoned Blade

    Once her giant hammer collided with the ground of the arena, Zaroth, alongside his beasts, staggered for a moment as a powerful shockwave reached their feet.


    "This is one devastating attack," Zaroth muttered as a menacing smile appeared on his face.


    The red-haired woman, making use of the fact that her enemy, alongside his beasts, had staggered, dug her left foot into the ground and exploded forward.


    Exploded was the right word, as the sheer force from her foot sent shockwaves through the ground, cracking it apart for dozens of meters and hurling debris in every direction.


    The woman was very tall, and so were her legs. Not only that, but coupled with the immense power they held, they allowed her to move with speed comparable to lightning.


    One moment, she was far away from Zaroth and his beasts, and the next, she had already reached one of them.


    Moving the hammer, which looked like it weighed more than a couple of hundred kilograms, as if it were a child''s toy, she attacked the first enemy that was before her.


    Unfortunately for it, the normal wolf was in no way, shape, or form prepared to take the hit, so once the hammer hit it from the side, the beast was sent flying through the air like a ragdoll.


    It moved hundreds of meters in a second and collided with the wall of the arena.


    The ribs on its side had been crushed, and half of the beast''s head had been squashed.


    A large part of its bones had been crumpled multiple times, making it so that the beast had trouble getting up.


    Zaroth gulped audibly. Sure, his beast was undead, so it was fine, but from taking just one strike, it had been reduced to nothing more than a bloody paste.


    Honestly, Zaroth doubted if the beast would be able to get up at all and help in the fight, as the injuries it bore were so heavy that it would be impossible to function unless it got healed in his soul.


    Deciding that it was the smarter plan, he desummoned the beast, allowing it to rest in his soul.


    He didn''t have much time to waste, however, as his opponent wasn''t just going to wait around as he pondered the most optimal strategy.


    She was already upon another of his beasts, ready to go for the kill.


    Thankfully, Silverfang managed to dodge her attack, even if it was just by a hair''s distance.


    The beast pondered in what was going to be the most optimal way of attacking, as it seemed that its master was taking his sweet time to come up with a strategy.


    So, in the end, deciding that it was a bad idea to attack recklessly, the beast took a few steps back, opened its massive jaws, and let out an ear-piercing howl that seemed to shake the earth itself.


    Zaroth''s opponent''s eyes seemed to squint, clearly bothered by the noise, but she managed to move past it.


    She raised her hammer, ready to deliver another attack.


    With a grunt, Zaroth raised his hands and sent two green fireballs toward her.


    They collided with her body, and a second later, vanished, almost as if they hadn''t made any damage at all.


    It seemed that his opponent''s class or blessing not only made her stronger but increased her defense massively as well.


    Nightshade, making use of the fact that the woman was distracted, managed to move behind her and lunge at her neck.


    Her attack was successful, as her fangs found their way into Zaroth''s opponent''s neck, but a moment later, Nightshade''s eyes widened as she realized that her fangs were unable to pierce the woman''s neck at all.


    It was like the beast was biting into metal.


    The red-haired woman moved almost like she wasn''t bothered by the attacks at all.


    She used her hammer to attack Silverfang, making him fly to the side, and with her other hand, she reached behind her back, grabbed Nightshade, and threw her to the side.


    The moment the woman''s eyes locked onto Zaroth, he understood that this was exactly the situation he had been saving Hellweaver for¡ªwhere nothing else was going to work.


    His eyes narrowed again as he summoned the giant spider, and at the same time, charged at the woman with everything he had.


    It definitely wasn''t smart charging an opponent who was so strong at close combat, but he didn''t have much of a choice.


    It was clear that he would soon lose if he didn''t turn the tide of combat in his favor, so the only thing that came to his mind was infecting the woman with Hellweaver''s poison.


    No matter how strong or fast she was, she was surely going to be affected by the poison, giving Zaroth a better chance of winning.


    The woman''s eyes narrowed in surprise for a moment as she saw that Zaroth had more beasts under his command.


    This surprise didn''t last long, however, as she charged at the man.


    His beasts were clearly a problem, so if she managed to defeat their master, the fight would end quickly. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    This was her goal, as she charged with everything she had.


    Zaroth and Hellweaver were equally distant from the woman, so she took a fraction of a second to decide which was smarter to attack.


    In the end, she was forced to attack Hellweaver, as the spider was clearly packing a stronger punch compared to Zaroth''s other beast, and it could prove to be a problem.


    Taking hold of her hammer with both hands, she brought it down onto the spider with as much force as she could.


    Hellweaver was staggered due to the weight of the massive attack, and even though the spider''s exoskeleton bent a little, it still managed to hold.


    Which was good news for Zaroth and bad for his opponent.


    Seeing that Zaroth was about to lunge at her, she let go of her hammer with her right hand and tried to throw a punch toward him.


    She moved so fast that it was clear that he wouldn''t be able to dodge or even parry it, and he was going to be hit full force.


    But before her fist shot forward, its momentum was halted as the remaining three normal wolves that Zaroth had summoned reached her and managed to slow it down.


    Due to the fact that her punch had to go through the wolves, and its momentum had been slowed down, Zaroth managed to dodge the attack, even if it was just by a hair''s margin.


    His eyes shined with excitement as he was now an arm''s way from her, and she was unable to attack as she needed a second to recover from her earlier attack.


    Extending his arm with which he was holding his sword, he brought it down with full force, making use of gravity, just as his opponent had done with all her attacks.


    The sword moved lightning fast and collided with her skin.


    The wound that he had managed to inflict was shallow,


    And yet it was enough as part of the poison that he had covered his sword in entered her system.


    A menacing smile appeared on his face, it seemed that his plan had worked.

 Chapter 187 - 187: Round 12

    The woman''s eyes seemingly darkened as she felt the poison enter her system, in that instance, she knew that she had been poisoned.


    She was fully surrounded by Zaroth and a few of his beasts, not to mention that Silvefang and Nightshade had already gotted on their feet and were charging full force at her.


    With a silent curse, she flexed her legs and jumped backward.


    Zaroth couldn''t stop his mouth from opening in awe.


    Her jump had been so powerful that a shockwave was produced, and he was sent a few meters flying back while she had jumped a dozen meters high into the sky.


    "She has been poisoned and yet she is still so strong?" he couldn''t help but mutter in irritation.


    Sadly, his opponent had turned out to be much stronger than he had originally expected.


    "No matter if I manage to overwhelm her in the end, victory would be mine," coming to that conclusion, he stepped forward, not wasting time to give up the attack.


    Hellweaver rose to its feet as it gazed at the woman who had managed to hurt it despite its strong exoskeleton.


    Nightshade lunged at the target as well.


    Realizing the poison was starting to take its toll, the red-haired woman quickly determined that the best strategy was to focus all her attacks on one of Zaroth''s beasts until it could no longer move.


    Of course, she would''ve preferred if she could get rid of Zaroth from the get-go, but because he was so agile and his beasts were protecting him, it was currently impossible to get rid of the man.


    Having made her choice, the woman charged. Even if she felt the poison in her system slowly robbing her of her strength, she was still terrifyingly fast.


    As such, she managed to reach Silvefang before the beast realized what was going on.


    With one swift motion, she kicked the wolf, sending him high into the sky.


    She wasn''t done, however, gripping her hammer tightly behind her back, she brought it down on the beast, striking with such force that it had no chance to dodge.


    Once the hammer struck the wolf, it seemed that the beast''s eyes exploded.


    This time, unlike before, the beast was midair, meaning all the momentum of her attack hit it without the ground to cushion the blow, amplifying the full force of her strike.


    If the damage to Silvefang wasn''t enough, the beast was sent flying strongly to the ground and hit it, breaking even more of his bones and dealing more fatal wounds.


    Of course, the wolf was fine as it was undead, so he wouldn''t die, but all the damage that he had accrued meant that it would take him a long time to get on his feet, much less attack with any amount of significant strength.


    So, seeing the writing on the wall, Zaroth desummoned his loyal beast.


    It was going to be smarter to supply the beasts that were in condition to fight with mana rather than waiting for the beast to recover.


    Next, Nightshade lunged at the woman with her jaws wide open.


    The woman shifted her gaze to the panther.


    Zaroth, making use of the fact that she wasn''t looking at him, took the chance. Making his body dash as fast as possible, he appeared behind his opponent. S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    In normal circumstances, he would have attacked with his two weapons, targeting the heart and the neck. If his enemy was wearing too thick armor, he would try to melt it with fire breath.


    But in this instance, both of these attacks would be useless.


    While the woman didn''t wear any heavy armor, her skin was incredibly thick, so his fire would probably feel like a pleasant breeze, and his attacks wouldn''t even manage to pierce her at all.


    So he mimicked the way she attacked yet again.


    Rather than having a sword in one hand and a dagger in the other, he returned the dagger to his waist and held his sword firmly with both hands.


    Because he wasn''t sure that even with two hands his attacks would damage her, he attacked vertically, using gravity''s strength to further enhance his strike.


    The red-haired woman''s eyes widened as she felt something move behind her, but couldn''t turn around as she had gotten Nightshade into her arms.


    A quiet grunt escaped from the woman''s mouth as she felt a sword leave a wound on her body.


    Before turning back, she grabbed the jaw of Nightshade with her left hand and her head with her right and flexed her muscles.


    A second later, a disgusting crack sound was heard as the lower jaw of the beast was torn off, bleeding like a fountain.


    Throwing the unable-to-fight beast away from her, she rotated her body as quickly as possible, her eyes squinting for a moment as she felt another attack.


    Seeing that the woman had taken care of Nightshade, Zaroth sighed in regret and desummoned the beast as he made some distance between himself and the woman.


    Even if Nightshade''s lower jaw had been torn off, she could still be useful as she still had claws to damage her opponent, so why had he desummoned her?


    Two reasons.


    First, Nightshade''s bite was stronger than her claws, so her claws wouldn''t do any damage.


    And since her lower jaw had been torn off, her center of gravity was going to be off, meaning she wasn''t going to be very useful when it came to keeping his opponent busy.


    So, deciding it was smarter to preserve his mana, he did.


    "You!" the woman spat in irritation.


    She had now taken three attacks from Zaroth''s sword.


    While yes, the wounds were shallow, they didn''t matter as more and more poison had entered her system, so she was going to be severely weakened.


    Of course, even in her weakened state, Zaroth still didn''t have any chance in one-on-one combat, so he used one of his strength¡ªagility¡ªto keep his distance.


    Quickly understanding what his plan was, the woman was about to charge at him but was stopped as the three normal wolves lunged at her from different sides.


    "You pests!" she shouted as she stomped on one of them, basically splitting the beast in two. At the same time, she extended her arm, grabbed the head of another, and crushed its head.


    And the last one was dealt with soon after, with her kick.


    The beasts were in no condition to move, much less fight, so Zaroth desummoned them.


    At the same time, he did something that went against what his instincts were telling him and charged at the woman with full force.


    The woman''s eyes sparkled. "So, finally decided to fight like a man, huh?!" she shouted as she got hold of her hammer.


    With lighting speed, she brought it down.


    She was poisoned, making her slower, and yet Zaroth barely managed to get his body out of the way, with the exception of his left leg.


    "UGH!" he grunted as he felt his leg being squashed by the weight of the hammer.


    No matter, muscles, nerves, or bones, all was turned to dust from the might of the attack.


    And yet, rather than being in despair, Zaroth locked eyes with the woman, a menacing smile spreading on his face.


    "Who would be foolish enough to fight fairly?"


    Hearing his words, the woman''s eyes narrowed as she realized her mistake.


    But it was too late.


    She staggered back as Hellweaver rammed into her.


    The spider, as big as a horse with a bulkier body, was able to somewhat rival the woman''s strength after she had been weakened.


    Without hesitation, the beast bit the woman, and she screamed in pain.


    Before, the poison had only been a small amount, as it was only Zaroth''s weapons that had been laced with it.


    But what about now? Hellweaver had probably injected close to half a liter of poison into her system in a second.


    The woman opened her mouth as she spat blood.


    In a fit of rage, she rotated her body, getting out of Hellweaver''s grasp, and hit it with her hammer.


    Not once, but several times in quick successions.


    From the force of her powerful attacks, the exoskeleton finally gave way, and Hellweaver was thrown to the side as the beast began to bleed profusely.


    Taking ragged breaths as blood was falling from her eyes, the woman was about to collapse as she needed rest.


    She was exhausted, so she didn''t expect Zaroth to somehow manage to find his way onto her body.


    He wrapped his uninjured leg around her waist and his left arm around her neck.


    He had ditched the sword and had taken out the dagger as he was now too close to use the large blade.


    Focusing his arm to move, he slashed as fast as he could, creating several shallow wounds on her body as more poison entered her system.


    She was exhausted, so it seemed that her skin had become somehow thinner, allowing Zaroth to pierce it.


    The red-haired woman knew that she didn''t have the strength to wield the hammer anymore, so she made her palm into a fist and punched Zaroth in the face.


    Not once, but several times, as fast and hard as she could.


    There was no way he would let go of his own violation after all.


    Zaroth''s vision blurred, his teeth broke, his nose did too, and at some point, so did his skull.


    And yet his arm didn''t stop, no, it attacked even faster and faster. He had become a killing machine at this point, nothing mattered other than his opponent dying.


    In the end, the woman succumbed to the poison and collapsed on the ground.


    Rotating his body so he could see the sky, Zaroth was barely able to hear the words of the emperor announcing his victory and the cheers of the crowd.


    If he had the strength for it, he would have smiled.


    He had advanced to the thirteenth round.

 Chapter 188 - 188: Exams at the Worst Time

    It was a surreal experience. Zaroth was lying on his back as he felt the blood falling from his broken jaw go deep in his throat.


    His mind felt like it had split into multiple parts¡­ most likely due to the fact that his skull had cracked under his opponent''s punches.


    He would have enjoyed the sounds of cheers that were echoing all around the grand arena if he didn''t feel like he was so close to death.


    Zaroth attempted to shift his gaze to the woman that was laying on the ground unconscious next to him, but wasn''t able to as he couldn''t move at all.


    ''She was strong,'' even if he didn''t want to admit it, this was the truth.


    For the first time, he had witnessed a person that was able to counter his beasts.


    After all, he had always thought that since they were dead as long as he had mana, they would be able to keep fighting.


    But today, he realized he had been gravely mistaken.


    Never in a hundred years would he have expected someone to injure his beasts to such an extent, turning them into bloody paste and rendering them utterly useless.


    After all, it didn''t matter if one was immortal if their body had been injured so much that they couldn''t move, was there even a point?


    But honestly, it wasn''t that bad, he had gotten inspired while watching the red-haired woman and how she moved.


    Truth be told, he wanted that kind of strength!


    Just the action of moving her body seemed to crack the ground beneath her feet as she moved with inhuman speed.


    Sure, she was able to produce such force, no doubt due to her class and blessing, but that didn''t mean he couldn''t attain such strength¡ªit was just going to take him a lot of time.


    This wasn''t the only thing. The hammer she wielded was mighty and powerful. He wanted a weapon that could produce such power. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Maybe it was time for him to spend more money on his equipment, as his weapons weren''t cutting it anymore.


    And lastly, martial arts. The woman surprisingly didn''t just use brute force but also displayed a good understanding of martial arts, allowing her to neutralize his beasts quickly.


    As always, even in the worst situations, his mind was always focused on how to get stronger.


    Zaroth''s eyes began to blur, and he felt like he was seconds away from dying.


    Dying in the middle of the arena, after a life-or-death battle, cheered on by tens of thousands. He would have laughed, if he had the strength.


    It was bizarre that he had reached so far.


    Thankfully, it seemed that he wouldn''t die today, as a giant flower suddenly appeared in his vision, and spores began to fall from it.


    It seemed that Sylvia was the healer who was going to tend to him today. He hadn''t really spoken to her much before, only when he needed healing after an intense training session.


    Once he thought of Sylvia, his thoughts naturally shifted to her boss¡ªElysia.


    She was one of the main reasons he was bothered with all that crap to begin with.


    But it would also be a lie if he said that she was the only reason. Sure, he might want to sleep with her, but that didn''t diminish his hunger for dominating the arena.


    At a certain point, he began to feel the desire to win the entire tournament, to beat all the thousands of participants that had joined and to be the last one standing.


    When had this desire entered his head? He wondered.


    But as his eyelids began to feel heavy, he sighed.


    It didn''t matter why. He just knew that winning the tournament was something he desired, so he was going to achieve it even if it was going to kill him.


    He had made a promise after all.


    When he struggled to find a reason to continue living, his mother had given him a goal¡ªto live for his desires.


    So he was going to do it, to the very end.


    *****


    Several hours later, after passing out, he found himself in a infirmary room.


    Sadly, he had missed the other matches, quickly sending a message to his friends. He had managed to confirm that no one from them had lost their rounds.


    The next day, he had recovered completely thanks to the incredibly healer, so he went to the academy.


    Yes, even if he somewhat forgot that he was even in one¡ªdue to the fact that skipping had become a daily occurrence to him, he was still there.


    And sadly, it seemed that he wouldn''t be able to skip any more lectures and would most likely be forced to even study after they were over.


    Why?


    Because apparently, there were going to be a lot of exams in the upcoming weeks.


    ''Really, the tournament is close to its end and you are going to give us so many exams now?!'' he wanted to complain.


    But Luna''s words stopped him.


    He was now going to fight in the 13 round, and there were going to be a total of sixteen participants in total. And most of them were not even in the academy.


    So why wouldn''t the teachers give out the exams now? After all, few were bothered with the tournament anymore, except for watching them.


    So except for him, Lily, and Roran, no one else in the academy was going to be disturbed in any way.


    There may be a few more from this academy who were still in the tournament, but he didn''t count them as they didn''t concern him.


    With a frown, he gazed at the beautiful handwriting of Lily.


    It seemed that he was going to have to copy the things that he had missed and study later once he went back to his assigned apartment.


    The tragedy! To study when he was in the academy. Honestly, he would have rather been in another life-or-death battle.


    Was it normal for an 18-year-old to prefer fighting to the death rather than studying?


    Most likely not, but it wasn''t like he was a normal person to begin with.


    Scowling at himself for getting distracted again, he gazed at the notebook and began to read.


    With so much time spent studying ahead of him, he had no doubt that the next round would arrive before he knew it.


    This thought at least motivated him to keep reading.

 Chapter 189 - 189: A Moment of Clarity

    "Is there something wrong with you? It isn''t really that hard to sit down and focus on your studies," Luna exclaimed as she rested her back against the chair.


    Her hand was moving in calm, slow motions as she patted Nightshade on the head. It was clear that the panther was her favorite beast to play with.


    "The problem is that this doesn''t make me stronger!" Zaroth complained.


    Rather than doing something productive with his time, he was forced to sit on his ass staring at the book, trying to remember the information.


    "Is that so?" Luna asked with a hint of amusement in her voice.


    Without saying anything else, she got up and went to the kitchen.


    Two minutes later, Zaroth was distracted as the pleasant aroma of coffee reached his nostrils.


    With an elegant gesture, Luna placed the cup in front of him.


    Zaroth hesitated for a second, it was already in the middle of the night, meaning that if he drank from the cup, he wouldn''t be able to sleep until the next night.


    "Fuck it," with a silent curse, he grabbed the handle of the cup and brought it to his mouth.


    His eyes widened in shock. It wasn''t because the effect of the coffee, it was because it tasted heavenly.


    He couldn''t stop himself from shifting his gaze to Luna, who had returned to her chair and was looking at him with a smug expression.


    Just by the look on her face, it was clear she knew she had brewed an exceptionally delicious cup of coffee.


    ''When did she become so good at making coffee?'' he asked himself.


    ''Not only that, but the food she cooks seems to be getting better and better. She is clearly getting more accustomed to acting like a human.''


    At that moment, as he enjoyed the pleasant taste of the coffee, his mind got a second of rest, and it immediately focused on the mysterious woman in front of him.


    What did he know about Luna, actually? He asked himself, only to realize that it wasn''t much.


    She was a dragon that he had resurrected and tamed.


    She had previously been slain by someone that the Crimson Sun Empire considered a hero, and she wanted to kill the gods.


    That was all he knew. What had she done when she was alive? What was the reason for her grudge against the gods?


    After all, from his understanding, a human had killed her, not a god. Then following that logic, shouldn''t that mean that she would want the hero to be killed and not the gods?


    He wanted to ask her. He wanted to learn more about her. But something deep in his soul stopped him.


    She hadn''t asked much about his past, so he hadn''t asked her. It was a mutual relationship.


    Would he want to risk harming that relationship by asking about her past?


    Even if he was her master, he couldn''t help but feel indebted to her. After all, she was the only reason that he was alive. If it wasn''t for her, on that day, he would have been sacrificed in the name of the gods.


    She was also clearly manipulating him, with her body, so he would become obsessed with acquiring more power. He wasn''t an idiot, so he had realized that fact long ago.


    But¡­ in truth, was it that bad? Sure, he was being manipulated by her, as well as Elysia, and as well as many more people, but thanks to their actions, he was so focused on acquiring strength.


    At these moments, when he doubted himself, when he doubted whether there was a point in doing what he was doing, there always seemed to be somebody that would push him forward with some kind of promise of a reward.


    While one could say that their intentions were questionable, as well as their methods, only the end result mattered.


    He was benefiting from it, so he wouldn''t put a stop to it.


    "I think I understand you a bit better now."


    Hearing Luna''s exclamation, he raised an eyebrow.


    "What do you mean?" he asked with a hint of skepticism in his voice.


    "You want strength, which is good. One could say that you have even become obsessed with gaining it, which is excellent, but thanks to that, you have become impatient."


    She stopped for a second, most likely for dramatic effect. "In other words, if you aren''t doing something to acquire power, you feel like you are wasting your time and try to push away everything unnecessary."


    "It''s not that bad," Zaroth retorted.


    Luna raised an eyebrow as her gaze shifted to his left leg, bouncing up and down in restless, frantic motions.


    "If that is the case, why are you so nervous right now?" she asked as she gazed into his eyes.


    "Because of the coffee! The answer should be obvious!" he answered back with a hint of aggression.


    With a scoff, she got up from the chair and walked over to him.


    "Coffee doesn''t work that fast. It takes time for you to feel the effects of it, not to mention your leg has been acting like this for a long time before you drank the coffee. You''re just too nervous to realize it."


    Hearing her words, Zaroth doubted himself. ''Am I really that nervous?''


    Shaking the thought off, he glanced at her towering figure. "Still, it''s only natural. I''m wasting my time. There''s so much I need to do, but instead of doing it, I''m stuck studying. Of course, I''ll be nervous!"


    With a sigh, Luna got behind him and put her hand on his head, making his white hair messy.


    "If you don''t take a moment to stop, you''ll end up making mistakes. To prove I''m right, how many things do you think you should be doing?"


    Accepting the challenge and wanting to prove that he was indeed fine, he began.


    "First, I want to speak with Zack and find out what the deal with Grace is. Second, to get stronger, I need to meditate and connect more sparks to my mana core. Also, I need to keep my beasts summoned for an extended period of time to train it. I have to train my proficiency with weapons, maybe learn some martial arts. Additionally, to strengthen my demonic skills, I need to kill strong humans to improve my mastery of these skills."


    "What about getting stronger weapons? What about evolving your beasts to the next tier? Did you even think about getting stronger armor as well? Shouldn''t you also gather more information on Destiny, who somehow seems able to perfectly disguise as a beast?"


    Moving her body closer, she embraced him from behind as her breasts pressed against the back of his head. "Also, you wanted to learn more about the runes and the elves. Not to mention, you need more information on the emperor, David and the salesman. And this is just a fraction of the things that you should be doing."


    Hearing her words, Zaroth''s eyes widened for a moment. He had indeed forgotten some of these tasks, and being reminded of them all in such rapid succession gave him a headache.


    "See? You are thinking about too many things and forgetting some along the way. Your body is getting stronger, as well as your soul, but your mind is under heavy load. So if you want to not burn out, I suggest you take a breather from time to time."


    Taking a step back and releasing him, she spoke calmly, "Your body can be healed, your soul is protected by me to an extent, but your mind is yours alone. If it breaks, there''s no mending it."


    Truthfully, he wanted to retort, but Luna was right. He was thinking about so many things at once that he couldn''t focus on the present, meaning he could make careless mistakes along the way.


    There was no need for more talking as Luna saw Zaroth had understood her point. As such, she went back to playing with Nightshade. S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Putting the book on the table, Zaroth gazed at the ceiling.


    He tried to force his mind to focus on something else, but found it nearly impossible. It felt like with every passing second, he was overwhelmed by all the different things he still had to do.


    "Things may be worse than I thought," he muttered under his breath.


    His thoughts were interrupted as he felt something nudge his side.


    There, Silverfang was looking at him with expectation in his eyes.


    It seemed that he had gotten jealous about Luna only playing with Nightshade and wanted some company as well.


    With a sigh, Zaroth put his hand over the beast''s head.


    "Relax, huh? Well¡­ it''s not a bad idea to try it."

 Chapter 190 - 190: Clearing the Mind

    Zaroth was going to take the advice of Luna, so rather than overthinking everything, he would enjoy his time in the academy as a student was supposed to.


    After all, he was just a single man. It wasn''t like if he didn''t consider every little thing, the world was going to collapse or something.


    "So how is it going?" Zaroth, as well as his friends, were seated in the front row, waiting for the first lecture to start. As such, he made use of the moment and asked Zack.


    Zack, in turn, scratched the back of his head awkwardly. He, of course, knew what Zaroth was asking him about, how was it going with Grace.


    After his loss in the tournament against her, it seemed that she got somewhat interested in him, and as such, made the initiative to start a conversation.


    Everything after that was a mystery, so Zaroth wanted to learn more about what was happening in his friend life.


    Zack parted his lips as he spoke, there was a hint of embarrassment in his voice. "...Yesterday, I was on a date."


    Hearing his words, Lily moved her hair away from her ear. She wasn''t going to interrupt but was going to enjoy the gossip with certainty.


    Roran didn''t shift his gaze from Zack as he too seemed to be interested in what he was going to say.


    "I think it went well? I''m not sure, but from the looks of it, she enjoyed her time," Zack said as a smile appeared on his face. It was like he had forgotten for a moment that his family was hunting him down.


    Zaroth scratched his chin for a second, deep in thought.


    It seemed that Zack was likely going to start dating Grace. While that would be great news, it also posed a potential problem.


    If Zaroth and Grace were paired to fight one another in the tournament, it could get a bit awkward.


    How would Zack feel if his friend fought against his girlfriend? Would he just not take sides, or would he support one over the other?


    But this was only if both of them won their matches, so Zaroth decided he wasn''t going to think much about it.


    The decision to follow Luna''s advice and clear his mind had already been made, so he wasn''t going to burden himself with unnecessary thoughts for the moment.


    If one were to focus too much on ''what if,'' they would forget about the present.


    He was satisfied with Zack''s answer, so he didn''t ask more questions. From the looks of it, Roran was as well.


    This frustrated Lily to no end, so unable to contain herself anymore, she asked,


    "Went well? That is not enough information! Tell us more, what happened exactly!"


    Hearing his girlfriend ask so many questions, Roran massaged his forehead.


    It seemed that she really was interested in romance.


    *****


    After the lectures were over, all of them headed to the library to study. Zaroth was behind on some of the things, so he had to catch up.


    There, they met with Midnight and spent their time there until the library closed down.


    At that point, if he wanted to make the most of his time, Zaroth would have gone and scouted the whole capital for subtle weapons, or maybe he would have gone to the beast arena and tried to find this ''Destiny'' person.


    Perhaps he could have searched for a place where he could learn some martial arts.


    However, focusing on finding the perfect solution for too long often made him feel like it would eventually burn him out. So, he decided to go out with his friends and relax at the bar instead.


    Unlike the last times, nothing noteworthy happened. There wasn''t a gang that was going to threaten them, nor did they drink so much that they found themselves in an unsafe place the next day.


    The night was simply relaxing and peaceful.


    Zaroth, at the beginning, had been stressed, but eventually, thanks to the alcohol or maybe the pleasant company, or maybe all of these combined, he was able to take a breather and enjoy himself.


    There were no issues with him going home as well.


    Once he did, he collapsed on his bed and slept peacefully.


    It seemed that when one stopped worrying about unnecessary things, sleep came easily.


    The next few days were spent just like a student would have. He got up, got ready, and attended the academy.


    He listened intensely, trying to absorb as much information as he could.


    The teachers, especially Elysia, noticed that change and began to treat him better, almost like they were showing him some respect due to the clear effort he was putting in.


    ''Wow, I guess you can be a good student if you try,'' Luna, of course, didn''t miss the chance to tease him from time to time.


    Once the lectures were over, he would study with his friends, maybe even go out later with them, and once that was done, he would come back at his apartment and rest.


    These were truly peaceful days.


    ''I have to admit, but Luna was right, my mind doesn''t feel like it is under too much stress anymore. It''s like I can think more clearly.''


    The week passed pretty much in a flash. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Tomorrow is the next round," Zaroth muttered as he gazed at the clear sky.


    He was in the park, enjoying the clear air. It was, in a way, allowing him to prepare better for tomorrow''s fight.


    "This week was pleasant. It''s surprising that nothing noteworthy happened at all. I guess I really don''t have to worry about so many things all the time."


    The moment was interrupted, however, as he heard a voice.


    "Hello, can we talk for a moment?"


    Shifting his gaze, he saw a petite woman with shoulder-length blonde hair. Her face was covered by a white mask, and she was carrying a staff in her right hand.


    Even if he hadn''t spoken to her before, he knew who she was¡ªVera.


    ''Why would she want to speak with me all of a sudden?'' he wondered.


    Taking a second to answer, he put on a pleasant smile as he spoke,


    "Sure, what is it about?"


    Seeing that he was willing to hear her out, Vera let out a quiet sigh of relief, nodded, and sat next to him on the bench.


    Her body trembled a bit against her will, but she forced herself to stay seated on the bench.


    Taking a few seconds to gather her courage, she parted her lips and began to speak.


    At that moment, it seemed like the wind, which had been playing with the trees and the grass, had died down. Their surroundings went deadly silent, making it appear as if they were the only ones in the vast emptiness.


    The more she spoke, the grimmer and more serious Zaroth''s expression became.


    By the end, his smile was gone, along with his good mood. His eyes narrowed like a hunter''s as his mind began to work in overdrive.


    In that moment, he was glad he had decided to rest this week, because if what she''d said was true, he wouldn''t get another chance anytime soon.

 Chapter 191 - 191: The Spectral Warning

    "Thirteenth round, sixteen participants, eight matches," Draconis muttered as he gazed down at the arena.


    While the participants were getting fewer and fewer, the hype was only getting stronger.


    Each fighter that had managed to reach so far was at the peak compared to the others'' students in the empire.


    Yes, there were many powerful individuals in their thirties and beyond who could easily defeat most students, regardless of whether they attended the most prestigious or the least prestigious academy in the empire. However, that was precisely what made the tournament so popular.


    Not only were the seats always filled, but millions of orbs were sold all across the empire.


    No, not just in the empire, but across the entire world. This was one of the empire''s goals¡ªto have the whole world watching these fights, witnessing the might of these students.


    These students displayed such incredible raw power and control over their abilities, and yet, they were just students.


    This was what most of the watchers of the fight would think, and naturally, they would ask themselves,


    ''What about the many more powerful individuals in the empire? How strong are they really?''


    ''If these students are that strong, then surely the empire must have a lot of individuals who are much more menacing than just these students.''


    Not only that, but this grand tournament was taking place at the same time the Draconian Empire was at war with the Crimson Sun Empire. They were pulling so many resources to make the tournament possible, yet they hadn''t lost much land in the war.


    In a way, that was humiliating for their enemy. The Draconian Empire didn''t seem to be struggling in the war, as they could afford to hold the grand tournament, while the Crimson Sun Empire was desperately trying to reclaim their princess.


    This way, the Draconian population''s trust in the emperor only rose with each passing day.


    "Everything is going as planned for now," Draconis sighed as he gazed at the two people who were going to fight first in the round.


    His gaze was focused on the person that he was expecting to win¡ªDavid. He was one of the pieces that he needed if he wanted his plan to come to fruition.


    There was no doubt in his mind that David would be able to win the tournament¡­


    But there was another emotion as he gazed at David''s enemy¡ªa woman named Lily.


    That emotion was uncertainty. Why did he feel like he knew this woman? It reminded him of something, but he couldn''t quite put his finger on it.


    Not only that, but it seemed like if he wasn''t solely focused on these thoughts, he was going to forget them, like they were never there to begin with.


    That thought angered him to some extent, he was usually the one who messed with people''s heads, not the one being messed with.


    Shaking his head, he cursed silently as he stood up.


    He was the emperor, after all, and as such, he was going to have to announce the start of the fight.


    *****


    "She doesn''t look strong at all," David muttered as he gazed at his opponent¡ªLily.


    He was confident in his win, yet despite that, he had prepared as much as he could, trying to gather information about his opponent. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    She was able to use the elements to a pretty menacing degree and was proficient in fighting up close as well, thanks to her martial arts skills.


    "I can see why she has reached so far in the tournament, but before me it would all be meaningless, isn''t that right, you fuck?" David spoke proudly as he shifted his gaze behind for a moment.


    There was the source of his power and, at the same time, the reason for his torment¡ªthe Spectral Warden. While the cursed thing did indeed grant him unimaginable strength, it came at the cost of being incredibly annoying.


    No, annoying wasn''t the right word. The Spectral Warden was clearly trying to drive David insane.


    It didn''t miss any chance it got to either insult him or try to plant certain emotions in his mind.


    David, having lived with the thing for so many years, was able to, to an extent, ignore its provocations and more or less knew how it thought and what it was going to say.


    In short, the Spectral Warden was a proud and ignorant fuck who didn''t know when to keep his mouth shut, but it granted David unimaginable power. There was a reason the emperor was interested in him after all.


    Which was the reason David spoke to the creature now.


    It was silent, which was rare.


    Usually, it would either try to influence David to kill his opponent as brutally as possible or make him think that he didn''t have a chance against them.


    And yet, it didn''t bother to do it this round.


    It hadn''t opened its cursed mouth to utter a single insult.


    Something was clearly wrong.


    With a frown, David turned back and looked at the Spectral Warden. The thing and its three hollow eyes were locked in front of it.


    And there was only one thing in front of David¡ªLily.


    "What is it?" David asked with irritation in his voice.


    Even if it was rare, every single time the Spectral Warden acted differently from how it should have, it meant that there was trouble on the horizon.


    After several seconds of silence, the Spectral Warden spoke,


    "Danger."


    "Danger?" David repeated as he raised an eyebrow.


    Was the thing talking about Lily? Yes, she might be a bit stronger than the others, but that didn''t mean the Spectral Warden should have warned David about danger.


    "What is so dangerous?" David asked. His eyes were now locked onto his opponent. He disliked maybe even hated the Spectral Warden, but that didn''t mean he didn''t take its warnings seriously.


    "Danger" the Spectral Warden repeated. For the first time, it seemed like there was a hint of emotion in its voice.


    Was it excitement? No, it was something else¡ªfear. The Spectral Warden, the cursed thing, was scared.


    David grimaced. It seemed that the Spectral Warden was serious. If that was the case, he should prepare to dash toward Lily with everything he had.


    The best strategy against the unknown was to kill without asking questions. If she really was that dangerous, she needed to be dealt with as soon as possible.


    That was what David thought until he felt a hand on his shoulder.


    "Do not kill. You will trigger it," the Spectral Warden warned.


    "Trigger it? What does that mean? Then what should I do?" David asked, now clearly getting confused.


    "I don''t know. It erased my memories before I could form a concrete plan against it, overwhelm her, but do not kill her. No matter what, do not kill her. As long as she isn''t in grave danger, it shouldn''t come out... hopefully."


    David wanted to ask more questions, but at that moment, the emperor announced the start of the fight.


    So, David, left with no choice, gritted his teeth and charged forward.


    He had never been in a fight where he had to somehow keep his opponent alive and not kill them.


    This was going to be one tough fight.

 Chapter 192 - 192: The Unseen Strength

    It seemed that the first fight of the thirteenth round was going to be between Lily and David.


    Zaroth leaned forward as he gazed at the two of them.


    He knew that Lily was hiding her true strength. Would she decide to unleash it? Considering that her opponent was David, it was a possibility.


    Maybe Zaroth would finally see what David was truly capable of, after all the matches he had observed, ended in the blink of an eye.


    The emperor would signal the start of the fight, and David would move lightning-fast, appearing like a blur, only to appear a fraction of a second later next to his opponent


    Usually, they were either dead or by death''s door,


    And all of this would take no more than a second. Before the audience even realized that the fight had started, it had basically ended, which meant that there were rarely cheers for David as the fight had been too boring.


    Zaroth certainly hoped that things were going to be different this time, as the man was paired against Lily.


    He shifted his gaze to the side as his eyes landed on Roran. He was watching with an emotionless expression, or at least, that was how it would appear to people who didn''t know him very well. But Zaroth knew that at that moment, Roran was worried.


    Sadly, Zack wasn''t with them as he was no longer in the tournament and wasn''t seated where the participants sat.


    With a sigh, Zaroth leaned back in his chair as he focused his eyesight.


    He had to get as much information about David as possible!


    His eyes darkened for a moment as he remembered his conversation with Vera yesterday.


    If what he had been told was true...


    "For fuck''s sake, focus!" he cursed at himself.


    A second later, he held his breath as both David and Lily charged at one another.


    *****


    Despite charging at the moment, David didn''t feel the confidence he was feeling just a few moments ago.


    Usually, the voice that stayed behind him only wanted to either make him more insane by giving him the idea to kill his opponent, or to make him believe that he wouldn''t be able to win.


    And yet, rather than doing those things, it had warned him?


    Saying that the woman was dangerous?


    David could hardly believe it. Yes, the woman was clearly strong, but not to the extent that she would be able to threaten him in any sort of way.


    ''It said that I shouldn''t kill, as I am going to trigger ''it'', whatever that is.''


    With a sigh, David''s eyes began to shine a deeper shade of purple as he increased his speed.


    ''If that is the case, I will simply have to overwhelm her while making sure to harm her as little as possible.''


    This was the most logical plan David could have come up with, given the current information.


    The next moment, several ice pillars formed around Lily as she abruptly changed the direction she was running in, changing it to the side.


    At the same time, the three ice pillars she had created shot forward toward David.


    Seeing the ice pillars fly toward him, David grimaced.


    While the Spectral Warden did indeed supply him with unique power, that didn''t mean that he liked using it.


    On the contrary, in fact, each and every time he used it, it was like the Spectral Warden was getting bolder and bolder, speaking with more intensity in its voice, trying to influence David''s actions even more.


    He would have avoided using it if possible, but he had to be careful not to injure his opponent too much. As such, he was left with no choice.


    The ice pillars soared through the air, faster than an arrow, and the three of them hit his body.


    And then they bounced back as their tips had been cracked due to the heavy pressure.


    A few gasps were heard around the grand arena.


    While David had reached far in the tournament, this was the first time he was fighting for long enough for the audience to get a grasp of his abilities.


    Once they did, they were left stunned.


    Not only was the man able to move frightfully fast, but Lily''s ice pillar attack that she had used numerous times up until now in the tournament had bounced off his armor-less body like it was made from rock.


    Just what kind of class and blessing did that man have?


    Watching the fight from his throne high up, the emperor flashed a smile.


    He had made the correct decision to want to make the young man part of his family by marrying his daughter ¡ª his masterpiece to him.


    The two of them would surely make a perfect pair.


    Back to the fight, Lily saw that her ice pillars didn''t manage to do any damage, and gritted her teeth.


    She made the ground below her feet rise high into the sky, and at the same time, sent a few thunder spells toward David.


    ''He might have blocked the ice pillars, but what about the lightning? They don''t have physical form, and they can''t bounce off, so once they hit, he would surely be hurt!'' This was Lily''s thought pattern.


    In fact, she was so sure that she was right that she prepared herself to fire at the place where David was surely going to dodge to.


    But a second later, she was left stunned as David simply walked forward and took the lightning head-on.


    They collided with his body and dispersed almost like they hadn''t existed in the first place.


    At that moment, David''s eyes seemingly began to shine even brighter as he sped up even more.


    With a silent curse, Lily raised several walls from the ground, hoping to buy herself some time to think, but her opponent simply walked right through them.


    Seeing that the man was basically in front of her, Lily cursed, "Goddammit!"


    There was no point in running away, so she was left with no other option but to fight in close combat.


    Moving as fast as possible, she lowered her center of gravity, preparing to strike him in the liver with her fist. Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    At the same time, numerous spells of all kinds ¡ª fireballs, ice pillars, lightnings, and more ¡ª materialized around them and flew right toward David.


    It seemed that the man was too slow to react in time, as such, Lily''s fist reached where David''s liver was supposed to be.


    A moment later, her eyes widened as her fist made contact, only to be forcefully pushed back by what felt like a shockwave.


    At the same time, the spells collided with David from numerous sides.


    And yet, looking spotless, David moved so fast he appeared like a blur, appearing behind Lily''s back and hit her neck.


    Lily had trained her body to an extent, but the neck was a part she rarely focused on, and as a result, her consciousness slipped as she collapsed


    "And the winner is David!"


    Hearing the words of the emperor, the audience got up on their legs and cheered.


    This was the first time that David was being cheered on.


    And yet there was no joy on his face,


    "This was easy," he muttered as his gaze was still locked on Lily''s body.


    Lying unconscious on the ground, she seemed like a completely normal woman, with nothing seeming out of the ordinary.


    "This was easy," he repeated as he stared at the hand that he had used to knock her out.


    It was trembling, from fear.


    The fight had been so easy, and yet he was trembling?


    There was sweat on his forehead, and his stomach ached with agonizing pain. His heart rate had increased significantly.


    His instincts were telling him to run, no matter what. He had to get as far away as possible for safety.


    "... It appeared that the fucker was right after all," he spoke as he hurriedly made his exit.


    At that moment, he was glad that he had listened to the Spectral Warden''s words.


    He had spent a lot of time training and fighting dangerous people, and one thing he had learned over time was that, when in doubt, always listen to your instincts.


    Because if he hadn''t¡­ if he had killed the woman or at least injured her severely¡­


    He was sure he would already be dead.

 Chapter 193 - 193: The Metal Clash

    Zaroth watched the arena with a serious expression. This was the first time he had seen a fight involving David that didn''t end in mere seconds.


    With a frown, he began to summarize what he had seen,


    "He is able to move very fast, though I am not sure if it is for a prolonged period of time or only for a short while. Furthermore, it seemed like no matter what attacks he takes are nullified, no matter if they are elemental or physical. "


    "Also, the fact that he made Lily pass out with a single chop behind the neck demonstrates that he most likely is proficient in using some kind of martial art, or at least knows where to strike."


    While this information was clearly helpful, Zaroth was still far from having a deeper understanding of how David''s powers worked. Hopefully, he was going to learn more before he was paired up against him.


    Shifting his gaze, Zaroth studied Roran''s expression, how was the man going to react to seeing his girlfriend lose the match?


    ''He is taking it better than I expected,'' Zaroth thought.


    While Roran looked a bit on edge, it seemed that the man wasn''t that worried.


    Was it because he had seen that Lily hadn''t taken much damage, or was he just confident that she would be fine no matter what?


    Sadly, Zaroth didn''t have much time to ponder, as the next match was his. sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    With a sigh of regret, he got up.


    Right now, only the best among the best participants had remained, meaning each battle he fought from now on was going to be harder and harder.


    And yet, he didn''t feel that nervous. Even if this week he didn''t really gain that much strength, his mind was clearer than normal, so he was confident he would be able to come up with a strategy to beat his opponent no matter how strong they were.


    *****


    Standing in the arena, Zaroth gazed at the audience for a bit. As always, the seats were overflowing, no doubt the emperor had gained a large sum of money by selling tickets to see the fights.


    There was also a small white globe levitating with a black dot pointing at the center of the arena.


    Zaroth knew where to look because Zack had informed him about the device that recorded the fights the orbs were projecting.


    He threw a quick glance at the emperor''s family as well, or rather than looking at them as a whole, he focused on one individual specifically¡ªAlthea.


    He cursed that moronic emperor''s family for placing her so far back, almost hiding her from view. As a result, he could barely enjoy the scenery.


    ''... When I win the tournament, I will have a wish granted by the emperor''s family.'' His mind began to drift.


    He had a few minutes to think before the fight started, and he intended to make full use of them.


    ''It would be a waste wishing for money, as I can technically get it by betting. And it has to be something that is easily given. After all, I have a feeling Elysia would soon make a move against the emperor.''


    In fact, Zaroth already knew that the wish was going to concern Althea in some way.


    Sadly, she was a queen, so Zaroth doubted he could simply wish for her to leave the emperor''s side and come with him. The emperor might see it as an insult to his name and use it as an excuse to arrest him.


    There had to be a limit to what one could wish for, after all.


    Or else, Zaroth could simply wish to become the emperor.


    No, in the first place, even if he could just wish for Althea, would it even be the right thing to do?


    Zaroth, of course, wasn''t talking about the moral dilemma, but something else.


    If Althea gets with him just because of his wish, wouldn''t that defeat the whole purpose?


    After all, she would be just getting with him because she doesn''t have a choice.


    And Zaroth didn''t want that, he wanted Althea to come to him out of her own volition.


    To do that, he would have to make her fall for him, and the best way to do that is to use the wish he would be granted in such a way as to leave a strong impression, making her desire him.


    That was his goal. The only thing missing from that plan was, what is the smartest way to use the wish?


    "I have time to think about that," Zaroth muttered as he gazed at his opponent.


    Even if he had taken the week easy, he at least decided to learn what kind of things his opponent was able to do and their abilities.


    As such, he wasn''t surprised when he saw that the man in front of him had white hair, just like him.


    The capital was vast, after all, so it was only a matter of time until Zaroth''s gaze would fall on somebody that had the same hair color as him. It was just strange that it had to happen in the arena.


    Fate surely worked in strange ways.


    "Well, let''s see what you got," Zaroth spoke with a smile as he cracked his neck, getting ready to fight.


    Unlike all his previous fights, Zaroth was unarmed this time.


    Why?


    Because of the nasty power of his opponent, Metal Shifting.


    His opponent was able to manipulate all kinds of metal¡ªreshaping them, making them fly, or turning them into liquid.


    Zaroth was going to be a fool if he brought weapons to this fight.


    After all, his opponent could just use the metal from which his weapons were made and turn them into liquid form to attack Zaroth.


    In contrast to Zaroth being unarmed, his opponent was armed to the teeth.


    The man wore very heavy metal armor, a giant shield in one hand, and numerous weapons on his back.


    Though Zaroth suspected that once the fight started, the man would turn them all into liquid to make them more efficient for use, as moving with so many weapons would slow him down too much.


    As soon as the emperor announced the start of the fight, the audience cheered.


    Zaroth''s eyes shined, and all of his beasts¡ªexcluding Luna, of course¡ªappeared next to him.


    His opponent casually dropped all the weapons on the ground, and a second later, they turned into liquid that embraced his body.


    From his observations, Zaroth realized that while his opponent could manipulate metal, he first needed to acquire it. This meant he could only control the metal he had brought into the fight.


    The man couldn''t just make the metal appear out of thin air.


    Without saying anything, Zaroth made his beasts charge at the man, while he was going to stay back and assault his opponent from afar with fireballs and firebreaths.


    His plan was to exhaust his opponent''s mana and then go for the killing blow.


    After all, Zaroth wasn''t arrogant. He knew that as long as the liquefied metal was around his opponent''s body, a lethal attack was impossible, as the metal could simply be moved to block the attack.


    Zaroth''s thirteenth round had begun.

 Chapter 194 - 194: A Test of Steel and Will

    It could sound pretentious, but in truth, Zaroth was thankful for the emperor. He was thankful that he was able to take part in the tournament.


    The world was a vast place, after all. There were billions of different people all around the world, each with their own distinct powers and styles.


    If Zaroth wanted to gain more battle experience, his only option was to go out and find people that were willing to fight him.


    This could not only prove troublesome to do, but it was also dangerous as well. One could never know if the person in front of him was actually amazingly powerful and was just hiding their own strength.


    But here? The chances of dying were minimal, as there were observers ready to stop the fight if it got too heated, and there were healers on standby in case of emergencies. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    So Zaroth could just fight, forget about everything else, and give it his all. With each fight, he was gaining experience, learning new ways to counter his opponents, and discovering where his weak and strong points were.


    This was important, as he desired strength, and the most efficient way to gain it was by participating in real battles with risk involved. If one wanted to grow, they couldn''t remain comfortable for too long.


    Discomfort, even if it was unpleasant in the moment, would benefit him tremendously in the long run.


    So he was thankful to the emperor for organizing the tournament. Zaroth had no doubt the man had ill intentions, but that didn''t matter as long as he benefited from it.


    The first one to reach Zaroth''s opponent was Silverfang, opening his massive jaws with two sets of teeth and was about to bite.


    The man in turn made the liquid that was around his body flow to his right hand, and just before Silverfang''s fangs were about to sink into his flesh, the liquid metal hardened and stopped the wolf.


    At the same time, part of the liquid metal shot forward like a spear, piercing Silverfang''s head before retracting back to its original position


    Contrary to his expectations, the wolf didn''t try to dodge as it took the hit to its head.


    The beast should have died right then and there, but it stubbornly kept its jaws closed on the man''s right hand.


    With a frown, he saw that a black panther was seconds away from reaching him, and behind the beast was a terribly huge spider that shook the ground with each step it took.


    These were obviously Rare-tier beasts, and it would be bad if he was surrounded by all three, as he could easily be overwhelmed.


    With a curse, the man moved his right hand, managing to break free from the wolf''s bite. He then commanded the liquid to coat around his feet and slid backward, almost like he was on ice.


    It seemed that the man was able to use metal not only for offensive purposes but also for transportation.


    His eyes shined as he commanded part of the metal to strike again, just like last time, and directed the attacks toward the approaching beasts.


    Nightshade dodged the attack elegantly and continued her charge as if nothing had happened.


    Silverfang moved his jaws and caught the shard in his mouth.


    And Hellweaver didn''t slow down at all, the metal shard hit the spider''s exoskeleton and bounced off.


    Before the man could even come up with a plan, he was assaulted by three fireballs that had been thrown toward him.


    Managing to command the metal in time, he made a wall that blocked the fireballs. And once blocked, he tried to hit Zaroth with his metal attacks.


    Unfortunately, not a single one of the attacks hit its mark, as Zaroth was surrounded by his four unnamed wolves, and the beasts jumped toward the attacks, stopping them with their bodies, protecting their master.


    "Fuck!" the man cursed.


    It seemed that he wasn''t able to harm Zaroth, but Zaroth couldn''t harm him either, as long as he was still protected by the metal.


    In other words, that was going to be a fight until one of their mana cores went empty.


    And the man didn''t like that, as his powers took too much mana out of him.


    He knew his mana core would most likely go empty before his opponent''s, so he was left with no other choice but to attack.


    While he was protected by the metal, Zaroth was protected by his beasts, meaning that if he managed to get rid of them, he could defeat Zaroth before his mana core went empty.


    "I really hate fighting like this," the man muttered, and then commanded all the metal around him to move.


    A second later, he was surrounded by a ball of metal with spikes on it.


    The man commanded the ball to move toward Zaroth as fast as possible.


    One would think that a ball with spikes would move slowly, but that wasn''t the case, as its movements were so fast that it managed to move past Silverfang and Nightshade before they could do anything about it.


    Hellweaver was a bit further from the spot, so this gave the spider time to react.


    It managed to position itself between the ball of steel and its master.


    Charging with all its might, it collided with the ball.


    A powerful shockwave was heard all around the arena as the exoskeleton of the spider collided with the metal ball.


    The spikes on the ball managed to pierce part of the spider''s exoskeleton, but ignoring the pain like it wasn''t even there, Hellweaver opened its jaws and caught one of the spikes in its might.


    A second later, the spider managed to rip it off.


    The man sensed that his moment had been stopped, so he dispelled the ball.


    Before the spider realized what had happened, the man slipped beneath its massive body.


    A twisted smile appeared on the man''s face as he charged full force toward Zaroth.


    His powerful beasts were too far away to help now, and he was left with only his four weak beasts close to him.


    Commanding the metal around him to turn into a massive sword, the man slashed toward the closest wolf.


    He also created a few metal shards and sent them toward the others.


    With a curse, Zaroth took a step back as he opened his mouth and let out a firebreath.


    His opponent managed to sense it just in time, so he stopped it by creating a wall of metal.


    Once the firebreath dissipated, the man charged at Zaroth, ignoring his beasts as best as he could.


    He was close, but he had to be very careful. While he had managed to close the distance as much as possible, he had burned a lot of mana to get so far, and as a result, most of his mana was depleted.


    So he had to finish the fight as soon as possible.


    Stopping an arm''s length away from Zaroth, he readied to slash at his target, intending to end the fight with a single attack.


    That was before Zaroth''s eyes shined, and a twisted smile appeared on his face.


    Zaroth next actions weren''t anticipated by his opponent.

 Chapter 195 - 195: Round 13

    Zaroth''s beasts were far away from him, so that meant they wouldn''t be able to provide support.


    Or was this really the case?


    While they would take too long to reach Zaroth, who was in a pinch, there was a way to make them appear right next to him much faster.


    And that was by unsummoning them and then summoning them right next to him.


    Of course, the process wasn''t instant, so he was forced to take at least one attack.


    Sadly, there wasn''t much darkness around him, so he couldn''t use Darkveil to strengthen his defense.


    He also couldn''t dodge as there wasn''t time for that, so he was left with only one option.


    His opponent was clearly aiming for his neck, so without hesitation, Zaroth moved his right arm and sacrificed it.


    Losing an arm would be costly, but it would be much better than losing his neck. An arm can be reattached, but a neck most likely cannot.


    His opponent''s sword flashed through the air, and a second later, severed his arm clean off.


    At that moment, Zaroth was thankful for the way humans were engineered. Usually, taking such a major wound would fill him with pain, making him unable to fight and clouding his judgment.


    But because he was in a life-or-death situation, there was a lot of adrenaline going through his system.


    So rather than feeling agonizing pain, he felt just a weak, dull pain. It was unpleasant, but easily ignored.


    As such, the twisted smile didn''t leave his face, and before his opponent could attack him again, a few sparks appeared, and a moment later, Hellweaver was next to the man.


    Opening its jaws, the spider attacked without delay.


    The man was forced to move the metal next to his arm, so he would be able to defend against the attack from the spider.


    His attention was now solely focused on the giant creature, as such, he didn''t notice that Silverfang and Nightshade were behind him as well.


    Silverfang bit down on his leg, making him bleed, and Nightshade lunged toward the man''s neck.


    Out of instinct, the man protected his neck, but the same couldn''t be said about his leg.


    He was alone with Zaroth just a second ago, but now he was surrounded by three Rare-tier beasts.


    Before he could even come up with a plan, Zaroth opened his mouth and let out a firebreath.


    Seeing that there was no other way, the man willed the metal to move all around his body, protecting it.


    In an instant, his whole body was covered by the metal, and the man attempted to move but couldn''t, as the weight of the three Rare beasts was simply too much, and he was immobilized. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Zaroth, meanwhile, didn''t stop his attack as his firebreath was continuing to heat up the metal that the man was using as armor.


    ''This is bad,'' the man thought. While he was protected from any damage, the metal was slowly heating up, cooking him alive.


    He could control metal, but if the entirety of it was being heated up, there wasn''t much he could do.


    He forced his muscles to move, and the beasts moved a little.


    That was until the four unnamed wolves also jumped onto the man.


    With the added weight, he was pinned to the ground while Zaroth continued to rain down his firebreath attack.


    Before, the metal had been the one that protected him, but due to the fact that Zaroth was heating it up, the man began to feel his skin burn from the temperature.


    The moisture of his eyes began to disappear as a sickening scent hit his nostrils¡ªthis was the smell of his own body being cooked alive.


    His heart rate increased as his mind raced, desperately trying to come up with a way to escape the dire situation. This wasn''t just a fight anymore¡ªit was a fight to the death.


    The emperor would surely stop the match before anyone died, right?


    A sweat formed on the man''s forehead, only to disappear a second later as he realized that the emperor would most likely not intervene. He was on his own.


    He knew he was going to die very soon, so he resolved to do whatever it took to take his opponent down with him.


    Zaroth''s heart ached with sharp pain as his mana core was becoming emptier and emptier. Very soon, his mana would disappear.


    It took a lot out of him to command all of his beasts and at the same time attack with his firebreath indefinitely.


    ''Just a bit more!'' he thought as he saw the metal that had turned into armor around his opponent get redder and redder¡ªthe man inside was surely cooking alive.


    Zaroth was becoming impatient, as his attack would soon end. As such, he had to take a step or two to get closer.


    Being closer meant that the firebreath would be more devastating for his opponent, meaning the man would lose sooner.


    But Zaroth regretted getting too close, as a moment later, his opponent realized that while he needed to be protected from the front¡ªbeing assaulted by Zaroth''s firebreath and the weight of his beasts¡ªhis back was pinned to the ground, meaning he could move the metal from there and attack.


    And this was just what he did.


    The metal shifted, almost as if it were trembling, and before Zaroth could react, several metal spikes shot out in all directions.


    Some missed their mark.


    But some hit exactly where they should have.


    Zaroth''s left arm was pierced by one of the spikes.


    So was his torso, preventing him from taking a step back.


    But that wasn''t even the most devastating attack.


    One of the pillars that had shot from the armor had followed the hot flames of Zaroth''s firebreath and entered his mouth.


    Without any kind of resistance, it pierced through the back of his head, as his mouth was unable to close due to the fact that there was a metal pillar piercing it.


    What did Zaroth feel in that moment?


    He wasn''t sure. He was thinking about something, but he didn''t know what exactly.


    His body was hurt¡ªnever in his life had he taken so much damage.


    And the fact that he had just barely escaped being killed¡­ if the pillar had hit just a bit higher, it would have pierced his brain, killing him on the spot.


    But Zaroth didn''t have time for pity as he noticed something.


    It seemed that his opponent had overestimated how much metal he could use for his attack. As such, he had taken too much from his armor, and his face was left uncovered.


    In that brief moment, Zaroth''s eyes, which had begun to leak blood, met the eyes of his opponent.


    They were dry, left without any kind of moisture. The man''s skin was red¡ªit had begun to cook a long time ago. Most likely, his blood was boiling from the temperature too.


    Zaroth was hurt.


    But so was his opponent.


    Both of them were moments away from death, meaning that nobody could stop the match.


    If they did stop it, there would be no winner.


    So they were destined to fight until one of them killed the other.


    Zaroth would have given the command for his beasts to attack, but it wasn''t currently possible.


    They had been busy keeping his opponent to the ground, meaning that Zaroth''s firebreath had damaged them too.


    Their bodies had long begun to melt, so they were useless at the moment.


    So, trying to preserve as much mana as he could, Zaroth desummoned them.


    He was now left alone with his opponent.


    The cheers of the audience had long since stopped.


    The emperor didn''t move his gaze.


    It was like the world stopped.


    Everyone knew that the battle was too close to be stopped¡ªone had to win, and one had to lose.


    So today, one of the two was going to die.


    Zaroth had killed before, but those were people he disliked¡ªpeople he knew were evil, or at least thought of them that way.


    What about this man, however?


    He was just a student like him. He had done no wrong. For all Zaroth could know, he had no sin.


    The man even reminded Zaroth of himself. They had the same hair color, and both had done their best to make the most of their class and blessing.


    But Zaroth wasn''t a fool. He knew that this wasn''t the time to ponder on what was morally right or wrong.


    This wasn''t the time to think about what he desired.


    As such, his eyes narrowed like a hunter.


    And then Zaroth moved.

 Chapter 196 - 196: No Going Back

    The inside of his mouth had been pierced by a pillar of metal.


    Maybe if Zaroth used all of his strength, he would be able to move with enough force to break free. sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But then what?


    Moving away would mean two things.


    First, the three wounds he had recently received would begin to bleed. That, coupled with the fact that one of his arms was cut off, would cause him to lose too much blood too quickly, dying in the process.


    And second, if he didn''t die, let''s say he used the last of his mana on firebreath or fireballs to close off his wounds, giving him more time¡ªthen what?


    He would be damaged, without his beasts, without his arm, without his mana, and away from his opponent, who could just spam him with attacks from a distance.


    Zaroth would not be able to do anything, and he would lose.


    So, this wasn''t an option.


    If retreat wasn''t possible, one had only one option,


    To go forward.


    So, Zaroth did that. He forced his legs to move as well as his torso, and he began to slide his body forward.


    Since the metal pillars became thicker the closer he got, Zaroth widened the wounds on his body as he moved forward.


    Thankfully, the pillar that had pierced his arm wasn''t long, so he was able to move it back, giving access back to it.


    As he did that, he moved as fast as possible, getting pierced by the metal pillar more and more with each step.


    Moving his arm, he shifted it towards his opponent''s head.


    He had mana enough for only one more fireball.


    If he shot it carelessly, he wouldn''t damage his opponent enough, and he would lose.


    His opponent sensed the attack and moved the remaining armor around him, protecting himself with two pillars of metal as they pierced Zaroth''s arm.


    They stopped Zaroth''s hand about fifty centimeters before reaching his head.


    That action caused the man to use all of the metal around him, making him armorless.


    And naked as well.


    His clothes had burned off due to Zaroth''s earlier attack, leaving the man''s body exposed.


    Or what was left of it.


    The skin on his body and the muscle underneath had been burned to a significant degree. In some places, even the man''s bones were exposed.


    This wasn''t like the damage Zaroth had taken, it wasn''t focused on a few points.


    It was spread evenly around the man''s body¡ªface, chest, arms, legs, even genitals.


    The man''s blood was surely boiling at this point.


    How much would this hurt?


    This was the question most of the audience had while watching.


    The man''s eyes were dim, he was on the verge of dying.


    But so was Zaroth.


    While the man lay naked on the ground, his body cooling off as it emitted steam, Zaroth was above him, bleeding from his wounds.


    Both of them had almost zero mana in their reserves, both of them were exhausted beyond belief.


    But neither of them was ready to give up.


    They wanted to win, this was the only thing that concerned them.


    Being a winner was more important in their eyes than their own lives.


    Was it pride, unwilling to accept loss? Or greed, refusing to let go of the wish?


    Was it envy, unwilling to let another win? Was it wrath, resenting how far they had been pushed?


    No one knew, and the two men certainly didn''t care.


    They were young, after all, and had yet to learn the importance of a one life.


    Creating inhumane grunts, Zaroth pushed his arm further toward his opponent''s head. Even with all the adrenaline in his system, the pain was unbearable.


    And yet, he pushed regardless of that.


    His opponent didn''t seem to have much strength left as he was taking ragged breaths from his mouth.


    Zaroth''s hand got closer and closer.


    His hand was centimeters away from his enemy''s face.


    Their eyes were locked on each other.


    Was there a point in killing one another?


    Certainly not. Zaroth''s opponent could still speak, so he could declare that he gave up, meaning he wouldn''t have to die.


    Zaroth was the same, he could declare that he didn''t want to kill and give up.


    But neither of them did. They wanted to win that badly.


    This wasn''t like before.


    When Zaroth had killed people, he always had some kind of grudge against them.


    But this time was different.


    He was against a man who was no older than him by just a few years.


    It felt wrong killing him.


    How would his friends react to him killing a student?


    He felt alone, like everything was pointless.


    In this situation, his mind went to the conversation he had with Vera yesterday.


    Before, he had been skeptical of her words, but not anymore.


    *****


    "I am not going to take much of your time," she spoke as she gazed at Zaroth, though her eyes weren''t visible, hidden by her white mask.


    "You see, I can more or less can predict the future, as I am assaulted by all kinds of visions almost daily."


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow. Why was this woman telling him something so ridiculous? He smelled trouble but didn''t interrupt her.


    "But you see, recently, these visions began to change. They became distorted¡­ almost as if there was an anomaly altering fate, like something that shouldn''t exist."


    At this point, Zaroth was sure that the woman sitting to his side was insane, but he was too intrigued to interrupt.


    "Due to this anomaly, the future has become uncertain."


    Her voice got a bit shaky on the next part.


    "I believe that anomaly is you."


    Zaroth couldn''t stop himself anymore, so he asked,


    "What are you talking about? What is the point of this conversation?"


    Vera''s voice was firm as she answered, "I believe we have the same goals. As such, I will give you a word of advice."


    Zaroth suppressed a scoff. Only Luna and Midnight actually knew what his goal was, there was no way this woman could know¡ª


    "Kill the gods, right?"


    His body tensed as she effortlessly guessed what his goal actually was. Before he could question her, she spoke again.


    "In the future, you will be forced to make decisions¡ªdecisions that you will not want to make. You will wonder if there''s a point anymore. If you should do it. If anyone would even support you."


    "But I want you to remember this¡ªwhen you think no one will support the choices you make, I will. Remember, you have to make these tough decisions, because if you don''t, you''ll fail at what you''re trying to achieve."


    "Why are you telling me this?" he asked, his voice lingered with both confusion and wariness.


    "Because I have to push you toward a certain outcome, which will benefit me in the long term, and I''m sure it will benefit you as well."


    It seemed she wasn''t willing to answer his questions as she stood up¡ªbut not before repeating herself.


    "Remember, if you want to achieve your goal, you''ll have to make decisions you won''t like."


    And with that, the strange encounter was over.


    *****


    If what she had said was right, it meant that if Zaroth didn''t kill his opponent, he wouldn''t be able to kill the gods.


    It would mean that everything he had done up until that point would become meaningless


    It would mean that all of his efforts were wasted.


    It would mean that he wouldn''t be able to avenge his mother.


    So, he pushed his doubts aside and moved his hand even further.


    The hand stopped as it entered the wide-open mouth of his opponent, who was just barely taking shallow breaths.


    Killing that man felt wrong, like Zaroth was going to kill a part of himself.


    Zaroth heard voices¡ªone urging him to kill. If he did, he would surely gain a deeper understanding of his demonic skills. His opponent was just that strong, after all.


    The other voice wanted him to dominate the arena. This was likely the work of Nightshade''s desire. How she influenced him remained unknown, but it wasn''t as if he could do much to stop it.


    Zaroth didn''t like those voices. It felt as if they were making decisions for him.


    As if he wasn''t in control.


    But he had no choice.


    A second later, his eyes shined green as he used fireball.


    The inside of the skull of his opponent began to glow.


    The man''s eyes widened for a second as he felt what was coming.


    In that brief moment, he regretted not giving up. He regretted not visiting his parents one last time. He regretted never achieving his dream.


    And then, his head exploded¡ªsending brain matter and strands of white hair flying in every direction.


    The spikes that Zaroth had been pierced by turned into liquid and fell to the ground.


    The man was dead.


    Zaroth collapsed to his knees as blood began to flow down from him like a fountain.


    Silence. There were no cheers, there was nothing.


    Zaroth didn''t like the silence.


    Had he done the right thing?


    If there were cheers, he''d know he had.


    If there were boos, he knew he hadn''t.


    But there was only silence, so Zaroth didn''t know.


    He didn''t know if his actions were right or wrong.


    He didn''t know if he had gone against his core values.


    He didn''t know if he even had any to begin with, or if he had lost them somewhere along the way.


    His gaze didn''t shift from the corpse of the man.


    The person who had reminded him of himself just a second ago was nowhere to be found¡ªonly a headless corpse lay on the ground.


    And he was the reason.


    Zaroth was thinking about something, but he wasn''t sure what.


    A part of him felt empty, a part of him felt hollow.


    Zaroth didn''t feel thankful to the emperor anymore.


    The emperor had allowed a young man with incredible potential to die just like that.


    A faint feeling of regret settled in Zaroth''s heart, but it was too late.


    There was no going back.

 Chapter 197 - 197: The Hollow Victory

    Wasn''t it weird? Hilarious even?


    Zaroth didn''t have a problem killing so many people, but now he was devastated just from killing one man.


    One second passed, then two, then three.


    The emperor stood up as he announced that Zaroth had won.


    Zaroth heard the man, yet he didn''t feel the joy he usually did. He didn''t feel proud of himself.


    Was it because he was devastated about what he had done, or was it because the grand arena was silent as nobody dared make a sound?


    A second later, Zaroth felt his wounds beginning to heal.


    He didn''t look away from the corpse with the blown-out head.


    He was the cause. He was the reason.


    Zaroth was thinking, he wasn''t sure about what. He just knew that he was thinking.


    For a brief moment, he considered asking Luna for her opinion.


    Then he shook the idea away.


    He was sure that she was going to support him, saying that this was the only way.


    That he shouldn''t feel bad.


    She always knew the right words to calm his mind. She always found a way to support him.


    But it felt wrong to ask her for support. He felt like he didn''t deserve it.


    As such, he just stood there, cold on his knees as he was slowly getting healed.


    He felt tens of thousands of eyes on him. Silently judging him.


    There had been other instances where there had been fatal fights in the tournament before, but that was before the rounds began to be held in the grand arena.


    As such, most of the audience hadn''t expected that something like that was possible.


    And even if they did, the sheer brutality of the sight was too much to bear.


    One had been pretty much burned to a crisp and then had his head blown out.


    The other lost his arm and was pierced by a metal pillar through his mouth, making a hole behind his head.


    And this fight wasn''t in the middle of a war¡ªit wasn''t even because the two men had a grudge against one another.


    It was because both of them wanted to win and advance forward.


    This was what two students were capable of if given a strong enough reason to care.


    Zaroth didn''t dare to look at the crowd.


    Their opinions weren''t something that bothered him at the moment, as they were irrelevant.


    He wanted to pass out.


    He wanted to rest.


    He was tired.


    Alas, it seemed that it wasn''t meant to be.


    He had exerted himself too much to pass out.


    So he just waited in silence as his body was slowly restoring itself from the healer''s skills.


    As the headless corpse lay on the ground, its owner''s blood spread around, forming a growing puddle.


    Eventually, it got large enough that Zaroth was able to see his reflection in it.


    Noting that he had something on the side of his cheek, he moved his left hand.


    Scooping it off, he glanced at the thing.


    A strand of white hair, with part of its owner''s brain, had been stuck on his cheek.


    After that, everything went black.


    *****


    Zaroth wasn''t sure what happened after that, but he found himself sitting on his expensive bed at his assigned apartment.


    The lights were off, and yet he was able to see perfectly fine, thanks to his skill Darkgaze.


    He wanted to rest. He wanted to sleep. But he couldn''t.


    The image of the exploded head kept appearing in his mind constantly.


    It was like he was still there, looking at the corpse.


    "I did the right thing," he muttered, trying to convince himself.


    Usually, when he was in his apartment, he would summon his beasts, allowing him to train his mana core.


    He would be having a pleasant conversation with Luna about this and that.


    But he was alone.


    He wanted to be alone.


    It gave him time to think¡ªor more accurately, as nothing around him stimulated his brain, he was able to just sit without having to think.


    Thankfully, Luna sensed his desire and didn''t speak a word.


    A few minutes passed. Or was it hours? Days?


    Zaroth wasn''t sure. He didn''t move from the spot. If he did, he would have to think, and the image of the corpse would appear again.


    But he couldn''t sit too long pitying himself.


    He didn''t have any right to. He was the one that had survived the fight, not his opponent.


    But he also didn''t want to deal with anyone''s inquiries.


    As such, he got up and exited his room.


    By the lack of people around, he guessed that it was probably in the middle of the night.


    He took a deep breath of the clean air.


    It felt nice.


    Until he remembered the unpleasant scene of the burned body of his opponent.


    "Pathetic." Zaroth couldn''t help but curse.


    Why was he acting like this?


    He was supposed to be cold. Emotionless.


    What was the reason that he felt guilt after all¡ª


    "No," he shook off the thought, forcing his brain to stop thinking.


    Thinking was too much work. And he wanted to relax.


    As such, he began to walk forward.


    Zaroth wasn''t sure to where, but the destination didn''t really matter.


    *****


    "What am I doing here?" he muttered as he gazed at the building in front of him.


    It was one of the numerous churches that he and Midnight had cleared out.


    Zaroth remembered that he had killed a lot of Purifiers just in this church, and considering that he and she had been in dozens of churches, he could have killed hundreds.


    Hell, he wouldn''t be surprised to learn that the reason the Purifiers weren''t in the empire anymore was because of his actions.


    This just showed how brutal he was, how much he was willing to kill, for his own gain.


    And this was what frustrated him.


    He had killed numerous people. S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    And yet he was feeling guilty over killing one more?


    It wasn''t like he was some kind of stupid hero from a fairy tale that could do no wrong.


    He had indeed done wrong.


    He thought that he had gotten accustomed to it.


    "Then why am I feeling so bad?!" he cursed as he put both hands on his forehead.


    Was this what they called being a teenager and a young adult?


    Being unable to understand your emotions?


    Zaroth thought that he was above those things!


    He thought that he wouldn''t feel any kind of guilt¡ªever!


    "Fuck!" he cursed once more as he got up from the bench he was sitting on.


    He wasn''t sure why he had gotten here, but it felt sufficient to think, so he was going to distract himself some way.


    *****


    A day or two had passed since the 13th round, and Zaroth found himself sitting in one familiar spot.


    It was the spot where he had gone with Elysia after their date and where he had kissed her.


    The scenery was nice. As such, the sight helped keep his mind occupied, not giving him time to think.


    His bracelet was shining left and right.


    There was no doubt in his mind that he was receiving one message after another.


    From his friends, for sure.


    How would they react to him killing a human?


    Despite being friends with them, he didn''t know a lot about their past, just as they didn''t know his as well.


    But if he had to guess, after a day or two, they would accept him and forget that he had killed a human.


    Who knew¡ªmaybe they had killed as well?


    Zaroth didn''t even need to waste time thinking about what Midnight was going to say.


    She knew that they had killed hundreds of Purifiers. As such, she would be surprised to see that he felt any kind of guilt.


    "What? It''s just one more," he spoke what she would have told him most likely as well.


    But they wouldn''t understand. No one could. How could they, when he didn''t understand the reason himself?


    Zaroth felt like he was alone. Like no one would truly understand how he felt.


    Did he even have anyone that he could talk to about this issue? Someone that would actually give him some sort of advice?


    Sadly, no one came to mind.


    He leaned back on the bench as he gazed at the sky. It was night again.


    "Done feeling self-pity?"


    Hearing the familiar voice next to him, he shifted his gaze.


    And his eyes widened as he saw Elysia sitting next to him.

 Chapter 198 - 198: Invitation

    Zaroth needed a second to comprehend what had just happened.


    He was alone a second ago, and now Elysia was sitting next to him.


    The fact that the only reason he noticed her was because she spoke to him showed how silent and deadly she could be.


    "I¡­" he began to speak, but no words left his mouth.


    Elysia didn''t say anything as she too rested her back against the bench.


    Putting one leg over the other, she spoke. The usual coldness in her voice was gone, as it bore a faint feeling of warmth.


    "Was this your first?"


    Zaroth clenched his teeth.


    No, and she should have known he had killed a lot of Purifiers after all.


    He was about to speak until she interrupted him.


    "Apologies, I didn''t ask the right question."


    He held his breath as he awaited.


    "Was this the first person you killed despite not wanting to?"


    His breath stopped, as did his heart for a second.


    His eyes widened in realization.


    With just one question, she had managed to guess what he hadn''t been able to guess for two days.


    He wasn''t just feeling guilty that he had killed a person.


    It was because he had killed a person despite his wishes.


    He had gone against his desire.


    After a few moments of silence, he answered, his voice shaking a bit.


    "...Yes."


    Elysia didn''t show much of a reaction.


    After a minute of watching the scenery pass, she spoke again.


    "You know, I would have sent Roderic here as he is better at handling such affairs, but his wife gave birth recently, so I don''t want to bother him. He has enough on his plate."


    Zaroth was surprised that the man had become a father, but he didn''t let that thought distract him for too long


    "...Why are you here?" he asked, a direct question, not shifting his gaze.


    "To check up on you. I need you in stable mental health," she replied calmly.


    Zaroth scoffed as he spoke. Due to the fact that he hadn''t slept in a long time, he wasn''t thinking very clearly as exhaustion was clouding his judgment.


    "Why, so I can be useful?"


    Elysia gazed at him for a second, only to return to gazing at the scenery.


    "Yes, pretty much."


    Before he could reply, however, she added,


    "Isn''t this what you want? Isn''t this what you''ve been doing with people up until now?"


    He was taken aback by her words for a moment.


    "What are you trying to say?" he spoke, his voice carrying a lingering hint of irritation.


    "That up until now, all the friendships you have created are based on how useful the other person is. So isn''t it natural that the other party''s primary concern is also how useful you are?" S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Hearing her statement, he gritted his teeth. He knew that she was right.


    The whole reason he began to be friends with Lily, Roran, and Zack was because he could benefit from the friendship, they were pretty strong after all.


    The same could be said about Midnight, he approached her because he believed there would be a benefit to having a demon on friendly terms with him.


    So, wasn''t it selfish to expect help when he was at his low point? After all, if he wasn''t useful, no one would bother with him.


    His train of thought was interrupted as he felt a hand on his head. It was Elysia.


    She sighed as she saw his expression.


    "You are young, and there are many things that you don''t know. Heck, I myself have many more things to learn. But I want you to have one thing in mind, it''s that you are lucky."


    Zaroth didn''t move his head as he asked, "What do you mean lucky?"


    Elysia studied him for a second before replying.


    "Because the first person you killed against your wishes was done during a fair duel, one lost, one won, that is it. No more, no less."


    Zaroth, of course, was skeptical of her words.


    "You are lucky¡­ some don''t kill their first unwanted person in a fair duel. Some are forced to kill an elderly person, some pregnant women¡­ even kids. In retrospect, you have turned out to be a lucky person."


    His eyes widened for a moment.


    "After all, imagine how you would feel if you were forced to kill one of the people I just described."


    Zaroth knew she was right.


    If guilt was eating him so much just for killing a person in a fair duel, then what would have happened if he had killed one of the people she had described?


    The way he was feeling would pale in comparison then, he would feel even more hollow.


    He didn''t really care for the normal person and what happened to them, but killing them and not caring about what happened to them were two completely different things.


    Without saying anything, Elysia stood up.


    "Follow me, there is something I want to give you."


    Hearing her words, Zaroth raised an eyebrow as he stood up.


    It wasn''t like he had much to do, and he wouldn''t decline free stuff, so he complied.


    They walked slowly, there was no need to rush, after all.


    It was the middle of the night, and as such, there weren''t any people on the streets.


    After about a dozen minutes, Zaroth realized they had moved beyond where most people lived, passing the point where the wealthy resided.


    The more they walked, the bigger the houses became.


    At one point, Zaroth suspected that these weren''t even houses anymore, but mansions¡ªthat''s how big they were.


    "We are here," Elysia muttered as she reached her hand and opened one of the gates.


    Zaroth''s eyes widened as he saw the building in front of him.


    This was also a mansion, but it paled in comparison to the others.


    This building must have had at least five floors with very high ceilings, judging by how tall the windows were.


    The garden one had to pass to reach the mansion was incredibly large as well.


    It was at least five hundred meters in all directions. The grass was green, not the yellowish-green but strong green, it showed how well the garden was being taken care of.


    There were dozens of bushes that were cut in such a way that they represented all kinds of beautiful animals. No doubt only the best could have done it.


    There was a fountain made from some kind of beautiful white stone. A few birds had landed on it and were drinking the water, which looked cleaner than normal.


    And in the distance, Zaroth was pretty sure he was seeing a giant pool, though it was far and difficult to tell.


    Unable to contain his curiosity any longer, he parted his lips.


    "Where are we?"


    "Home," Elysia replied calmly.


    ''Home?'' Zaroth needed a second to understand what she meant.


    ''Wait!'' His eyes suddenly narrowed.


    ''Is that Elysia''s home? If that''s true, she must be unbelievably rich! How much could something like this cost? Hundreds of millions? Billions?''


    A second later, he shook off his head, realizing he was thinking about the wrong things!


    Elysia opened the door as she looked at him, she was obviously telling him to enter.


    He was in front of Elysia''s home, and she was telling him to enter.


    Considering they had traveled all the way to her mansion¡ªher home¡ªto receive whatever it was she had mentioned, what the hell was she planning to give him?!

 Chapter 199 - 199: A Deadly Gift

    He gulped audibly as all kinds of wild fantasies began to run through his head.


    He was clearly depressed due to his actions. Then, Elysia suddenly appeared, comforted him, and said she wanted to give him something¡ªonly to lead him to her home?!


    The chances that the thing he thought would happen weren''t high, but that didn''t mean that it was zero!


    Elysia raised an eyebrow as she looked at how he was clearly frozen, having a debate with himself.


    Sighing, most likely understanding what he was thinking about, she spoke.


    "No, it isn''t what you are thinking about. Never mind that¡ªI understand you are at that age, but weren''t you depressed just a second ago? What happened?"


    Zaroth''s eyes widened as his cheeks got a bit red.


    Muttering an excuse, he entered her mansion.


    She was right to tell him that, but he also realized something¡ªafter he began speaking with her, the image of the corpse stopped appearing until just a second ago.


    Talking with her seemed to help him relax.


    He weirdly felt at peace when he was with her, almost as if she kind of understood him.


    After he entered, Elysia did as well, and she closed the door behind him.


    Zaroth gazed at the interior of the building.


    If the exterior was impressive, this was another level.


    Everything was made from quality materials.


    The first thing he noticed was that there was a beautiful red carpet covering the ground.


    Elysia took off her black high heels, so Zaroth took off his shoes as well.


    He usually disliked it when he was inside buildings with his shoes on, as such, when he was in his apartment, he didn''t wear them. Thankfully, Elysia seemed to be similar.


    The next thing that caught his attention was the golden chandelier that was hanging from the ceiling, illuminating the giant room.


    There were two sets of stairs made from dark wood leading to the next floor.


    The walls were made from the same white material as the fountain outside. Zaroth wasn''t sure, but he guessed that it was marble.


    The more time he spent in here, the more and more he felt like he was in a castle.


    Zaroth hadn''t yet entered the emperor''s castle, but he guessed that the feeling was going to be somewhat similar.


    His observations were stopped as he felt a hand on his shoulder.


    "Done staring down the place? Follow me."


    With a nod, Zaroth did just that.


    Despite being large, the mansion was clearly well-built, so he probably wouldn''t have gotten lost if he was alone.


    As such, Zaroth imagined that after a few minutes, he would be able to orient himself pretty well in the giant place.


    Stopping before a door, Elysia put her delicate hand on it and opened it.


    She entered, and a second later, so did Zaroth.


    His breath stopped as his eyes widened.


    He wondered what Elysia wanted to give him, but this¡­This was an incredible gift.


    Zaroth was in a trance for a moment¡ªuntil Elysia''s whistle broke him out of it.


    In other circumstances, he would have become a bit more embarrassed, but the thing he was looking at took priority.


    He gazed at her with questions in his mind.


    "You have done well¡­ exceptionally well, even. From what you have told me, it hasn''t been a year since you started being able to use your class, and yet you have made it so far in the tournament¡ªthat is admirable on its own," she said.


    "But it is clear that now that you have reached the final rounds, your enemies are only getting stronger and tougher, while your progress has stagnated."


    Elysia stretched out her hand. "As such, you can help yourself. You deserve it, and it would surely help you reach the finals."


    Zaroth nodded as he took a step forward.


    What was Elysia''s gift for him? He had questions about why he would have to go into her home to receive what she wanted to give him, but now it all made sense.


    He was in some kind of armory¡ªone more impressive than every single one he had visited during his stay in the capital.


    The dozens of armors and weapons wouldn''t even be placed for sale in the shops he had visited, and even if they had, they would cost millions at least¡ªand he wouldn''t be able to afford them.


    But Elysia was telling him that he could arm himself with what was in this room?


    If he did, he had no doubt in his mind that he would become even more formidable.


    The equipment he was using up until now wasn''t bad per se, but it wasn''t anything that impressive.


    Considering that his opponents were also starting to use premium stuff, it felt right to upgrade his arsenal.


    "Is there a limit to how much I can take?" he asked.


    Elysia scoffed, "Why? Are you planning to take everything and then sell them somewhere?"


    "No," he answered without hesitation.


    He would never betray a person who had helped him so much and felt so indebted to.


    Noting that he wasn''t lying, she spoke.


    "You can take one armor, and you can take the types of weapons you are proficient in using"


    Zaroth nodded and shifted his gaze to the weapons and armors on display.


    ''So I can take one armor and four weapons¡ªone sword, one spear, and two daggers,'' he thought as he began to inspect them one by one.


    He wasn''t able to touch the weapons as they were behind protective glass. Zaroth had no doubt that this glass had some kind of magical property, so he didn''t want to risk it by touching the glass.


    After about ten minutes, he pointed to one armor as he asked,"This looks good."


    Gazing at the armor he was pointing at, Elysia nodded.


    "This armor is light, similar to a leather one, so it wouldn''t interfere with your movement or speed much. But it is made from extremely durable material, as such, it has the protective abilities of heavy armor."


    Elysia opened the glass and handed it to him, and he, in turn, began to undress with the intention to try it out.


    After all, if it turned out that the armor wasn''t his size or wasn''t what he expected it to be, it would be a waste to not get another.


    As he undressed, he threw a quick glance at Elysia, wondering if she was looking at him.


    But it seemed that she wasn''t interested in him as she was gazing at the weapons on display.


    Soon after, Zaroth was done and began to move around with the armor.He ran, jumped, crouched, stretched his arms to the side and behind his head.


    "It''s comfortable," he muttered as he used his fist to knock on the surface.


    "And really tough as well," he commented.


    This was truly next-level gear. Usually, an armor could either be light or tough, but this one was both.It seemed that having Elysia''s support was really beneficial.


    He was wondering about how he looked, so he approached a full-body mirror and took a glance at himself.


    The armor was not only very well made and useful but also extremely good-looking as well.


    Just by looking at himself in the mirror, Zaroth felt a boost of confidence.


    The armor was made from some kind of black metal, with a green gem at the chest plate. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The black material looked very well against the opposite color of his hair, and the gem matched his eyes.


    "What is the gem for?" he asked as he shifted his gaze to Elysia.


    Finally breaking her gaze from the weapons on display, she answered,


    "This is an elf armor, as such, the gem at your chest plate has a rune in it. In theory, it is used to stop a fatal attack once, though I wouldn''t test it. And keep in mind that once used, there is no way to recover it back."


    Zaroth''s eyes widened in awe.


    This was an elf armor? Not only that, but it also had the ability to stop a fatal attack once?


    It seemed that he had hit the jackpot.


    "This is the armor that I will take," he spoke firmly.


    "Sure, now choose the weapons. I don''t have a whole day."


    Nodding at her words, Zaroth approached the weapons on display. His eyes sparkled as he began to inspect them one by one.


    If the armor was so good, what about the weapons?

 Chapter 200 - 200: Forged for Battle

    First things first came the sword.


    Zaroth wanted to start with them as he felt it was the easiest choice.


    It was hard to find a good spear as it was important to take note of its weight, balance, piercing potential, throwing potential, and other things.


    Daggers were hard to test as they required a real battle, but in general, it was important to be able to take them out fast in case he wanted to surprise his opponent, and they needed to be light and easy to use.


    But swords? It was all about how sharp they were.


    Of course, there were a lot of things that came with swords, like the type of blade, weight, and other aspects, but Zaroth didn''t care about that.


    When he used a sword, he didn''t care how fast he was able to move it or how well he would be able to parry attacks with it.


    The most important thing was its raw power.


    Using swords was his way of delivering maximum power against his opponents.


    After all, even if his beasts could do part of that, it would be nice if he were able to do it as well.


    No matter how tough their armor, shield, or skill that protected them, he wanted to be able to break it all with his sword.


    As such, rather than going for the normal ones, he primarily focused his attention on the heavier ones.


    Sure, he didn''t have much experience when it came to using them, but so what? It was all just a sword, so how hard could it be?


    "Stop." He froze when he heard Elysia''s command.


    "Have you ever used heavy-type swords?" she asked with a hint of coldness in her voice.


    Zaroth was silent for a few moments until he replied. "No, not really."


    "Let me guess, you are somewhat capable of using a normal one, so you think, why don''t you experiment with using different kinds of swords?"


    Zaroth''s cheeks got a bit red in embarrassment."...Yes."


    "Are you an idiot?"


    Elysia''s question caught him off guard.


    At this moment, Zaroth finally heard Luna''s voice again in his head.


    Or more accurately, he heard her laughing¡ªit seemed that she was enjoying the moment.


    A moment later, he frowned.


    "No¡­ I am not sure¡­ okay, maybe, but why are you asking me that?"


    "Do you seriously think that just because you can use one type of blade, you will be able to wield others? The ones that you are looking at will be too unfamiliar for you."


    Zaroth gritted his teeth, but he had to admit that she was kind of right.


    After all, it was arrogant of him to assume that just because he was able to use a normal swords, he would be able to use a heavy swords or an curved swords¡ªthey had different types of fighting styles and learning curves, after all.


    But there was something else that didn''t make him abandon his idea.


    And it was the way he went about getting stronger.


    Sure, he could spend all his time, energy, and focus on getting good with one thing.


    But he felt it would be a mistake. He felt that it would be better to learn the basics of a lot of things and begin to combine them in unique ways rather than focusing on just one thing.


    Another reason was that if he focused on one thing specifically, that thing would no doubt have weaknesses¡ªfor instance, sword fighters were at a disadvantage against ranged enemies, and there would be no way to get rid of that weakness. S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Whereas being able to use a variety of weapons could help cover weak points.


    Sure, one might argue that being average in a lot of areas would have the side effect of not having strong points, and that could be considered true for some people.


    But this didn''t apply to him.


    Zaroth already had a strong point, after all.


    He was an Undead Beast Master¡ªhe was able to use dead beasts for as long as he had mana.


    There wasn''t much of a stronger point than that.


    So rather than cowering in fear, Zaroth looked Elysia in the eyes as he spoke firmly."Even so, I believe it would be beneficial for getting stronger."


    Elysia looked at him for some time and then looked away as she scoffed."Do what you wish."


    Zaroth nodded as he went back to inspecting the weapons, while Elysia began to throw him glances from time to time.


    Zaroth hadn''t realized it himself, but by standing his ground on something he believed to be true, even when he was challenged by someone of higher authority, he appeared more mature.


    And these actions changed, Elysia impressed him, even if just by a little.


    Ten minutes later, Zaroth made his choice.


    With a sigh, Elysia opened the glass and gave him the sword.


    The moment he took the sword in his hands, he was forced to take a step forward to adjust his balance.


    He smiled menacingly as his eyes sparkled.


    It would definitely take some time to get used to using this kind of blade, but it felt right in his hands.


    Almost like this weapon type was made for him.


    The blade was more than a meter and a half long and was curved.


    Zaroth wasn''t sure why, but it seemed that he liked the fact that it was curved¡ªit just felt right using a curved weapon even though he had never used one before.


    Unlike the first sword he had used, this one had only one sharp edge, and it was thinner than normal.


    Zaroth wasn''t an expert, but he was pretty sure that this kind of weapon was called an Odachi.


    They were similar to Katanas but much bigger.


    He took a few practice slashes to test the weapon, and in the end, he chose it because it felt right.


    After that, he chose a set of daggers.


    They were black in color, matching his armor, and they looked like they were durable as well, so it was an easy choice.


    And finally, he chose a spear.


    This one didn''t match his set, however, as it wasn''t black but white instead.


    Zaroth didn''t mind, however, as the usefulness of the weapon was more important than its outer appearance.


    He threw it a few times around the room and practiced holding it to get a feel for it.


    He nodded with satisfaction at his choice and glanced at Elysia."This is pretty much it¡ªI am ready."


    He spoke with a slight bow. He had been given so many valuable things that he felt immense gratitude toward Elysia.


    It wasn''t an exaggeration to say that after Luna, Elysia was the one who had helped him the most.


    This not only made him feel immediately grateful toward the chairwoman, but his heart also began to beat faster.


    It was like his feelings toward her were slowly changing from lust to genuine love.


    And not only that, but this all happened when Zaroth had been feeling down¡ªshe was the one who managed to figure out why he was feeling bad and managed to distract him from the unpleasant thoughts.


    Seeing him bow slightly, Elysia smiled faintly as she approached him.


    Putting her hand on his head, she spoke. Unlike before, her voice didn''t carry any coldness or warmth¡ªit was more alluring than anything.


    "You know, these things would have cost you tens of millions of credits if you had bought them."


    Zaroth''s eyes widened for a moment.


    Even if he spent years betting in the arena, he wasn''t sure if he would have been able to gather that much money.


    Not to mention, even if he got the money, he doubted that it would have been an easy thing to buy, as this kind of gear was no doubt highly sought after.


    Seeing his expression, Elysia smiled wider.


    "Oh? Are you feeling guilty taking things that are so expensive?"


    She lowered her head slightly, bringing her lips close to his ear as she whispered, "Don''t worry. Winning the tournament will be worth far more, after all."


    Zaroth gulped as he forced his heart to calm down. Winning wouldn''t just grant him a wish from the Emperor''s family, but also a wish from Elysia herself¡­


    Thanks to Elysia''s actions today, Zaroth was more or less able to forget about the dilemma he had faced after the 13th round.


    Now, he was waiting for the next round with anticipation.

 Chapter 201 - 201: Echoes of the Future

    Now that Zaroth had received the gifts that Elysia wanted to give him, he began to glance around the armory.


    ''Honestly, her home is pretty comfortable. Is there any chance¡ª''


    "Okay, that is it. You can leave now," Elysia spoke, cutting off his train of thought.


    It seemed that she was busy as always, so it would be rude to take too much of her time.


    With a sigh, Zaroth began to leave. The mansion was easy to navigate, as such, he knew the way back.


    That was before he was stopped as he felt Elysia''s hand on his shoulder.


    "I am telling you again, do not blame yourself too much."


    Zaroth nodded silently as he left.


    Taking a step outside of the mansion, he took a deep breath of the clean air.


    The memory of the corpse with the exploded head returned, alongside the stench of burned human flesh, but it wasn''t that vivid anymore. As such, he was able to ignore it somewhat.


    ''So, I guess to get you out of depression is some shiny gifts?'' Luna teased, echoing in his mind, no doubt trying to lift his spirits up.


    Taking a moment to think, he scoffed.


    "Well, I guess I am a simple man after all," he muttered as a small smile formed on his face.


    It was still night, so he headed back to his apartment. sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The walk was relaxing as there still weren''t many people on the streets.


    After about half an hour, he finally returned and collapsed on the bed as exhaustion overwhelmed him.


    He closed his eyes and waited. Thankfully, he was finally able to fall asleep, taking much-needed rest, as he hadn''t been able to sleep since the 13th round.


    The next morning, he debated whether or not he should go to the academy.


    While, yes, seeing his friends might help his mind relax, he didn''t really feel that being alongside people would be that great.


    "Aren''t you supposed to have exams soon?" Luna pointed out.


    Zaroth, in turn, sighed. While, yes, he could go without seeing people for a few days, missing more lectures would just result in him getting subpar¡ªand maybe even failing¡ªmarks on the exams.


    That would no doubt anger Elysia to some extent. The fallout likely wouldn''t be too severe, but he felt indebted to her and didn''t want to test her patience further.


    So, seeing the writing on the wall, Zaroth quickly got ready by eating breakfast, taking a shower, and heading for the academy.


    *****


    "Isn''t that him?" a girl whispered to her friend.


    "Yes, he is! I still get nightmares from the way he made his opponent''s head explode!" her friend commented.


    "Why are you two surprised? Look at his eyes! He is a dragon descendant! Of course, he is going to fight like an animal!" a male student scoffed.


    "Sure, but are you willing to fight him?" one of the women asked the man.


    At the question, his smug smile disappeared. "Of course not! I am not a lunatic like him! I don''t want to lose my life!"


    Zaroth tried not to pay attention to the chatter happening around him.


    It seemed that after the 13th fight in the tournament, he had become something like a celebrity¡­ though it wasn''t with a positive reception.


    "Well, it is not surprising. Not everybody could get behind one man killing another, especially in the tournament," he muttered under his breath.


    His walk to the academy wasn''t that long, and soon he approached the place. He casually sat around his friends.


    The first one to notice him was Roran, so he spoke.


    "Oh? Look who finally decided to show up."


    Lily nudged him with her elbow. "Roran! Don''t talk like that. You know he might be stressed¡ªhe had killed a man, after all!"


    "Bullshit!" Roran exploded, which seemed rather inconsistent with his personality¡­ or maybe that was just his way of showing his worry?


    "I vividly remember him killing the Epic Beast Master without a problem! He even began to laugh like a maniac!"


    Zack leaned back in his chair.


    "Well, that is true, but considering the way he reacted, this was probably the first time he had killed somebody that he didn''t want to."


    The three of them shifted their gazes to Zaroth as they awaited his words.


    "¡­Well, yes, I can say it was the first time. So this was probably why I felt weird these couple of days, but I am fine now."


    Roran took a sigh of relief as his mood seemed to lift up.


    "All is good, then."


    Their conversation was cut short, however, as Elysia entered the room, about to begin the lecture.


    Zaroth let out a sigh of relief.


    His friends were obviously not worried that he had killed a man¡­ well, it wasn''t the first time for sure, but to him, it felt different.


    And yet, his friends didn''t seem to mind, as they even tried to lift his spirits up.


    He didn''t know if he was supposed to scoff or be grateful.


    At the beginning, he had started their friendship with the thought that they would be useful and powerful allies.


    But over the course of these months that they had spent together, they had become real friends.


    Honestly, from time to time, it still felt like a foreign concept¡ªhaving friends.


    The only reason he had survived for so long when he was outside the major cities with his cursed mother was because he hadn''t trusted anyone, hadn''t shown sympathy to anyone.


    But he was slowly changing¡ªgrowing for the better.


    He shifted his gaze to the ceiling.


    He wanted to have a talk with Midnight.


    He also wanted to find Vera and figure out what the fuck was the reason she had appeared that day. Like, who goes to pretty much a stranger and announces that they have the same goal as them¡ªto kill the gods¡ªonly to vanish?


    He narrowed his eyes as he began to think.


    ''Wasn''t she close with Sofia? Maybe I can ask her?¡­ Though now that I think about it, after her loss to Grace in the tournament, I don''t recall seeing her.''


    "Fuck it," he muttered quickly.


    There were too many things that needed to be investigated, and it would be a bad idea to spread out too much. As such, he was going to solely focus on getting stronger for the tournament.


    *****


    Zaroth was in one of the recovery rooms, as per usual.


    However, this time, he was alone¡ªhis friends weren''t with him.


    A moment later, he summoned his beasts, and all of them materialized in the room.


    As per his command, they all positioned themselves to the other side of the room.


    Zaroth took a breath as he took hold of the odachi with both of his hands.


    He really wanted to try out the weapon and learn how to use it.


    And what better way than using it in a real combat scenario?


    His beasts were obviously uncomfortable at the idea of attacking their master, but it was for the greater good, after all.


    So soon after, they all charged toward him, and he did as well.


    For the next few hours, the room was filled with the sounds of beasts'' grunts, and the air had a lingering smell of blood.

 Chapter 202 - 202: Already Won

    Roran''s eyes landed on the opponent in front of him.


    It was Grace.


    He felt a bit weird fighting Zack''s most likely future girlfriend, but he had discussed it with him beforehand, and the man didn''t have any bad feelings.


    As such, Roran would be able to fight to his heart''s content¡­


    Well, not really. He wasn''t going to use his heavenly swords, as he wanted to keep them a secret for as long as possible. Because of that, he wasn''t going to fight with everything he had.


    Roran threw a quick glance at the emperor, who was sitting calmly in his seat.


    Roran tried not to show his real emotions as he gazed at the man. There would be a time and place when he and Lily would take their revenge, but it wasn''t here or now.


    With a sigh, he commanded the dozens of normal swords he was carrying with him to begin levitating, their tips pointed toward Grace.


    He tightened his grip on one of the sword he was going to keep in his hands.


    Lowering his center of gravity, he got into a stance, ready for a sprint.


    He wasn''t going to underestimate Grace¡ªhe had to end the battle as soon as possible.


    Her golden threads had the potential to counter his weapons perfectly, so he couldn''t afford to take it easy.


    His heart rate increased in anticipation, ready for battle.


    Yet deep down, he knew he was going to lose. Not using his real powers gave him too much of a handicap.


    But rather than feeling regret or any kind of shame, he felt sort of glad.


    He hadn''t entered the tournament with the intention of winning to begin with.


    Nor had Lily truly wanted to win.


    The reason they had entered was because they were going to be seen¡ªby a lot of people.


    Tens of thousands live, and if one counted the orbs that had been distributed all around the world, maybe even millions.


    And yet no one recognized them.


    Not a single one. S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    That just showed how powerful Lily''s¡ªno, that thing''s¡ªpower was.


    Roran couldn''t say with certainty what exactly that thing was, but after living with Lily for so long, he had been able to make deductions, even if he wasn''t able to retain his memories.


    Roran and Lily weren''t sure if her powers would be enough to get rid of the emperor¡­


    But they didn''t need to anymore. After knowing that Elysia was planning to take care of him, all they had to do was support her.


    And considering that they had reached so far into the tournament and no one recognized them, it was safe to say that they had the power to do that.


    As such, Roran wasn''t really planning to win this fight¡ªnor the tournament.


    His goal had been achieved, and in his eyes, he had already won.


    His thoughts were interrupted, however, as the emperor announced the start of the fight.


    Roran gritted his teeth as he dashed forward as fast as he could, his weapons not far behind him.


    Grace, in turn, straightened her arms to the side, and dozens¡­ hundreds of golden threads appeared all around the grand arena.


    Roran''s weapons, which had been shot toward Grace, began to cut a few of them, but with each cut, their speed was slowing down.


    Eventually, they would be stopped as their momentum ran out, and Grace would be able to trap the levitating weapons with her threads.


    That was only if Roran let her do that, however.


    Without concern for his well-being, he sprinted toward her with everything he had.


    Seeing the impressive speed he was running with, Grace frowned as she took a few steps back.


    Of course, she also commanded dozens of threads to appear in Roran''s way.


    But rather than trying to cut them with his sword, Roran only ran forward.


    His body collided with the nearest thread and shot forward as he cut through them.


    He didn''t use the sword in his hand to cut them, as that would have slowed him down too much¡ªit was faster to charge straight through them, even if it resulted in numerous injuries.


    At this moment, he was glad for the training he had gone through, as thanks to it, he was able to move while completely ignoring pain.


    His emotionless face didn''t show any kind of reaction as he ran forward, unbothered by the pain.


    Grace''s frown only grew as she saw how unbothered Roran looked, yet she kept up her attacks nonetheless.


    Eventually, Roran''s weapons were caught by the threads, leaving him alone against her.


    Because she was using a large part of her golden threads to keep the weapons immobile, Grace wasn''t able to attack Roran with as many threads.


    So all she could do was run around the arena as she bombarded him with attacks, and Roran ran behind her, slowly catching up.


    Should he reach her, he would surely be able to dispatch her with a single strike.


    But alas, the injuries became too much, and he had lost too much blood.


    His running speed began to slow down, and now he was running at the same speed as Grace.


    Eventually, he became even slower, and in the end, he collapsed onto the ground as exhaustion overwhelmed him.


    As the emperor announced Grace''s victory, Roran sighed in exhaustion.


    "After this, I really need a drink."


    *****


    "After this, I really need a drink," Zaroth muttered, guessing what Roran was thinking now that his fight had ended.


    The man had lost against Grace, and that meant Zaroth was the only one left on his side in the tournament.


    But he didn''t feel nervous in the slightest.


    He stood up from his seat and began to head down¡ªit was his time to fight, after all.


    This time, he wouldn''t feel guilt, even if he had to kill his opponent.


    He had gone too far to let anyone stop him.


    And not to mention, he really wanted to test his new weapon¡ªthe odachi¡ªin the tournament.

 Chapter 203 - 203: Shadow of the Past

    "Holy shit, I''m so glad I got a ticket to watch the tournament live!" a man exclaimed, grabbing a handful of popcorn and shoving them into his mouth.


    He was waiting for the next fight to start.


    "Sure, but while they are cool to relax to, it feels like they''ve become needlessly explosive!" another man sitting next to the first complained.


    "Well, that is for a reason, you know! After all, watching young prot¨¦g¨¦s beating the shit out of each other is a sight to behold!" a third one joined in.


    Overall, the mood around the arena was pleasant, which was a welcome change.


    After all, the Draconian Empire was currently at war with the Crimson Sun Empire. While the war hadn''t escalated into a full-blown confrontation, it still made the general men and women uneasy.


    And that was without even counting the fact that the Purifiers had stopped spreading their religion in the empire, causing even more stress.


    But it was thanks to the emperor and his incredible insight that he had prepared this grand tournament for the population to enjoy.


    Not to mention that he had even created these orbs that allowed one to watch the fights even if they were far away or if they couldn''t afford the expensive tickets.


    "We really are blessed," a woman muttered as she threw a glance at the emperor.


    The way he sat, his golden hair dancing in the wind while his golden eyes watched the fights, made the common people admire the emperor more and more.


    He was a deity who had come to save them.


    If it wasn''t for that great man, their empire would have surely fallen a long time ago. If it wasn''t for him, their spirits would have surely broken a long time ago.


    Of course, some criticized him for his strict laws, but many believed that peace could only be achieved through firm rules¡ªat least, that was their belief.


    But unfortunately, the pleasant mood didn''t stay present for long as the next fighters entered the arena.


    A man on the shorter side with white hair and green cat-like eyes.


    The one who had managed to earn first place in the hunting competition by killing two Epic beasts alongside his team.


    The one who had killed his opponent in a brutal way in the previous round.


    Zaroth.


    He was a controversial figure.


    Some understood that the fight had been too close to announce a winner without one of them dying.


    While others thought that because he had killed someone, he should be disqualified.


    But seeing as the emperor had decided to keep him in the tournament, most people weren''t that vocal about their complaints.


    Questioning the emperor''s judgment was a one-way ticket to hell. But still, they couldn''t help but whisper negative things about Zaroth from time to time.


    "He shouldn''t be allowed to be here. I mean, look! He walks forward as if he isn''t a murderer!"


    "Glad he''s here. Every time he fights, it gets exciting."


    Zaroth stood tall in the arena as he spared a glance at the audience.


    The atmosphere was clearly negative, but he tried not to pay attention to it.


    He had debated with himself this week, and he came to one conclusion. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He acknowledged that he didn''t want to kill his opponent in the 13th round. But the matter was already settled.


    The only thing he could do was continue forward. If he stopped because of guilt, it would all feel meaningless.


    He had killed before, so he was going to treat this incident as the others. Even if he didn''t want to kill, he would do it if the situation called for it.


    Even if the person in front of him didn''t provoke any personal anger, he would kill if the situation called for it.


    As long as there was a benefit, he would do it, regardless of any personal feelings.


    ''But what if I know the person? What if they are my friend?''


    Those were the questions that had haunted him as he came to terms with his decision.


    Sure, he could somewhat forget and ignore killing people he didn''t want to kill, but what if they were close to him?


    Would he be able to kill someone like Lily, Roran, Zack, Midnight, Elysia if the situation forced him to?


    He didn''t know, and as such, he decided not to think about these hypothetical situations.


    If that day ever came, he would make a decision based on the available information then¡ªnot now.


    So, having made up his mind, he straightened his hand behind his back and took hold of the odachi.


    With one swift motion, he brought it out.


    He had some experience with it as he had fought against his beasts with it for a week, but this was the first time he was going to test it against a human.


    His eyes darkened as they focused on his opponent.


    A tall woman with black hair and blue eyes.


    Of course, Zaroth had checked what his opponent was capable of before the match started.


    She was able to use some kind of illusions. Later, he came to know that her class was most likely¡ªTrickster.


    While they didn''t have much fighting power themselves, their strength typically came from turning their opponent''s power against them.


    So, for instance, if Zaroth summoned Silverfang, the woman could theoretically make a perfect copy of his wolf.


    And not just one, but dozens. This was the same with all his beasts.


    While Zaroth felt a connection with his beasts, in the heat of battle, there was always the risk that an illusion would slip past him before he realized it was just that¡ªan illusion.


    This could prove catastrophic, so Zaroth had spent some time debating how he should approach the fight.


    Summoning all his beasts could help him overwhelm her quickly, but she could easily trick him as there would be too many moving pieces.


    As such, the best way to fight was to limit these pieces.


    So Zaroth wasn''t going to use any beasts in this fight. He was going to fight solo against the woman.


    "What luck, I will be able to test my new weapon better this way," he muttered with a smirk on his face.


    Gripping the odachi with both hands, he made his center of gravity lower as his eyes focused on the target.


    In response, the woman put out her right hand in front of her, and a ring appeared, as well as a twisted smile on her face.


    The emperor announced the start of the fight, and Zaroth dashed forward.


    His opponent was weak, so the best way to win was to attack as fast as pos¡ª


    He stopped.


    As well as his heart.


    His mouth opened widely as he began to take ragged breaths.


    His heart was going to explode.


    Sweat began to form on his forehead.


    He wasn''t in pain.


    Nor was he scared.


    In that moment, he felt only shock.


    As the arena, alongside the audience, seemed to disappear.


    As well as the woman that was supposed to be his opponent.


    Instead, in her place stood a woman with a familiar silhouette.


    White hair that was spilling on one side and brown eyes¡ªthe same kind he had before making a contract with Luna.


    His words got caught in his throat for a moment. In the end, he could whisper only a single word.


    "Mother?"

 Chapter 204 - 204: The Illusion of Family

    If he hated or disliked them, he would kill them, with no guilt.


    Should there be a neutral feeling toward them, he could kill them, but there would be guilt for sure.


    If they were his friends, he wasn''t sure if he had it in him to kill them.


    But¡­ What if they were even closer to him?


    What if they were the most important person in his life?


    Forget about killing them, would he be able to harm them?


    These questions had never appeared in his mind until now, as there was simply no point in thinking about it.


    After all, the most important person to him was dead¡ªhis mother had died almost a year ago.


    He had felt grief for so long, but eventually, he had managed to overcome it to some extent.


    And yet now, his mother was standing in front of him.


    Millions of questions raced through his mind.


    A few moments later, he shook his head. His opponent was a trickster, this had to be one of their abilities¡ªmaking you see them as if they were the most important person in your life.


    It was obvious that this wasn''t his mother, she had been long dead, after all.


    He should have no problem raising his odachi against her.


    No, he would even enjoy it. His enemy had dared to take the appearance of his mother, so they should pay.


    And yet, his hands were trembling.


    He had almost forgotten what his mother had looked like. The memories were slowly becoming more blurry as time passed on.


    And yet, she was now standing before him in all her glory¡ªthe reason he was alive at this moment, the person he valued the most over any other.


    ''SNAP OUT OF IT, YOU IDIOT, SHE IS DEAD!'' he cursed himself in his mind.


    He was still in the arena, even if there was an illusion that stopped him from seeing it.


    The fight was still going on,


    Yet he couldn''t move. His body refused to listen to him.


    He had principles¡ªthe core one being to protect his mother at all costs¡ªand because of that, the thought of harming her, or even an illusion of her, felt completely foreign and absurd, something that shouldn''t even be possible.


    So, he stayed motionless, almost as if he were frozen.


    His mind was in battle against itself.


    The woman who had taken the shape of his mother gazed at him for a moment.


    Then she reached to the side of her waist and took out a dagger.


    Taking steady steps, she began approached him.


    *****


    "This is one nasty power," Elysia sighed as she watched the battle live.


    While she, as always, was busy, it would be a waste to miss the later fights of the tournament, so she was in the arena observing.


    The woman that Zaroth was fighting against was capable of casting illusions. There were all kinds of illusions, of course¡ªones that could make copies of yourself, others that could make it appear as if you weren''t there.


    It all depended on how much a person was able to use their powers.


    But the most effective way to fight, if you were capable of casting illusions, was to confuse your enemy.


    And what better way than to make them think you were their most loved person?


    Sure, there could be an undefeatable warrior who would never lose or give up fighting.


    But what if suddenly the person they were fighting against took the appearance of their own child?


    Even if the warrior knew that the person before them wasn''t real, but an illusion, would they be able to raise their weapon against them?


    Most people would think they could¡ªthat is, until they were actually in the situation themselves.


    There''s an easy way to test it, just go to your most loved person and imagine killing them.


    Just the thought of it would make you sick to your stomach.


    So, it was no surprise that people in situations like Zaroth''s would freeze, unable to come up with a way to act.


    It was only natural¡ªraising a weapon against your most valued person goes against your core values. In a way, it''s rejecting yourself and everything you believe in.


    "You might have felt bad about killing somebody you didn''t want to, but what about now? Would you be able to kill the person before you?"


    Elysia didn''t know who Zaroth''s most valued person was, but she could easily take a guess.


    She knew that he had lived most of his life in poverty, trying to survive.


    Meaning that he most likely didn''t have much time to get close to many people.


    And on top of that, he was a man.


    So, his most valued person would be somebody he had spent a lot of time with despite living in bad conditions, someone he could feel indeed to protect.


    "That means he is seeing his mother," Elysia concluded.


    If her theory was correct, this would mean that Zaroth was in even worse trouble.


    After all, Elysia knew that he lived in the capital, and she couldn''t recall him mentioning his family.


    As such, his mother was most likely dead.


    "So he is facing against his dead mother."


    She leaned forward as her eyes focused on the man.


    Elysia knew that he had a lot of potential. Not only did he have a dragon under his command, but he was also quick to pick up on new things.


    But this moment would determine whether he would continue to take a passive approach to life, settling for mediocrity, or rise above and become something more.


    "You wanted to be more mature, didn''t you? Well, this is your chance. Prove it. Show me if you''re just all talk, or if you''re truly capable of doing what''s necessary."


    *****


    Zaroth was debating what to do.


    Or more accurately, he was trying to force his body to move, but it wouldn''t listen to him.


    The woman who had taken the appearance of his mother grew closer and closer.


    And when his mind was too stressed to think, a voice cut through the tension.


    ''Zaroth.''


    It was Luna. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Listen to what I am about to tell you.''

 Chapter 205 - 205: Round 14

    ''What does your mother mean to you?'' Luna asked.


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow at the question.


    He honestly didn''t need to think much about the answer as it was already obvious.


    From what the religious people believed, the world didn''t exist until the gods made it so.


    Then the gods created all living beings.


    But he had never seen a god, and even if he did, he wouldn''t feel gratitude to them in any way. Opposite, in fact¡ªhe would try to kill them.


    What about the ruler of the land he was on?


    The emperor did nothing for him and his family when he was struggling, living in the poor village.


    So he hated him as well.


    The same could be said about the Purifiers and other organizations that were supposed to help him and the poor.


    He had never received any kind of help.


    What about his mother, then?


    She was definitely his creator, she was the reason he was here, the reason he was born.


    Sure, his life had been filled with unimaginable pain and struggling, and it was just barely starting, S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But it was also filled with numerous wonders, pleasures of all kinds.


    And all of this was possible because he was here.


    Because he was alive.


    And who had gifted him life? Who had created him, allowing him to experience what it was like being alive?


    His mother.


    ''My creator and the person I value most,'' he answered immediately.


    ''Yes, you are right. She is the person that you value the most... Look at the person in front of you.''


    At her command, Zaroth shifted his gaze.


    The woman that had taken the appearance of his mother had already drawn out a short dagger and was charging at him.


    This was most likely how she had won all of her fights up until that point¡ª


    Confusing her enemies with illusions, and before they could comprehend what was going on, she would stab them, defeating them and advancing to the next round.


    That was surely one nasty power.


    ''Your mother is your most beloved person, the one you cherish the most,'' Luna continued to speak.


    As she did, Zaroth watched how his mother¡­ or the person that had taken her appearance, was charging at him.


    Probably because of the shock he felt, his brain pumped his body with adrenaline, so everything looked slowed down¡ªalmost like it was in slow motion.


    ''The person that you spent so many years watching over while she was slowly dying by her curse,'' as Luna''s words echoed inside his head, Zaroth noticed that her voice was becoming harsher, more menacing.


    She was angry. This wasn''t an act. She was getting angry for his sake¡ªthat he was put in that kind of suffering.


    ''The person that is more valuable than anything and everything¡­''


    ''Had been degraded to such an extent.''


    Zaroth''s heart began to ache as he heard her words.


    ''Do you remember when we dug up a grave for her? What were you feeling in that moment?''


    His grip on his odachi tightened.


    ''Do you remember what she felt in her final moments before dying?''


    ''I do,'' he answered immediately.


    How could he forget? She was glad that he had survived and had finally managed to tame something.


    ''That is right. She didn''t fear death, nor did she show any kind of concern for herself. She was solely focused on you and your well-being, even in her last moments.''


    A sharp pain pierced his heart. He may have faced endless misfortune, but in one thing, he had been truly blessed¡ªhe had the best mother anyone could ever ask for.


    ''And yet¡­ the person before you had taken her appearance in an attempt to deceive you.''


    Zaroth''s eyes narrowed, a hint of rage starting to appear.


    ''What your opponent has done is the equivalent of desecrating your mother''s grave¡­ no, it is worse. She is actively trying to deceive you and exploit your weakness by taking on your mother''s appearance.''


    ''How do you think your mother would have felt if she knew?''


    How his mother would have felt?


    He knew she would have blamed herself¡ªknowing that Zaroth''s deep attachment to her had allowed someone to exploit him by taking on her appearance.


    ''So this person¡­''


    "Is the same as someone who hurt my mother," Zaroth whispered, completing Luna''s words.


    He still couldn''t move his legs, but his hands were beginning to shake with rage.


    ''Yes, that is right. This person degraded your mother''s body to take advantage of you. What do you think this woman deserves?''


    "Death." Zaroth answered out loud so fast that he almost startled himself.


    But he didn''t feel any kind of guilt about thinking of killing this person. In fact, he would feel pleasure in doing so. This person in front of him had to die, no matter what.


    And yet he couldn''t move. Her appearance was perfectly the same as his mother''s. His subconscious didn''t allow him to move and attack.


    ''Do you love your mother?'' Luna asked.


    ''Of course I do,'' he answered without hesitation.


    ''Does that mean that if she desired something, you would do anything to grant it?'' Luna asked another question.


    ''Yes,'' Zaroth answered again, immediately.


    ''¡­Then what would she desire? If she could have anything, what would she want?''


    ''To be healthy.'' For a second, this was the answer that Zaroth thought his mother would give.


    But then, a moment later, his soul felt like it was about to crumble. He knew that this wasn''t her biggest desire.


    She didn''t care for her health.


    Nor for her future.


    Certainly, no matter how much in pain she was, there was only one thing that took priority over anything else.


    ''For me to succeed,'' Zaroth answered Luna''s question. This was no doubt what his mother desired the most.


    ''Then, is something stopping you from succeeding right now?''


    Zaroth''s eyes narrowed even more. The woman that had taken his mother''s appearance had almost reached him. She was just about ten meters away from him.


    ''The person before me that has taken her appearance,'' he answered Luna''s question.


    There was a momentary silence in his mind until Luna spoke again.


    ''Then do it. Grant the desire of your most beloved person, even if it means doing something you don''t want to do. If you truly love your mother, do what she would have wanted you to do.''


    ''Kill her.''


    Zaroth''s mouth opened as he took a shallow breath.


    His heart hurt, as did his head. No, it felt like his entire being was in flames.


    The woman in front of him looked the same as his mother.


    So his instincts were telling him to protect her and not harm her.


    But he loved his mother. As such, he was going to grant her desire, even if it meant doing something he didn''t want to do, even if it meant going against his core values and principles.


    Zaroth''s eyes weren''t shining. They looked empty¡ªhollow, even.


    "What she desires," he muttered as he took a step forward.


    His body wasn''t shaking, nor did his mind waver with countless thoughts.


    There was no need for hesitation. He was doing this for his mother. As such, he would do it, no questions asked.


    Digging his foot deep into the ground, he dashed forward with dizzying speed.


    The woman who had taken the appearance of his mother looked shocked as her eyes widened in horror.


    No one had managed to move when they were under her spell!


    She was a Trickster, not a person that was able to fight up close!


    Before she could react in any way, Zaroth reached her.


    Raising his odachi above his head, he slashed. His technique was sloppy at best. In fact, it was horrible.


    It was clear that he hadn''t taken lessons from a professional, so he lacked insight on how to properly use the weapon.


    And yet that didn''t matter, as his opponent was just that weak.


    Taking a hurried step back, she put her hand in front of the blade.


    In an instant, the blade collided with her hand and severed it.


    Blood began to spew in all directions like a fountain.


    Zaroth''s stomach ached. From his perspective, he had just severed his mother''s arm, and her face had twisted into one of pure shock and horror.


    In his life, he had never felt so horrible¡ªhe had never felt this kind of pain.


    And yet his feelings were irrelevant. Because this was what his mother would have desired if she was still alive.


    So he was going to grant her wish, no matter what his personal feelings said about the matter.


    His attack didn''t stop as soon as the blade severed her arm. Zaroth managed to rotate and slash upwards.


    The woman took a step back, and rather than dying immediately, the sword made a deep wound around her abdomen and chest, splattering Zaroth''s face with her blood.


    The scent of metal began to linger in the air.


    Yet he didn''t flinch. He was doing what was correct.


    Taking a step forward, he took a firm hold of his blade and pierced forward.


    He was aiming at the heart.


    With this attack, he was going to kill her for sure.


    And yet, before the attack reached the heart, the blade was stopped.


    The illusion that Zaroth was under dissipated.


    The grand arena returned, and the woman no longer resembled his mother.


    He shifted his gaze to the spot where his odachi had been stopped.


    One of the observers had stepped in and stopped his attack, meaning that this was his win.


    He had advanced to the next round.

 Chapter 206 - 206: Has to Pay

    Zaroth''s brain went blank.


    He had just made the decision to kill his mother.


    He had gone against everything he believed in.


    And yet, at the last moment, the attack was stopped by the observer, as it was obvious he was going to win.


    As such, the woman who had taken his mother''s appearance wouldn''t die by his blade.


    A healer appeared and began to heal her injuries.


    The emperor stood up and announced Zaroth as the winner.


    The audience began to cheer.


    Sure, from their perspective, the fight wasn''t all that impressive, but a win was a win, so it was supposed to be celebrated.


    Zaroth glanced at the people, then at the emperor.


    Then his gaze shifted to the woman lying on the ground, her face twisted in pain as the healer tended to her wounds.


    Zaroth didn''t know how to feel.


    In the previous round, he had to kill his opponent.


    He didn''t do it because he wanted to, but he didn''t have a choice back then.


    The fight had been too close, and if it had been stopped, there would have been arguments over who the winner was. Skepticism would follow, no matter the outcome.


    And skepticism was not allowed in the emperor''s grand tournament.


    As such, Zaroth had to kill his opponent.


    What about the woman lying on the ground?


    She had degraded the image of Zaroth''s mother.


    Then, she tried to deceive him by using her appearance.


    And when her plan had failed, she had forced him to make the decision to kill his own mother.


    Yet the woman was lying on the ground with a pained expression.


    She was hurting, that was for sure, but she was alive.


    The blue-eyed woman took ragged breaths, looking down at the ground, waiting for the healer to finish the healing.


    Not long after, the healer was done, the wound on her body was gone, and her arm was back.


    She was about to get up until she noticed a shadow cast over her.


    The healer had already left, so who could it be?


    She lifted her gaze upwards.


    Standing before her was a white-haired man with green, cat-like eyes.


    His name was Zaroth, and he was famous in the tournament for his brutality. It was also commonly known that his eyes shone from time to time.


    But now, his eyes weren''t shining.


    They looked hollow, empty, and they were fixed solely on her.


    The man''s expression was impossible to read. Just like his eyes, his face showed no emotion. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The woman felt her heart beat faster as sweat formed on her forehead.


    It was as if she was trapped, unable to move under Zaroth''s gaze.


    Drip


    That was until something caught her attention and broke her out of her trance.


    She shifted her gaze down to where the noise was coming from.


    Zaroth''s odachi was resting in his right hand, and there was blood dripping from the blade.


    This was her blood.


    A lingering feeling of fear found its way into the woman''s heart.


    Not wanting to remain any longer, she stood up.


    Once she did, she realized that she was taller than the man.


    He was on the shorter side, while she was taller than average, so she was about ten centimeters taller than him.


    That meant if she wanted to look him in the eyes, she had to move her gaze down. So she did, as Zaroth''s gaze was still fixed on her.


    She was taller than him...


    She was looking down on him...


    Yet, she felt the opposite. She felt insignificant before the man.


    Was he angry about the illusions she had shown him? She asked herself.


    She didn''t want to find out, so she turned her back on him and began to walk away in hurried steps.


    Zaroth watched her silently without moving.


    He wanted to kill her, but this wasn''t the place.


    As such, he also turned back and began to head out.


    Several audience members, seated near the entrance where the fighters would come in and out of the arena, shifted their gazes to Zaroth, eager to see his expression.


    But what they saw left them puzzled.


    Usually, once a person wins a fight, they would be happy.


    Not to mention that they had won in an arena as grand as this one! If one counted the orbs, they would have won in front of millions of people!


    And yet, Zaroth didn''t have any expression of happiness, relief, or anything similar.


    In fact, he didn''t have much emotion on his face at all.


    It looked empty.


    But the matter was different when it came to his eyes.


    They were narrowed a lot, almost like a hunter going for a hunt.


    The audience didn''t stay puzzled for long, however, as there was still one more fight, so they focused their attention on it.


    Zaroth made his way to the room that had been assigned to him in the arena.


    It was supposed to be used only before the fight, but he didn''t care.


    Opening the door, he sat on the bed and furrowed his eyebrows.


    Then he closed his eyes and began to think.


    The woman was strong, and there was a very real possibility that she came from a strong family.


    ...


    Zaroth spent a few minutes enjoying the silence. It seemed that the room was soundproof, so he wasn''t hearing the commotion in the arena.


    Eventually, he parted his lips.


    "Thank you."


    The words were directed to Luna.


    If it weren''t for her, he wouldn''t have been able to move, and he would have lost the round as well as the tournament.


    ''Don''t mention it.''


    As Luna''s words echoed in his mind, his heart began to ache more and more.


    While his mother had been the person he valued most, Luna was the living person he cherished above all,


    ...Well, she wasn''t technically a person, as she was a dragon.


    And technically, she wasn''t alive but undead.


    Zaroth shook off his head.


    His mind was made, so he used the bracelet to send Elysia a message.


    *****


    Elysia had spent most of the time watching the fight with furrowed brows.


    But seeing as Zaroth eventually managed to move, she breathed out a sigh of relief.


    While Elysia hadn''t considered Zaroth losing before, in the 14th round, the thought briefly crossed her mind.


    But it seemed that her worries were unnecessary, as Zaroth won.


    He managed to prove himself.


    ...


    To have the mental capacity to attack the person closest to you...


    Elysia''s perception of Zaroth began to change.


    He wasn''t a clueless person that she could control easily.


    He was a man who seemed to have an insanely strong will.


    In such a short time, he had matured into a full-fledged man.


    But Elysia didn''t bother to think much of it for now as she stood up with a sigh.


    The match she wanted to see had ended, and as such, she had to leave.


    That was until she received a message.


    Noticing that it was from Zaroth, she raised an eyebrow as she opened it and began to read.


    Then her eyebrows furrowed.


    -----


    Zaroth: I need help with killing a student.


    -----


    It seemed that Zaroth wanted the woman to pay for her actions.

 Chapter 207 - 207: Cornered

    Zaroth found himself sitting in Elysia''s office, across from her.


    Elysia quickly noticed that, unlike his usual excitement around her, Zaroth now carried a cold, serious demeanor.


    Not that she could blame him.


    Actually, he was handling it even better than she would have thought.


    "So, you want to kill that student?" Elysia asked, just to be sure.


    "Yes," he answered immediately.


    Her eyebrows furrowed as she saw that he was telling the truth.


    Fortunately, the woman Zaroth was targeting wasn''t part of her academy and, as such, wasn''t her responsibility.


    But that didn''t mean Elysia could simply let Zaroth do as he pleased.


    One might assume she would think that way, but the reality was far more complex.


    It wasn''t like Zaroth was targeting a child, as the woman he wanted to kill was approaching 21.


    Elysia knew this because she had already dug up some information on her.


    One could say that this was a matter between two adults to fight over.


    But if that was the case, why did Zaroth want help?


    The answer was obvious¡ªthe woman belonged to a powerful family. While they weren''t the most formidable, Zaroth had no desire to provoke them and become their target.


    If he did, his attention would be split, as he would have to constantly look over his shoulder in fear of an attack.


    That meant his morale and mental health could suffer.


    This could impact his fighting ability.


    This would put him at a disadvantage in the final two rounds of the tournament, which could, in turn, have negative consequences for Elysia.


    So, she had to help him. If she didn''t, it could negatively affect her in the future.


    So, in a way, both of them benefited.


    Zaroth was going to kill that woman no matter what. With Elysia''s help in covering his tracks, he could focus entirely on the tournament later.


    With a sigh, Elysia gazed into Zaroth''s eyes.


    "I presume that you can take care of her alone and just want to make sure nobody manages to connect her death to you?"


    Zaroth nodded at her words.


    Elysia closed her eyes for a moment as she began to formulate a plan.


    It wasn''t as if getting rid of a student was difficult. After all, she was still young, and if she disappeared, it could easily be explained as her rebelling against her family and deciding to leave them.


    Similar stories had happened countless times before, so it wouldn''t be unreasonable to think the same in her case.


    Sure, her parents could insist that this wasn''t the case¡ªthat she would never do such a thing¡ªso they would launch their own investigation.


    But if Elysia managed to erase all traces, the woman''s parents would eventually have to admit they were wrong and abandon their search.


    Zaroth patiently waited, not averting his gaze.


    He had faith in Elysia, trusting that she would help him.


    He trusted her that much.


    A few minutes later, Elysia spoke.


    "There is a way to kill her without attracting attention. I am going to take care of that¡ªyou just have to do the killing part."


    Zaroth''s eyes narrowed as he leaned forward, listening to Elysia''s plan.


    At that moment, he was once again grateful to be on Elysia''s side.


    She was not only incredibly strong but also exceptionally cunning.


    *****


    She had reached the 14th round. She was doing so well!


    But alas, she was paired against Zaroth, and as such, she lost the fight and the ability to proceed forward.


    Thankfully, it seemed that her parents weren''t mad and were even proud that she had managed to reach so far into the tournament.


    Her results had been so impressive that she even managed to boost her family''s influence!


    So one could say that the blue-eyed woman was in a good mood.


    That was until she remembered the expression of her opponent¡ªZaroth.


    A day after the fight, she still got shivers thinking about the way he looked at her.


    It was clear that he didn''t have good intentions toward her.


    "I guess the illusion did mess him up," the woman muttered.


    While she was a Trickster and was able to make her opponent perceive her as their most valued person, she didn''t know who this valued person was.


    She had just taken advantage of the moment her opponent was dazed and stabbed them with her dagger before they could react.


    "Well, no matter. This is the end," the woman sighed as she got up.


    There was no point in thinking about the past now.


    She wanted to let out some steam, so she went for a walk.


    At the beginning, it felt nice, but that changed when she felt like she was being stared at.


    ''Shit,'' she cursed in her mind as she began to observe her surroundings. But no matter how much she looked, there wasn''t anyone in sight who seemed to be watching her.


    "I guess I''m paranoid for no reason," she muttered as she continued her walk.


    Then, for a split second, Zaroth''s face and the way he looked at her flashed across her mind.


    A cold sweat broke out over her, and she decided she didn''t want to spend any more time outside.


    Without hesitation, she headed back home.


    *****


    A few days later, she began to feel better and decided to treat herself by going shopping for clothes.


    She visited several shops, but unfortunately, nothing caught her attention.


    That was until she entered a store with an older woman at the counter.


    Her attention was pulled away as she gazed at a beautiful blue dress.


    "Oh, sweetie, you will look lovely in it!" the older woman exclaimed as she approached her.


    In response, the blue-eyed woman smiled.


    "Do you think so?"


    "Yes! Do you want to try it on?"


    The blue-eyed woman nodded and followed the older woman.


    They stepped into a small room with a small campfire flickering inside.


    "Wait here. I''ll get you the dress in a second!"


    With a sigh, the blue-eyed woman sat on one of the chairs and waited.


    This wasn''t the first time she had been to a store with a dedicated room for changing, so she didn''t think much of it.


    Her mind was busy thinking about the dress¡ªit was going to match her eyes perfectly!


    Who knows? Maybe by wearing it, she would catch the attention of a man she liked.


    He was a bit older than her, so she hoped that by wearing more mature clothing, she could draw his attention.


    "Maybe it wouldn''t hurt to buy some jewelry," she muttered under her breath.


    She was planning to go all out! S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Her mind was so busy thinking about all kinds of things that she didn''t notice how quiet it was around her. It was almost as if the room was soundproof¡­


    A few minutes later, she heard a knock on the door.


    She had waited longer than expected, but it didn''t bother her much.


    "Come in!" she said.


    The door opened, and a man with white hair and green cat-like eyes entered, locking the door behind him.


    Her heart stopped as her blue eyes widened in shock.


    It took her a moment to comprehend what was happening.


    The man who had been haunting her nightmares had appeared before her¡ª


    And he had just locked the door behind him.


    In that moment, there was no doubt in her heart that Zaroth was here to kill her.


    And before she could react in any way, he moved.

 Chapter 208 - 208: Silent Embrace

    Before she could comprehend what was going on, she was hit at the side.


    She grunted, her side burning as she collapsed to her knees.


    Her class was a Trickster, and her blessing complemented her class very well, but sadly, that meant she wasn''t particularly empowered by them, so she couldn''t retaliate.


    Not to mention that she had just gone to buy some clothes! So it was obvious that she wasn''t carrying any weapons!


    Collapsed on her knees, she tried to move her hands into a defensive position, but it was all meaningless as she was hit by Zaroth''s fist.


    A few of her teeth broke and fell to the ground.


    Her vision blurred.


    Before she had time to recover, she was hit again.


    This time, her nose broke.


    And then, one last time¡ªher consciousness slipped away, and she passed out.


    Zaroth took a glance at the woman.


    Her beautiful face was now covered by the blood that was flowing down from the wounds he had caused.


    Not saying anything, he reached for the dagger behind his back and was about to slit her throat.


    "No."


    But he stopped himself.


    He knew what he was doing was wrong¡ª


    Not the killing part, of course. The reason was something else.


    He was hearing the voice that wanted him to kill.


    If he did, he would surely gain a better understanding of his demonic skills.


    But how did that work exactly?


    Zaroth wasn''t sure, but he theorized that by killing a person, he was consuming either their soul or a part of it.


    So one could say that if he killed this woman, he was going to take a part of her.


    And this wasn''t something he wanted.


    She had done the one thing she shouldn''t have.


    She had desecrated Zaroth''s mother''s memory, trying to deceive him by doing so.


    In his eyes, she didn''t qualify as human anymore.


    So he didn''t want to consume her.


    it felt wrong.


    It was the same as if a rich aristocrat looked at a cheap meal.


    Sure, he could consume it, but doing so would be beneath him.


    That didn''t mean that Zaroth wasn''t going to kill her.


    For a moment, he wondered if he should summon his beasts.


    They were carnivores, so they wouldn''t have any trouble not just killing her, but also eating her, hiding the evidence, and making Elysia''s job easier.


    But he didn''t want his beasts to be tainted by the woman.


    "Then what should I do?" he muttered as he began to gaze around the room.


    His eyes stopped at the fireplace.


    "Bingo."


    Without saying anything else, he took the unconscious woman in a princess carry and placed her in the fire.


    She was unconscious, so she wouldn''t feel much pain.


    ''Do I want her to feel pain?'' Zaroth asked himself.


    For a moment, he pondered if he should wait for her to regain consciousness and then burn her, but in the end, he decided that the trouble wasn''t worth it.


    As he placed her in the fire, he took a few steps back and sat on the ground.


    Slowly, the scent of burning human flesh reached his nostrils.


    The image of the man he had been forced to kill in the 13th round appeared in his mind.


    Zaroth sighed. He wasn''t thinking about anything in particular.


    He was feeling different emotions, but trying to understand what they were was too much of a hassle.


    So, in the end, he just sat and looked at the fire.


    Slowly, the flesh of the woman disintegrated, and only bones remained.


    Zaroth was still looking at the fire.


    He didn''t want to, but he couldn''t help himself as his thoughts began to wander about his mother.


    Alone.


    That was how Zaroth felt at that moment.


    Until he felt something soft behind him.


    Luna suddenly appeared behind him, sitting with her body pressed tightly against his back


    She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself closer.


    "¡­What? You can summon yourself?" Zaroth asked, not shifting his gaze from the fire.


    "No, you summoned me," she answered calmly.


    He furrowed his brows.


    ''Did I?'' he asked himself.


    He wasn''t sure anymore.


    But thinking about it felt like too much of a chore, so he dropped the thought.


    "How do you feel?" she asked.


    "Hurt," he answered honestly. There was no point in lying anyway.


    "Do you know why you feel that way?" Luna asked.


    There were a lot of reasons. In truth, he had been feeling like this for some time now, he just used the chance to rest his mind, as he rarely got the chance to do so.


    Zaroth didn''t say anything, letting her finish.


    "It was because you lacked power."


    Zaroth couldn''t suppress a scoff.


    "Really? Now, of all times, you want to manipulate me into getting stronger?"


    Luna was silent for a few moments.


    "But you know that I am right. If you were stronger, the woman''s illusion wouldn''t have affected you. You wouldn''t have seen your mother, and you wouldn''t have felt hurt."


    He took a second to consider her words. It was the truth. If his mind was stronger, if his main core was stronger... maybe he wouldn''t be in this situation right now.


    "¡­So what you''re saying is that if I don''t want to feel hurt¡ªif I don''t want to feel pain like this ever again¡ªI have to attain more power?"


    "Yes," Luna answered calmly.


    Silence fell in the room as the only thing that could be heard was the crackling of the campfire.


    That was until¡ª


    "Hmmm, hmmm, hmmm¡­"


    Luna began humming some kind of song.


    Zaroth recognized it. She was humming the same song from when they met for the first time.


    The song didn''t bother him, so he didn''t tell her to stop.


    "Hmmm, hmmm, hmmm¡­"


    Zaroth''s heart began to ache.


    "Hmmm, hmmm, hmmm¡­"


    This sounded familiar.


    "Hmmm, hmmm, hmmm¡­"


    His eyes widened for a second. He didn''t realize that the corners of his eyes had begun to tear up.


    This was the song his mother used to sing to him when he was very little¡ªbefore she got her curse.


    She used to hum that song when he was scared, trying to calm him down.


    "¡­How do you know that song?" he asked, a hint of sadness in his voice.


    "I''m not sure. The moment I came back to life, I just did. Maybe it''s because of our connection?" she answered.


    Zaroth was silent for a few moments.


    "My mother used to sing it."


    "Do you want me to stop?"


    Zaroth heard her question but didn''t answer¡ªhe wasn''t sure himself.


    While it reminded him of the past, resulting in hurting him, it also brought him comfort, as the only person he had ever seen being able to hum that song was his mother.


    Luna smiled faintly. They were connected, so she could more or less understand what he felt and wanted.


    Embracing him tighter, she began humming again.


    "Hmmm, hmmm, hmmm¡­" Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Zaroth stopped looking at the fire and closed his eyes.


    His heart, which had been beating wildly since who knows when, began to calm down as his mind seemed to gain clarity.


    The muscles that had been tensed for a long time slowly relaxed as he didn''t feel under any kind of danger.


    He didn''t feel alone now.


    There was somebody else with him.

 Chapter 209 - 209: Step Toward Evolution

    Luna was right, he really lacked power.


    So before going to the semi-finals in the tournament, Zaroth wanted to gain more of it.


    Several possible ways shot through his mind.


    Learn more skills, learn more demonic skills, learn how to wield weapons better, train his mana core even more, connect more sparks to his core.


    These were all valid ways, but they were going to take too much time, not to mention that he had hit several plateaus on most of these methods.


    He couldn''t tame more beasts for now as he was at his limit at the moment, but that didn''t mean that he couldn''t make his beasts more powerful.


    Luna was a Mythical beast, but due to the fact that Zaroth''s mana core was still too weak, her powers were reduced to a very strong Epic beast. At the moment, he couldn''t make her more powerful.


    Silverfang already had his wish granted, so Zaroth doubted that there was a way to make the beast stronger, at least at the moment.


    Hellweaver''s wish was simple, but it meant that Zaroth had to somehow find the person who had killed the beast, and considering their ability to perfectly disguise themselves, it was out of the question at the moment.


    But Nightshade was a different story.


    Her wish was probably the easiest to grant.


    All Zaroth had to do was to make sure that she fought in the beast arena and came out on top.


    Then why hadn''t he done it until now?


    It was because he already had Silverfang evolve once, so he knew that once a beast entered the evolving stage, it would be inaccessible for some time.


    And considering that Nightshade would be going from Rare to Epic tier, Zaroth assumed that the evolution was going to take too much time,


    Or in other words, he was afraid. Afraid that once Nightshade entered evolution, he wouldn''t be able to use her, and that would diminish his overall power significantly.


    And this, in turn, would increase the chances that he was going to lose in the next rounds.


    But due to the recent events, Zaroth was willing to take that risk.


    Just the thought of remaining so weak disgusted him.


    Staying in one place without trying to improve disgusted him.


    Not to mention that it was very rare when the perfect time came to get stronger, who knows, maybe after the tournament, he would find himself much busier and in more danger. sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Waiting for the perfect moment would be a mistake, one that he didn''t want to make.


    So, having made up his mind, he went to the bank that was secretly holding the beast fights.


    He was going to make Nightshade began evolution before the 15th round.


    *****


    Zaroth sat on one of the chairs as he watched the two beasts enter the arena.


    He naturally bet everything he had on his beast that it was going to win.


    He had made sure that winning was the only possibility.


    Not only because he knew that the beast wouldn''t die, but because he had given it special advantage.


    While Nightshade was very strong when it came to sneak attacks, she was at a major disadvantage when it came to fighting in the open with her opponent being aware of her location right from the start,


    So Zaroth had given her advantage this time around, and from the look of it, no one was able to see what he had done, which made him smirk a little.


    Before the fight started, he had summoned Hellweaver and had used the spider poison on Nightshade''s fangs and claws.


    Now her attacks were going to be even more devastating, not only would she be able to inflict severe damage, but also poison her opponent, and because Zaroth had used a little poison, the effect wouldn''t be visible to the naked eye.


    Under the effect of the poison, her opponent wasn''t going to start bleeding profusely, making some of the spectators raise their eyebrows.


    At best, the poison was going to slow down Nightshade''s opponents.


    This didn''t sound like that much of an advantage, but it was.


    After all, the slower the enemy was, the more Nightshade would be able to hit them.


    The more she hit them, the slower they would become, allowing her to hit them even more, and this cycle would continue until she won.


    Even if she took fatal attacks, she would be fine as she would just get up like she couldn''t feel pain.


    So Zaroth wasn''t worried in the slightest as he rested his back against the chair.


    And watched the two beasts charge at one another.


    Just as expected, the fighting didn''t last long as Nightshade''s opponent soon collapsed dead.


    Nightshade was announced the winner, as long as her master''s name ¡ª Hollow.


    Hollow was slowly starting to gain fame by his perfect track record, as his beast had yet to lose a single match.


    Zaroth usually didn''t care much for fame, as in his eyes, it wasn''t all that important.


    But here, there could be a difference. The more famous his persona, Hollow, became, the greater the chance that he would catch the eyes of some people.


    While this could be considered a pain in the ass, there was one possible advantage.


    It would be great if he made Destiny interested in him.


    The chances were slim, but if Destiny approached him, or if he got the opportunity to learn more about the individual, it would be a great discovery, as it would mean he was one step closer to evolving Hellweaver as well.


    "One thing at a time," he muttered as he prepared Nightshade for her next fight.


    It seemed that he got lucky, thanks to the grand tournament that was going on, there was hype all around the empire,


    And the owners of the beast arena wanted to take advantage of the situation.


    As such, they had begun to hold more fights between Rare beasts than normal.


    Zaroth was going to capitalize on the opportunity as much as possible, of course.


    After giving Nightshade about an hour to recover herself in his mana core, he summoned her, applied Hellweaver poison again, and sent her to another fight.


    This was going to be her second fight for the day.


    Naturally, once the announcer of the arena called the name of the beast, a few people in the audience raised an eyebrow.


    While it wasn''t unheard of for a beast to perform in two battles in one day, it was definitely rare.


    Most of them thought her master was cruel, forcing the panther to fight so many battles.


    But Zaroth didn''t pay any attention to them.


    After all, he was connected to his Nightshade, and as such, he could more or less feel her emotions.


    She wasn''t just excited, she was thriving.


    With each win, her spirit felt like it was becoming more powerful.


    With each win, it felt like she was becoming stronger, more cunning, more deadly.


    With each win, she was getting closer to evolving.


    Zaroth smirked, the half mask he was wearing only hid the upper part of his face, so his mouth was visible.


    "It seems that we won''t be leaving this arena for some time."

 Chapter 210 - 210: Nightshade’s wish

    Nightshade''s opponent was some kind of a brown Griffin.


    In this special arena, there was a prevention for a beast flying away, so the Griffin was able to fly around.


    As soon as the battle started, the Griffin moved its massive wings and rose as high in the air as the arena allowed.


    Nightshade moved too as she dashed forward with dazzling speed.


    The eyes of the Griffin shined green and used some kind of elemental attacks, attacks that could only be described as a storm shot toward Nightshade.


    She, being a panther, managed to dodge the attack gracefully by moving her body to the side without stopping her charge.


    Her gold eyes narrowed as she saw that the Griffin was too high in the air, meaning she couldn''t reach it just by jumping.


    That didn''t mean that she wasn''t able to reach it some other way, though.


    She changed the direction of her dash as she raced to the walls of the arena and began to climb it.


    Thanks to her claws, as she was part of the cat family, she didn''t have trouble running upwards as long as she had momentum.


    She climbed the walls, reaching the ceiling and running along it without falling.


    The Griffin attacked again, and Nightshade was forced to take it as she couldn''t dodge.


    The wind blade collided with her head, leaving a large wound on the panther''s skull, and blood began to pour from it.


    In normal circumstances, the panther should have fallen dead on the ground. If the attack didn''t kill it, the fall surely would have.


    But the audience, as well as the Griffin, stared in shock as Nightshade simply continued running, unbothered by the fatal injury.


    Before the Griffin could react, Nightshade jumped forward, and her claws clashed with its body.


    Once Nightshade reached the Griffin, the fight was basically over. It was the same as if a street cat got a hold of a bird.


    Death would certainly follow.


    The Griffin tried to resist, using its claws and beak to strike, but Nightshade''s claws sank deep into its body as her fangs closed around the Griffin''s neck.


    A loud cracking sound echoed across the arena as the Griffin''s eyes dimmed, and it fell to the ground dead.


    The announcer proclaimed that Nightshade had won, and the audience stood, erupting in cheers.


    Some cursed that they had lost the bet, but most of them were impressed by the way the beast fought.


    Zaroth silently watched the scene with a smile on his face.


    "Second win," he muttered under his breath.


    At that moment, he wondered how many fights his beast would partake in over the upcoming days.


    *****


    "And the winner of the fight is Nightshade!" the announcer''s words echoed, and the crowd cheered once again.


    "God¡­ how many wins does this make now?" one woman muttered to her friend.


    "I am not sure¡­ but I think it is more than fifty at least," her friend answered back.


    "More than fifty wins in a single week¡­ unbelievable, how is that possible?"


    "I don''t know, but some people suspect that it has to do with her master¡ªHollow."


    "What does this have to do with the panther master? Isn''t the master only the owner?"


    "Not necessarily, you see, this beast could be Hollow''s summon. If that is the case, it would mean that Hollow is a Beast Master or something similar."


    The woman''s eyes widened in realization. "So you mean that Hollow''s blessing extends to the beast as well?"


    The other woman nodded back, "Yes, this is the only way to explain how the beast is able to take so many fatal attacks and walk them off just fine, almost as if it didn''t feel pain."


    "Then what could that blessing do?"


    "It''s unknown, but some theorize that it makes Hollow''s beasts immortal as long as Hollow has mana. Others say that these are not beasts but some kind of weird demons that could heal forever, no matter how strong the attacks they receive."


    The woman quickly added, "But keep in mind, these are only speculations. The reality is most likely very different."


    Zaroth didn''t pay any attention to the muttering around him. It was safe to say that his Hollow persona had already become quite popular. Sadly, there still wasn''t a single mention of Destiny at all.


    It was as if that individual didn''t existed at all.


    But that didn''t concern him at the moment as he felt that Nightshade was very close to evolving.


    And seeing her opponent, Zaroth was sure that this was going to be the last push she would need to reach the Epic tier.


    Her opponent was the same Gorehorn Minotaur that had killed her before.


    The moment both beasts entered the arena, Zaroth felt a bit nauseated by the pure hatred Nightshade was displaying.


    Her golden eyes were gone as they were now bloodshot, almost like she was barely controlling herself from going berserk.


    Seeing that, Zaroth''s mouth curved into a twisted smile.


    He sent Nightshade a simple message,


    ''Act as you see fit.''


    As soon as the fight started, the Gorehorn Minotaur roared in an attempt to intimidate Nightshade.


    It also lifted its axe above its head.


    But Nightshade didn''t care.


    She didn''t show fear.


    There was only a single emotion she was displaying.


    Hatred.


    Before the Gorehorn Minotaur even realized it, Nightshade had already moved.


    The Gorehorn Minotaur''s eyes narrowed. The beast remembered that it had battled against this creature before, but the panther hadn''t been nearly as fast!


    Before the minotaur could react, Nightshade lunged at its exposed leg.


    She could have gone for the throat.


    She could have ended the fight right then and there.


    But she had received an order from Zaroth.


    So her decision was to make what she saw fit.


    And there was nothing in this world more important than making this minotaur suffer as much as possible.


    Leaving deep claws and bite marks on one of the minotaur''s legs, she lunged for the next one.


    The minotaur moved its arm, ready to deliver a blow, but it horrifiedly realized that it was moving slower than usual.


    Something was wrong!


    Left with no time to react, Nightshade made even more severe wounds on the minotaur''s leg.


    Then she retreated with hurried steps.


    The entire time, she was looking into her opponent''s eyes.


    It was very important to see it suffer.


    The minotaur''s face had become a bit paler as it took ragged breaths.


    It was now not only feeling the effects of Hellweaver''s poison, but it had also lost some blood.


    And yet, it felt rage as it saw the panther and, without hesitation, charged toward her.


    Nightshade, in turn, did the same. sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Unlike last time, however, she dodged its charge and the swing of the axe, landing on the minotaur''s back.


    Again, she didn''t go for the throat but made several wounds on its back.


    The minotaur grunted as it looked at the panther again.


    Something was wrong! The panther was faster and more deadly than before. It was going to die!


    Zaroth smiled as he felt the amount of pleasure Nightshade was feeling from this battle.


    She charged again,


    First, she injured the hand that the minotaur was holding the axe with, making it drop it.


    Then the other hand,


    Then the chest and abs.


    The minotaur''s face wasn''t spared as well, but Nightshade made sure not to kill it too fast.


    The audience was looking in shock.


    Usually, a battle didn''t last longer than ten minutes.


    But this one had been more than half an hour!


    And most of the time, the panther was only playing with the minotaur!


    Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the Gorehorn Minotaur collapsed on the ground, but it was still alive, looking at Nightshade with horror in its eyes.


    Too much poison and it had lost too much blood, it couldn''t move!


    Nightshade moved quietly forward.


    Getting very close to the minotaur''s face, making sure that this was the last thing the minotaur was going to remember before it died.


    And then she closed her jaws on the minotaur''s neck, breaking it.


    The minotaur was dead.


    Zaroth couldn''t help but gasp at the amount of energy that Nightshade''s body started to give off.


    And a second later, a familiar and yet unfamiliar voice of the system echoed in Zaroth''s mind.


    [Nightshade''s wish has been granted.]


    [Nightshade''s purpose has been fulfilled.]


    [Nightshade is ready to evolve.]

 Chapter 211 - 211: Preparations for the Semi-Finals

    "Finally," Zaroth muttered under his breath.


    The requirement for Nightshade to evolve had been fulfilled.


    He had begun to worry that he wouldn''t be able to achieve his goal as tomorrow was the 15th round¡ªthe semi-finals¡ªbut it seemed that his worries were unfounded.


    He was feeling very happy, but that didn''t mean he didn''t notice the energy the Gorehorn Minotaur was giving off.


    Zaroth could not help but raise an eyebrow at the sight.


    Nightshade had killed the minotaur, so it was weird that he was seeing the kind of energy that showed the beast could be resurrected.


    And somehow, it was stronger than normal, almost as if the beast had a much bigger attachment to life compared to the other beasts Zaroth had.


    Maybe if the beast wanted to live that much, it wouldn''t matter if Zaroth or his beasts killed the creature¡ªhe would still be able to resurrect it.


    But even if he could resurrect and tame the Gorehorn Minotaur, it wasn''t an option¡ªhe was bound by a strict limit on the number of beasts under his rule. Unlike his other constraints, this one felt absolute, and he had no doubt that pushing past it would end disastrously.


    Shaking his head off the thought, he headed down.


    He took a good long glance at Nightshade. Once he desummoned her, she was going to enter his soul, and they weren''t going to see each other for some time.


    Moving his hand, he put it over the panther''s head, which in turn began to make purring sounds.


    "I will miss you," Zaroth whispered, and even though Luna wasn''t summoned at the moment, he could tell that she too was going to miss the panther as she regularly played with it. sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I wonder how you would look when you evolve. Silverfang didn''t change that much after his evolution, but what about you?"


    Nightshade tilted her head with curiosity as she looked at her master.


    Zaroth sighed, "Maybe you will be able to understand me better when that happens."


    After he was done saying his goodbyes, he desummoned her.


    Not a moment later, he heard the voice of the system.


    [Nightshade evolution in progress]


    Zaroth released another sigh as he quickly got out of the beast arena.


    Now, while he had become weaker as Nightshade was inaccessible, in truth, he was going to benefit greatly.


    At least a part of him would be able to rest easy now, as even if he stopped in one place, his beast would still be evolving, meaning he was always making progress.


    Zaroth threw a quick glance at the sky.


    It was already night.


    He pondered if he should contact his friends and go to a bar.


    But he quickly threw the thought away. Tomorrow he was going to have to fight, so it was important to be in the best shape possible, and drinking large amounts of alcohol didn''t seem like a good way to prepare.


    "...Maybe if I invite Midnight to my apartment?" he muttered.


    He knew that it was still a bad idea, as a night with Midnight was... going to exhaust him even more.


    But still, one could still wonder¡­


    "I guess I can do that after the 15th fight."


    Having made up his mind, he activated his bracelet. It wasn''t because he needed to look at the map, as he had already memorized it long ago.


    No, his eyes focused on something different.


    He had made Nightshade participate in a lot of fights, and naturally, he always bet everything he had that she was going to win.


    So now he had 120 000 credits.


    It was a lot of money, but after so many fights, one might expect it to be more. However, after winning so many battles, the amount Zaroth earned started to decrease, especially as more people bet on Nightshade winning.


    "I am rich!" But still, it was a lot of money in Zaroth''s eyes.


    Though his happiness was short-lived as the thought of Elysia''s mansion crossed his mind.


    It had been so grand that Zaroth doubted if he had even ten times as much money that he would be able to afford something that expensive.


    So if he wanted to impress Elysia, he would have to achieve something more impressive.


    ''That is what you get when you go for the best,'' Luna teased, echoing in his head.


    Zaroth smiled a little.


    Tomorrow were the semi-finals.


    *****


    At the beginning, Zaroth had doubts that they would be able to make the semi-finals interesting.


    After all, there were only four participants, meaning that there would be only two matches.


    Sure, the fighters would be the cream of the crop¡ªthe very best of the best¡ªand the battles could last much longer than usual.


    But there were only going to be two matches!


    Who would even want to pay for the overpriced tickets to watch just two fights?!


    Well, now that Zaroth was heading to the arena, he got his answer.


    It was a lot.


    Not just a lot.


    A LOT.


    He barely managed to enter, that was how many people were present.


    It seemed that either the emperor got greedy and sold more tickets than the grand arena could hold, or he just wanted as many people as possible to watch the fights live.


    Nevertheless, Zaroth could more or less guess that there were almost twice as many watchers as normal.


    No one was sitting in their seats, the place was so overcrowded that everyone was on their feet.


    There were people that were even climbing on places where they shouldn''t be just to get a better view of the arena, and even these places were overcrowded!


    He took a few moments to appreciate the view.


    Tens of thousands of people, maybe even hundreds of thousands, had gathered to watch him fight.


    Of course, Zaroth knew that this wasn''t going to be the last fight, as it was just the semi-finals.


    If he wanted to win the tournament, he had to win today''s battle and then fight against the person that was going to win the other fight.


    And this was a fight that he really didn''t want to miss out on.


    It was Grace versus David.


    Two undefeatable titans were going to fight against one another, and the winner was going to go against Zaroth in the finals.


    His fight was going to be the second one, so after carefully checking all his equipment¡ªhis armor, daggers, spear, and odachi¡ªhe headed out.


    Unlike last time, there wasn''t a designated spot where he could join the audience to watch the fights. Instead, he planned to watch from the area the fighters passed through to reach the center of the arena.


    He just was careful not to poke out his head to avoid causing a distraction.


    It seemed that he was early, as none of the fighters had arrived yet, so he rested his back against the wall.


    Considering that no one had arrived yet, it meant he was likely going to meet either David or Grace before the fight started.


    After all, to reach the center, they would need to pass through the area where Zaroth was waiting.


    A few minutes passed.


    In the meantime, it seemed that the emperor had organized for a woman to go in the center of the arena and sing. And by the looks of the audience¡­ especially the men, they enjoyed the singing of the woman.


    The singer wore clothes decorated with gold and jewelry that sparkled in the brightly lit arena.


    Zaroth enjoyed her singing too, but not as much as Luna''s. They weren''t even close enough to be compared.


    The woman at the center of the arena was good.


    Meanwhile, Luna was like a deity, not just in her looks but in her singing skills as well.


    It was as if his dragon could perform anything perfectly.


    The fact that the emperor had ordered the woman to sing before the fight started told Zaroth that the man most likely enjoyed being sung to.


    At that moment, a twisted plan began to form in his head.


    If his instincts were correct, he could strike a major blow to the emperor''s mind. By angering him, Zaroth could provoke mistakes that Elysia could easily capitalize on.


    But his concentration was broken as he heard a male voice behind him.


    "Oh? We haven''t spoken to each other in a while¡­"


    Zaroth shifted his gaze to the voice, and then his eyes darkened for a second.


    It was David.

 Chapter 212 - 212: Fated Encounter

    The odds were evenly split between Zaroth meeting Grace or David, yet fate had clearly decided it would be David.


    Zaroth didn''t mind meeting the man, but he also wouldn''t have been opposed to meeting with Grace.


    After all, she and Zack had begun to date officially a few days ago, and Zaroth felt like it was important to meet his friend''s girlfriend.


    Zack had met Midnight before, so it was only fair that he meet her as well.


    But it seemed that was going to happen at a later date.


    Zaroth met David''s purple gaze with his own as he answered.


    "Yes, that is true, we have met only once after all."


    They had crossed paths before, watching each other''s fights from their assigned spaces in the tournament, but since neither had spoken or even exchanged a glance, those encounters didn''t truly count.


    "That is true¡­ to be honest, one time was enough to make a certain kind of impression," David spoke with a hint of amusement in his voice as he took a few steps toward Zaroth.


    Zaroth, in turn, didn''t move from the spot where he was resting his back against the wall.


    "Really?" he raised an eyebrow. "What kind of impression?"


    David smiled a little.


    Unlike what some might believe, the atmosphere between them was relatively relaxed, as neither appeared to have any hostile intentions at the moment.


    "You looked like a person that held a great number of secrets that you were unwilling to share."


    David quickly added, "Though, considering who you work for, it isn''t that surprising."


    Zaroth didn''t react; he had expected that it was already known that he worked for Elysia.


    There was no point in keeping it a secret anyway.


    "Well, to be honest, working for her sounds much better than working for the emperor," Zaroth mused.


    He expected David to react with some kind of anger, but contrary to his expectations, the man only smirked.


    "Yes, that is right."


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow. "That is weird, shouldn''t you defend the honor of the person you''re working for?"


    David''s smirk only grew wider. "Not really, considering that the salesman isn''t with me right now, there isn''t a point in holding up appearances."


    Zaroth''s interest was piqued. Did that mean David didn''t truly work for the emperor and was merely playing a role?


    "Should I take it that you don''t want to work for the emperor?" he asked.


    "You can take it however you want," David answered.


    A silence fell upon them for a few seconds.


    "Why are you working for the emperor, exactly? If you don''t mind me asking."


    David paused for a few seconds, but in the end, decided that this wasn''t that important information that could be used against him, so he answered.


    "My sister, she is sick, and the emperor is able to make her better, so I don''t really have much of a choice."


    Hearing the unexpected answer, Zaroth couldn''t help but scoff.


    David noticed that and for a moment, a hint of anger appeared in his eyes.


    "Is there something funny about taking care of my sister?"


    "No, don''t take it the wrong way. It''s just that the reason is so¡­ noble. I expected someone like you being hungry for power or whatever."


    David raised an eyebrow. "Then why do you work for Elysia? And what made you enter the tournament in the first place?"


    Zaroth met David''s eyes for a second.


    "Let''s just say it gives me the chance to be with two stunning women."


    The second David heard Zaroth''s reason, he couldn''t hold it in any longer and burst out laughing, though his laughter was drawn out by the singing of the woman at the center of the arena.


    "Gods, really?! That is your reason? So basically, you are a slave to your desires."


    Zaroth chuckled when he heard the way David described him.


    "Well¡­ one can say that these desires are the only reason I am alive right now."


    After a few moments, David calmed down, and his eyes suddenly became colder.


    "But keep in mind, you won''t be the one to win¡ªI will."


    Zaroth met David''s gaze with his own. "You have hope, which is good. But remember, hoping for the impossible isn''t good for your mental health."


    Silence fell upon them as they stared silently at one another. sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    That was until the woman was done singing, meaning the fights were soon going to start.


    David broke the stare first as he sighed and took a step forward.


    Once he reached Zaroth, he stopped for a moment, not shifting his gaze from the center of the arena.


    "Tell me¡­ do you see it?"


    Zaroth was looking at the ground, trying not to shift his gaze, aware that the giant black creature always following behind David had its three hollow eyes fixed on him.


    A few seconds passed in tense silence.


    The friendly atmosphere seemed to disappear as hostility began to settle in the air.


    "I don''t know what you are talking about."


    "Are you sure?" a third, menacing voice that was unfamiliar to Zaroth came.


    This was the first time the entity behind David had spoken, and Zaroth heard its voice.


    Zaroth tried not to show any kind of reaction.


    If he did, it would be obvious that he was able to hear the thing and also see it.


    A few more seconds went by.


    Then, without another word, David continued forward.


    After he was far away from Zaroth, David asked,


    "So?"


    "Not sure, it''s about fifty-fifty. I feel like he can''t see me, but he could also be a great actor, hiding it really well."


    David nodded.


    "Thought, so." he muttered.


    Not that Zaroth being able to see the Spectral Warden behind David would make much of a difference anyway.


    David was still going to win.


    "Though something else caught my eye," the Spectral Warden spoke.


    David raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"


    "Now that we''ve gotten so close to the man, I sensed a threatening energy coming from him. We''ve seen many of his beasts so far, but they''re nothing compared to what Zaroth has at his disposal. He clearly has something much stronger that he can summon."


    David couldn''t help but release a chuckle.


    "That''s good, after all, we don''t want the fight to be over quickly, isn''t that right?"


    The Spectral Warden didn''t answer as David stopped at the center of the arena.


    Before him stood Grace.


    She, unlike the other people David had fought up until now, couldn''t be underestimated.


    After all, she had displayed immense control over her powers.


    David cracked his neck as his eyes began to shine a much more intense hue of purple.


    In turn, Grace''s blue eyes shined as well.


    The grand arena went deadly silent as everyone was preparing themselves for the fight that was about to unfold.


    The emperor stood up from his seat and began to speak.


    "At last, we have reached the semi-finals! Only the best of the best remain. These fighters will go down in history!"


    "Who will win?! The undefeated David or the silent and deadly Grace?"


    "Let the battle begin!"


    At the emperor''s words, the audience erupted into deafening cheers.


    And David and Grace moved.


    The battle had begun.

 Chapter 213 - 213: Breaking Boundaries

    David attacked the same way he always did.


    Because he liked to keep the fights short, he dashed toward his opponent and took them down before they had any time to react.


    So, as usual, he dug his feet deep into the ground, his eyes shining darker shades of purple, and expelled toward Grace.


    She, in turn, had seen many of David''s fights up until now, so she wasn''t surprised to see him attempt to take her down the same way he took down his other opponents.


    She raised her hands in front of her and spread out her ten delicate fingers evenly.


    It was rare for her to go all out, but she couldn''t afford to hold back considering who she was up against.


    David''s eyes widened as suddenly hundreds of golden threads appeared all around the arena.


    Before he could react in any way, a lot of them moved and wrapped around his body.


    In just the span of a second, he was immobilized.


    He gritted his teeth in regret.


    At that moment, he heard a menacing chuckle behind him.


    "Ah, sadly you are powerless against her. So, in the end, you again have to rely on me."


    Hearing the Spectral Warden behind him, David sighed in frustration, then closed his eyes.


    A second passed.


    Then another.


    And before she knew it, Grace had broken into a cold sweat.


    It wasn''t just her, but the front rows of the audience did as well.


    Even the emperor felt it.


    He leaned up as he fixed his eyes on David.


    A twisted smile had appeared on his face.


    Up until now, David hadn''t displayed his real powers.


    But it seemed that this was going to change today.


    David was immobilized by hundreds of golden threads.


    And yet, he moved.


    His muscles bulged, his breathing deeper as he required more oxygen, and his eyes shined.


    Not metaphorically, but quite literally at this moment, David''s eyes were shining like purple torches of death.


    Snapping sounds echoed across the entire arena.


    Grace narrowed her eyes as she muttered a silent curse.


    There had been instances when her threads were being snapped before. S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But this was the first time it had happened when her opponent was able to break free of her trap consisting of hundreds of threads.


    And that was not the only thing.


    David looked unharmed.


    Like he hadn''t taken even the slightest bit of damage.


    "Even when I made them as tight as possible!" Grace muttered under her breath as she took hesitant steps back.


    She had a bad feeling about this.


    Her bad feelings were proven correct as David shot forward once again.


    This time, he was faster.


    Not just faster.


    Before the audience''s eyes, David moved like a blur.


    A person that was able to move incredibly fast.


    But now?


    He was moving so fast it was like he was simply teleporting.


    "Fuck!" Grace cursed as she used all of her golden threads to separate herself from David and formed a golden wall of threads.


    An instant later, David collided with the golden wall, and a deafening crackling sound echoed across the arena.


    Grace, who by now was running back, grew pale as she saw that David''s fist had somehow managed to break past the wall she had just made.


    She had strengthened them, wrapping them one after another.


    This wasn''t like before when David broke the offensive threads.


    These ones were supposed to be much harder to snap!


    And yet, he did.


    At the beginning, some wondered why David didn''t carry any weapons.


    Was it because he was overconfident or maybe he was able to summon one?


    Well, seeing as how his fist went past the wall easily, it was clear that his fist was much stronger than any weapon out there.


    And most terrifying of all, there wasn''t even the smallest injury on his fist. It was as if his hands were made of titanium.


    Seeing that she was at a disadvantage, Grace changed her plans.


    This was something she had been working on for some time now, and she didn''t want to use it, as she hadn''t mastered it yet, but there was no other option now.


    She gritted her teeth flexed the muscles in her legs and jumped.


    Her jump was impressive; she reached almost two meters in height. It was clear that she hadn''t neglected training her body.


    Yet something interesting happened.


    Once she reached the highest point of her jump, she was supposed to go down,


    After all, that was how gravity worked.


    And yet she didn''t! She was staying in one place almost like she was flying.


    Without delay, she bent her knees again and jumped.


    How did that work exactly? The audience asked themselves.


    To jump, you first have to push off from something, and seeing that she was somehow flying, there wasn''t anything Grace could have used to jump from!


    Zaroth, meanwhile, smiled. He was clearly impressed.


    Grace, of course, wasn''t levitating. She was standing on a couple of her threads.


    No matter who saw her actions, they would be impressed.


    After all, she was somehow able to balance her entire body standing on just a couple of threads!


    Not to mention that she wasn''t just staying in one place, but she continued to jump higher and higher.


    David wasn''t far behind. Once he saw that Grace was getting high in the air, he couldn''t help but grunt.


    This wasn''t good for him. If Grace managed to stay far away while attacking him, he would eventually tire out, his mana would run low, and he would lose.


    And this wasn''t something that he wanted to happen, so he was going to have to stop her.


    "¡­?"


    But his charge was stopped as he was hit by a few threads.


    These ones were different.


    Unlike the previous ones, Grace had combined her threads, wrapping them into larger ones.


    That meant that if David wanted to proceed forward, he would have to manually snap them all one by one. He wouldn''t be able to snap them by his running speed alone.


    There was a limit to his power, after all.


    "Why don''t you use me? Are you that afraid?"


    Hearing the Spectral Warden mocking behind him, David could only curse.


    The being and its powers were a great boon for David.


    But if he used it too much, there was going to be hell to pay.


    Not to mention that his pride was severely hurt each time he had to rely on the cursed being.


    "Fuck off!" he shouted as he broke one after another of the threads.


    Grace was not only skillfully attacking him with her threads while preparing more golden threads to shoot toward David, but she was also jumping higher and higher into the arena at the same time.


    Each step she made, each breath she took had to be calculated perfectly, as there was the danger of falling.


    Of course, she could break her fall with her threads, but that would mean that the load on David would lessen, and he would get closer to her.


    Which was the same as losing.


    So Grace had to focus her mind on multiple things at the same time.


    After a minute or two, Grace stopped as she took a quick glance down.


    She was now thirty meters high in the sky and was about the same level as the audience in the first row.


    "This should be high enough for now," she muttered. Going too far from David would make it harder for her threads to reach him.


    "AHHH!" David''s inhuman shout echoed across the arena as his eyes began to glow even more intensely.


    Not just his eyes, but at this point, there was some kind of purple aura that seemed to be radiating around his body.


    "Good, doesn''t that feel good? Do you see now that there is no point in rejecting me?" the Spectral Warden mocked.


    "I told you to keep your mouth shut!" David shouted in anger as he tore through Grace''s golden threads one after the other with terrifying speed.


    After which, he bent down and buried his two hands deep into the ground.


    Not a second later, he lifted a large chunk of it, weighing at least fifty kilograms.


    His first gaze locked on Grace.


    And then he threw the giant piece of earth at her almost as if it were a toy.


    Grace''s eyes widened in horror as she watched the earth piece move toward her with terrifying speed.


    In that moment, she regretted not going higher.

 Chapter 214 - 214: Dance of Death

    For a second, everything happening around Grace seemed to slow down.


    The large chunk of earth that weighed more than fifty kilograms was flying toward her with dazzling speed.


    If that thing, weighing as much as she did, hit her at that speed, no healer in the world could mend the damage.


    This wasn''t just your average fight¡ªthere was a real possibility that she was going to die here.


    Under the fear of death, she moved out of instinct.


    She directed all the golden threads that were around David and made them appear before the chunk of earth and herself.


    In turn, the chunk tore through the threads as it continued to move toward her. It was still fast, but it had slowed down a little, allowing her to move her body out of the way.


    She wasn''t out of danger, however, as now that David wasn''t constantly assaulted by her threads, he was able to move freely and, in turn, sent several more earth chunks of various sizes at her.


    Grace gritted her teeth. It was clear that she had to somehow get out of the way.


    Flexing the muscles in her legs, she jumped from one thread to another, trying to create as much distance between herself and the chunks as possible.


    Some earth chunks missed her entirely, while others came very close to making contact.


    Grace knew she couldn''t keep dodging forever¡ªDavid was getting accustomed to her movements.


    He was no longer trying to hit her directly but was aiming for the spots where he predicted she would appear.


    And from the looks of it, his predictions were getting better and better. Soon, she would be hit and turned into a bloody paste.


    Gritting her teeth, she attacked again¡ªbut this time, not with dozens, not with hundreds, but with thousands of golden threads.


    Blood began to leak from the corners of her eyes as her breathing grew shallow.


    Pushing one''s mana core to such an extent was extremely dangerous and often deadly. Grace knew that.


    And nevertheless, she still did it.


    David gritted his teeth as he felt another assault of her golden threads. This one was several times more powerful than the others.


    There still weren''t any visible damages on his body, but he was being pushed around by the sheer weight of the golden threads.


    "You are being pushed around? How pathetic! At this point, forget your sister¡ªyou won''t even be able to protect yourself!"


    But no matter how devastating Grace''s attack was, it all paled in comparison to the Spectral Warden''s mocking words.


    The cursed being had spent so much time with the man that it knew exactly how to make him mad. It knew what buttons to push to make him lose control.


    "ARE YOU DEAF? I TOLD YOU TO SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" David''s shout echoed around the arena.


    "I am going to shut up, and then what?" the Spectral Warden spoke again, moving its mouth close to David''s ear and whispering.


    "Unless you accept me, you are done, and you know it."


    Its words were like daggers.


    "After all, without me, you are useless."


    David''s thinking was clouded from the continuous assault of the golden threads.


    "Just accept it. You are nothing without me."


    David couldn''t hold it anymore.


    If he took too much time, his mana core would run out.


    If that happened, he would lose.


    And what would the emperor do to his sister if he was no longer useful to him?


    David didn''t have much choice in the matter.


    "And all of this because¡­" he muttered, hatred in his voice as he gazed at the woman in the sky, spilling blood like a fountain while keeping the attacks on him.


    If that woman was weaker, he wouldn''t have been pushed to such an extent.


    If she had just lost easily, he wouldn''t have to rely on the Spectral Warden. S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "All because of you!" he spat, his eyes burning even brighter.


    "ALL BECAUSE OF YOU!" His inhuman roar echoed across the arena like a beast let loose.


    The purple aura around his body intensified, expanding several meters in length and obscuring his form from view.


    His eyes were now shining so brightly, like the sun.


    His body burned with unparalleled power.


    "JUST DIE ALREADY!" he shouted, forcing his muscles to move beyond the natural limits of what any human should have been able to achieve.


    His jump was so powerful that the ground beneath him cracked like a spider web, and the wind moved away from him like a hurricane.


    Even the emperor''s eyes widened when he saw what David had accomplished.


    His jump was so forceful that he was propelled dozens of meters into the air.


    His destination¡ªGrace.


    She, in turn, was exhausted, had lost a lot of blood, and most of her mana.


    But she wasn''t going to give up!


    She wanted to win!


    With a swift, subtle movement to the side, she narrowly evaded David''s jump, sending him hurtling past her and soaring fifty to sixty meters into the air.


    He had risen to the height of the arena''s middle rows.


    At seventy meters, he finally collided with the invisible shield that had been placed around the circular arena to prevent attacks from reaching the audience.


    His two feet bent as he focused on Grace, foam beginning to form at the corners of his mouth.


    "BECAUSE OF YOU!"


    Before his curse could even leave his mouth, he shot toward Grace like an arrow.


    A split second¡ªthat was all the time Grace had to dodge David''s attack.


    Very few humans would be able to move that fast, let alone after accumulating as much damage as Grace had.


    And yet, she did.


    Despite her state, she moved two steps to the left, stepping over her golden threads, managing to dodge David''s attack.


    At the same time, she bombarded David with attacks, each one aiming for maximum damage.


    While her attacks weren''t able to inflict damage, she hoped that David''s shield¡ªor whatever he had that made it impossible for him to receive damage¡ªwould soon run out of power.


    As soon as David missed Grace and landed on the ground, he shot toward her again, his speed even faster.


    She dodged again, forcing him to crash into the arena ceiling once more before propelling himself back toward her.


    Each time this loop completed, he got faster, more powerful, angrier.


    The purple aura only seemed to increase in intensity.


    Grace''s movement looked more like dancing than merely moving. She had to carefully adjust her footing on her threads while making sure not to be hit by David or fall from them.


    The scene was spectacular¡ªa beautiful woman dancing in the air while dodging purple rays of light directed toward her.


    The visibility in the arena began to decrease as the amount of debris David created with each jump from the ground started to raise clouds of dust.


    Countless snapped golden threads were falling from the sky, only for more to appear in their place.


    Everybody watching held their breath.


    One mistake was all it took for Grace to lose. One misstep, one miscalculation, and it would be over.


    David, meanwhile, only seemed to be getting faster, but some began to wonder¡ªif he was forced to stop, would he be able to continue? His mana core was surely almost empty.


    Zaroth''s eyes darkened.


    ''Would I be able to win against one of them?'' he asked himself.


    The only way that came to mind was to use Luna, and even then, he began to have doubts.


    That was how terrifyingly strong these two were.


    They were unlike anything Zaroth had seen before.


    Grace''s dance of death continued for at least a dozen minutes.


    At this point, most of the arena was hidden by debris, smoke, and dust in the air.


    And once it looked like this fight would last forever, Grace made a mistake.


    The damage to her body, a side effect of abusing her mana core, had caught up to her.


    She wasn''t able to move her leg fast enough to get out of David''s charge.


    Her eyes widened as she saw the writing on the wall.


    In a split-second decision, she commanded all of the golden threads to move and form a wall between her and David.


    Not a moment later, he collided with said wall.


    Miraculously, the wall didn''t break. But it bent under the energy of his charge¡ªand hit Grace.


    She was sent flying through the air, barely managing to stop her fall with a couple of her threads.


    Moving her gaze, she tried to get up.


    But her body, sensing the safety of the ground, finally gave way, and she lost consciousness as she crumpled to the floor.


    David fell to the ground as well, looking at her with different emotions running through his head.


    A moment later, the emperor stood up.


    "The winner is David!"


    The crowd erupted into cheers.


    The fight was over.


    Seeing the result, Zaroth couldn''t help but sigh.


    He had partly expected that David was going to win.


    After all, he had been chosen by the emperor, and there was obviously a reason for that.


    Now that Zaroth had witnessed the man''s strength, it was clear why.


    "It looks like my opponent for the final is decided," he mused.


    David and Grace had put on quite the show.


    It seemed that he, too, would have to display a great amount of power.


    ''Don''t count your eggs before they''re hatched, Zaroth,'' Luna''s voice echoed in his head.


    Zaroth''s lips twisted into a menacing smile.


    "Do not worry. There''s no way I will ever lose."


    It was time for his fight.

 Chapter 215 - 215: Crimson Mist

    David took a hoarse breath as he collapsed onto one knee.


    Gradually, the intense purple aura surrounding him began to disperse until it was nowhere to be seen.


    Instead, it was replaced with a hollow feeling, a mixture of relief and shame.


    "See? It wasn''t that hard, was it? Do you see now that if you listen to me, only good things would happen to you?" The Spectral Warden didn''t miss the chance to mock the man.


    David, in turn, gritted his teeth. He wanted to curse at the cursed being, but he didn''t even have the strength to open his mouth.


    That was how much the battle with Grace had drained him.


    Taking a few seconds to recover, he shifted his gaze toward the unconscious woman lying on the ground.


    She was being healed by one of the healers.


    After a moment, his eyes widened as he, too, felt himself being healed by a different healer.


    He might not have sustained any physical injuries, but his mana core was close to cracking, so he welcomed the healer''s assistance.


    Feeling a gaze upon him, David lifted his head and locked eyes with the emperor, who was looking at him with a twisted smile.


    ''I guess he''s happy now that he''s seen a part of what I''m capable of,'' David thought with sarcasm, his body beginning to feel sore.


    He didn''t pay much attention to the audience cheering as he got up and began to head out.


    On his way, he met Zaroth again.


    Both of them looked into each other''s eyes for a second.


    Then, without exchanging any words, Zaroth stepped into the ring.


    In a way, he was saying, ''Now it''s my turn.''


    David scoffed and sat on the ground.


    Zaroth had watched his fight, so David was going to do the same.


    Taking a deep breath, Zaroth gazed at his opponent. Unlike the previous ones, he hadn''t been able to gather much information about this one.


    It was a short man with a red hood covering his head. Zaroth had no doubt that the man wore some kind of armor beneath his red robe.


    He wasn''t surprised to see the two daggers at his opponent''s waist. From the little information Zaroth had managed to gather, he knew that the man was swift with his daggers, taking out his opponents quickly and quietly.


    Zaroth had daggers as well, but he wasn''t that skilled with them.


    And facing an opponent who had mastered the weapon while he had not seemed like a reckless gamble.


    So, reaching behind his back, he unsheathed the odachi.


    The odachi seemed like the most favorable choice, as its length gave Zaroth a greater reach compared to his enemy, forcing his opponent to be more cautious in his approach.


    His spear was still on his back, waiting to be used at the right moment.


    Zaroth summoned his beasts¡ªHellweaver, Silverfang, and the four unnamed wolves.


    His eyes darkened for a second as he observed the hooded opponent. It was impossible to see the man''s expression.


    Usually, reading an opponent''s emotions was important¡ªthat way, Zaroth could tell if he had caught the enemy by surprise or if his actions had been expected. It was also possible to gauge how tired his opponent was by looking at their face.


    "Well, no matter," Zaroth mused, getting into a battle position, awaiting the emperor''s words.


    He didn''t have to wait long, as the emperor soon announced the start of the match. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Zaroth charged at his opponent, his beasts following closely.


    His opponent unsheathed his two daggers from behind his back.


    And before anyone could react, a crimson mist covered the entire arena floor in an instant.


    Zaroth''s eyes narrowed.


    He hadn''t heard anything about his opponent being able to create mist!


    It seemed that this was the first time his opponent had decided to use his trump card in the tournament.


    ''Does this mist weaken me, or does it make him stronger?'' Zaroth asked himself.


    He quickly got his answer, however, as he heard a grunt behind him.


    In that instant, he realized he couldn''t feel his connection to his beasts, as if they had vanished entirely.


    Suddenly, his body shivered as his instincts screamed at him to move, or else he would die.


    He turned just in time to see Silverfang lunging at him with bloodshot eyes.


    With a silent curse, Zaroth raised his odachi in front of himself, successfully blocking Silverfang''s attack.


    "So it makes my beasts go berserk¡­" Zaroth muttered, taking a step back before kicking the wolf away.


    Zaroth wasn''t emotionless; kicking Silverfang felt like an action he should have never had to perform, but the fact that he couldn''t control his beasts told him everything he needed to know.


    And it wasn''t like his beast could die, so even if it took a few hits, the beast would be alright.


    Silverfang was about to attack again, but he was stopped as two of the unnamed beasts lunged at him, their eyes bloodshot as well.


    Zaroth could only watch in frustration.


    ''I can''t feel my beasts at all, meaning I can''t unsummon them. They would continue fighting indefinitely, draining my mana core, and there''s a chance they might even target me.''


    He could only smirk.


    At this moment, he was glad that Nightshade was evolving and couldn''t be summoned. If she had been, she would''ve been the biggest obstacle.


    With the crimson mist providing cover, she could have exploited her stealth abilities and ambushed Zaroth before he even sensed the danger.


    It seemed that rushing to evolve her had been the right choice, as now he had one less beast to worry about.


    "So now, I can''t rely on my beasts anymore, and I also have to watch my back because of them. Meanwhile, they''ll fight each other, draining my mana at a terrifying rate," he mused.


    He had never fought this kind of opponent before.


    Truly, he had never imagined that his own beasts could be manipulated into turning against him.


    "Well, this is the semi-finals, after all, so I can''t expect an easy fight."


    He was in an unfavorable position, yet he couldn''t help but feel a sense of relief. Now, in the future, there would be fewer things that could surprise him.


    With each battle he participated in, the more experience he gained and the stronger he became.


    His train of thought was interrupted, however, as he picked up the sound of quiet footsteps behind him.


    Most people would have missed the noise, but Zaroth had fought against Nightshade before, so he had developed the habit of listening for the faintest sounds, even amidst the chaos unfolding around the arena.


    He swiftly moved his body and attacked with the odachi before he even saw his opponent.


    A second later, the metallic clang of clashing weapons rang throughout the arena as the odachi collided with his opponent''s two daggers.


    His opponent had used his daggers in an X formation to block Zaroth''s vertical strike.


    In the span of a second, his opponent struck the odachi with his fist, forcing it aside and closing the distance on Zaroth.


    Zaroth''s eyes darkened.


    It seemed like this fight was going to be a real struggle.

 Chapter 216 - 216: Clash of Skills

    Master the basics and nothing more; the more basic things he learned, the more he would be able to combine them to confuse his enemy.


    This was Zaroth''s approach, the way he gained strength.


    And this was the first time he was fighting against a person who had mastered the use of a single weapon almost to perfection.


    Seeing the way his opponent skillfully moved, evading Zaroth''s odachi with his daggers, it was clear that the man had spent countless hours perfecting his mastery of the weapon.


    While Zaroth just had the general idea of how each weapon functioned.


    Even if he had read a lot of books about the matter, at the end of the day, it was still the basics, and he didn''t truly know the advanced tactics.


    In other words, this was going to be a battle between a master of one skill and an novice in many.


    Zaroth''s opponent had just made Zaroth''s odachi move to the side with a skillfully placed fist and was able to close the distance between them.


    In normal circumstances, the battle would already be over; after all, Zaroth''s beasts were busy fighting each other and draining his mana core, while his weapon was to the side and couldn''t be moved in time.


    But Zaroth wasn''t normal in the slightest.


    He knew many things, even if it wasn''t to the mastery level.


    So his eyes narrowed like a hunter as he saw his opponent get an arm''s length away from him, raising his daggers, ready to end the fight.


    Then Zaroth opened his mouth, and the back of his throat shined as a second later, he used Firebreath.


    His opponent''s face was covered by the hood over his head, so Zaroth couldn''t see the man''s reaction, but by seeing the way he took hurried steps back, it was clear that he was at least somewhat surprised.


    Because the man was moving stealthily and quickly, Zaroth decided to call the him an assassin.


    As the assassin took a few steps back, Zaroth''s Firebreath hit the ground, dispelling a small part of the mist.


    He flexed his muscles as he was about to move the odachi, only for his eyes to widen as he saw that the assassin was missing.


    ''Behind you!'' hearing Luna''s shout in his head, Zaroth turned without hesitation.


    After all, Zaroth trusted Luna so completely that he could place his life in her hands without a second thought, not worrying about the consequences.


    Just like how Luna had warned, the assassin had somehow found his way behind Zaroth''s back and had raised his daggers, ready to attack.


    He hadn''t expected Zaroth to be able to sense him, and as such, he wasn''t able to defend himself that skillfully this time, and the tip of Zaroth''s odachi made a shallow wound on the assassin.


    Or more accurately, it merely grazed the robe the man wore. But since the assassin had some form of flexible armor underneath, Zaroth''s poison wouldn''t take effect, as it hadn''t entered his system.


    ''He moved so quickly... Could it be that he has the ability to teleport?'' Zaroth wondered, taking a step forward and slashing downward.


    His attack had a lot of force, as he not only used all of his muscles but also had the help of gravity.


    And yet, the assassin managed to parry it. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Zaroth gritted his teeth as he opened his fist and let out a fireball aimed at the assassin.


    He, in turn, disappeared again.


    "Again?" Zaroth cursed as he turned around again, only to find the man trying to attack.


    Zaroth was ready to defend himself again, but that was before, in his peripheral vision, he saw Hellweaver moving toward both of them.


    Zaroth could only curse as he was forced to shift his odachi to defend against the spider.


    If Hellweaver bit him and infected him with its poison, Zaroth was going to lose.


    After all, Zaroth was the one who had applied the spider poison to his weapons multiple times, so he knew just how dangerous it could be.


    Thankfully, the assassin saw the spider as well and was forced to stop his attack and defend.


    A moment later, the spider''s giant body collided with both of them and sent the men flying a few meters in the distance.


    Zaroth tried to keep his eyes on the assassin at all times.


    If the man disappeared only to appear behind his back, it could only prove trouble.


    ''At least my beasts could attack him as well as long as he''s in their vicinity,'' Zaroth began to think.


    The man was able to teleport and use some kind of reddish mist.


    Did the mist also empower him? That could explain how he was able to teleport so effortlessly.


    ''If that''s the case, what is the range of his teleportation? Does it extend across the entire mist, or is it limited? How many times can he teleport before needing to rest?''


    Zaroth''s eyes darkened even more; it seemed that the mist didn''t only have a negative effect on his beasts, but him as well.


    A weak headache began to assault his mind, and Zaroth knew that it would only grow stronger with time.


    He couldn''t help but smirk.


    "A master assassin, forcing my beasts to fight against each other while also assaulting my mind," he muttered under his breath.


    "This is a fight truly worthy of the semi-finals!" Zaroth exclaimed as he dashed toward the man.


    Without delay, he sent two fireballs at the him.


    The assassin was forced to look away from Zaroth as he had to shift his gaze to the fireballs and block.


    This action took no more than a second, as he simultaneously used his daggers to block the fireballs.


    He didn''t take long, so in the brief moment he wasn''t looking at Zaroth, he shouldn''t have missed anything important


    But just as he shifted his gaze to Zaroth, rather than seeing his face, he saw a deadly spear soaring through the skies aimed for his head.


    Zaroth had distracted the man with the fireballs, while in truth, he was planning to hit his opponent with the spear!


    But unlucky for him, the assassin was faster and teleported behind Zaroth again. Now Zaroth had lost his spear, and the assassin wouldn''t let him get it back from the ground.


    Now, Zaroth was left open as he had thrown the spear a second ago, so he couldn''t possibly defend himself.


    That was what the assassin thought, until his eyes narrowed under the hood for the first time in shock.


    Zaroth had not only thrown the spear toward the assassin, but at the same time, he had already begun to rotate his body, slashing with his odachi, anticipating where the assassin would appear.


    Yes, both the fireballs and the spear were the distractions¡ªthis was Zaroth''s plan all along!


    The assassin had just teleported and was about to attack, so he wasn''t ready to defend himself!


    No matter how good someone is, if caught by surprise, they would be hit no matter what!


    Zaroth''s odachi slashed through the air as a twisted smile appeared on his face.


    And a second later, his odachi made a scar on the assassin''s face.


    At that moment, the assassin was pierced, and not a second later, the poison began to take effect.


    Zaroth''s plan had worked.

 Chapter 217 - 217: Semi-Finals: Round 15

    Zaroth was grateful that he went with his gut feelings when choosing what kind of sword to get.


    If he had played it safe, he would have gotten the all-too-familiar medium-length blade with two sharp edges.


    But thanks to the fact that he went for the unknown and got the odachi, he was able to perform the attack to wound the assassin.


    The odachi was bigger than the sword he was accustomed to using and was also curved.


    While he still found it hard to attack and control the blade as a whole, it gave him an unparalleled advantage.


    If he moved the weapon just right, the power of his strike would be so strong, so fast, and with such a large area of effect that few would be able to dodge it.


    And seeing that there was a bit of blood on his blade, Zaroth couldn''t help but curve his lips into a menacing smile.


    At that moment, he knew that the assassin had been infected by Hellweaver poison.


    It wasn''t like the poison was much in volume, but that didn''t matter.


    Even the smallest quantity of it would make his opponent a bit weaker, a bit slower.


    Zaroth didn''t want to give the assassin time to breathe as he opened his mouth and used another firebreath.


    Zaroth was close to the assassin, and this, coupled with the fact that the man''s reaction time was slowed down by the poison that had just entered his system, made it possible for Zaroth''s flames to reach him before he could teleport.


    A fraction of a second later, the assassin was nowhere to be seen¡ªhe had teleported again.


    But this time, Zaroth didn''t have a hard time finding him, thanks to the fact that his firebreath had reached the man, setting his robe aflame, making him easy to spot.


    That, coupled with the fact that the area was covered by the crimson mist, made the assassin and his burning robe like a beacon, revealing his general location.


    Now, the smartest play wasn''t to attack but to wait.


    After all, even if the assassin needed a second to put out the fire on his robe, it would give enough time for Zaroth''s beasts to see him.


    They might be frenzied at the moment, and Zaroth couldn''t exactly know their thought patterns, but he expected that after seeing the light, they would charge at it with the intent to kill.


    Then the assassin would be forced to fight or flee, burning more of his mana and making him weaker.


    The first thing Zaroth did was run to the place where the spear he had thrown should have landed.


    A couple of seconds later, he found it and placed it back on his back.


    Then, he charged at the assassin with a twisted smile.


    Wait¡­ why?


    A part of him questioned himself.


    He had just concluded that the best strategy was to wait for his beasts to attack the assassin.


    But there was one thing Zaroth didn''t account for¡ªthe crimson mist. Or, more accurately, the effect it had on him.


    His head had a pretty serious headache at this point, and his judgment was clouded.


    But that wasn''t the worst of it.


    As he was in the middle of the fight, he heard, as always, Midnight''s symbol and its thirst for killing.


    Under normal circumstances, Zaroth could ignore it.


    But it seemed that the voice in his head multiplied tenfold when he was inside the mist.


    As such, any strategy or critical thinking was thrown out the window.


    The most important thing became killing the assassin.


    Zaroth licked his lips as he imagined how much more terrifyingly powerful his demonic skills would become after killing the man.


    Maybe Midnight would judge that he was ready to learn more demonic skills from her!


    The assassin had just managed to put out the fire on his robe and lifted his head, searching for Zaroth.


    Only for the man''s eyes to widen in surprise as he saw Zaroth already charging at him with his odachi raised high, like some kind of maniac.


    "Got you," Zaroth spoke menacingly as his eyes shined.


    This time, they weren''t only green¡ªtheir edges had started to turn crimson, most likely due to the effect of the crimson mist.


    With a silent curse, the assassin sidestepped, making Zaroth miss the attack, and attempted to stab him with his left dagger.


    Or at least, under normal circumstances, he should have.


    But to the assassin''s horror, the powerful armor Zaroth was wearing blocked the attack like it was nothing.


    "Not so easy, eh?" Zaroth smirked as he headbutted the assassin.


    Both of them staggered for a second as they prepared to attack again.


    A second later, they were ready to strike, but their plans were shattered as the assassin was suddenly ambushed by Silverfang.


    ''Good boy!'' Zaroth wanted to praise the wolf, who, even in its current frenzied state, had decided to help him.


    But he couldn''t, as Hellweaver appeared as well, baring its poisoned fangs at Zaroth.


    "Bad spider!" Zaroth shouted as he moved the odachi, his right hand on the hilt and his left on the blade.


    His eyes narrowed in horror as he barely managed to block the spider''s attack.


    Sadly, he didn''t have time to celebrate, as under the massive weight of the giant spider, Zaroth collapsed.


    "Fuck!" he shouted as he flexed his arms as much as possible while Hellweaver pressed downward.


    If it wasn''t for the expensive odachi he had gotten from Elysia, Zaroth''s weapon would have broken already, leading him to be bitten by the spider.


    In an attempt to free himself, Zaroth began to kick with as much force as he could, but the spider didn''t move its body.


    It was positioned over Zaroth, and it seemed that nothing could move the giant mass.


    Zaroth didn''t have much time to formulate a plan, as some of the poison from Hellweaver''s fangs began to drip right onto his face.


    ''Shit!'' he wanted to curse but stopped himself from opening his mouth¡ªotherwise, the poison would enter his system.


    Just when all hope seemed lost, an ear-piercing howl echoed across the arena, startling everyone, including the spider.


    Zaroth, being the one with the most resistance to Silverfang''s howl, used the fraction of a second it bought him. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He broke free of Hellweaver''s grasp and got away.


    The spider was about to chase him when two unnamed wolves appeared and distracted it.


    Zaroth didn''t need much time to locate the assassin.


    The man was in the midst of fighting Silverfang.


    His wolf bore heavy wounds, unable to neutralize the man, but that didn''t mean the assassin was unscathed.


    He also bore some injuries, even if they weren''t that severe.


    "Good boy!" Zaroth shouted, and a second later, threw the spear he had retrieved once more.


    The spear was of the highest quality, as it had been gifted to him by Elysia.


    So once the spear collided with the back of the unprepared assassin and broke through his armor¡ª


    "FUCK!" the assassin shouted as he felt his abdomen being torn open by the spear.


    He would soon lose a lot of blood, and coupled with the fact that he was poisoned, his movements had become much slower than before.


    Zaroth could reach him fast. However, earlier, some of Hellweaver''s poison had gotten into his eyes, poisoning him as well.


    Still, he didn''t need to hurry, as the assassin couldn''t afford to stop paying attention to Silverfang.


    Zaroth noted that the man hadn''t teleported again¡ªhe must either be out of mana or almost out.


    Finally reaching him, Zaroth attacked with the odachi, but the man sensed the attack and sidestepped to the left.


    Zaroth grinned, rotated the blade, and changed its direction of attack!


    This would surely hit the assassin!


    And yet, to Zaroth''s horror, the assassin teleported again! He must have used his last reserves!


    Appearing to Zaroth''s right, the assassin attacked, aiming for his head.


    Zaroth couldn''t dodge. The arena was too bright to use Darkveil, and the armor didn''t come with a helmet.


    He would die!


    Before that could happen, however, Silverfang lunged at the assassin, stopping the attack.


    The wolf was closer to Zaroth, so it made sense for it to attack its master. Yet, even in its frenzied state, some of its senses remained intact.


    "You fucking pest!" the assassin spat with pure hatred toward the wolf.


    It had ruined his perfect attack.


    A second later, that hatred was replaced by fear as he saw Zaroth had raised his odachi, slashing in a horizontal arc.


    The assassin was forced into an awkward angle because of the wolf, and he didn''t have enough mana to teleport!


    "What did you just call my companion?"


    Zaroth''s voice, filled with rage, was the last thing the assassin heard before the odachi cleanly severed his head.


    The head flew toward the ground, and a fountain of blood began to pour from the severed neck.


    The body of the assassin, now headless, collapsed onto its knees, and the crimson mist disappeared all in a second.


    After it dissipated, all of Zaroth''s beasts were revealed, and the way they were fighting each other.


    They were confused¡ªthe effect of the mist was still there, even if it was weakened.


    Zaroth breathed out a sigh of relief as he felt his beasts again and unsummoned them.


    His mana core was seconds away from cracking due to the exhaustion.


    A second of silence passed.


    Then, without hesitation, Zaroth squatted down and picked up the severed head.


    For the first time, he saw what his opponent looked like¡ª


    Black hair and green, lifeless eyes.


    Standing up as he held the head of the corpse, he lifted it above his head.


    He gazed at the audience, making sure they saw it in all its glory


    It was important to remember that Zaroth was still under the effect of the mist, clouding his judgment, which resulted in his actions.


    After making a circular motion to ensure everyone saw the head, he paused, his gaze locked on the emperor, with twisted smile on Zaroth''s face.


    He had sent a message.


    Two fights took place this round, and it was safe to say that Zaroth''s was the more brutal of the two.


    Zaroth had advanced to the finals.

 Chapter 218 - 218: Shadows of the Arena

    What message could Zaroth hope to send by showing the beheaded head of his opponent?


    It didn''t make much sense.


    The answer was simple, even though the crimson mist had faded, its effects on Zaroth''s mind still remained.


    So he wasn''t able to think clearly at the moment.


    What could he hope to achieve by showing the head to the audience?


    After all, the people had reacted strongly when they saw that he had killed before, and yet he had done it again.


    Sure, it was much cleaner than before, as rather than making his opponent''s head explode, he simply beheaded it.


    But that didn''t make it better; a murder was still a murder.


    Not to mention, Zaroth had locked his gaze with the emperor.


    His actions stunned him for a few seconds, if he did them, it must have meant that he secretly wanted to do them.


    ''Because I want to!'' This was the conclusion he came to after several seconds of thinking.


    He wanted to kill the assassin, so he did.


    Now, rather than acting with regret when he killed his opponent, he was acting with pride!


    In a sense, it was proof to himself.


    Proof that he was growing, not just in strength but in maturity.


    Also, a part of him thought that acting this way would make Althea more interested in him.


    After all, he had just shown that he wasn''t afraid to kill if necessary.


    The emperor was silent for a few seconds, after which he stood up and announced Zaroth''s victory.


    Who, in turn, breathed a sigh of relief as he awaited the healer.


    Meanwhile, David was still sitting on the ground with a smile on his face.


    Sure, the crimson mist had somewhat hindered his sight, but that didn''t matter.


    He had a rough idea of what Zaroth was capable of.


    "To be honest, I can''t wait to fight with him," Spectral Warden spoke with a hint of amusement in its voice.


    "Yes, it will be fun. Especially when I beat him," David eyes shined purple again.


    David seemingly forgot the exhaustion he had been feeling all this time.


    *****


    "Man, they were awesome!" one man exclaimed with a smile.


    "You tell me! It really was worth it to watch the fights live!" his friend agreed.


    Both of the young men had spent a small fortune just to be able to watch the fights.


    After all, the tournament was so popular that getting a ticket was extremely difficult.


    Some people bought the overpriced tickets and resold them at even higher prices, making the cost of already expensive tickets even more unreasonable.


    Truly, human greed knew no bounds.


    So most people felt a bit hesitant buying said tickets.


    But their worry wasn''t needed in the end!


    The fights had exceeded all of their expectations!


    Even though there were orbs that allowed them to watch the fights, it just wasn''t the same.


    Especially when the battle between Grace and David happened¡ªit was incredible


    The way they flew from one part of the arena to another was like out of a fairy tale.


    And these young people were just students!


    Sure, there might be one or a few dead, but in the end, it didn''t matter that much.


    After all, once these students graduate, they would surely be scouted by the emperor and join the army!


    This would boost the Draconian Empire''s forces significantly, and surely they would be able to turn the tide of war against the Crimson Sun Empire in their favor.


    "But man, the emperor is really a genius!" the first man replied.


    "I agree. At the beginning, when the Purifiers left us, I kind of began to lose hope, but now seeing the power these young ones have is inspiring!"


    Not only had the emperor made the most grand tournament in the world, but had even managed to stop the Crimson Sun Empire''s advance long ago!


    There were rumors that not only had the Crimson Sun Empire taken a few cities, but they had also been forced to begin retreating into their territory.


    Waging a war and holding the biggest tournament in the history of humanity at the same time just to boost the morale of the general population was an incredible feat.


    The people began to admire the emperor more and more.


    Surely the man knew what he was doing; they could place their future in his hands, and everything would be alright!


    "Oh¡­ by the way, where is Nick?" the first one asked.


    "You know that they sold too many tickets, right? Well, apparently because too many people have been gathered in one place, a lot of fights began to happen and stuff like that."


    "So some of the guards stationed were forced to act and locked them up, as they had been disturbing the tournament."


    "You mean that Nick was one of these people?"


    "Could be, could not, not sure."


    "But doesn''t that seem a bit extreme? Locking them up, shouldn''t they just be fined?"


    Seeing the worry on his friend''s face, the man chuckled and put his arm over his shoulder.


    "What are you worried about? The guards are serving the emperor and acting upon his orders."


    "So if they have been locked up, it has to be for a good reason."


    "After all, how could the emperor be wrong?"


    *****


    ''This is close to tens of thousands.'' The thing that had taken the body of a raven soared through the sky.


    The black mass hadn''t been waiting all this time. While it couldn''t act against the emperor at the moment because the time wasn''t right, it was still able to observe the tournament as it unfolded.


    One thing it realized was that with each new round, more and more people came to watch, causing the arena seats to overflow.


    Sure, at the beginning, it wasn''t that obvious, but now it was apparent, there had been too many tickets sold.


    Naturally, seeing that there were so many people present, the general population got angry.


    They had spent so much money just to get this ticket, and now there was someone that sat in their place?!


    They couldn''t find a seat and had to stay on their feet despite paying a small fortune to get the tickets?!


    It was obvious fights were going to happen.


    And not just a few, there were hundreds of thousands of people gathered around the grand arena. sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Not just in it, but in the vicinity, due to the grand event, and lot had begun to drink.


    A lot had drunk too much.


    A lot had begun fighting against themselves too much.


    Curiously enough, the response of the guards was fast, almost to an abnormal level.


    Once a fight started, it was put to stop in a matter of a few minutes. And as there had been disruptions near the emperor and his family, the guilty would have been arrested.


    As a result, today at least ten thousand common folk have been arrested.


    "Wait, please! My husband just had too much to drink! Do not take him away!" a woman in her forties pleaded.


    "Sorry, ma''am, orders are orders. This man has caused a problem in the vicinity of the emperor, so we have no choice," one of the guards spoke.


    "Then when would you release him?" she asked.


    "Do not worry, he will not be in custody for long. At most, a few weeks," the guard answered with a smile.


    The woman sighed with relief that her husband wasn''t going to spend years in prison.


    In normal cases, he would have, but it seemed that the emperor was a rather tolerant ruler.


    "Thank you," she said with a bow.


    The guard chuckled as he told her that she should thank the emperor, not him.


    The raven soared the sky as it watched countless scenes like this unfold.


    It had become a common thing.


    The guards were going to start transported the rule breakers.


    But rather than going to any kind of prison, they would always be transported to the emperor''s castle.


    Landing on the roof of a building, it watched as the guards escorted countless people into the castle.


    It was like they weren''t even trying to hide it.


    And the thing that the black mass found most interesting, was that it had seen countless people enter the castle, seemingly just for a few weeks.


    And had yet to see a single person being released from there.

 Chapter 219 - 219: You Dont Know?

    "I am honored to be invited," David spoke as he bowed respectfully to the emperor.


    "I am glad that you came, David," the emperor said with a friendly tone.


    "As the finals approach, it''s inevitable that you will win, and as a reward, you will ask to marry my daughter. Therefore, it might be a good idea to spend some time with her and get to know her, don''t you think?" the emperor said, pointing to where his daughter was waiting beside him.


    David noticed the emperor''s tone, it was as if he was certain of David''s victory, almost as if losing were out of the question.


    "Well, considering that the survival of your sister depends on this man, you don''t have much of a choice," the Spectral Warden mocked, as always.


    David tried not to show his emotions on his face as he took a step forward toward the woman he was supposed to marry in the future.


    She had golden hair and striking golden eyes, and she wore a breathtaking golden dress. Elegant earrings adorned her ears, and her lips were painted with a crimson lipstick.


    "Amara, I hope you will enjoy my company," David said as he extended his hand toward her. He knew why he was here, of course, so he had already dressed himself in a suit.


    She looked at him for a second as she grasped his hand. "It will be my pleasure."


    *****


    They sat in one of the dining rooms of the emperor''s castle. Aside from the man playing the piano and the waiter patiently awaiting their order, they were alone.


    The atmosphere, the elegant music, and the beautiful woman sitting in front of him¡ªall of this spoke with class.


    And David didn''t know how to feel about that. He still had problems accepting the fact that he was going to join the emperor''s family soon.


    After they placed their orders, they didn''t have much to do except speak with one another.


    "Lady Amara, is it okay to ask a question?" David asked. This was the first time he was with her, and he wasn''t sure how to address her.


    "Yes, and please, just Amara is okay," she replied.


    David nodded before asking, "I still don''t understand what made your father¡ªthe emperor¡ªso interested in having us marry. After all, you are a princess, and I am nobody. I don''t come from a powerful political family, so I can''t grasp the reason."


    Amara studied him for a second or two.


    She sighed as she began to speak.


    "Well, you''ll soon be joining the family, so it might be helpful to explain how my father thinks."


    She paused for a moment as the waiter placed their orders. Both had chosen steak, accompanied by a glass of wine.


    Amara took the glass in her hand and took a sip, then gazed at David as she parted her lips.


    "You see, my father wants everything to be perfect."


    David narrowed his eyes for a second but didn''t interrupt.


    "Now, you might be wondering what I mean when I say perfect."


    Her gaze drifted to the side for a second, as if remembering old memories.


    "The emperor has many wives, all considered queens, yet they don''t hold the same value. Do you know what determines their worth?"


    David cleared his throat awkwardly. "No, I don''t."


    "It is simple," she began, cutting her steak with one of the knives.


    "First, she must be beautiful. Second, she must understand how the political world works. And third, she must bear a useful child."


    David raised an eyebrow. "A useful child?" he asked with a hint of skepticism in his voice.


    "Yes, I assume you''re aware that there are multiple princesses, right? There are two extremes: I, who am considered his masterpiece, and Sofia, who is seen as his failure."


    "What determines which is which? It''s simple: you behave the way he wants you to. If he tells you to kill someone, you kill them. If he tells you to go against your beliefs, you do it."


    For a second, she stopped herself.


    "Apologies, I misspoke. What I meant to say is that you don''t have beliefs to begin with. You simply behave as expected."


    David couldn''t help but asked,


    "Isn''t that life kind of lonely?"


    Hearing his question, Amara couldn''t help but smile.


    "It is especially true for me. I, who have mastered the art of meeting his expectations, behave in ways most people find strange or irrational. That often leads to theories being made."


    She chuckled for a second. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "All kinds of stories are being spread. You know my favorite one? Apparently, I''m some kind of clone created to behave exactly how he wants me to."


    Her eyes darkened for a moment. "Oh, how I wish that were the case. Then maybe I wouldn''t have to act so emotionally detached all the time."


    David didn''t know how to respond. Why was she telling him this in the first place? It seemed like she had started to answer his question but then redirected the conversation to a different topic.


    Amara paused for a moment, realizing she hadn''t actually answered his question, and blushed slightly.


    "Well, in short, he goes to great lengths to achieve his version of perfection. After careful consideration, he has deemed you worthy. You may not have been raised by him, but you are as close to perfect as anyone can get."


    David was taken aback. He was close to perfect? Should he feel flattered or confused?


    He struggled to ignore the menacing laughter that came from the Spectral Warden. It seemed that hearing David being called perfect was too funny to keep a straight face.


    After a few seconds of thinking, David''s eyes shined for a moment.


    "Wait¡­ when you say perfect¡­ do you mean power?" This was the only thing David could think of.


    This was his only good quality, as the others were mediocre at best.


    "That is right," Amara praised with a smile.


    ''So, he simply believes that I am the best fit because I am powerful? But what if¡ª''


    "There is one more thing, of course," Amara interrupted his train of thought.


    "Sure, power is important, but if we are not compatible, it would be meaningless. After all, a perfect man and woman don''t always make the perfect couple if they don''t have any similarities."


    David raised an eyebrow. What could he have in common with a princess?


    "And what do we have in common exactly?" he asked with a skeptical tone in his voice.


    Amara looked at him, all the amusement on her face gone, replaced by shock.


    "Wait, you don''t know?" she asked in disbelief.


    In turn, he raised an eyebrow. "No, how could I know?" he asked, clearly confused.


    "No, forgive me. I''m just baffled that it hasn''t told you¡­ or maybe it doesn''t know either?" she muttered the last part.


    Before David could react, she stopped cutting the steak and pointed at him with the knife.


    "I mean, it is about our powers. Your blessing doesn''t come from the gods but from the Abyss, isn''t that right?"


    At her question, the Spectral Warden finally ceased its manic laughter and gazed at her with its three hollow eyes.


    This was not expected in the slightest.

 Chapter 220 - 220: Whispers of the Abyss

    David was left stunned for a few moments.


    These moments turned into seconds and then into minutes.


    ''What?'' A million questions flowed through his mind.


    What was Amara talking about?


    Could it be that she had a weird sense of humor and was just messing with him, or had she mistaken the origins of his powers?


    Then David was shocked to his core. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But what if the things she spoke were the truth?


    It sounded unbelievable at first glance. He wasn''t blessed by any kind of god but by something called the Abyss instead?


    What the hell was she even talking about?


    Usually, in normal circumstances, David wouldn''t have seriously taken the words¡ªafter all, only an insane person would say such things!


    But after careful consideration, he began to accept her words, and there were two reasons for that.


    First, Amara didn''t seem like a person who liked to joke around¡ªnot to mention, even if she did, as a princess, she wouldn''t in the current situation.


    And the second and most important reason¡ªthe moment she spoke about the Abyss, the Spectral Warden went deadly silent.


    It was laughing like some kind of maniac just a second ago, only to stop in an instant like a switch had been flipped.


    At that moment, David cursed in his mind. He wanted to turn around and look at the Spectral Warden. What kind of expression did it have?


    Had David just walked into something significant?


    But alas, he couldn''t, as he couldn''t acknowledge the existence of the thing in front of Amara. If he did, she would either find out more about him or think of him as insane.


    So, taking a deep breath, trying to relax, David spoke after staring silently for several moments.


    "I¡­ honestly have no idea what you are talking about¡­ would you please explain what you mean?"


    Amara took another sip from the glass of wine and put it down.


    Then she flicked her finger, and in that moment, the music of the piano stopped.


    Quietly, the man that was playing the piano stood up, bowed respectfully to Amara, and left alongside the waiter.


    Now, the two were alone¡­ if one weren''t to count the Spectral Warden behind David.


    Amara sighed.


    "The thing is, it is not my place to speak about the matter," she spoke as she gazed into his eyes.


    David parted his lips for a second, only to close them again in doubt, but in the end, he pushed past the hesitation and asked anyway.


    "...Please, you can''t just dump this kind of information and leave me hanging."


    Amara studied him for a few seconds.


    "Do not take me wrong," the princess spoke as she leaned back in her chair.


    "It''s not that I don''t want to share, but I can''t," she admitted.


    "Is something stopping you? The Emperor perhaps, or¡­?"


    "No, it isn''t anything like that. What stops me is your well-being."


    David raised an eyebrow. "Well-being?" he repeated her words.


    Amara nodded. ''Yes, you see, the Abyss is one of the greatest mysteries of this world. Perhaps the only greater one is the System, but that is another matter"


    "As it is a mystery, naturally, it is unknown¡ªwhat it is, how it functions, why it exists, and many more."


    Amara moved her finger as she pointed at herself. "The few things we do know, however, are as follows."


    "The Abyss is impossible to categorize. Think of it like water¡ªif you put it in a cup, it will take its shape. If you put it in another container, it will take that shape. If you put it in an ocean, it will join it."


    David was having a hard time following, but he didn''t interrupt.


    "Second," Amara picked up a fork from the table and extended her hand to the side. Then, as she let go of it, it dropped to the ground, creating a metallic sound.


    "What did I just do?" she asked.


    "You dropped the fork?" David answered with unease.


    "And what happened as a result?"


    David scratched the back of his head. "It fell to the ground?"


    "Why?"


    David furrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean, why?" he asked with a hint of irritation in his voice.


    "Why did it fall? Why didn''t it stay in one place? Why didn''t it start floating upward instead of going downward?"


    "Because¡­ because of gravity. It is only natural¡ªit is one of the few laws of the world!" he answered.


    Amara smiled as she pointed at him.


    "That is correct! And this is the second reason¡ªunlike our world, the Abyss doesn''t have any laws, or at least we don''t think it has. We might believe that we understand how something works, only for it to change without any indication as to why."


    "Or, in summary, we don''t know what it is, why it is, how it is, where it is, or even when it is."


    "In theory, it could be anything and everything at the same time."


    "So naturally, I can''t speak about it, as I don''t understand it. If I give you the wrong impression, it could end in disaster for you."


    David groaned as he massaged his forehead.


    What was this woman talking about? How could she say so many things and at the same time nothing?


    Or was it simply that she had said everything that needed to be said, and David was just too dumb to grasp it?


    After letting the headache that had appeared in his mind calm down, he asked,


    "...I honestly have no idea what you just said, but what I''m wondering is¡ªeven if I really am blessed by the Abyss or whatever that is, how does this impact me? How could I even interact with it?"


    Amara had already finished her steak while David was busy thinking, and as such, she put the utensils in their place as she answered.


    "Again, as I said, it is constantly changing and unknown. As such, I cannot comment on it. How you will be able to interact with it depends entirely and solely on you. The fact that you haven''t known up until now that the Abyss existed means that you are not ready to even attempt to begin to comprehend it."


    "In short, it is well out of your league of experience."


    Amara put on a friendly smile. "But that is good¡ªit means that you still have much more room to grow. As expected of my future husband."


    At least, unlike him, she was in a great mood. She most likely didn''t have the chance to talk so much with other people, as she was mostly worried about the state of the empire and politics.


    David sighed in frustration. He felt like he had just entered a class where they taught advanced mathematics.


    At this point, he kind of gave up thinking about the matter. It was clear that it really was way ahead of his lead, and no matter how hard he hit his head against the wall, he would most likely be unable to grasp the concept that she was talking about.


    "Then at least can you tell me how I will know that I am ready?" he asked.


    "It will tell you."


    As soon as David heard her words, his eyes narrowed.


    ''It? Is she talking about the Spectral Warden? If that is true, does she have something similar? No, I can''t be sure yet.''


    "Can you tell me what that ''it'' is?"


    Amara chuckled. "As I said, the Abyss is unpredictable and unknown. As such, each of its subjects is unique, and for everybody, it is different. But I guess that will not satisfy you, so think of it like a sixth sense."


    David''s face showed clear confusion.


    "What is unique about you? I am not talking about your personality, but the fact that there is something different about you¡ªsomething that differentiates you from every person you know. Whatever that thing is, is your sixth sense. When the time is right, it will reveal the truth."


    David''s mouth opened in awe. If what Amara had said was right, then did that mean that the Spectral Warden was his sixth sense?! That cursed thing that had been tormenting him for so long?!


    David''s mind exploded with millions of questions! So many possibilities, so many paths he could take! So much to learn!


    He wanted to speak with Amara, he wanted to learn more about the Abyss!


    But before he could ask more, Amara got up from her seat.


    "Well, David, it was truly pleasant spending time with you."


    Seeing that she was abruptly standing up, his eyes widened.


    He didn''t want to let her go! He wanted to learn more!


    Amara chuckled when she saw his expression.


    "I am sure that you want to learn more," she teased as she put her hand on his shoulder and moved her mouth to his ear as she whispered.


    "But that information is confidential, so I can only share it with family¡­ someone like a husband."


    After saying that, Amara left the dining room as David was left stunned.


    She had baited him!


    He didn''t know if this was her intention from the beginning, but she had made him hungry for more information, and the only way to gain it was to marry her.


    Meaning that he had to win the tournament!


    So, in a way, she had actually given him motivation to win.


    After several seconds, he couldn''t help but chuckle at the absurdity of the situation.


    It seemed that his future wife was much more cunning than he had thought.


    Which wasn''t that surprising, after all¡ªshe was the Emperor''s masterpiece.

 Chapter 221 - 221: The Silent Warden

    David furrowed his eyebrows, then massaged his forehead.


    He was being assaulted by a devastating headache. He felt like everything he knew had been flipped upside down, and he was beginning to doubt if what he was seeing was real anymore.


    With a grunt, he got up from his seat and made his exit out of the diner.


    He was still in the emperor''s castle, and it felt like a bad idea to just sit in the still unfamiliar place.


    So he judged that it was better to go home.


    There, at least, he would be able to sort his thoughts in peace and not be in potential danger.


    He took slow steps as he made his way out. Each step created a small echo that traveled around the halls of the castle.


    A few soldiers that had been stationed on duty threw a glance at him but didn''t give him more than a second of their attention. They knew the man and wouldn''t question him.


    David''s mind was blank at the moment. He didn''t want to bother with thinking about the implications of what he had learned today until he was in a place that he considered safe.


    As such, he took his steps idly, not really thinking about the process.


    But suddenly, seeing a woman walk from the opposite end of the halls, he couldn''t help but raise an eyebrow.


    He, of course, immediately recognized who this woman was.


    Just by the clothes that covered her body, as well as the black gloves she was wearing¡ªan attempt to hide her features¡ªit was made apparently clear who she was.


    Althea¡ªone of the queens of the empire. Despite the emperor''s attempts to keep her hidden, she seemed to draw even more attention, as most were aware of her existence,


    It was clear that the emperor did not like her, as he most likely viewed her as a thorn in his side, so he attempted to hide her from public view.


    What was the general perception of the woman?


    At the beginning, it had been neutral. She was just one of many of the emperor''s wives¡ªat least, she was regarded as the most beautiful out of all of them.


    However, that perception did not last long. As soon as their wedding became official, the emperor''s attitude toward her shifted, and he began trying to keep her hidden.


    Most of the people wondered what could be the reason. After all, she was perhaps the most stunning out of all of his wives.


    But the reason was soon revealed. Despite the fact that Althea attempted to hide from public view and wore concealing clothes, soon it was discovered that she had the muscle rot disease¡ªwhich, of course, few knew was actually a curse.


    Nevertheless, what it was didn''t matter, as it was common knowledge¡ªor more accurately, a theory¡ªthat coming into contact with such a person would result in you getting that curse.


    So she began to be hated, feared, shunned, avoided.


    This lasted for a long time. Naturally, the emperor didn''t like her as well and began to send her on political missions that he didn''t want to handle himself.


    Curiously enough, everywhere she went, there was a danger of death¡ªalmost as if the man wanted to get rid of her¡­


    But as time passed, something interesting happened.


    Althea had been sent to more and more places where the people were struggling.


    She was shunned, avoided, feared¡­ and yet, she helped them.


    She helped the poor, the scared, and those who had lost hope for a better future.


    And the more missions she had been sent to, the more people began to take note of her.


    The hatred turned into resentment, then it turned into caution, then into pity¡­


    And somewhere along the way, she began to be liked.


    Of course, no one said their opinion publicly. They knew that the emperor didn''t like her, so they didn''t show that they felt pity for the woman.


    They may have been hidden, but they were still there¡ªthe feelings that the public had toward the woman.


    As David saw her approach him, he took a step to the side.


    He didn''t believe the rumors, but he didn''t want to risk it, so he went to the other corner of the hallway.


    His eyes darkened for a moment.


    David was one of those people that pitied the queen as well.


    Originally, he wasn''t from the capital but from a city quite far from it.


    When he was young, still living with his parents and sister, their city had gone into crisis. The emperor didn''t do much, but Althea helped them¡ªshe helped them fix their water supply.


    That problem had tortured them for years. During this time, David understood how vital clean water was and how hard life could be without access to it.


    After some time, the city had lost hope that the problem would ever be fixed.


    That was until one day, Althea arrived.


    She wasn''t accompanied by many guards¡ªonly one person was with her.


    Still, she was a queen, and as such, she held a certain amount of influence that no one could deny.


    She quickly identified and resolved the issue


    After that, David was able to live every day without worrying about where he would get clean water to drink.


    Althea had appeared out of nowhere and helped him and his family greatly. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    So, in a way, he felt indebted to her, even if he was scared to show his gratitude.


    If he did, the soldiers were going to see it. They were going to report to the emperor, and it could end badly for him.


    So, with a sigh of regret, he looked to the side, acting like he was disgusted.


    Althea didn''t pay him much mind¡ªshe was used to this kind of treatment.


    Exiting the castle, David took slow and steady steps toward his home.


    It was late at night, so he was alone.


    ¡­If one weren''t counting the being behind him.


    That being that always tried to drive David mad.


    That fucker that never seemed to know how to shut its foul mouth¡­


    Was silent.


    Deadly silent ever since David''s talk with Amara.


    For the first time in who knows when, David experienced complete silence.


    He enjoyed it, so he didn''t rush back home, as he knew once he did, he would have to begin speaking with the fucker.


    *****


    He opened the door and entered. After locking it behind him, he threw a glance at the two beds positioned in each corner of the room.


    One was his, and the other was his sister''s¡­


    Every time he went home, he was reminded that she was being healed away from him, and that fact made his heart ache.


    She was his only family left, and losing her as well...


    David didn''t think about what he would do if that happened.


    He didn''t have time for self-pity, however, as he approached his bed and sat on it.


    For the first time after Amara''s conversation, he looked at the Spectral Warden.


    The thing''s eyes seemed even more hollow than usual as it stared at David silently.


    After a moment, David parted his lips, his voice filled with pure anger.


    "Now mind explaining all the things you have been hiding from me, you fuck?"

 Chapter 222 - 222: Unspoken Truth

    "Wait, do you actually think I will tell you anything?" After a minute of silently staring at the man, the Spectral Warden mocked him, as always.


    David furrowed, "Yes, what does the Abyss even is? Is what Amara said true? All that bullcrap about you being a sixth sense or whatever."


    The Spectral Warden took a moment to respond.


    "Are you seriously asking these questions?"


    "Didn''t she explicitly tell you that you have to make your own conclusions? If you don''t, it could impact you negatively."


    David stood up from the bed as he shouted, his voice filled with anger. "Do not try to act as a teacher! All up until now, you have done nothing but try to make me go insane! Just answer the goddamn question!"


    The Spectral Warden moved its mouth, mimicking a smirk.


    "And if I do not? What are you going to do?"


    "Accept it, you are powerless and clueless. Do you think you can force me to speak? You cannot."


    "Not to mention, did you just say that I am worthless? Then what about your powers? Where do they come from?"


    It got closer to David as it spoke again.


    "Your sister is sick, soon to die, and yet the emperor is healing her, helping her. That is not because you are unique, it is because of me. I am the thing that gives you access to these powers."


    Its next words became even more menacing.


    "So rather than acting like an ungrateful brat, keep your mouth shut!"


    David''s eyes began to twitch in anger.


    It seemed that the Spectral Warden judged that he shouldn''t leave David completely in the dark, so it spoke seemingly out of pity¡­


    "To an extent, it is the truth. But that is all I am going to say. If you want to know more, the only way is to find that information on your own."


    David''s eye continued to twitch for some time, but seeing that the fucker wasn''t willing to share more, he sat back on his bed with a sigh.


    Left with nothing to do, he began to mumble.


    "So this thing called the Abyss is somehow the source of my powers. Not much is known about it, as even Amara didn''t seem to know."


    Now David was alone in a safe space, so the only thing he could do was to begin hitting his head against the wall as he was trying to decipher what it all meant.


    *****


    "I am back," Althea spoke as she bowed to the emperor.


    She was back from yet another mission, thankfully it wasn''t that dangerous as the last one, so she didn''t even need a bodyguard.


    The emperor gazed at her for a few moments.


    "Did you saw him?" he asked coldly.


    Althea furrowed her eyebrows; she didn''t know what the emperor was talking about.


    The emperor sensed her confusion as he sighed in disappointment.


    "Young man, wearing a suit, with purple eyes and black hair. Does that ring a bell?" he asked with a hint of mockery.


    "Yes, I did see him on my way here, but only briefly as we didn''t even exchange glances," she spoke honestly, there was no need to hide that information.


    "Good." The emperor smiled slightly. "His name is David, and after winning the tournament, he would use the wish that he had been granted to ask for Amara''s hand in marriage. Think of him as family."


    Draconis''s voice became even colder than before as he spoke the next words.


    "Or in other words, stay away from him. We don''t want your curse to spread to him, now do we?"


    Althea bowed again. "Understood."


    Seemingly satisfied, Draconis waved off his hand.


    "That''s good. Now leave. You''re not needed right now. Until the tournament is over, don''t expect any more missions."


    Althea silently turned around and exited the room, while at the same time, Amara entered.


    The emperor''s face brightened as soon as he saw her.


    "So how was the date?"


    Amara smiled slightly, surprising the emperor a little. She rarely showed emotion¡­ not that he disliked the fact that she often hid them.


    "Actually, pretty good," she answered as she took a few steps forward.


    "Though I was surprised about something," she admitted.


    Draconis raised an eyebrow. "And that is?"


    "He didn''t know about the Abyss existing at all."


    As soon as the words left her mouth, Draconis''s expression darkened.


    "This might be bad," he muttered as he massaged his forehead.


    The emperor knew that David''s powers came from the Abyss, which was the reason he wanted him in the family in the first place, as he was the perfect match for Amara.


    One of the reasons he had created this tournament was to give himself an excuse as to why he was marrying his most well-known and powerful daughter to a nobody.


    Sure, he could do whatever he wished, but doing so could anger the powerful families on which he still relied for the moment.


    He was confident everything would go just as he envisioned, but if David didn''t know about the Abyss, it meant he wasn''t familiar with his own powers¡­


    So, there was a possibility that he was going to lose against Zaroth¡­


    With a grunt, the emperor leaned back in his throne and massaged his forehead.


    "Is it not ready yet?" Amara questioned, bringing him out of his train of thoughts.


    Draconis gazed at her eyes as he answered. "Almost, it will soon be complete."


    "Then, can''t we just speed up the process a bit? Let''s say David loses in the tournament. After that, the powerful families will try to pressure you into marrying me off, but it won''t happen immediately, so we should have enough time. Isn''t that right?"


    The emperor could only smile at his daughter.


    This was it!


    His masterpiece!


    She knew exactly how he thought and how she should act!


    She had learned what perfection truly looked like!


    A perfect plan doesn''t exist. Instead, a perfect plan is one that can adapt if unforeseen problems arise.


    In an instant, she had accounted for the possibility of failure and thought of a way to prepare for it.


    "That is true," Draconis chuckled. "Even if David loses, I''d still be able to keep the family''s marriage proposals at bay for some time..."


    "Well, that takes care of the issue. I''ll contact the salesman and tell him to speed up his work. Sure, it might prove devastating for the general population, but once we''re ready, their opinion won''t matter, as they won''t be able to stop me."


    Amara smiled a little. "Then everything is good."


    After saying that, she turned to her emotionless expression.


    Draconis chuckled. His daughter knew that there wasn''t a point in showing emotions now, so she simply didn''t.


    With a sigh, he stood up and walked over to the liquor cabinet.


    He took two glasses and filled them with wine.


    After he was done, he offered it to her.


    In a way, this was a ritual to show his pride in her.


    If he had a son, he would have taken him out for beer,


    But for his daughter, wine seemed more appropriate.


    Amara''s eyes widened for a moment when she saw that her father had offered her a glass. Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    With a bit of hesitation, she took it.


    "To world domination!" Draconis exclaimed as he raised the glass a high into the sky.


    "To your ascension!" Amara said as she lifted the cup high but not as high as her father.


    While this was happening, Zaroth had somehow found himself again in Elysia mansion.


    It seemed that she wanted to have a talk with him.

 Chapter 223 - 223: Crushing Fists

    "So, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Zaroth asked with an innocent smile as he gazed at Elysia.


    He didn''t know why she had called him into her mansion and late at night at that, but he didn''t mind as he even dressed himself in a suit.


    He was trying to court her, so he wouldn''t miss any chance he got to present himself in the best possible way.


    She, in turn, noticed the way he was dressed but didn''t comment on it.


    "You have reached the finals, and you will be going against David next. Because I want to be sure that you are going to win, from now on until the start of the final round, I will be personally training you."


    Zaroth''s eyes widened for a second. Sure, spending time with Elysia was pleasant, but training with her sounded like pure torture.


    After all, he didn''t need Luna to tell him; he instinctively knew that Elysia could single-handedly erase him from existence.


    "I¡­ am honored that you will be training me from now on, but what brought this change? Aren''t you busy as always? How could you find time for more?"


    Even though he knew that wasn''t the case, he still felt warm inside. She had so many things to do, yet she decided to spend time with him and train him. Maybe, just maybe, his courting was slowly working?! S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Elysia looked at him for a few seconds, then sighed as she motioned with her finger for him to follow.


    As they began to traverse her mansion, she began,


    "You know that David must be prevented from winning at all costs, as this will negatively impact the emperor. So this takes priority."


    Zaroth opened his mouth for a second and then closed it, but in the end, decided it was better to push past the hesitation as he asked,


    "This is something that I do not understand. How does me winning and preventing David from marrying the princess screw over the emperor?"


    A few silent seconds passed between them.


    "...Fine, I guess it is right for you to know. In short, the emperor is in power not only because of his own strength but because he also relies on the powerful families in the empire."


    "Relying on them comes with benefits and downsides."


    "And the biggest one to the emperor is blood purity."


    Zaroth couldn''t help but raise an eyebrow. "Blood purity?"


    For a moment, he was reminded of Midnight, but he guessed that this was something separate.


    Elysia nodded. "That is right, blood purity. Now, you probably don''t know exactly what it is, so let me tell you."


    "It is nothing."


    "Nothing?" he raised an eyebrow.


    "Nothing¡ªat least from our perspective. But to the great families, it is everything. It defines status, a mark of one''s birthright. People like you, born outside the great cities in poverty, are seen as nothing more than tainted blood¡ªdiscarded, unworthy. Meanwhile, their own bloodlines are revered, almost god-like in their purity."


    "Naturally, the emperor and his children are seen as the pinnacle of pure blood. Because of this, the great families seek to marry their heirs into the imperial line, securing their status and influence."


    Zaroth scratched the back of his head. He knew that the aristocrats disliked the poor, but to that extent?


    "For some reason, the emperor has repeatedly delayed the marriage of his most well-known daughter, Amara. It seems he intends for her to marry David, but to make that happen, he needs an excuse. After all, the great families would erupt in fury, demanding, ''How could he wed her to a commoner instead of one of their own pure-blooded heirs?''"


    "So the tournament is merely an excuse. The emperor''s plan is for David to win, and David, in turn, would seek to marry Amara. That way, the emperor could avoid the wrath of the families, claiming it was the result of the tournament, not his own decision."


    Elysia''s eyes began to glow even darker.


    "That''s where you come in. If you win the tournament, the emperor will be in a tight spot. He''ll either have to marry his daughter off to one of the great families¡ªsomething he definitely doesn''t want to do, as it would leave him more vulnerable¡ªor he''ll marry her to David anyway and face the fury of the great families."


    Zaroth listened to her closely. It seemed that the political world was more complicated than he thought.


    At this point, he was grateful he wasn''t born into one of these families. The headache from all the political maneuvering wouldn''t be worth it, no matter how much wealth and power came with it.


    She turned around abruptly, and because Zaroth wasn''t paying attention, he collided with her.


    Funnily enough, because she was taller than him and wearing black heels, his face hit her breasts. That was probably why it didn''t feel like hitting a wall, but rather a soft pillow instead.


    After staggering back from the shock, he took a moment to recover and realized what he had done. He muttered a quiet apology as he wondered why they had stopped.


    A moment later, he saw that they had entered some kind of training ground. It was larger than the ones he had gone to before, as this one had a ceiling of at least fifteen meters and was about fifty meters in length and width.


    He turned his head to Elysia.


    "So we are going to train here?"


    "Yes. Get prepared," Elysia said as she cracked her neck and knuckles. Her voice sounded just a bit more menacing than before, which made Zaroth gulp audibly.


    ''She isn''t mad that I bumped into her breasts, is she?'' he wondered.


    It was hard to tell, as Elysia rarely showed emotion.


    "Because your opponent is David, I will mimic the way he fought in the semi-finals. Meaning no weapons, just fists. You can use whatever you want to attack."


    Hearing Elysia''s words, Zaroth took a deep breath as he unsheathed the odachi, and his eyes began to shine.


    He began to summon his beasts, which wouldn''t take longer than a second¡ª


    Before he realized it, Elysia disappeared from view as a fist obscured all of his vision.


    Zaroth wasn''t even able to comprehend what had happened.


    ''So fa¡ª''


    Before he could finish the thought, her fist collided with his face.


    ''Overwhelming power!''


    Zaroth was pretty sure he heard multiple cracking sounds from his skull as he was sent flying back with such force that, when he hit the wall of the training ground, he briefly thought his spine had broken from the impact.


    It hadn''t, but that didn''t mean he could move. His face had a dent, almost like it was hit by a great hammer.


    And this was done by Elysia''s fist alone! Not to mention she was surely holding back.


    Laying on the ground for a few seconds in agony, Elysia approached him as she took out a bottle and poured it onto his head and body.


    The healing potion took about a minute to heal him, which was a pretty painful process.


    Once his wounds had healed, Zaroth lifted his head, only to see Elysia''s imposing figure standing before him, casting a shadow over him.


    ''Ah¡­ I guess she is mad that I bumped into her earlier.''


    ''...Strangely enough, from this angle, she looks pretty stunning.''


    After that, Zaroth''s most painful training up until now began.

 Chapter 224 - 224: The Struggle for Strength

    Zaroth took hoarse breaths as he knelt onto one knee.


    At this moment in time, he regretted that he wore a suit when he entered Elysia''s mansion.


    The beautiful suit was torn to shreds, with most of it already fallen off and slipping from his body.


    The shirt was the only thing left above his waist, and even it was nearly gone, exposing his muscular body beneath.


    Zaroth had spent a lot of time training to acquire such body.


    And it was all meaningless before the woman in front of him.


    He knew that Elysia was strong, but this was just ridiculous!


    They had been fighting for about ten hours nonstop at this point, and while he felt like passing out, she looked just as graceful as before.


    There wasn''t even a sweat on her forehead, and her breathing was relaxed.


    She raised an eyebrow as she gazed at him,


    "What, do you want to take a break?"


    At her question, Zaroth gritted his teeth; he was supposed to impress her, for fuck''s sake!


    And yet, at the moment, the only thing he had achieved was to show how large of a gap there was between the two of them.


    If Zaroth had been training with any other person, he would have rested multiple times by now, but because he was fighting with Elysia, he couldn''t allow himself to!


    It wasn''t because he feared that he would lose his momentum, no, it was simply because of his stupid pride.


    He scoffed quite forcefully as he slowly got back on his two legs, which at this point were shaking from exhaustion.


    "I¡­ no, we are just getting started!" he proclaimed as he raised the odachi in front of himself.


    His beasts were nowhere to be found; his mana had run out a long time ago.


    So he couldn''t use his skills nor his beasts.


    The only thing he could do was to fight Elysia with his weapons, which seemed unfair to him.


    After all, he had always relied on them alongside his other abilities.


    But now he had nothing but his raw skills to rely on.


    Elysia took a step forward.


    And a moment later, appeared right before him.


    Zaroth''s eyes widened; she had moved so fast again that he wasn''t even able to see her movement.


    She was either teleporting or moving so fast it was like she was blinking in and out of existence.


    Thankfully, unlike the first time, she didn''t attack him as she waited for Zaroth to attack first,


    Forcing his muscles to move, he swung downward, making use of gravity.


    In response, Elysia caught the blade with her two delicate fingers.


    Zaroth clenched his jaw as he attempted to retract the blade, but her two fingers were enough to hold the blade in one place.


    "Goddamn!" he cursed, as he let go of the weapon. It was impossible to use now, so by instinct, he reached behind his back and used his two daggers.


    Yes, despite going into her mansion with a suit, he also carried his weapons on his back. He felt uncomfortable if he didn''t walk with them.


    His hands moved slowly... painfully slowly, as if forcing them to move for so long had exhausted him too much at this point.


    Elysia didn''t even move as the daggers collided with her body,


    And they were pushed back!


    She wasn''t wearing any armor, just her usual clothes!


    And yet the daggers had been pushed back, not even leaving a scratch on her normal clothes.


    The shockwave was so strong that his grip couldn''t hold them, and he let go of both of them.


    His vision blurred; he desperately needed rest and water. He had sweat buckets of water at this point.


    The last thing he had was the spear, which he grabbed from behind his back, and without hesitation, he pointed it toward her.


    The tip of the spear was shaking as he wasn''t able to hold it properly.


    Still, he wasn''t going to give up; he narrowed his eyes as he took a step forward and charged with all his power toward her.


    She took a step forward as well¡­ and slapped the spear out of his hand.


    Zaroth''s eyes widened in horror. Had he become so weak that he couldn''t even hold the weapon after the slap?


    "Fuck!" he cursed as he made his palm into a fist and attacked.


    At one moment, his fist was flying toward Elysia, and in the next, he found himself on the ground.


    Elysia used her foot to trip him, making him fall. At the same time, she caught his hand and twisted it slightly, forcing him to the ground.


    "AH!"


    Zaroth''s mouth opened even wider as he desperately gasped for air.


    He wanted to stand up.


    But it was all meaningless in the end, as Elysia sat on his waist, easily pinning him down to the ground.


    He could barely stand on his own, and with her weight pressing down on him, it was nearly impossible to move.


    "It is clear that you lost," Elysia spoke coldly.


    Under normal circumstances, he would have felt his body heat up, after all Elysia was sitting on top of him!


    It was like a dream come true!


    But his consciousness was fading, so he couldn''t care about such things at the moment.


    "Your opponent can move quickly, ignore all attacks, and is proficient in hand-to-hand combat. How do you defend against that?" sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It was clear that Elysia was trying to teach Zaroth how to fight against an overwhelming power, but he was barely conscious! How could he even remember what she was saying?


    Elysia didn''t say anything after that for a few moments, neither did she move.


    If she did, Zaroth would attempt to get up again, and the way things were going, he was going to die of exhaustion. There wasn''t a healer that could heal that.


    A few minutes passed as Elysia was looking at the man below her, she was waiting to see how he was going to try and escape from the situation.


    After Zaroth''s racing heart calmed and a bit of mana recovered, his mouth opened as he began to laugh, surprising even himself a little.


    "I lost? No, impossible! At best, it''s going to be always a draw no matter what!"


    Elysia raised an eyebrow. "And why might that be the case?" she asked, hoping she hadn''t accidentally driven him to insanity with her training.


    Without saying anything, Zaroth moved, stretching his hands toward her. But contrary to Elysia''s expectations, instead of trying to push her away, his left hand found its way behind her waist and his right behind her back as he pulled her tightly toward himself, almost embracing her.


    In a way, even if it was quite pathetic, he had caught her in a trap from which she would need a second to escape.


    A second later, Luna, in her human form, appeared behind Elysia.


    Zaroth smiled. "No matter how bad the situation, I can summon Luna at any moment! Even if she turned into a dragon and killed me by cracking my mana core, she would have enough time to kill my opponent!"


    Elysia raised an eyebrow, sure now, because he was embracing her, she would need a second to turn around to face the dragon, and that second could spell her doom.


    "But that will mean that you will have to use her in the middle of the tournament, making everybody see that you have a mythical dragon. Is that what you want?"


    Zaroth didn''t answer as his arms dropped to the ground.


    Elysia felt a tap on her shoulder; as she turned her head, she saw Luna.


    "He is passed out; you can get up, he will need the rest," Luna spoke.


    Elysia sighed as she did that.


    Interestingly, Zaroth''s twisted smile remained on his face as he passed out.


    "So, what do you think?" Elysia asked as she gazed at Luna.


    Luna was Zaroth''s first and strongest summon; as such, she should have some kind of connection with him.


    "He''s getting stronger," Luna answered as she knelt close to Zaroth''s head on the ground and gently placed it on her thighs.


    "But he''s still not strong enough," Luna added with a smirk.


    Elysia sighed as she massaged her forehead,


    Teaching Zaroth how to fight against David would be a long and tedious process.

 Chapter 225 - 225: Unprofessional Thoughts

    While Zaroth was sleeping on Luna''s thigh, Elysia used the moment to take some rest as well.


    Sure, she might not have exerted herself all that much, as Zaroth wasn''t strong enough to pose any real challenge or danger, but she had still been fighting him¡ªor more accurately, training him¡ªfor nearly ten hours now.


    So, some rest for her mind wouldn''t hurt.


    With a satisfied sigh, she sat on one of the chairs and leaned back.


    At long last, she could rest her mind.


    She wouldn''t need to think about anything.


    She wouldn''t need to worry about anything.


    Her mind could just relax.


    ¡­


    A few seconds passed, yet Elysia''s mind still wasn''t relaxing.


    ''Why is that?'' she asked herself. It wasn''t like she was forgetting something.


    Or maybe she had overlooked something important¡­ but the chances of that happening were small.


    The most likely explanation was that she rarely took breaks, which made her feel weird when she actually did.


    Well, surely after a few minutes passed, her mind would relax.


    A minute passed.


    Then another.


    Then a few.


    She furrowed her eyebrows.


    What the hell was going on?


    For some reason, her heart was beating faster than usual.


    She couldn''t think of a possible explanation.


    At least five minutes had passed as she sat motionless in the chair.


    Her heart rate should have long ago returned to its natural rhythm.


    And yet, it didn''t¡­


    There was even a bit of sweat forming on her forehead, which was unsettling.


    Her eyes darkened for a moment.


    What could be the reason for her condition? Was something wrong with her?


    Maybe she had been poisoned with a toxin that had a delayed effect?


    It wasn''t a bad idea to think back a few days.


    She spent time in her office, but she couldn''t have been poisoned there.


    Then she had to go around the capital to resolve some issues, but she couldn''t have been poisoned there either.


    And after that, she began training with Zaroth.


    She began to recall it¡ªthere wasn''t anything unusual going on that could explain her co¡ª


    For a moment, her mind went blank as she recalled a specific scene.


    She had sat down on Zaroth''s waist. Furthermore, wanting to keep him from getting up, she pressed firmly against him to ensure he wouldn''t move.


    She was looking down at him¡ªhis hair messy from complete exhaustion,


    His shirt was torn in multiple places, revealing the muscular physique beneath.


    His face and chest were covered in sweat, and his shirt was soaked, clinging tightly to his body.


    There was even a bit of saliva dripping from the corners of his mouth, as he was too exhausted to care or maintain appearances.


    Then, the way he moved, attempting to trap her as he put his hand behind her waist and back, making her press even tighter against him¡­


    ¡­


    At that moment, she was solely focused on how he was going to attempt to break free from his current position.


    So, she didn''t pay it that much attention. But now that Elysia thought about it, she was quite certain there was something hard around his waist area...


    ¡­


    Their positioning lasted for just a brief moment.


    ¡­


    Yet she found herself wishing it had lasted just a bit more.


    ¡­


    She remembered the date she had gone on with him.


    ¡­


    The way he talked about her eyes.


    ¡­


    The fact that he was telling the truth.


    ¡­


    The way they kissed.


    ¡­


    "For fuck''s sake," Elysia whispered as she pressed a hand over her head.


    At this point, her breathing had gotten even heavier as her heart rate increased.


    Even her face had gotten just a bit redder, which was a rare look for her.


    After a few moments, she couldn''t help but chuckle.


    When she was relatively young, she had tried to have a romantic partner, but sadly, things didn''t work out.


    In the end, she figured that she wasn''t cut out for romance¡­


    And the fact that she had reached her early thirties without seeking any kind of intimacy made her think she had made the right choice.


    But then the scene of Zaroth beneath her appeared in her mind again,


    And again,


    And again.


    And again.


    After a few moments, she sighed a second time.


    At this point, it would be idiotic to not acknowledge what she was feeling.


    "¡­Maybe¡­ I just prefer it when they''re younger?"


    *****


    After Zaroth woke up, he drank a few liters of water and resumed his training with Elysia.


    She wasn''t using her full power again; instead, she copied how David would move and fight, copying his style.


    Not just copying, but improving¡ªafter all, David could still conceal more of his strength, so it was better for Zaroth to prepare and be capable of fighting a stronger version of David.


    Now, one might wonder how the heck Elysia was able to use powers similar to David.


    Did her class allow her to copy skills or something?!


    Well, Zaroth found the right way to think about the situation.


    He didn''t think about it at all!


    Why the fuck would he? He was currently being bombarded by all kinds of physical attacks from her, so he didn''t really have much time to think about it.


    And even if he did have time, he wouldn''t think much about her powers¡ªit wasn''t like she was his enemy, so the time would have been better spent thinking about how to deal with his enemies than about Elysia herself.


    At some point, he noticed that his shirt had become too sweaty and was clinging to his body even more, so he was about to take it off.


    ''I suggest you don''t.'' Luna abruptly interrupted him.


    He, in turn, raised an eyebrow. ''Why?''


    Of course, after he regained consciousness, he desummoned her in an attempt to conserve as much mana as possible, so now she was back in his soul.


    ''Eye candy,'' Luna idly replied.


    This made Zaroth even more confused. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''The hell do you mean, eye candy?!'' he spat back. He was taking a rare break from fighting against Elysia, and rather than resting his mind, Luna was wasting his time by not making any sense.


    She scoffed in his mind. ''I will not spell everything out. Figure it out yourself, dummy.''


    "And now the insults?" Zaroth muttered in frustration.


    He was too focused on fighting Elysia and getting stronger to spare any thought about what Luna was trying to tell him.


    But he trusted her immensely, so in the end, he didn''t take it off, and the sweaty shirt continued to cling to his body.


    After that, he immediately began to fight against Elysia again.


    He was utterly focused on the fight, so blocking her attacks and trying to injure her was the only thing in his mind.


    It was like he was barely surviving, just seconds away from certain death.


    Meanwhile, Elysia didn''t experience any kind of struggle, as she was holding back severely against Zaroth while training him.


    So, she was mostly bored...


    At one point, she saw in disappointment that Zaroth was about to remove his shirt, but in the end, he decided against it.


    So now, strangely enough, Elysia found herself glad.


    Even if it was unprofessional, at least there was something for her eyes to feast upon, rather than dying of boredom.

 Chapter 226 - 226: Preparations for the Finals

    Zaroth had spent a lot of time fighting against Elysia by now.


    However, that didn''t mean that he didn''t discuss the best way for him to fight.


    After careful consideration, the way he was going to fight against David was as follows.


    They knew that he was able to ignore physical and elemental attacks.


    Usually, one would feel hopeless when fighting against such a foe.


    But not Zaroth, as he knew that there was always a way to win no matter how bad the odds.


    And as such, there was a limitation to David''s powers.


    Sure, he could ignore all physical attacks, sure he could ignore all elemental attacks.


    But for how long?


    And was there really no limit to the amount of damage he could take?


    It was possible that the purple aura that acted as a shield could be broken, but if that was the case, one would need a very powerful attack.


    After all, even after all of Grace''s attacks, which were quite devastating themselves, David brushed them off like nothing.


    So how would Zaroth be able to deliver that much damage at once? There was only one way.


    Summoning Luna was his last resort¡ªa desperate move that would reveal to the world that Zaroth had a dragon under his command. In fact, he might rather face defeat than let that secret come to light.


    If it became public knowledge, countless people would want him dead¡ªno doubt about it. No one would risk a repeat of the catastrophe caused by the Legendary Beast Master, let alone the fact that Zaroth''s summon wasn''t just Legendary, but Mythic¡ªan entire tier above that!


    But he hoped that the time when he had to make this kind of decision would never come.


    Then what were the other ways? Simple. David could ignore all attacks, but his mana core would surely run out of mana at some point.


    So the way Zaroth had practiced against Elysia was a fighting style that he had yet to try.


    Usually, he liked to use as much power from the get-go and overwhelm his enemy.


    But against David, that would prove disastrous as the man could just ignore his attacks.


    So rather than throwing as many attacks as possible, Zaroth was only going to use the attacks that did as much damage as possible while using as little of his power as possible.


    In a way, the ratio of the attack''s effectiveness was important¡ªif it hurt his opponent more than it exhausted Zaroth, he would use it. If it didn''t, he wouldn''t.


    So Firebreath and Fireball were out of the question; their strong suit was making the enemy catch fire, and if his enemy could ignore them, they would just be a waste of precious mana.


    So he disregarded them.


    The same was true for his daggers; he had to use a lot of his muscles to attack, while the damage they did would be too small compared to the power he had to use.


    What about his demonic skills, then? In the end, if the opportunity to use them arose, he would. They didn''t consume much mana, if any, while enhancing him¡ªprotection and sight were just as important as the damage he could deliver.


    The spear wasn''t a bad choice¡ªthrowing it was out of the question, but piercing was another matter. It didn''t need a lot of strength to move the weapon forward, and its sharp tip was going to deliver a good amount of damage.


    But the best thing was his odachi. Again, he was glad that he had chosen the heavier sword that he had access to.


    At first glance, it didn''t make much sense. Didn''t the great weapon need a great amount of power to be wielded?


    That was true, but it also delivered a devastating amount of damage, especially if Zaroth attacked downward.


    Gravity was going to do its work, so in a way, Zaroth was going to exhaust himself even less while delivering more damage.


    He also was careful about which beast he could use.


    First, the unnamed wolves were out of the question. They needed too much mana while delivering too little damage.


    Even if he could summon Nightshade, he wouldn''t, as her strength was in her stealth, and in the battle, her stealth would be useless.


    So that left him with Hellweaver and Silverfang. Both beasts needed a lot of mana, but the damage they were able to cause was worth it.


    So as a result, the week Zaroth spent training was mainly on how to use the odachi in combination with Hellweaver and Silverfang while also trying to evade Elysia.


    It wasn''t a stretch to say that this was the most intense training Zaroth had gone through.


    But he greatly enjoyed the process of learning how to fight in a different style, so he didn''t complain even once.


    And the fact that he was with Elysia greatly helped his motivation.


    Though there was something that he noticed¡ªthe fact that when they were fighting, Elysia usually kept her eyes on his torso at all times. Zaroth guessed that it was because that way, she was able to easily read the way his body would move next.


    Once he realized it, he was glad that he had kept the wet shirt that was clinging to his body on.


    If he hadn''t, she would have looked at his body naked the entire time.


    "Wait¡­ that actually doesn''t sound like a bad thing," he muttered as he entered the shower.


    Finally, after a week of training, he was able to wash the sweat off.


    On the second day, Zaroth thought that he started to smell due to the sweat, so he asked if he could take a bath.


    Elysia told him that it wasn''t needed, but he was about to insist until Luna reassured him that it was better this way.


    Something about smelling like a beast was apparently supposed to increase his chances, not that she told him what she was talking about.


    After he was done with the shower, Zaroth collapsed on his titanium bed and went to sleep.


    He slept for eleven hours straight after that.


    Once he woke up, he saw that there was still time before the grand fight.


    The first thing he did was stretch his body¡ªevery muscle, every tendon had to be warmed up.


    Zaroth was preparing to give it his all.


    After he warmed every muscle in his body, he sat with his two legs crossed over each other as he began to take deep breaths.


    Before a fight as grand as this, one had to be as calm as possible.


    Yet he was nervous¡ªhow couldn''t he be? He knew how much he had worked to reach this point.


    What if he messed up at the final stretch? Then he would feel devastated.


    Sadly, the meditation didn''t seem to help him focus.


    He was about to curse until he heard a knock on the door. He opened it, and his eyes widened in pleasant surprise as he saw Midnight.


    "I wanted to see you before the big fight," she spoke in a pleasant voice as she took a step, entering his apartment.


    They talked about nothing in particular¡ªthat was until Zaroth heard another knock.


    It was Roran and Lily.


    A few minutes later, Zack arrived.


    They spent the next hour chatting happily, as nothing seemed to matter.


    At one point, Roran was about to suggest getting a drink but stopped himself. He didn''t want to distract Zaroth just before the big fight.


    At one point, Zaroth asked why Zack hadn''t brought Grace with him, and in response, he said that he expected Midnight would be here as well, and he didn''t want to explain to Grace that Midnight was a vampire¡ªat least not yet.


    And soon after, their chat was done as it was time to go.


    Zaroth put on the armor and took the weapons. Sure, he might not use the dagger, but it was better to take them with him just in case.


    He had dressed himself in the armor, taken the weapons, warmed up his body, and calmed down his mind thanks to his friends.


    Not to mention that he had gotten somewhat accustomed to the way David fought thanks to Elysia''s help.


    He cast a quick glance at his friends as he took a step forward, knowing they were also heading to the grand arena to watch his match. sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Let''s go!"


    His preparations were complete.


    Now it was time to face the last and final round of the tournament.

 Chapter 227 - 227: It Begins

    Zaroth thought that there was no way that the hype he saw during the semi-finals could be matched.


    And yet, he had never been more wrong.


    There were so many people crowding the streets, stretching kilometers from the grand arena, that moving through them was nearly impossible.


    Not to mention, he was supposed to stay hidden. After all, at this moment, this fight was the most talked-about event in the empire¡ªperhaps even the entire world.


    If anyone recognized him, there was a high chance he''d be swarmed by all kinds of people, making it nearly impossible to move.


    In this moment, he was grateful for Zack, Lily, Roran, and Midnight, whose presence allowed him to move unnoticed.


    Soon after, he finally entered the grand arena.


    The battle was about to begin, but first, a few formalities had to be addressed.


    After all, the emperor had undoubtedly spent an enormous amount of money to make this tournament possible, and now he was going to capitalize on it as much as he could.


    Thanks to the fact that the room he was in was soundproof, Zaroth found himself in complete silence.


    The only sound that broke the stillness was the soft ticking of an old clock, marking each passing second.


    "..."


    Zaroth was staring at the floor, lost in thought.


    "65,535¡­ that''s how many people I''ve defeated to get here..." he muttered under his breath.


    "And if I win today''s match as well, it''ll be 65,536," he added quietly.


    Of all the people in the empire, he was the one about to fight in the finals. So many had failed where he had succeeded.


    It was a surreal experience, especially for Zaroth, as just more than half a year ago, he was a nobody, decaying in a forsaken village while taking care of his mother.


    And now?


    He was almost at the top.


    ''Before the tournament started, I asked if you were nervous. I asked what you thought would happen,'' Luna spoke in his mind.


    ''Do you remember what you told me back then?'' she asked.


    Zaroth smirked as he got up.


    Everything was ready.


    Everything that could be done was done.


    Everything that could be said had been said.


    Now it was only a matter of acting upon it.


    He opened the door and stepped out of the room, moving silently toward the entrance at the center of the arena.


    "I will win," he spoke proudly, without a shadow of a doubt.


    As he stepped into the ring, his eyes narrowed for a second.


    Having so many people watching him at all times was an experience he hadn''t yet gotten used to.


    He wasn''t surprised to see more floating globes drifting around the arena than before.


    They were surely waiting to capture better angles.


    He also noticed that the protective barrier around the arena had been altered.


    Before, he had felt that if he summoned Luna, there was a chance he could break it.


    But now, he wasn''t so sure, as it was obviously reinforced¡ªand, not to mention, if what his instincts were telling him was true, it wasn''t just one, but several, placed very close to one another.


    "It seems that they do not underestimate us," Zaroth spoke, his eyes narrowing like a hunter.


    Then he gazed forward.


    To where his opponent stood before him.


    Black hair, purple eyes, accompanied by a giant, horrifying creature with three hollow eyes.


    Zaroth''s jaw tightened.


    It was all for this moment.


    All of it hinging on him winning against this man.


    "It is quite funny, now that I think about it," he muttered to himself as a grin appeared on his face.


    "I have you, Luna, while David has that horrifying thing behind him."


    "In a way, both of us might be more similar than we thought."


    Before Luna could respond in his mind, the emperor stood up.


    "We have been through many bat¡ª"


    He began to give his grand speech.


    The emperor was certainly not going to miss any opportunity to boost his public image.


    Zaroth zoned out, as he didn''t really care for what the the emperor was going to say.


    Instead, he observed the audience.


    His mood got better as he spotted familiar faces.


    Elysia, Midnight, Roran, Lily, Zack¡ªthey were all here.


    Curiously enough, he didn''t miss that Sofia and Vera were here as well, though it was strange that they were sitting so far apart, almost as if they hadn''t decided whether they were going to watch together.


    Also, a few of his teachers caught his attention.


    Roderic was here, and the bald instructor as well.


    His expression darkened for a moment as his gaze fell upon a particular spot near the emperor.


    "Sure¡­ I guess they can''t miss this," he muttered in amusement.


    The majority of the great and powerful families were apparently on the front lines most of the time¡­


    But not now.


    Now, unbelievably strong people sat relaxed, close to the emperor.


    Zaroth finally understood why the emperor relied on them so much.


    Sure, the emperor and Elysia were stronger than these great families, but each member of those families was a force in their own right¡ªand there were dozens of them!


    Zaroth doubted that if all the great families combined their strength, there would be anything that could defeat them.


    It seemed that true strength came in numbers, after all.


    Zaroth saw everyone he wanted to see, so he gazed at the emperor¡ªor at least, that''s what it looked like to others.


    In truth, he was simply staring at Althea.


    He was pretty sure that she was the only one who would realize that his gaze was on her rather than on the emperor.


    As such, he allowed himself to look at her for far longer than before.


    She had surely noticed him by now.


    David was staring as well¡ªbut not at the emperor. Instead, his gaze was fixed on Amara.


    After the long and tedious speech of the emperor, his voice eventually grew louder.


    "And let the fight begin," he declared.


    As his words left his mouth, the arena fell into deadly silence.


    Everyone held their breath.


    Zaroth gazed at David.


    David gazed at Zaroth.


    Nobody moved for several seconds.


    There were a few reasons for that.


    The first was to intimidate the opponent¡ªor at least try to¡ªwhile also gauging their strength.


    The second was simpler.


    They were young and under a lot of pressure, so both of them mutually agreed that a few seconds for preparation wasn''t a bad idea.


    But these two reasons were negligible compared to the third.


    It was because of the emperor.


    He had announced the start of the fight.


    And yet, the two men didn''t start immediately.


    It sent a message¡ªone that few would be able to grasp.


    "We do not follow orders,"


    The wind above the arena died down.


    The clouds seemed to freeze in place.


    And then, Zaroth''s eyes shined as Silverfang and Hellweaver materialized next to him.


    His hand was already reaching for the odachi resting on his back as he took slow, steady steps.


    David responded by cracking his neck, his purple eyes beginning to shine like torches of the dead.


    Taking slow and steady steps, he cracked his knuckles as his purple mana began to surge around him.


    Both moved toward each other.


    And then¡ª


    The arena trembled.


    S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 228 - 228: Just a Warm-Up

    The heads of the great families and clans were watching the fight with utmost interest.


    After all, even though they had lost a significant amount of money, they had gained a valuable glimpse of which students they could potentially recruit to join them.


    There were some exceptional students and some who weren''t that great.


    But all of them paled in comparison before these two men.


    David, a person that seemed to rely on physical power alone,


    And Zaroth, a Beast Master.


    Both not that desirable classes and powers at first glance.


    And yet, they had reached the end.


    These two were the pinnacle of it all,


    The best of the best of the entire massive empire.


    David buried his feet deep into the ground, and an instant later, he dashed forward, causing the ground behind him to shatter in a spiderweb-like pattern.


    The movement was so swift that to most, it seemed as though he had teleported, but in reality, he had simply accelerated that quickly.


    He raised his fist, ready to smash Zaroth''s face in, as the fist began to glow with menacing purple light.


    At this moment, the most powerful people watching the tournament realized something.


    Earlier, in the semi-finals, when David fought Grace, he hadn''t used his full strength; this speed and power now appeared far greater.


    Zaroth wasn''t able to perceive the movements of David; the man was simply too fast.


    And yet, a smirk appeared on his face, as his head moved enough to make David''s fist miss his face by a hair''s breadth.


    David was fast.


    Much faster than before.


    And yet he was slower than Elysia,


    And after the countless hours where she assaulted his body, Zaroth had learned quite a few things,


    One of them was that his instincts were the most reliable way for him to sense any attack coming his way.


    Zaroth didn''t even need to think.


    He had just dodged an attack, so it was only natural that he responded in kind, right?


    As such, before his mind could form a thought, his two hands were already raised high in the sky as the odachi was cutting the air with devastating speed.


    Zaroth wasn''t just using his hands to attack; he was leveraging his entire body weight, and with gravity working in his favor, it was going to be a devastating blow.


    Sure, David wasn''t going to be injured, but his mana core would be slightly more depleted.


    And Zaroth would be one step closer to victory.


    As the odachi collided with David''s body, it bounced off. Like he had just tried to cut hard rock.


    Zaroth wasn''t discouraged; he had anticipated this outcome, so instead of feeling pity, he focused on the spot where his odachi had struck.


    It was just for a moment, but he was able to observe how the spot had become a bit darker, only to return to the same hue of purple as the rest of the aura around David''s body.


    David wasn''t done with his assault, however, as he turned his other palm into a fist and was about to hit Zaroth''s chest.


    This action was a bit slower, so Zaroth was able to see it in time.


    Applying one more technique he had learned from Elysia, he quickly adjusted the handle of the odachi, positioning the blade to intercept the fist before it could reach his chest.


    This wasn''t how one should use an odachi, as the weapon could easily be broken, it was quite thin after all, but this odachi was special; it was a gift from Elysia, and she wasn''t going to give him something that wasn''t good.


    David''s fist hit the odachi, and the power was too much as the blade was pushed back, then a moment later it collided with Zaroth''s chest, or more accurately his chestplate.


    The armor Elysia had gifted Zaroth was incredible; it prevented him from being injured easily, he just had to withstand the shockwave.


    His eyes widened in shock as his body was sent a dozen meters in the sky.


    He knew that David''s raw power was good, but that was simply unbelievable!


    If it wasn''t for Elysia, Zaroth would have been overpowered from the beginning!


    Luckily, that wasn''t the case. But that didn''t mean there weren''t other problems.


    At the moment, Zaroth was high in the sky, and he would begin to fall down.


    This was bad, as being in the air made it incredibly easy for David to land a hit on him.


    Not to mention that the drop could easily injure his legs, making him weaker.


    David didn''t wait even a second as he dashed with blinding speed.


    It seemed that he was going to predict where Zaroth was going to land and hit him again.


    But his eyes widened for a moment as Hellweaver suddenly appeared before him.


    The giant spider was the beast that had the most raw power and weight from his beasts, excluding Luna!


    As David collided with the spider, a wind almost like a hurricane erupted from the shock, yet the spider remained unscathed, already lunging its jaws toward David.


    His aura might protect him from attacks, but what about liquids, like poison?


    While this was happening, Silverfang appeared below Zaroth, just before he hit the ground.


    The wolf took some damage as his master fell on it, but this way, Zaroth was unharmed by the dozen-meter fall.


    Without resting, he appeared next to David again.


    Silverfang was attacking as well from the other side,


    Hellweaver was in the front.


    Just like that, they had surrounded David.


    The wolf bit down on his leg, Hellweaver on the his shoulder, and Zaroth''s odachi hit David''s side again, only to be pushed back as expected.


    For a second, Zaroth wondered how David was going to act.


    And then his eyes widened for a moment.


    The cursed being behind David that had been watching all this time silently, opened its mouth as it spoke.


    "You said you wanted to know more, right? Well, here''s a little clue for you: use me. Stop holding back; the more you use me, the more you''ll understand the¡ª"


    Zaroth wasn''t able to hear the end of the sentence of the being as David rose his two hands and hit the ground.


    The ground cracked like a massive spiderweb, with countless chunks flying in all directions as the shockwave was so powerful that both Zaroth and Silverfang were sent dozens of meters back.


    Only Hellweaver stayed in one place as it was too heavy to be sent flying by the shockwave.


    That didn''t remain for long though, as David exploded, moving even faster and appearing just below the spider''s belly.


    In a span of a second, he lifted the spider and threw it with all his power toward Zaroth.


    Zaroth''s eyes widened for a moment as he saw his beast flying toward him like a comet, but he stayed calm and managed to get low enough for the spider to pass over him


    Immediately after he did, he rose to his feet as he gripped his odachi with two hands.


    But he didn''t immediately rush at David, as thanks to the being''s words, Zaroth had realized something.


    ''We really are alike,'' he thought.


    Just as Zaroth was holding back, unwilling to use Luna, David was in the same situation, seemingly reluctant to unleash the full extent of his abilities S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    So, that meant that this fight, which had already devastated the arena like no other fight before it, could easily be considered just a small warm-up.

 Chapter 229 - 229: The Breaking Point

    One, dozens, hundreds of explosions made the entire arena tremble.


    David was throwing countless chunks at Zaroth while he dodged some and sliced some with his odachi in two.


    Zaroth''s beasts attacked David unrelentingly, no matter how much damage they took, no matter how useless their attacks seemed, they were still attacking.


    The fight wasn''t easy for either of the men.


    Even if they were still holding back, it was enough to cause chaos all around the arena.


    At one moment, Zaroth was hit with a small debris of earth.


    He didn''t pay any attention to it whatsoever as he brought down his odachi.


    The weapon struck with devastating power at David''s head and bounced off not a second later.


    David, of course, responded in kind as his fist hit Zaroth''s chest, sending him flying away.


    The armor that Zaroth wore took most of the damage, and he was more or less able to walk off the attack as if nothing had happened.


    Zaroth didn''t miss that the thing hovering behind David was constantly whispering something.


    Was it advice, the best way to attack Zaroth?


    Or was it insults, asking why David had not won yet?


    Zaroth shook off the thought. It didn''t matter; all he had to do was to exhaust the mana core of David with his constant attacks.


    And yet, he stopped.


    Something was wrong.


    Zaroth could feel it.


    He was doing something that shouldn''t be done.


    ''I am hesitating?'' he asked himself in disbelief.


    But not a second later, he shook off the thought. No, there was no way he was hesitating!


    But there was a problem, something that he was unable to grasp.


    "What is it, what is it?" Zaroth muttered in frustration, his instincts were telling him that there was something wrong.


    He couldn''t just stop and think, however, as he dashed at David, ready to attack.


    ''What is it?!'' He looked at the man, trying to see if anything about him screamed danger.


    But there wasn''t.


    Zaroth crouched, making David''s fist miss by a millisecond, and then brought down his odachi. At the same time, Hellweaver attacked as well.


    ''What is it?!'' Zaroth looked at the thing that was always behind David.


    Was it possible that the cursed thing was going to attack somehow?


    But if that was the case, why hadn''t it acted until now? There was a low chance that this was the case, so Zaroth discarded the idea.


    It was obvious that the feeling didn''t come from David, so left with no choice, Zaroth looked at the audience.


    The emperor wanted David to win, so was it possible that a third person was going to interfere?


    But under the constant battle against David, it was hard to see anyone, especially from the tens of thousands of people that had come to watch the fight.


    ''What is it?!'' Zaroth was becoming frustrated. His instincts were still telling him that something was wrong, yet he didn''t see anything wrong.


    Was it possible that his instincts were wrong? But if that was the case, it was going to soon doom him. He relied on them for dodging David''s attacks as they were too fast.


    Zaroth''s brain was working in overdrive, trying to come up with why he was feeling like something was wrong.


    The thing behind David only seemed to intensify its whispering into David''s ear.


    Finally, Zaroth slipped up and took a devastating attack to the side.


    The armor held, but this one had a much stronger shockwave, so Zaroth felt his insides shook as he was sent flying


    Managing to fall to the ground without injuring himself, he was about to dash against David for the countless time.


    But he stopped as he looked in a certain direction.


    There were countless eyes on him, but a few were much stronger than the others.


    These eyes were the eyes of the emperor and the heads of the great clans and families.


    "Ah¡­" Zaroth gasped.


    His mind went quiet after so much thinking.


    He finally got why he had felt the way he felt before.


    "It is stupid¡­" he muttered in frustration.


    "It''s a stupid idea¡­ but I''m only 18. If there''s ever a time to act on a stupid idea, it''s now, isn''t it?"


    David was about to hit Silverfang again, making the beast''s jaw fall down.


    Not that David hoped the wolf would stop attacking.


    He had lost count of how many attacks the beast had taken only to remain standing.


    The same could be said about Hellweaver, which was rushing at him as well, ready to attack.


    David wasn''t in a good situation at the moment.


    He was also expecting Zaroth to appear any moment and attack now.


    It was bad, as David had taken countless attacks. His mana core had used a good portion of its reserves.


    At the moment, David was in a pinch.


    And yet, the beasts disappeared.


    Zaroth had desummoned them.


    David looked around to confirm that the beasts had disappeared.


    Seeing that this was the case, he gazed at Zaroth.


    Contrary to what he believed, the man wasn''t preparing to fire off a devastating spell, nor was he going to attack in some new, unique way.


    Instead, Zaroth stood tall as he gripped the odachi with his right hand.


    Neither of the two men said anything for a while as they just gazed at one another.


    "David¡­" Zaroth suddenly spoke up. The arena was deadly silent, and something made the fighters'' words carry effortlessly, causing Zaroth''s voice to echo throughout the arena.


    "You know, I just realized something." Zaroth''s voice carried a hint of mockery, though it was aimed at no one but himself.


    "My progress has been stagnant for some time¡­"


    Many in the audience leaned forward in their seats, particularly the heads of the families.


    Sure, they had come to watch the fight, but who could resist a little drama, especially in a place like this.


    "And I have been wondering why that is¡­ until today." Zaroth closed his eyes as a chuckle escaped from his mouth.


    "The reason is that I''ve been holding back. I kept telling myself that, in the worst-case scenario, I could always use my trump card¡­ and as a result, I never feared losing. I never felt I would die. How can one truly progress without the fear of death?"


    Most of the audience didn''t fully grasp Zaroth''s words. After all, very few people had something that could bail them out of a dangerous situation.


    Yet David understood it perfectly.


    Every time he had fought against a strong opponent, he would just take more power from the Spectral Warden, and everything would be resolved.


    "In other words, I grew bored. A fight where you don''t risk your life isn''t one from which you''ll learn anything." Zaroth wasn''t sure whether he should be angry at himself.


    If he had realized that sooner, maybe he would be even stronger now.


    He wouldn''t have felt like he had made no progress for so long.


    David''s eyes widened. Was this why he didn''t know anything about the Abyss?


    Because up until now, he had never been truly challenged?


    Now, the words of the Spectral Warden began to make sense. It had always said that he should go all out, and yet David hadn''t listened.


    David was terrified. If people learned what he was truly capable of, it could be dangerous not only for him but for his sister as well. Not to mention, going all out would undoubtedly have severe side effects. In the worst-case scenario, it could mean David losing his mind to the Spectral Warden, becoming a husk¡ªa hollow shell of a man.


    "I know that you feel like that too." Zaroth''s words broke David out of his train of thought.


    "Up until now¡­ never having fought a foe with everything you have means you will never progress. And slowly, over time, you''ll begin to walk the path to mediocrity."


    Most people wouldn''t understand Zaroth''s words. After all, they didn''t have a problem with being mediocre.


    They didn''t have unrealistic desires, driven only by greed, desires that only an insane person could have.


    They weren''t planning to kill the gods.


    "This is going to change today." As soon as Zaroth spoke those words, the atmosphere in the arena grew tenser.


    "And if you continue to be the way you are now, you will lose in an instant."


    Zaroth''s provocation was clear¡ªif you don''t go all out, you will lose.


    David''s sister''s life depended on him winning; he couldn''t fathom what the emperor would do to his only family if he lost. David also didn''t doubt that Zaroth had something far more dangerous in his arsenal, with the Spectral Warden''s words still echoing in his mind.


    And lastly, he didn''t doubt for even a fraction of a second that Zaroth wasn''t insane enough to go all out right now. The twisted smile on his face and the look in his eyes told David everything he needed to know.


    ''If I don''t go all out, my sister could die.'' That was the only thought running through David''s head.


    His sister dying was worse than any side effect he could suffer from using his powers to their full extent.


    So, he took a deep breath as the Spectral Warden behind him smiled menacingly.


    Then, he unleashed all the powers that came from the Spectral Warden.


    In the span of a single second, the center of the arena, which stretched for hundreds of meters, went black, as though something was preventing the audience from looking inside. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The Abyss had emerged.

 Chapter 230 - 230: An Unknown Realm

    "What the hell happened?" Zaroth muttered as he tried to make sense of his surroundings.


    Just a second ago, he was in the middle of the arena, but now he found himself in an unknown place.


    The terrain was uneven, as there were rocks going up and down all around him¡ªnot that he was sure if they were rocks. Everything in his vicinity had a weird pulsing hue of purple color.


    The surroundings were extremely dark as the only source of light seemed to be the distant stars that illuminated a little of the gloomy ground.


    At this moment, Zaroth was glad that he had learned Darkgaze from Midnight. If he hadn''t, it would''ve been too dark to see anything at all.


    "Is that David''s power?" Zaroth asked himself. If that was the case, it was a power he hadn''t heard of before.


    He had somehow been teleported to a desolate place.


    ''Zaroth.'' Luna''s voice echoed inside his head. Unlike usual, her voice sounded worried.


    ''What is it?'' he asked.


    ''We are far from the arena.''


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow. He knew that was the case, but if Luna was telling him that, it meant there was more to the matter.


    ''How far?'' he asked.


    Luna didn''t answer as several seconds passed.


    During these seconds, Zaroth''s mood changed from confused to worried,


    Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she answered.


    ''Hundreds¡­ we are hundreds of millions of kilometers away from the arena.''


    For a moment, Zaroth''s mind went blank.


    He had trouble comprehending this large of a distance.


    "How is this possible?" he asked, both in shock and in awe.


    It simply wasn''t possible for them to be so far away.


    ''How should I know?'' she answered. ''I guess David''s power is more unique than we expected.''


    "So this is your power." Zaroth muttered as he shifted his gaze a few hundred meters ahead of him.


    David was there, but rather than standing, he seemed to be levitating as his hands were stretched out to the sides.


    There was a large smile on his face as his eyes were shining an intense hue of purple that matched the surroundings.


    The man seemed like he was high.


    Zaroth found himself in an unfair predicament¡ªfar from his home, in the middle of nowhere, alone against David, who at the moment seemed far more menacing than before.


    Zaroth''s heart began to beat faster.


    This was it!


    Sweat began to form on his forehead.


    This was it!


    His hands began to shake from fear and excitement.


    This was it!


    He didn''t know what was going on and had no idea what the best course of action was. At that moment, he felt it..


    The fear of death.


    The fear of not knowing if one would be able to defeat their opponent if they went all out.


    Zaroth''s eyes began to shine green as a menacing smile appeared on his face.


    "Come forth."


    And Luna materialized behind him in a matter of seconds.


    Zaroth had summoned Luna, and yet he wasn''t sure if he would be able to win against David.


    This was how terrifyingly powerful the man felt at the moment.


    "The thing that I have been searching for," Zaroth spoke as he moved his odachi in front of him, gripping it with both hands.


    "A true challenge that will push me to the edge."


    As soon as Zaroth spoke those words, Luna''s eyes shined the same way his did.


    Her form shifted, and a giant dragon made entirely of bone emerged behind him, ready to wreak havoc on the surroundings.


    Zaroth could finally go all out.


    *****


    The greatest pleasure in the world paled in comparison to what David was feeling at the moment.


    His mana core, which had begun to run empty, was instantly replenishing¡ªit was now so full of mana it felt like it was about to explode.


    David felt unbelievably powerful, like there wasn''t anything in the world that could stand against him. S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He felt like he was in his own element.


    "Is this what happens when I go all out?" The words left his mouth before he thought about speaking.


    At this moment, he felt like an idiot. Why had he not used these powers sooner?


    He doubted that there was anything that could stand in his way.


    "See? It would have been so easy if you had just listened from the beginning," Spectral Warden mocked as usual, yet David didn''t pay it any attention.


    The power he was feeling was simply too grand, too pleasurable to be spoiled by anything at all.


    "I have to thank Zaroth," David muttered as he gazed at the dark sky that was barely being illuminated by a few stars.


    If it wasn''t for him, David would have never gotten the courage to unleash all of his powers.


    He would have never known what he was capable of.


    "Speaking of him, where is he?" David spoke as he slowly moved his gaze.


    It felt too bothersome to move too much as he was enjoying the pleasant feeling of power.


    Nothing could ruin his mood at the moment.


    After all, at this moment, he was at the pinnacle of power¡ªnothing could pose a danger to him or his life.


    That was before his instincts told him that there was danger ahead.


    He was so powerful, and yet there was danger?


    Something that could pose a threat to him in his current state?


    David didn''t need to spend much time wondering what that thing was, however, as his eyes suddenly narrowed in pure horror.


    At this moment in time, a giant dragon made entirely of bone was flying toward him, defying physics as it did.


    And on top of said dragon was a man with white hair and green cat-like eyes, handling his odachi with his right hand as he gazed at him.


    Zaroth had stopped holding back and had summoned Luna.


    David''s mouth curled upward into a maniacal smile.


    He was so strong, yet there was something that could challenge him?


    If he fought now, how much more would David learn about himself?


    How strong would he become?


    Forgetting the otherworldly pleasure he was feeling, David moved his body into an upward position as he shot forward toward Zaroth.


    In turn, the dragon opened its massive jaws, and the back of its throat shined as an inferno was about to be unleashed forward.


    While this was happening, the audience was looking with shocked expressions at the ring of the arena.


    Out of nowhere, a black fog appeared¡ªobscuring everything inside and preventing anyone from prying.


    But the more shocking thing was that while the people couldn''t see what was happening, their faces had become as pale as ghosts.


    The energy coming from the dark fog was so great that a lot of people began to pass out.


    Not only because of the energy but also because the protective barriers around the arena began to crack under the pressure.


    Dozens of people who were supposed to take care of the arena appeared in view, their faces pale with fear. They were shouting that they needed backup, or else the protective barriers were going to break soon.


    Whatever was happening inside the ring was more than what a mortal man could comprehend.

 Chapter 231 - 231: Clash of Titans

    There are several reasons as to why Zaroth decided to use Luna and go all out.


    First, he realized that he had been stagnant for too long.


    He had become too comfortable, and that comfort never truly challenged him.


    After all, if he faced any kind of difficulty, he could just summon Luna, right?


    That comfort kept him from progressing, from growing more powerful. As such, when he sensed that there was an opportunity to fight while actually risking his life, he was going to take it.


    The second reason was because he desired it.


    He knew that David had been hiding his true strength, so Zaroth wanted to make him reveal it and then beat him.


    He wanted to beat him at his best.


    And he bet that David hadn''t told many people if any about his powers¡ªjust like Zaroth¡ªso in a way, if somehow both of them survived the fight, it would mean that they wouldn''t be inclined to share each other''s abilities


    This was what Zaroth believed, and seeing that Luna hadn''t objected to his plan, he had faith that he had made the correct choice.


    "But man, this sure is wild," he couldn''t help but mutter as he barely clung to Luna''s body.


    She was now in her dragon form, and this was the first time Zaroth had been riding her in the air.


    The feeling of flying was both incredibly inspiring and terrifying.


    But Zaroth didn''t have time to focus on these feelings, as he was about to reach David.


    Before David could fly up to them, Luna had opened her mouth and let out a deadly inferno.


    The green deadly fire ignited the atmosphere as it illuminated the surroundings.


    Not that it helped Zaroth see any better, as his Darkgaze was working wonderfully.


    His eyes widened in surprise for a moment. It had been some time since he had seen Luna''s fire breath, yet that wasn''t why he was so shocked.


    Her fire was hotter and brighter than before¡ªit was no doubt because Zaroth had been diligently training his mana core.


    "Her fire may be hot, but I doubt it will be enough!" Zaroth spoke as he ran forward, only to jump a second later.


    At that moment, he realized this was the first time he was truly fighting alongside Luna. Until now, all he could do was groan in pain on the ground as she drained too much of his mana.


    ''Wait, why am I not in pain?'' his eyes widened in realization.


    Sure, he could have become stronger, but Zaroth doubted that he would be able to support Luna''s dragon form without any kind of pain.


    David emerged from Luna''s inferno that continued to rain down on him.


    "ZAROTH, I HAVE TO THANK YOU!" David shouted as he made his palm into a fist and flew right at Zaroth.


    It seemed that David had weird ways to thank people.


    Yet Zaroth didn''t pay him any attention as his mind was working overtime.


    Why was he able to support Luna''s body when his mana core was supposed to be under such high pressure that it was about to crack? What the hell changed? He couldn''t have become that strong in such a short time.


    A split second later, his eyes widened.


    "It is replenishing," Zaroth spoke as a menacing smile appeared on his face.


    For some unknown reason, in the place David had brought him, his mana core was replenishing itself.


    And the rate was so fast that he could keep Luna summoned indefinitely here.


    It seemed that this place, which was supposed to strengthen David, was also strengthening Zaroth for some unknown reason. Maybe it was possible because of Zaroth''s unique blessing, but one could only theorize at the current time.


    He also didn''t feel pain, as it seemed that his mana core was able to output enough mana to keep her stable.


    ''My mana is replenishing.''


    ''I have summoned Luna.''


    At this point in time, Zaroth''s eyes shined as a manic smile appeared on his face.


    A second later, all of his beasts appeared on the ground as he had summoned them.


    ''We are in a dark place.''


    Immediately, the darkness moved around his body as he used Darkveil. Now, not only the armor that Elysia had given him would protect him, but the darkness as well.


    ''My mana at this point in time is infinite.''


    Zaroth opened his mouth as he used Firebreath and made his odachi catch aflame.


    His surroundings slowed down.


    He watched as David closed the distance, just a few meters away and ready to strike.


    The man was surrounded by the inferno that Luna was unleashing upon him.


    Down on the ground, his other beasts were waiting, ready to jump in the moment David got low enough.


    Zaroth was protected by Darkveil, and his flaming odachi was raised high in the sky, ready to deliver a devastating strike.


    ''Ah¡­ I had forgotten this feeling.''


    ''I have reached my peak.''


    "DAVID!" His shout was cut short as his odachi rained down.


    "ZAROTH!" David roared in kind as he attacked with his fist.


    A split second later, David''s fist and Zaroth''s odachi collided, and the sound echoed like a thunderstorm.


    A powerful shockwave forced both of them to move¡ªDavid down to the ground, where he was attacked by Zaroth''s beasts surrounding him.


    While Zaroth, was thrown even higher into the air.


    Unlike David, he wasn''t able to fly, meaning his fall was going to hurt¡­ though Darkveil was surely going to keep him out of heavy injury.


    But it seemed that he wouldn''t be in the air helplessly for long, however, as Luna reacted a split second later.


    She moved her tail fast enough, and seeing what she was planning, Zaroth positioned his feet on her tail¡ªonly to shoot forward like a bullet, aiming at David.


    Luna wasn''t far behind him.


    David didn''t have it easy, surrounded by all of Zaroth''s beasts.


    Yet the man didn''t have a problem sensing that Zaroth was coming.


    He moved his gaze to meet him as he raised his fist again.


    Once both of them hit, a flash of light¡ªalmost like a second sun¡ªilluminated the whole arena for a split second, and another, even more powerful shockwave traveled across the land.


    The shockwave was so powerful that it shattered several of the defensive barriers in the arena, sending the remaining audience into a panic as they quickly fled.


    At least the ones that were still conscious, though it made little difference, as the grand arena had been packed full, making it almost impossible to get out of the way in a timely manner.


    Whatever was happening inside was too intense, and they weren''t going to risk their lives!


    Since the start of the tournament, this was the first time it seemed preferable to watch the fights through the orbs that had been distributed, rather than watching live, as there was no danger of death.


    Meanwhile, Elysia, the emperor, and the family heads were watching the dark fog silently.


    Nothing could be heard from there. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Nothing could be seen.


    And yet, they felt it.


    Devastating power.


    And these two men were just students.


    Just how powerful were they destined to become in the future?

 Chapter 232 - 232: Inferno and Shadow

    Zaroth brought his odachi down, the speed with which it rained down was unsettlingly fast.


    Yet David didn''t seem fazed even for a second as he moved his hand and blocked it with ease.


    Then, using his other hand, he punched Zaroth in the gut.


    The shockwave was enough to make Zaroth fly dozens of meters back, and yet he was unscathed as Darkveil had protected him perfectly.


    Zaroth''s beasts attacked as David managed to punch them out of his way.


    Though David couldn''t do the same to Luna as she was flying high in the sky.


    Opening her giant mouth, she let out a devastating inferno. This was much stronger than before.


    David grimaced for a moment¡ªeven the pleasure he was feeling from his powers wasn''t enough to cloud his judgment so much that he would neglect the dragon.


    So he buried his feet in the ground and jumped away from the impact.


    He could fly at the moment¡ªhe wasn''t sure how, but he just could. At the moment, it felt natural to him, like he had always known it.


    So before going to the skies, he also used the momentum of his jumps to shoot himself into the sky faster.


    David''s gaze didn''t move from Zaroth as he shot at him faster than a bullet.


    A blink later, he was already on the man as he attacked.


    Zaroth couldn''t possibly see the attack, much less react¡ª


    And yet, he somehow did.


    After he dodged to the side, he raised his odachi again, only for the attack to be repelled by the force of David''s aura.


    But the strike was so devastating that a dozen meters around them, the dark ground split into a spider pattern just from the shock.


    This was all caused by Zaroth''s attack!


    One had to remember that his blessing was in the Mage category and not in the Knight!


    How could he perform such unnatural feats of strength?!


    The answer couldn''t be his weapon. Sure, the odachi that Elysia had given him was very special, but it couldn''t just boost Zaroth''s raw power.


    Under normal circumstances, Zaroth would have taken a moment to question the situation.


    He was able to fight alongside Luna and all his beasts while using his skills and still moved faster than he had ever before! And without feeling any kind of strain from his mana core!


    But at the moment, he couldn''t think about that.


    He was fighting with everything he could at the moment!


    There wasn''t a trump card to save him if he screwed up!


    This was it! A challenge that would surely make him stronger.


    He opened his mouth and assaulted David with his fire breath.


    The man appeared unconcerned as he sent Zaroth flying in the air with the power of his fist.


    He wasn''t done, however, as suddenly David got an idea.


    He was feeling so much power, and yet he was only fighting barehanded.


    Meanwhile, his opponent and his dragon were able to attack with ranged skills.


    Then couldn''t he do that?!


    David put one hand back as he arched his body like he was about to throw a spear as far as possible.


    Then, he moved his hand forward toward Zaroth, and somehow, a purple lighting appeared and shot at him.


    David''s eyes widened in awe.


    It was so simple¡ªwhy hadn''t he thought of using the mana in his core in such a way?


    The answer was obvious: because he didn''t know any kinds of spells, so he didn''t know how to direct his mana to move in a certain way.


    But at the moment, his mana core was full¡ªno, not full, but overflowing with mana.


    It was like a cup that had been filled to its maximum capacity and was now spilling over the sides because, water was still being poured into it.


    This was the same concept! David had so much mana that he could do anything he wanted with it¡ªno matter what, it would be work!


    Zaroth''s eyes widened as he saw the purple lighting, and he couldn''t react as it hit him. S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    This time, he felt a bit of pain as Darkveil couldn''t keep all of the force at bay, but still, the damage was minimal.


    As Zaroth fell to the ground, he looked at David with fury.


    ''What the hell was that?!'' he cursed in his mind.


    Why was David suddenly able to use ranged skills?!


    It wasn''t fair!


    He was supposed to be strong in melee, not in ranged combat!


    Zaroth seemed to only get more angry as each second passed, and the surroundings, which were very dark, coupled with the ground that had a weird hue of purple, definitely weren''t helping his mood.


    Zaroth was losing control over himself and his emotions.


    And worse, he was so far gone that he didn''t even realize that was the case.


    All that mattered was to fight and win against David.


    "So be it!" he shouted in fury as he pointed with his left hand at the man.


    A moment later, he used Fireball, but it was unlike any other time he had used it.


    Before the fireball, it was about the size of a normal person''s head.


    This one was dozens of times bigger¡ªit was about the same size as a small house.


    David smiled as he saw the fireball flying toward him, effortlessly tanking the impact.


    He didn''t move nor even try to deflect it in any way, and after it hit him, it dissipated, leaving him standing.


    ''Since when did Zaroth use such powerful attacks?!'' David cursed in his mind.


    Wasn''t his strength supposed to be centered around his beasts and not spells?


    It wasn''t fair!


    He wanted to defeat Zaroth no matter what!


    David wasn''t able to think clearly as his judgment was clearly clouded.


    While this was happening, the Spectral Warden released a chuckle.


    "Oh, how I have missed this. It has been so long since I have been home."


    "Sure, just like always, everything goes crazy when they enter."


    David was too far gone in his fury, so he didn''t register the Spectral Warden at all.


    The Spectral Warden moved his gaze from Zaroth as he gazed at the dragon in the sky.


    The dragon had opened its mouth wide, but rather than firing right off the bat, there was a small ball of fire that seemed to be getting more and more condensed.


    This attack was going to be dozens of times stronger than the previous ones, and this was actually going to damage David if he wasn''t careful.


    "But fighting alone against a Beast Master and his dragon is too much, so I guess I will help you this one time. You better be grateful later, brat."


    After the Spectral Warden spoke those words, its three hollow eyes seemed to shine as purple aura began to gather in them.


    At the same time, the cursed being opened its mouth. However, instead of opening as one would expect, the lower jaw stretched lower and lower, unnaturally, as if unhinged.


    In the end, it hung a full meter below the ground


    And as soon as the dragon let out its devastating attack, the Spectral Warden released some kind of energy of mana that collided with the dragon''s devastating attack.


    As soon as these two attacks met, it seemed like the ground, thousands of meters away from them, caved under the pressure alone.


    And in the grand arena, most of the protective barriers had been shattered, threatening to unleash the black fog.

 Chapter 233 - 233: Final Round Over – The Birth of the Champion

    Zaroth and David seemed to fall as the ground shattered all around them.


    The Spectral Warden had left David''s side and was now somewhere keeping Luna at bay.


    Just the fight between them was enough to cause such devastation in the vicinity!


    And yet, the two men didn''t care.


    At this point in time, they felt at the top of the world; it was like they were the gods themselves.


    The only thing that threatened their power was the man that stood before them.


    If they could just defeat their opponent, they would prove that they were the strongest. Not only that, but they may even grow more powerful that way!


    As Zaroth was falling, he positioned himself on one of the chunks of earth and shot toward David.


    The speed was so great that David wasn''t able to react as a split second later, he was hit by Zaroth''s attack.


    They were falling, and David could have just flown out of there, leaving Zaroth to fall.


    But not wanting that to happen, Zaroth took a firm hold of David, not allowing him to fly.


    David gritted his teeth as he headbutted Zaroth.


    In a daze, he released the odachi, watching it fall, but after recovering a second later, he reached behind his back and drew the two daggers.


    "Just give up!" Zaroth shouted with pure rage as he brought them down, trying to tear open David''s defenses.


    "Same to you!" David shouted as he did the same thing with his fists.


    This battle continued for some time; after each attack, they seemed to grit their teeth as both of the men were beginning to take damage.


    They had been fighting for what seemed like an eternity at this point.


    How far were they going to fall?!


    Had they been fighting above a giant cave, only to now be falling into it?


    It was like the place that David had brought them didn''t have any kind of rules.


    But neither of the men cared about that.


    They only cared about being the strongest!


    Their mana cores were overflowing so much that it began to have negative effects, causing a few cracks to appear on them.


    Their mana cores weren''t able to contain that much energy for so long!


    But neither of them showed that they felt their mana cores starting to crack as they continued to land blows on one another.


    A minute passed.


    Another minute passed.


    Both of them were taking deep breaths.


    They were still falling, and their mana cores hurt.


    They hurt so much that using mana now hurt.


    But if they didn''t use it, their cores would overflow even more and break!


    So they had no choice!


    "FOR FUCK''S SAKE, LET GO!" David shouted as he finally managed to make Zaroth let go with a devastating kick.


    "FUCK!" Zaroth shouted in pain as he plummeted, now several meters below, falling deeper into the abyss.


    David was now above Zaroth.


    Zaroth realized this was bad! The man could move freely in the air while he couldn''t!


    Then a second later, his eyes widened as he realized something.


    He was able to see behind David''s back clearly; that meant the Spectral Warden was away.


    "It must be fighting against Luna," Zaroth concluded, which explained why he hadn''t seen her in a while.


    But considering how long they had been falling, they must be far away.


    As soon as Zaroth realized this, his eyes narrowed like hunters.


    Acting on instinct, he desummoned Luna that was battling against the Spectral Warden somewhere.


    And then, a few seconds later, she materialized in her dragon form behind David.


    At that moment, David''s eyes widened in horror as he felt an overwhelming pressure building behind him.


    He wasn''t able to move, however, as Luna was much faster; she flapped her wings with immense force, descending with overwhelming speed.


    Not a second later, she had opened her jaws and closed them on David''s body.


    Even using all the power he was feeling at the moment, the man realized he was unable to break free from the Luna''s hold.


    The pain was terrible, and the aura around David spread to the sides where Luna''s fangs were piercing his body, attempting to fortify his defenses.


    That meant that David''s front was now not as secure as before.


    This was exactly the plan that Zaroth had, and with this, he let go of his two daggers and grabbed the spear that had been waiting on his back all this time.


    Luna and Zaroth could more or less understand each other telepathically, so she didn''t waste any time as she began to descend even faster.


    She was bringing David''s injured body to Zaroth.


    And before David could react to Zaroth''s plan, he thrust forward.


    David''s aura wasn''t protecting him at the front as it had been, instead focusing on shielding his sides.


    So the spear went in easily.


    Not a second later, Zaroth dismissed all of his beats as his mana core was just a second away from breaking.


    And then he found himself in the arena,


    He was standing on his two shaking feet as his spear was embedded in David''s abdomen.


    The man''s mouth and eyes were spilling blood from the damage, and acting on instinct, Zaroth pulled the spear away.


    David gasped as the wound on his body opened and collapsed on the ground, unconscious.


    Zaroth looked at the man for a few seconds.


    Then he observed the surroundings.


    The ground of the arena had been shattered, as if a dozen bombs had gone off.


    Then he lifted his gaze upwards.


    Tens of thousands of people were watching him; some were unconscious, some had pale faces, and others appeared to have been running in panic not long ago.


    He also didn''t miss how the protective barriers were almost gone.


    Not sure how to react, he looked behind him where the emperor was.


    The man was watching Zaroth with uncertain expression, as were all of the family heads.


    Zaroth wanted to say something, but now that he had found himself at the end, he wasn''t sure what to say.


    His mind was blank.


    The levitating globes that were transmitting what was happening focused on Zaroth.


    He hadn''t realized it due to the adrenaline, but when he was fighting David while falling, his Darkveil had come undone at some point.


    As such, he was heavily damaged.


    Most of his fingers were broken, some of his bones had been broken so violently that they were showing through his body, the side of his cheeks had been destroyed, and his teeth were visible. S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He had taken so many injuries,


    Yet he was the one standing.


    Out of tens of thousands of participants,


    Through countless fights.


    He alone stood tall while the other had fallen.


    At this point in time, Zaroth had become a champion.


    After several seconds, this information sank in, and he lifted his face upward.


    His mouth, ravaged, curled into a sinister smile.


    Not a single pleasure he had felt in his life could even compare to what he was feeling at that moment.


    "I won." Due to the internal damage in his body, the words came out much harsher than he had planned.


    Then his smile widened even further as he clutched his stomach, beginning to laugh maniacally.


    Just the thought of what he had experienced was so absurd that he didn''t know what to do other than laugh.


    And since everyone was quietly watching him in shock, his laughter easily echoed throughout the entire arena.


    The final round was over, as well as the grand tournament,


    Zaroth had won.

 Chapter 234 - 234: Champion

    ''Do not laugh too much, you are barely staying on your feet. Don''t use more energy than necessary,'' Luna''s warning echoed inside Zaroth''s head.


    After he heard her, it took him a couple of seconds to realize that she was right.


    His condition was abysmal, maybe even worse than David''s. So it was a really bad idea to push himself more than necessary.


    ''Still, it was all worth it,'' Zaroth had to admit to himself.


    Even if there weren''t any wishes to be granted, he was already quite happy with how many things he had learned from participating in the tournament.


    He had seen where his weak and strong points were.


    He knew what he lacked and what he excelled at.


    And he was even pushed to the absolute limit when he fought against David.


    What was the place where the man had teleported him?


    At this moment in time, he really wanted to ask David, but considering that the man was unconscious and Zaroth was barely able to keep standing, he figured that this had to wait.


    Naturally, some would start to wonder whether Zaroth should kill David.


    After all, the man had been a witness to the fact that Zaroth had a dragon under his command.


    Unlike his friends, David might not keep his silence¡ªthere was no guarantee he wouldn''t tell someone.


    But in truth, Zaroth had no doubt that he wouldn''t.


    David most likely knew that Zaroth could see the being behind him, and Zaroth guessed that nobody knew about its existence except David.


    In a sense, it was a silent agreement between the two men.


    I won''t talk about your dragon while you won''t talk about the thing behind me.


    That way, both of these secrets would be hidden.


    So Zaroth didn''t need to worry about anything as he rested his gaze on the emperor.


    A few seconds had passed since Zaroth had calmed down, and he was now awaiting the words of the emperor.


    He wanted to hear it.


    He wanted to hear the emperor announce his win.


    Draconis spent several seconds studying Zaroth, contemplating the best way to proceed.


    ''Judging by the black fog, it must mean that David was able to use the Abyss¡­ but he still lost?''


    ''He lost against a Beast Master, of all things?'' Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It was a hard truth to swallow.


    Just the fact that David was able to use the Abyss should have made him nearly undefeatable.


    Only people with a very deep understanding of the Abyss and the true menaces of the worlds would be able to beat him there.


    And yet Zaroth had won?


    For some reason, Draconis doubted that Zaroth knew jack shit when it came to the Abyss.


    So did that mean Zaroth had simply overpowered him?


    HOW?


    How was that possible?!


    The only explanation that came to Draconis''s mind was that Zaroth had a very strong beast under his command¡ªEpic or higher tier.


    But that would mean that he had broken the law! He should be executed!


    Yet, ironically enough, because the fight hadn''t happened here but in the Abyss, nobody witnessed Zaroth using such a beast.


    Draconis threw a quick glance at Elysia, who had remained calmly sitting in her seat all this time.


    ''This bitch!'' Draconis cursed in his mind.


    He had wondered how strong this student that was working for her was, and now he got his answer.


    He was apparently so strong that he was able to defeat David in his natural element!


    Draconis took a deep breath to calm himself down.


    A part of his plan had been tampered with.


    He would be forced to reveal his hand earlier than he would have liked.


    Still, that didn''t mean he was screwed¡ªjust that he would have to act faster than expected.


    Now that the tournament was over and the heads of the great families were here, they would no doubt begin to offer their heirs to marry Amara.


    And the emperor wouldn''t be able to say no to everyone forever¡­


    "I guess this would work," he muttered under his breath.


    He had formulated a plan.


    In a week, his plan would have come to fruition, and the continent, as well as the world, would be his for the taking.


    Draconis threw another glance at Elysia.


    ''And the first thing I will do is kill you!''


    Having made up his mind, Draconis stood up.


    He was emperor, so he was supposed to act the part.


    "Out of more than sixty thousand participants,"


    His voice carried through the silent arena.


    "Out of every single fighter that had taken part in the tournament, in the end, one man stood."


    Draconis tried to hide the frustration in his voice as he spoke the next words.


    "Zaroth, from this day forward, you shall be declared the champion, for you have demonstrated your strength to the entire world!"


    A few seconds of silence passed. After the chaos in the arena just moments ago, it seemed the audience had finally realized that the tournament was over,


    As soon as they did, they exploded into cheers¡ªthese ones much more ear-shattering than ever before.


    Sure, they had been scared a few minutes ago. Sure, many had fainted from the shock. But still, the emotions they felt were surreal.


    Zaroth smiled once more as he enjoyed the cheers of the people.


    These cheers were meant for him and only him¡ªno one else.


    Not for the tournament.


    Not for the emperor.


    Not for his opponent.


    They were solely for him.


    He might have felt like passing out, but doing so would ruin the moment, so he forced himself to remain standing on his feet as he awaited the healer to come.


    ''Congratulations,'' Luna''s voice echoed in his head. ''Now that the tournament is over, what are you going to wish for from the emperor''s family?''


    Zaroth shifted his gaze from the audience to the woman who was sitting hidden in the shadows behind the emperor.


    Hopefully, the display of power he had shown up to this point was enough to pique Althea''s interest.


    "I have a pretty good idea of what I want now," he answered out loud.


    There was no need to keep quiet as the cheers around him were so loud, making his words impossible to hear.


    Now that everything was over, Zaroth basked in the glory, letting his worries wait for the next day.


    He was escorted to the healer''s infirmary, as his injuries had been very severe.


    He was then informed that the wish from the emperor''s family would be granted a week from now, when the emperor planned to hold a ball with the finest people of the empire. It was at this event that Zaroth would be expected to announce his wish in front of them all.


    ''Now what?'' Luna''s quiet echo rang in his head.


    Zaroth only smirked.


    The matter with the emperor''s wish had been handled, but there was one more wish that he had.


    This one was from Elysia!


    The one thing that made him enter the tournament in the first place.


    "Why ask a question when you already know the answer?" Zaroth asked with a smirk as he stood up.


    He was about to meet Elysia.

 Chapter 235 - 235: Exchanging Secrets

    Zaroth was about to go and meet Elysia but, coincidentally enough, the infirmary he was in was next to the one David was at.


    And luckily the man was awake, so Zaroth didn''t want to miss the chance to talk with him.


    Sure, Zaroth had a feeling that David wouldn''t spill the beans, but he wasn''t one hundred percent certain.


    Plus, now that Zaroth thought about it, he wasn''t in the best condition to appear before Elysia.


    When he did, he had to be perfect!


    So it seemed that he would have to delay the meeting for a day or two¡ªuntil he could get his physical appearance sorted out first.


    After knocking at the door, Zaroth entered.


    Once the healer in the room saw who had come, she looked at David with concern.


    After all, the two had just fought in the tournament. The chance may be small, but Zaroth could want to still attack David.


    But David just brushed her off, saying that it was fine.


    The healer nodded and exited the room.


    Zaroth, in turn, sat on the chair, and David sat on the bed he was lying on just a second ago.


    An eerie silence passed between them for a couple of seconds.


    Finally, the one that broke the silence was Zaroth.


    "I know." As soon as he spoke these words, he gazed at the being behind David.


    The Spectral Warden, in turn, gazed at Zaroth with its three hollow eyes without saying anything.


    David couldn''t help but chuckle.


    "Sure, I kind of suspected that you could see it."


    "What is that thing?" Zaroth asked as he continued to watch the thing.


    "It is the Spectral Warden, or this is apparently what it wants to be referred to as," David answered.


    "I can talk for myself, you know," the Spectral Warden spoke with eerie voice.


    "Will you shut up for a second?" David spat back.


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow. "You two seem to not get along very well."


    David snorted. "Well, that thing never stops trying to mock me, so yeah, I guess you could say that."


    Then the Spectral Warden and David started arguing, throwing insults back and forth at each other.


    After they were done, David gazed back at Zaroth.


    "And your dragon?"


    "Luna," Zaroth answered. "She is my strongest summon."


    Silence.


    "What was the place that we got pulled into during our fight?" Zaroth asked.


    "I know little, but it is apparently called the Abyss," David answered.


    Silence.


    "Why did your dragon consist of only bones?" David asked.


    "Because I can only tame dead beasts after resurrecting them. She was in this state when I found her," Zaroth answered.


    Silence.


    It was done.


    The cat was out of the bag.


    Now each of them knew something significant about the other.


    The question was simple.


    Would the other keep the secret?


    Or would they have to kill each other?


    Silence.


    A few minutes passed.


    Zaroth watched David.


    David watched Zaroth.


    At the moment, Zaroth wasn''t carrying his weapons, leaving him vulnerable. Maybe if David attacked, he could take him down?


    At the moment, David was more injured and exhausted. Maybe if Zaroth attacked, he could finish him off?


    Should they trust one another to keep the secret, or fight to the death?


    Nobody knew.


    "There is no point in killing one another," the Spectral Warden suddenly spoke up.


    Zaroth and David raised an eyebrow as they glanced at the being.


    "David can''t train with anyone else inside the Abyss, since that would reveal his secret to more people, and they wouldn''t be able to pose a threat to him."


    "Zaroth can''t fight with his dragon because using her would be an admission that he has a powerful beast under his command, and he would be executed for breaking the law."


    "Yet both of you can fight inside the Abyss. There is only benefit to keeping the other alive."


    After saying that, the Spectral Warden became silent.


    Zaroth noticed a flaw and countered.


    "I am sure that many people would be able to stand against David as an equal. After all, they would be empowered by the Abyss."


    Spectral Warden snorted. "No," it spoke coldly.


    "No?" Zaroth replied in confusion.


    "Only David is supposed to get stronger when he uses the Abyss. It seems that, for some reason, this rule does not apply to you... whatever you are."


    The Spectral Warden quickly added, "Not that it is surprising since you are able to see me."


    "Whatever I am?" Zaroth asked in confusion.


    In the meanwhile, David was deep in thought. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The Abyss was supposed to only empower him? If Zaroth was the only exception, did that mean David could use this power whenever and against whoever he wanted?!


    "Not sure," Spectral Warden spoke.


    "You are human, part vampire, and something else, but I can''t say for sure what you are."


    Zaroth''s eyes widened for a second.


    He knew that he had some kind of connection with Midnight, but because of it, he was part vampire?


    He didn''t really know how to feel about that, so he didn''t comment on it further.


    "Why are you working for the Emperor?" Zaroth asked.


    This was the second thing that would decide if they would be enemies.


    Zaroth was helping Elysia, and she was against the Emperor that was being helped by David.


    Weren''t they supposed to be enemies?


    "I am helping him because he is healing my sister. I have no loyalty towards the man. Once my sister is healed, I am out," David answered.


    Zaroth furrowed his eyebrows for a moment. Was David telling the truth?


    ''I think he is,'' Luna spoke in his mind.


    Zaroth sighed of relief. If Luna thought so, then it was likely true.


    "Then I guess we don''t need to kill each other," Zaroth said with a sigh.


    David nodded, seemingly feeling relief as well.


    The Spectral Warden didn''t show much reaction as it continued to inspect Zaroth.


    "Alright then, see you later!" Zaroth spoke as he got out.


    He and David were supposed to be enemies, so it would be suspicious if the two of them spent too much time together.


    After he stealthily exited the grand arena, making sure not to be seen¡ªsince most people would recognize him now¡ªhe went to his home and used his bracelet.


    He saw that his friend had left him a message, they wanted to celebrate.


    He told them that he would be busy for a few days, but they could go to a bar once he was free.


    After that, he sent a message to Elysia.


    -----


    Zaroth: It is about the wish, I know what I want, could I come to your home to tell you?


    Elysia: Fine.


    Zaroth: Is tomorrow night good?


    Elysia: Sure.


    -----


    Zaroth took a deep breath.


    The time had come!


    After sleeping for twelve hours¡ªhe was just that exhausted¡ªhe took a nice shower and put on his best suit.


    After which, he styled his hair and went out.


    Reaching Elysia''s mansion, Zaroth took a deep breath and knocked on the door.


    A few seconds passed.


    Then the door opened.


    "Zaroth? Welcome," Elysia answered as she gestured for him to enter.


    Zaroth took a deep breath as he did just that.


    Today was the day!

 Chapter 236 - 236: Admit It

    Zaroth may have entered Elysia''s mansion before, but it was much different now.


    Before, he had done so because he was going to receive help from her for the tournament.


    But now, that was no longer the case; this time, he had come for something else.


    "Follow me,"


    Zaroth nodded as he began to walk behind her.


    As she began to ascend the stairs, Zaroth realized that this was the first time he was heading to the upper floor of her home.


    "Wow," he couldn''t help but mutter; the next floor was even more impressive than the last.


    Not only that, but it was spotless. And nobody was here.


    Didn''t Elysia have servants that kept all of this clean, or did she somehow clean it herself?


    A moment later, Zaroth remembered that it was night, so there were probably servants somewhere, just not at this hour.


    Elysia stopped before a door as she furrowed her eyebrows.


    It seemed that she was thinking about something.


    "Now that I remember, the office here is under renovation, so I guess we have to use another room," she spoke as she went to enter another room.


    Opening it without hesitating, she entered.


    Once Zaroth did as well, his eyes narrowed.


    Was this the room?!


    This was no office; this was a bedroom!


    He threw a quick glance at her.


    Was he now in Elysia''s bedroom?!


    He hadn''t even said what he wished for; sure, she could tell when somebody lied, but could she read minds or something?!


    Luna was about to mock him since his intent was that clear, but she didn''t comment.


    "You can sit," Elysia said, pointing to the table with two chairs.


    Zaroth nodded as he sat down.


    Elysia quietly walked to the alcohol counter and got a whiskey.


    She placed two cups on the table, filling them to the brim.


    As soon as she sat across from him, she picked up her cup and took a sip.


    Zaroth decided to mimic her actions as well, so he took it and brought the cup to his mouth.


    As soon as he did, he was reminded of the alcohol that Ronan liked to drink.


    This was strong, just like Ronan''s favorite drink!


    Elysia wasn''t pulling any punches!


    Both of them put the cups back on the table; Zaroth''s cup was half full.


    Elysia''s was empty.


    Without saying anything, she poured more.


    After which, she gazed at Zaroth.


    A few seconds of complete silence passed.


    "Congratulations," Elysia spoke as a genuine smile appeared on her face.


    "I might have expected that outcome, but still, you managed to beat everyone in the empire and won the tournament, making you a champion."


    "That way, David lost, and in doing so, you''ve single-handedly weakened the emperor''s plans."


    "Was this truly that significant?" Zaroth asked with uncertainty.


    "It actually is. Now that the family heads are here, they are beginning to put pressure on him. S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "At the same time, I''m gathering more intel against the emperor. I intend to reveal it at the ball, where you''re also invited. This will be the final blow, and with the support of the family heads, the emperor will be finished."


    Zaroth noticed that she sounded tired.


    ''She must be under a lot of work, especially now that the end is coming.''


    She was so stressed.


    So much pressure.


    So much work¡­


    And yet, she had made time for him.


    Zaroth smiled. "I am happy that I was useful."


    A few seconds in silence passed.


    Elysia broke the silence first.


    "So, for the wish I have promised you¡­ what do you want?"


    Zaroth moved his gaze from the cup as he looked into Elysia''s eyes.


    They were dark; once you looked into them, it was as if you were staring into death itself.


    Just from the sight, it became clear how dangerous and powerful Elysia truly was.


    "You." Zaroth answered without averting his gaze.


    Elysia took another shot. Then she smiled. "I am so powerful. I can grant you so many things, so much wealth, almost anything you want."


    "And knowing all that, you still just want to sleep with me, effectively wasting your wish?"


    "Yes, and it''s not a waste," Zaroth answered, unfazed.


    "But," he added.


    "I would never force you or anyone else into doing something like that against their will. Even if it were a wish, there are some things I am against¡ªthings I will not do."


    Elysia raised an eyebrow. "What are you trying to say?"


    "It''s not that I just want it; you want me as well," Zaroth seemed quite confident in his assessment.


    "And why would that be?" Elysia asked.


    "From the very beginning, you manipulated me into joining the tournament under the pretext that you would grant me one of my wishes. You started acting in a way that you knew would make me find you irresistible."


    "But at some point, you realized there was no point in continuing. I was too deep. You could have stopped right then and there, and I would have still won the tournament."


    "Yet you didn''t. Not only did you not stop, you advanced. The date, the gifts, the training, everything you did to make me more and more attracted to you, making sure that I would want you."


    "When I asked if we could discuss the wish at your home, you didn''t object, nor did you seem bothered that I wanted to be there at night and not during the day. Even now, you could have chosen any other room for this conversation. Yet, you chose this one."


    "Your bedroom"


    "It''s not just that I want you, but you want me as well."


    A hint of spark appeared in Zaroth''s eyes.


    "Yet you know that this is wrong to some extent. Both of us are adults, but you are technically my teacher and the principal of the academy I study at, so isn''t that wrong? To avoid feeling guilty, you try to make it seem like you have no choice but to sleep with me."


    Zaroth leaned forward in the chair.


    "When in fact, you want me just as much as I want you."


    Silence.


    Elysia was silently studying Zaroth.


    The man had changed so much over the course of more than half a year.


    Before, he seemed weak, not certain of himself.


    Now, he appeared more confident, even a bit cocky, but there was no denying how powerful and self-assured he had become.


    "Zaroth," Elysia spoke, her voice didn''t carry her usual coldness.


    "What made you fall for me? When so many people are terrified of me because of my power, what do you see in me?"


    Zaroth''s eyes shined even greener as he looked into her eyes.


    "Exactly because of your power, I desire you. The danger you pose doesn''t frighten me¡ªinstead, it draws me closer."


    Elysia closed her eyes for a minute. She was making a significant choice.


    After she opened her eyes, she saw the time.


    "I am free until nine o''clock, after that, I will have more work to do."


    Zaroth''s eyes narrowed even more.


    "Th-"


    Before he could finish, Elysia stood up.


    "Give me ten minutes; I''ll take a shower," she said, heading into the bathroom in her room.


    A second later, Zaroth heard the shower turn on.


    His heart was beating incredibly fast.


    This moment had felt so distant in the future that he doubted he would ever reach it.


    After about ten minutes, the door of the bathroom opened.


    As Zaroth shifted his gaze to the open door, his heart seemed to stop at the sight.


    But tonight, one of Zaroth''s desires was going to be fulfilled!

 Chapter 237 - 237: Wish Fulfilled [R-18]

    ''I know very well what kind of man you are. You''ve been expecting this moment all this time, haven''t you?'' Luna''s voice echoed in his head.


    ''Luna, from now on till the end, I don''t want you to distract me,'' Zaroth commanded.


    He heard a sigh inside his head. ''Fine.''


    The ten minutes were nearly up, so Zaroth began to undress. Once he was done, he looked at the clock.


    It was 0 o''clock, so that meant they would have about nine hours.


    At this moment, the door of the bathroom opened.


    As Zaroth shifted his gaze, he froze.


    Elysia was standing at the door, only a thin towel hiding her features. Her hair was still a little wet from the shower, as she had put it to the side.


    The next moment she moved, and the towel dropped to the ground.


    In that moment, Zaroth could only describe her as a statue carved by the gods themselves¡ªa living goddess.


    Her long legs and wide hips ending in a narrow waist. Her breasts that seemed as soft as a pillow.


    Zaroth was stunned at the sight.


    The same was true for Elysia.


    She had seen Zaroth before but never completely naked.


    His masculine body, with low body fat that made his abs define, his wide shoulders, and thick forearms, made him look irresistible.


    Before Zaroth could react, Elysia took a step forward as she stopped in front of him.


    Without needing to say anything, they both embraced tightly as they kissed.


    Moving on instinct, Elysia pushed Zaroth, and a moment later he fell down on the bed.


    Elysia moved her body as she sat on his legs, and her abdomen touched his member.


    At this moment, her face was flushed in red color, and her heart was beating wildly in her chest.


    "Finally," she whispered as she moved her hips.


    "Uhm," she couldn''t help but moan as she felt Zaroth enter her.


    Zaroth wasn''t sure if he was in a daze, in heaven, or what. All he knew was that he was going to enjoy the moment to the fullest.


    Elysia put her two delicate hands on his chest as she began to move her hips up and down.


    Both of them looked into each other''s eyes.


    Elysia looked like a tall, imposing figure that was enjoying Zaroth to the fullest.


    While Zaroth looked like a prey that was being devoured by a hungry beast.


    "If only I had known, I would have done this so much sooner," Elysia exclaimed as she sped up her movements.


    After a few moments, Zaroth recovered. He was enjoying it, but he didn''t want to be the prey¡ªhe wanted to be the hunter.


    Putting his hands behind her waist, he made her bend forward as her breasts came close to his chest.


    Moving one hand over her head, he moved it so that both of their lips touched into a deep kiss.


    At the same time, he bent his knees as he began to move his hips, thrusting rhythmically into her.


    "Hm," moans tried to escape from both of their mouths but couldn''t, as their kiss was too deep to allow for anything to escape them.


    After a slight thrust, Zaroth realized that there was one precise spot where, when his member hit, Elysia''s body would shiver in pleasure. So he decided to focus on it as he sped up his thrusts.


    She was wrapping both of his hands around his torso as she made her naked body press even tighter against his.


    At one point, Zaroth increased his thrusts even more, while Elysia felt like her body was melting.


    "Ah!" both of them moaned as they climaxed.


    Elysia moved her body as she got back into a sitting position, still on top of him.


    Both of their chests rose up and down rapidly as they tried to take in enough oxygen.


    "If I had known it felt like this, I would have done this much sooner," Elysia spoke as she gazed into Zaroth''s eyes.


    As soon as he heard these words, it was like he moved into autopilot.


    He quickly moved his hands as he placed them below her legs and at the same time moved his feet to the side of the bed.


    "Oh?" Elysia mused with excitement in her voice as Zaroth gently picked her up and lifted her from the bed.


    "Normally, I don''t allow anyone to be in charge, but I guess I can make an exception," she spoke with alluring voice as both of her legs wrapped around his waist while her arms went behind his neck.


    Before Zaroth could say anything, his eyes widened as Elysia moved her body down on his member.


    ''Even in these situations, you always find a way to arouse me!'' Zaroth thought as he placed his hands on her slim waist and began moving her up and down, the sound of clapping echoing through the room.


    "Ah!" It seemed that Elysia wasn''t even planning to hide her feelings anymore.


    She had endured enough stress for too long, so now she was going to relax without thinking about anything.


    Zaroth''s muscles tightened and bulged as he was moving her surprisingly light and soft body.


    Moving so fast for such a long period of time had tired him out long ago, but each moan that escaped Elysia seemed to fuel him, pushing him to keep going.


    His breathing had become even more irregular as he was close to climaxing again, but he didn''t want to. He wanted this moment to last for as long as possible.


    "Faster!" Elysia commanded, pressing her lips to Zaroth''s, making his breathing even more ragged.


    Yet, despite the strain on his body, once he heard Elysia''s alluring voice, he couldn''t resist¡ªhis thrusts quickened to their maximum speed.


    "Uhn," another moan escaped Elysia''s mouth as she reached climax once again.


    Zaroth would have felt proud to some extent if his body didn''t feel like it was going to burst from the sheer stress alone.


    ''Maybe if I slow down for a secon¡ª''


    Zaroth''s train of thought was broken as Elysia moved her lips next to his ear and whispered in an alluring voice, "Good boy."


    As soon as he heard those words, it was as if a switch had been flipped inside his mind. He gasped as Elysia descended with devastating force onto him.


    The next second, his eyes widened as he reached climax again.


    Thud


    He collapsed on the bed from exhaustion as Elysia was still upon him.


    Zaroth threw a quick glance at the clock, only to realize that a mere thirty minutes had passed.


    There were still more than eight hours left, yet he had climaxed twice already


    ''Fuck!'' he cursed in his mind. Now he would need time to recover if he wanted them to go again. Meaning he would lose valuable time.


    Elysia raised an eyebrow as she studied his frowning expression.


    "Hm? What is this? You regret that you finished that early?" she spoke with amusement in her voice.


    Zaroth gazed at her. She was right to some extent, but he couldn''t blame himself. He was even surprised that he had managed to hold on that long considering who he was sleeping with.


    But sadly, if they wanted to go again, it seemed that he would need at least a few minutes to recover, as simply his second climax was the most intense he had ever had.


    Elysia looked at Zaroth, who was beneath her, for a few seconds, calmly thinking about something.


    A moment later, she released a sigh. "Well, we''ve come this far, so we might as well go all the way."


    She placed her finger on Zaroth''s heart.


    He wondered what she was doing until a second later, his eyes narrowed in shock.


    His fatigue was still there, as well as the strain on his body.


    But something changed when his member suddenly shot upward, as if it were full of life again.


    Upon seeing the clear confusion on Zaroth''s face, Elysia grinned.


    "We have just nine hours, so we might as well enjoy every second of it."


    *****


    Zaroth had been in countless battles. He had gotten numerous injuries.


    And yet all of this paled to what he was feeling right now.


    "Ah!" Elysia climaxed again as her hips and legs began to shake from all the pleasure.


    Meanwhile, Zaroth''s body was so exhausted he thought that he was about to die.


    Elysia seemed to be able to make his member always stay strong, but his body was another matter.


    The nine hours were almost up and they had done it so many times that Zaroth stopped counting at some point.


    Elysia threw a quick glance at the clock and grimaced as she saw that the time was nearly up.


    She was about to suggest to Zaroth that they do it one last time, but stopped herself as she saw how exhausted his body was.


    In fact, he just laid on the bed as he couldn''t move a muscle, and by looking at his face, it was clear he wanted to go one more round but couldn''t, as his body had reached its limit.


    "That was fun," Elysia admitted as she was about to get up from the bed¡ªuntil she noted that despite Zaroth''s body not moving, his member was eager. S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "What is this, you want more?" she asked as a amused smile appeared on her face.


    Zaroth tried to form a pale smile on his face but couldn''t, as he was about to pass out.


    ¡­


    Making her choice, Elysia moved her head as she positioned it next to his member.


    Zaroth''s eyes narrowed as he guessed what she was about to do.


    He gasped as he felt the warmth of Elysia''s mouth engulf his member.


    ''Holy shit, this is heaven!'' he thought in his head as he didn''t move his gaze from Elysia.


    Her eyes were locked on Zaroth''s as she moved her mouth up and down in rhythmic motions.


    At this point in time, Zaroth felt like he was melting by Elysia''s mouth.


    Eventually, he couldn''t hold it anymore as he climaxed, his eyes widening with pleasure.


    Gulp


    He was in heaven.


    Gulp


    He was melting.


    Gulp


    Without a doubt, everything was worth it.


    Gulp


    As he was emptied out, Elysia finally released his member, and it collapsed onto Zaroth''s abdomen, clearly exhausted as well.


    Elysia opened her mouth, showing that, except for the small amount of saliva, it was empty.


    After which she got up from the bed.


    Zaroth couldn''t help but stare at her body.


    She was drenched in sweat, as was he.


    "Sadly, the time is up¡­ You can rest here for some time. I am going to take a shower," Elysia spoke as she went to the bathroom.


    Zaroth gazed at the ceiling as he heard the shower turned on.


    "Fuck!" he cursed. "Why didn''t I think to do it in the shower?! Didn''t she also have a pool? We could have gone there as well!"


    One thing was made clear, even if Zaroth had slept with Elysia, he wasn''t done.


    Now, his desire for her burned even stronger.


    He wanted her to be his.


    One night wasn''t enough. No¡ªhe wanted her forever!

 Chapter 238 - 238: Can I Have Them All?

    "Zaroth."


    Hearing a familiar voice and feeling someone poke the side of his cheek, Zaroth opened his eyes


    The first thing his gaze fell upon was a strikingly beautiful, tall woman with white hair and green, cat-like eyes.


    "Did I die? Am I in heaven?" he whispered, his eyes trying to adjust.


    Hearing a scoff, his eyes widened as somebody flicked his forehead.


    "Oh, Luna? What the hell happened?" he asked, massaging his forehead.


    "You passed out after your night with Elysia. Now come on, you can''t just keep lying here forever. Sooner or later, she''ll return. Do you really want her to find you like this?" she asked.


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow as he glanced down at his body. He was naked, lying on Elysia''s bed.


    "How long have I been sleeping here?" he asked as he tried to get up.


    "About a day, more or less."


    "A day¡ª"


    He was about to say that she must be mistaken until he tried to step on his feet, only for his knees to give out.


    "Wow!" Zaroth yelled as Luna caught him just before he hit the ground.


    "For fuck''s sake, be more careful!" she spoke with irritation in her voice.


    "Ah, my body... it hurts. Everything hurts!" Zaroth complained. It was like he had been run over by a stampede of bulls.


    In turn, Luna sighed as she dropped him to the ground.


    "Hey! Why did you do that?!" Zaroth spat.


    "Stop acting like a baby and get up. This is what you get for going at it with Elysia for nine hours straight."


    After some effort, he finally managed to get on his feet.


    He cracked his neck as he massaged his left shoulder.


    He was far from being in peak condition, but for the moment, it would have to do.


    "Holly fuck, last night was legendary¡­ though I guess I''ll need some time to recover."


    When one thinks about recovery, a lot of things typically come to mind¡ªperhaps sleep or simply resting while your body recovers from stress and exhaustion.


    But Zaroth had other plans.


    With a smile of excitement, he sent his friends a message.


    They were getting hammered tonight!


    *****


    "For the champion!" the people in the bar exclaimed as they lifted their cups in Zaroth''s name.


    Zaroth and his friends had gone into their favorite bar to celebrate, and were met with warm welcomes. It seemed Zaroth''s win had traveled through the empire by now.


    "If this isn''t a sign to get hammered, I don''t know what is!" Roran exclaimed, lifting an entire bottle to his mouth.


    "Hey, leave some for the rest of us!" Lily complained as she nudged him with her elbow.


    The alcohol might be free in this bar, but that didn''t mean they should drink the place down to bankruptcy!


    Zack started laughing as he grabbed a bottle and drank from it non-stop. It seemed like the two were competing to see who could drink the most.


    "Hey, Midnight," Zaroth spoke as he sat near her.


    "What is it?" she asked as she shifted her gaze to him.


    "You know the whole connection between us? Well, I heard that I''m part vampire now," he spoke uncertainly.


    Midnight raised an eyebrow. "...Well, that''s certainly unexpected. But I guess it makes a bit of sense. After all, using demonic skills shouldn''t be possible if you''re only human."


    Zaroth scratched the back of his head. "But shouldn''t that concern me somehow? After all, it kind of sounds like a big deal."


    "Do you feel any different?" Midnight asked.


    "Well, not really," he admitted.


    "Then don''t think too deeply about it. It''s free power, isn''t it?"


    Zaroth had to agree that she made a point. Sure, he might be part vampire, but he doesn''t really feel that different from before¡ªexcept for the quiet voice that sometimes told him he needed to kill. Yep, nothing bad about that at all!


    "Now, now, stop worrying about stupid stuff and let''s celebrate your win!" Midnight spoke as she brought a cup to her lips and, a moment later, handed it to Zaroth.


    He glanced at the cup for a second and downed the whole thing.


    "Oh yeah, there''s one more thing," he suddenly spoke up.


    Midnight smiled pleasantly as she looked at him.


    "Sure, what is it?"


    "You know Elysia?"


    Midnight''s eyes darkened for a second. "Oh, her? Yeah, I know her. Just don''t want to think too much about her. She gives me the creeps."


    "...Well, I kind of slept with her."


    ¡­


    Silence.


    The bar was full of loud noise and life, but the conversation between Midnight and Zaroth died down in an instant.


    Midnight took a deep breath as she gazed at him, her crimson eyes starting to appear a bit dangerous.


    "The fuck do you mean you slept with her? Is that supposed to mean that we are breaking up?" she asked with a hint of irritation in her voice.


    As soon as she heard that, Lily stopped trying to calm down Zack and Roran, who were going wild, and focused solely on the drama¡ªthough she tried to make it not so obvious that she was listening.


    "No, I still want us to be together," Zaroth spoke unfazed as he looked into her eyes.


    "But you slept with her?"


    "Yes."


    "And you want us to remain together?"


    "Yep."


    Midnight took another deep breath as she massaged her forehead.


    Then she poured herself another shot, drinking it all in one go.


    "So does that mean it was a one-time thing?" she asked, looking at the ceiling.


    "No, I want Elysia as well," Zaroth answered as he, too, took another shot.


    "So you are basically a two-timer?" Midnight asked,


    "I guess you can say that."


    "Is there somebody else that so happens to catch your fancy?" Midnight asked, unsure of how to feel at the moment. She asked the question half-heartedly, expecting a reasonable ''no.''


    "Yes, there is," Zaroth answered as calmly as ever. Or at least he tried to make it seem that way.


    Midnight''s eyes narrowed even more as she looked at him in shock.


    "You know Althea? One of the emperor''s wives? I want her as well."


    Midnight was still looking at him silently.


    "Oh, and remember Luna? I guess you can count her as well," he added.


    "HAHAHAHA!" Midnight burst into laughter.


    Her laughter was so menacing and threatening that even among the loud bar crowd, some people threw glances at her and began to distance themselves, just in case.


    "Oh, I see! You''re a womanizer! You want to have a harem!" Midnight managed to mutter, barely able to control herself and her laughter.


    Lily, meanwhile, was looking at the both of them with wide eyes, not even trying to hide the fact that she had been listening all this time.


    "So bold!" Lily had to admit to herself. The fact that Zaroth could say these things with such confidence was so absurd that it almost earned her respect. If Roran tried something similar with Lily, he''d probably regret it quickly.


    After Midnight finally calmed down by taking another shot, she gazed at him.


    "Cool and all, but why are you telling me?" she asked, her voice becoming more and more threatening.


    "Because you trust me," Zaroth spoke unfazed. "And I will not deceive you. I am telling you because I want you to know. Now, whether you''re okay with that or want to stop seeing each other, it''s up to you."


    "I''m not the type of person to hide what I''ve done or what I want. I''ve given you the truth, and only the truth. Now, it''s up to you and how you choose to take it." Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Hearing him say that, Midnight gazed at the ceiling again as she closed her eyes.


    Betrayed¡ªpart of her felt like she had been betrayed. Zaroth had slept with another woman and had even said that he wanted to with more.


    At the same time, she loved him. He had saved her life when she had been close to dying and helped her with hunting the Purifiers down.


    In a way, both of them had helped each other immensely. And both of them needed each other.


    After a couple of minutes, Midnight let out a sigh.


    "Who''s better?" she asked.


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow. "You mean¡­?"


    "In bed," Midnight spoke coldly.


    She waited for an answer, but seeing the way Zaroth scratched the back of his head, acting like he was thinking, irritated her to no end.


    She grabbed one of the bottles on the table and lifted it to her mouth, drinking most of it. Then, without a second thought, she stood up and grabbed Zaroth''s hand.


    He didn''t resist as he raised an eyebrow. "Where are we going?" he asked.


    "To fuck!" she answered with fury in her voice.


    His eyes narrowed in surprise. "So does that mean you''re on board with it?"


    "I''m a vampire, and there aren''t many others like me on the human continent. Even if there were, they''d likely be here to kill me. And even if they weren''t, I still wouldn''t want to be with any of them. The truth is, I like you too much to let you go."


    Zaroth wasn''t sure if he should be happy or what, as he didn''t expect that kind of reaction.


    "Plus, it''s not like we''re married. One could leave the other whenever they wanted," she added as she began to speed up her steps.


    ''Is this going to be a revenge fuck? Well, not that I''m against it¡­ but seeing how angry Midnight is, I''m really thankful I bought a titanium bed. It will surely hold¡­ right?''

 Chapter 239 - 239: The Ball of Fate

    The great ball had begun, and over a hundred influential figures had gathered. Each of them held significant power in the empire, whether through wealth or military strength.


    Most of them talked with one another, seeking to build connections that would secure smoother paths for their futures.


    They also enjoyed the classical music played by the man at the piano, while some were already savoring the provided food and drinks.


    Only the top of the empire were invited here.


    If a person was here, it meant that they had already changed the empire, or would do so in the near future, one way or another.


    Draconis looked at the people that were at the ball.


    They were all the empire''s most influential figures, the heads of the families, with many of their heirs present as well.


    Some people were allies¡­


    Draconis threw a very quick glance at Elysia, who was here as well. For some reason, today the woman appeared to be in a much better mood than usual, as though she had relieved herself of a great deal of stress.


    While others were foes.


    Nevertheless, this was politics, and one had to maintain appearances, even if they didn''t like each other.


    Draconis would have sighed if he wasn''t visible, so well-sitting on the throne.


    He despised the empire, he hated that so many people had to work together for it to function.


    It was like a fragile machine; if one component broke, the entire system would collapse.


    But thankfully, this would change this day.


    Most of the influential people in the empire were present, and once the salesman completed his task, the majority of those in the room would die, as they had outlived their purpose.


    Draconis gazed at a man with black hair and crimson eyes¡ªAlexander.


    It was quite surprising that he hadn''t killed his nephew yet. Was he just delaying it, or had he changed his mind?


    ''Doesn''t matter, he is one of those that will die anyway,'' Draconis kept his face perfectly neutral.


    How many of the heads of the great clans and families would remain alive to see the next day?


    The answer was zero.


    They were worthless.


    Draconis shifted his gaze as it fell on David.


    The man had reached second place at the tournament, and as such, it was a worthy achievement to be invited here.


    A part of Draconis felt disappointed; the person who was meant to win the tournament had lost, defeated by Elysia''s chosen, and it was a bitter truth to swallow.


    One might wonder if he was worthy of Amara.


    But in the end, the facts were facts. David was able to use the Abyss, and that alone made him more worthy than any of the heirs of the people gathered here.


    And by the way these heirs threw menacing gazes at David, it was clear that they knew it.


    What about his family? S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Draconis shifted his gaze to one side.


    A few of his wives sat on their own smaller-sized thrones.


    They were all beautiful and intelligent.


    Each of them would be seen as a goddess through the eyes of any ordinary man, and yet, they were all his wives.


    They were so fun to play with.


    But after today, they would become useless, meaningless, and unworthy of being kept alive


    After all, Draconis would probably never be able to share intimacy with anyone again after today.


    So no matter how beautiful they were, once he no longer needed their beauty, they became worthless¡­ but at least there was a time in their lives when they had served a purpose.


    Meanwhile, Draconis cast a glance at Althea¡ªthe one person he was most ashamed of.


    She wasn''t even worth a second glance, as her body was afflicted with the muscle-rot curse.


    He would have gotten rid of her by now if it weren''t for these st¡ª


    He took a deep breath; after today, nothing will matter.


    They will all die anyway.


    ''¡­At least there would be some useful people,'' Draconis thought as he gazed at Amara.


    She was also able to use the Abyss like David, though not to the same extent, but that didn''t make her the only child the emperor considered a success.


    It was the fact that he had told her the truth about his existence as she had proven herself worthy.


    And as expected, after hearing that he wasn''t really her father and learning about his plan, her eyes sparked as she realized the potential in it.


    Amara and the salesman were the only two people who knew about his powers and plans, making them the most valuable.


    Even when Draconis ascended to the top of the world, he would keep them around.


    ''But that will only happen after a few hours, not get ahead of ourselves,'' Draconis thought with a smirk as he gazed at the clock.


    "Weird," he couldn''t help but mutter.


    Amara heard him, and as such, she shifted her gaze to the emperor.


    "What is it?"


    "The guest of honor isn''t here; is he late?"


    Amara guessed that the emperor was talking about Zaroth, the winner of the tournament, the champion.


    "Maybe the fact that he won first place has gone to his head, and now he''s acting like a big shot?" Amara said with amusement in her voice.


    Draconis smiled. Amara knew that David''s loss had frustrated him, so she tried to make him feel better by mocking Zaroth.


    "Ah, such a perfect child you are," Draconis spoke as he patted her head.


    The reason she was sitting close to the emperor was because if some of the heirs wanted to approach her, they would have to get close to the emperor, and nobody wanted to do that just yet.


    At this moment, the grand doors opened, and a person entered.


    A man on the shorter side with white hair and green cat-like eyes, the champion of the tournament, Zaroth.


    Naturally, most people present in the ball shifted their gazes to look at the person who had arrived.


    Most of them were quite powerful themselves, so they took a second to gauge his strength, now that they were so close.


    A moment later, they were disappointed as the man didn''t have all that strong aura¡ª


    In that moment, it seemed as if everybody present in the ball held their breath.


    This didn''t just include the rich aristocrats who were here because of their wealth, but powerful figures as well.


    Even the heads of families narrowed their eyes, sensing the menacing presence that had entered.


    The emperor and Amara weren''t an exception as they too felt the danger closing in.


    The only person who seemed unbothered was Elysia, but it wasn''t because she didn''t feel the threat¡ªshe simply wasn''t fazed, as it wasn''t the first time she had seen her.


    Next to Zaroth stood a tall woman who walked beside him.


    She was strikingly, almost unnaturally beautiful¡ªmaking every other woman in the room seem insignificant in comparison.


    Her hair was as white as snow, and her green, cat-like eyes carried an eerie, deathly presence.


    The black dress she wore accentuated her flawless features even more


    Zaroth had summoned Luna to accompany him to the ball, as each guest was allowed to bring one person with them.


    From this moment on, Zaroth''s plan to win Althea''s heart in a single night had begun!

 Chapter 240 - 240: It Looked Back

    First and foremost, the most important thing was to gather the attention of the ball as a whole; this would surely pique Althea''s interest as well.


    And what better way to do it than to use Luna?


    Few could rival her beauty or commanding presence. Combined, those two traits were enough to draw eyes like moths to flame. Since she had arrived alongside Zaroth, naturally, some of that attention would spill onto him too.


    But wouldn''t these people recognize that she is actually a dragon in human appearance?


    Before they might have, but Luna already had informed Zaroth that she was able to take human appearance without making it possible to guess that she was actually a dragon.


    Zaroth suppressed a smirk as he noticed the crowd watching him and Luna with a mixture of curiosity and caution.


    ''Well, I guess that part of the plan is done,'' he thought.


    Acting as if he hadn''t noticed the stares, Zaroth stepped forward with Luna beside him.


    Zaroth threw a quick glance at Elysia, who was looking at him with an unreadable expression.


    He had not informed her that he was going to make a scene, so she no doubt wasn''t sure how to feel about the situation.


    ''No matter,'' Zaroth thought as his gaze fell on Althea, who was sitting on the smallest and most distant throne from the emperor.


    It wasn''t time yet to say what his wish was, so he began to look around the ball. Luna left his side as she had her own job to do.


    ''Well, I guess I have to make some connections,'' Zaroth thought as he began to talk with some people.


    *****


    No matter if he liked it or not, Draconis was unable to shift his gaze from the woman that he was currently looking at.


    He had seen so many beautiful women, and yet everybody paled in comparison to this woman.


    Luna chatted happily with a few people, making it seem like she gave a crap about these things.


    After a few seconds, she noticed that she was being watched and stared back at the emperor''s gaze.


    At the moment, hundreds of thoughts were going through Draconis'' head.


    Who was this woman? Why had she come with Zaroth? Why was she so powerful?


    He was confident he would''ve noticed someone with an aura like that before. She radiated power that could possibly rival Elysia.


    ''Wait!'' Draconis realized.


    ''This woman entered with Zaroth and he is working for Elysia. Does this mean that this woman is working for her too?''


    His jaw clenched.


    If that was the case, then things could turn ugly very fast. He could fight Elysia on about equal footing, but if this woman entered the picture, he was doomed!


    ''Maybe¡­'' Draconis began to wonder.


    Even though there were a few dozen meters between them, Luna was still gazing at Draconis, who hadn''t moved his gaze.


    There was a wide, dangerous smile on her face.


    ''Should I?'' Draconis debated for a few seconds if he should try and take a peek at the woman''s thoughts.


    ''It could prove useful if she is planning to attack with Elysia. I can''t read Elysia''s thoughts, but what about this woman?''


    Time was running out as there was a possibility that they would no longer share a gaze, so Draconis decided to try it.


    He was going to try to read her thoughts.


    ¡­


    "Where am I?" Draconis spoke, dumbfounded, as he found himself in a dark void.


    He stood in a pitch-black void. There was no floor, no sky, and yet somehow he stood¡ªbalanced on nothing, surrounded by nothing.


    There was no sound, no scent¡ªit was like all of his senses were completely and utterly blocked. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    That was until he noticed something in the far distance.


    "Is that a sun?" he asked with uncertainty.


    From the right of him, there was a large green sphere that was so massive that it looked like a planet.


    "Wait, there are two!" Draconis realized as he saw that to his left there was another sphere.


    "I just wanted to look into her thoughts. Why the hell am I here?!" he shouted as his voice dispersed in the void.


    He was alone and there was nobody that could hear him.


    Or so he thought.


    Suddenly he broke into sweat, as his instincts were telling him something.


    He would die! At this moment in time, it was certain! He was going to die!


    He began to look around helplessly like a lost puppy. Something was looking at him with the intention to kill him¡ªhe was sure of it!


    There was no way he could be mistaken! The way his heart felt like it was about to explode, the way his muscles tightened, ready to explode into flight or fight mode. He was being perceived by something.


    Something deadly.


    But he couldn''t see anybody.


    Frightened and panicked, he lifted his gaze and froze.


    The giant spheres had moved, and now they were looking at him.


    "Are these eyeballs?" Draconis muttered in fear.


    "If these are eyeballs¡­" he whispered, his voice trembling. They were so enormous, it was as if he were staring at planets themselves¡ªutterly incomprehensible and watching him in return.


    "What am I looking at?" Draconis muttered as he took hurried steps back.


    This being in front of him¡ªwhatever it was¡ªstared at him silently, saying nothing.


    Yet just being under its gaze was enough for Draconis to realize that he could never pose a threat to it.


    He would die!


    HE WOULD DIE!


    DEATH! DEATH! DEATH! DEATH! DEATH! DEATH! DEATH! DEATH!


    "Father?"


    Draconis blinked a couple of times as he gulped audibly.


    Luna was still looking at the emperor with a smirk on her face.


    She had done her job.


    "Father?" Amara repeated.


    Draconis took a few seconds to recover as he gazed at her.


    "Are you okay? You dozed off for a few seconds and as such you made me worried."


    Despite looking at his daughter, Draconis was still processing what he had looked at.


    ''What was that thing?'' He had never seen anything like that.


    One thing was for certain: that woman was danger! Grave danger! Maybe even more dangerous than Elysia, depending on the situation.


    Finally, after a couple of seconds, Draconis nodded. "Yeah, I am fine."


    Amara didn''t seem convinced but didn''t press the matter further.


    "Your Majesty." Hearing a voice, Draconis shifted his gaze¡ªit was Alexander.


    Draconis managed to return to his stoic expression in a second, not allowing anybody to see his moment of weakness, with the exception of Amara.


    "If it is fine with you, could we proceed with the wish of the champion? There are some matters that we would like to discuss."


    "Sure," Draconis answered as he gazed at Zaroth.


    "Champion of the tournament! The time has come¡ªspeak your wish aloud."


    Seeing that he had been summoned, Zaroth quickly walked up over to the red carpet, standing in front of the emperor and bowed.


    He didn''t particularly like it, but he had to pretend he cared about the man, or that he held any respect for him..


    Naturally, as the main event was about to unfold, everybody stopped their talks as they all gazed at Zaroth, who was about to say what he wanted.


    "Rise," Draconis said coldly. "From among more than sixty thousand participants, you alone stand as the victor. As such, the royal family and I are prepared to grant you a single wish. Speak it now."


    Zaroth rose as he gazed at the eyes of the emperor. It was hard to notice, but it was like Zaroth''s eyes shined menacing green as he suppressed a smirk.


    "I want¡­"

 Chapter 241 - 241: Where No One Dared

    Zaroth was about to say his wish but stopped a second later, he gazed at the emperor''s eyes as he asked.


    "I can ask anybody from the royal family for something, right?"


    Draconis grimaced as he heard Zaroth''s question. At this moment, the emperor imagined the worst.


    If Zaroth wanted to ask for Amara''s hand in marriage, things would turn ugly. Draconis wasn''t willing to give his daughter to this man, but refusing would be like admitting that there was a limit to what the emperor was willing to grant.


    "Of course," Draconis answered, his voice sounding a little forceful. The message he was trying to send was clear: ''Be careful with what you are planning.''


    Zaroth smiled as he turned his head and began to walk to the side of the emperor.


    *****


    It was weird in a way, she was sitting in one of the thrones yet nobody looked at her.


    Most of the people were trying to keep distance from her. Not that Althea could blame them in any way. They believed the rumors that if one were to touch her, they would get her curse, and as such everybody was careful around her.


    Even the little people that liked her couldn''t show it openly, as this could invite the wrath of the emperor, so she was isolated, forgotten, unneeded.


    She may be a Queen, but at the same time it didn''t seem like it.


    She may have a certain amount of status, but it didn''t seem like it.


    It had been so long¡­ yet not once. Not even one time had somebody referred to her as a Queen.


    No matter if it was because the people were scared of her or the emperor''s wrath. Nobody showed even the tiniest amount of respect for her.


    But it was alright. She had lived most of her life that way, so she had become familiar with isolation.


    When the time of the truth came and Elysia and Draconis clashed, things wouldn''t change that much for her. She didn''t have that much longer to live anyway, it was a miracle that she had survived so long despite her curse.


    The muscle rot curse infected all muscles, and the heart was a muscle as well, so sooner or later it would eventually stop. It might be one fateful day when she found herself under a lot of pressure, or she could pass peacefully during her sleep. Though she was only in her early forties, her health was already worse than that of someone well over a hundred.


    Wasn''t it ironic in a way? A queen was one of the people that were supposed to receive the most respect out of everybody, and yet she never did.


    She would live the rest of her short life without experiencing respect even once, she would die never being treated like a human. What a miserable life that is¡ª


    "My Queen."


    Althea''s eyes widened for a second. Somebody had said these words, yet they didn''t sound distant. it was like they weren''t meant for the other emperor''s wives but for her. S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But that couldn''t be the case, right?


    ¡­And yet Althea felt like she should lift her gaze from the floor.


    In front of her was a man with white hair and green cat-like eyes. She recognized that this was Zaroth.


    She had been informed that the man and her were on the same side¡­ but that did not explain why he was kneeling in front of her at this very moment.


    The surrounding had turned deadly silent as everybody was looking at Zaroth with wide eyes.


    He had referred to Althea as ''queen''¡ªnot only that, but he had done so in front of the emperor''s gaze. Yet the man did not appear fazed in the slightest, almost like he didn''t fear anything at all.


    After hesitating for a few seconds Althea''s lips parted. "Yes?"


    Zaroth''s eyes widened for a moment. This was the first time he had heard her speak, as all this time she had been patiently staring at the ground, trying to appear invisible, most likely due to the emperor''s orders.


    ''Her voice¡­ it''s so calming. It sounds so much like Mother''s¡­'' At that realization, it was as if a hole opened inside his chest. Looking at her felt the same as looking at his late mother¡ªa fragile woman, close to death, whom he was meant to protect.


    "I have been informed that I can request my wish to be fulfilled by every member of the royal family," he spoke calmly, trying to hide the fact that his heart was beating wildly.


    Althea''s eyes widened even further. The man in front of her had referred to her as a member of the royal family. This surely would anger Draconis immensely, in fact she was able to feel his gaze at her¡­


    And yet she didn''t look, she was too busy looking at Zaroth.


    ''Why is he doing this? This is surely not a part of Elysia''s plan in any way. He had earned his wish fair and square, she wouldn''t tell him what to wish with it¡­ does that mean he is acting out of his own volition?''


    "The fact that you are standing before me¡ªdoes that mean your wish concerns me?" Althea asked. Though she was despised, she had been sent on numerous political missions and had learned to maintain her composure, even under pressure.


    "Yes, it does. But fear not¡ªit''s nothing grand or impossible to grant," Zaroth replied.


    "¡­Then speak, what is your wish?"


    Zaroth''s lips curved into a warm smile. "Would you have a dance with me?"


    ¡­


    Silence.


    Everybody was processing the words that Zaroth had just spoken.


    He had not just referred to Althea as a queen and a member of the royal family but now wanted to dance with her?!


    Althea seemed stunned, now she was sure that this was in no way connected to Elysia''s plan.


    Meaning that Zaroth honestly wanted to just have a dance with her.


    "I¡­" Althea''s lips parted, but she stopped a second later. She wasn''t sure how to respond. This was not something that she had ever expected to happen.


    ''Even if the chances are small, is it possible that he is unaware of my condition?'' she wondered.


    "You may not be aware, but close contact with me is generally discouraged, as it could¡ª"


    Grab


    Althea stopped mid-sentence as she felt a warm hand grip hers.


    Before Althea could finish her sentence, Zaroth had grasped her right hand as if ready to guide her to the dancing ring of the ball.


    ¡­Althea gazed at her hand¡­ When was the last time she had felt a human''s touch? She genuinely couldn''t remember, it had been seeming so distant¡­


    And now Zaroth was gripping her hand like it was no big deal.


    "Please," he spoke as he made his voice loud enough to carry around the deadly silent ball. "I do not believe in stupid rumors whose only goal is to spread misinformation."


    ¡­Althea wasn''t paying attention to him anymore as her gaze was still locked on their hands.


    "So let me repeat myself," Zaroth spoke as he pulled her hand toward him.


    "Would you have a dance with me?"

 Chapter 242 - 242: A Dance

    No matter what Althea did, it was too late; everyone''s attention was now on her and Zaroth. Under normal circumstances, she would refuse, as she had been strictly instructed to appear invisible to the emperor. S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    And yet¡­


    "...It would be my pleasure." Althea answered without even having time to think about it.


    At this moment, she didn''t care about her surroundings, as her gaze was solely focused on Zaroth.


    She wanted to experience it¡­ she wanted to see what it felt like to be treated like a human being.


    Zaroth smiled wide as he heard her response. Then he rose to his feet and pulled her toward himself, making it easier for her to stand.


    She rose from her chair, but due to the fact that her muscles were weakened to an unbelievable extent, she began to fall to one side as she couldn''t control her body properly.


    She was sure she was going to hit the ground and make a fool of herself, but before that could happen, Zaroth seemed to sense it and moved his other hand, wrapping it around her waist to stop her in her tracks.


    Not only did he stop her from falling, but he also made it look intentional, as if it was no mistake on Althea''s part.


    With a pleasant smile, he took a step forward toward the dancing ring, and Althea followed behind.


    Her hand was still gripping his. Before she realized it, she was holding onto it with all the strength her damaged hand could muster. It was like she was unwilling to let this moment go.


    ''Is this a dream? Somebody wants to dance with me? Somebody is not afraid of touching me?''


    This had never happened before. The last time she remembered feeling like this was when she was a child, before the curse had taken hold of her.


    As Zaroth stopped in his tracks, he turned his body to face her.


    Because he was on the shorter side, the two were the same height, which made their eyes meet directly.


    Dozens of eyes were staring daggers at Althea at that moment, but she didn''t seem to care at all about them.


    The only gaze that mattered was the one in front of her.


    Zaroth smiled politely once again as he stepped closer to her, bringing their faces mere forty centimeters apart. He moved his hand and placed it behind her waist.


    Once he did, standing became much easier for Althea. Zaroth was holding her firmly, supporting part of her weight, making it easier to stand.


    Zaroth not only displayed care for her but also took proper caution to ensure that she had an easier time dancing, as if he was familiar with taking care of someone with the same curse.


    The man on the piano sensed the moment and changed the music to a softer style.


    Luna grinned as she watched the two of them dance.


    "You little rascal," she muttered as she observed Zaroth and Althea.


    With one clear motion, she sat atop the grand piano as her lips parted.


    As Zaroth and Althea danced, some of the onlookers who had been fixated on them shifted their gaze toward the angel''s song, which had suddenly filled the air beside them.


    Zaroth knew of Luna''s great talent for singing, so he had instructed her to make the atmosphere as pleasant as possible. And Luna, true to her master''s wishes, was doing just that.


    "Is this some kind of fever dream?" Draconis muttered, dumbfounded, as he watched the scene unfold before him.


    This had to be Elysia''s plan somehow, but he failed to see the point of it.


    Was this supposed to distract him?


    Or did Zaroth genuinely just want to dance with Althea?


    But why? It would have made sense if he had invited literally every other member of the royal family, yet he chose Althea¡ªthe defective one of them all?


    "I don''t like this," Draconis spoke as he watched them, feeling completely out of control of the situation. It was something he hated experiencing.


    After a few minutes, other people decided to begin dancing as well.


    Yet most of the attention was still on Zaroth and Althea.


    ''It hurts,'' Althea thought. Her heart was a muscle too, and since it was now beating wildly, it hurt greatly.


    And yet, she found herself not caring as a small, genuine smile appeared on her face.


    Dancing with Zaroth was incredible. He moved slowly, yet with precision, holding her body firmly, not allowing her to fall.


    Her attention wasn''t on keeping balance anymore, thanks to him, so now she could just move as her heart desired.


    It was fun!


    When was the last time she had truly experienced fun?


    "Thank you," a quiet whisper left her mouth before she realized it.


    Althea didn''t know why Zaroth was doing this. Maybe it was out of pity, or maybe Elysia''s plan somehow involved Zaroth dancing with her. Regardless of the reason, she was grateful.


    Hearing her words, Zaroth gazed into Althea''s crimson eyes.


    "No need to thank me. I''m just doing what I want," he said with a smile on his face.


    For a second, Althea was about to fall again, but Zaroth held her light body firmer, not allowing her to slip past his hands.


    "But there must be a reason you''re doing this, right?" she asked.


    Zaroth chuckled. "Well, I guess there might be, if you consider wanting to dance with a beautiful lady reason enough."


    Althea''s heart stopped for a moment as her eyes widened.


    "...Beautiful, me?" she repeated in disbelief. Did he just call her beautiful?


    She, the one no sane person would ever want to look at, burdened by her cursed body¡ª


    "Yes, you. I''ve seen few who can rival your beauty," Zaroth said calmly.


    "But I¡ª"


    "Please, don''t speak ill of yourself," Zaroth interrupted, guessing what she was going to say.


    He took a step closer, their faces almost touching for a moment.


    "I have eyes, and I can see just fine. I''ve only spoken the truth up until now."


    Althea was dazed, unsure how to react. She might not have known what to do, but her body did, as her cheeks reddened and her heart raced faster.


    This time, it wasn''t because of physical exertion. It was simply because she was so close to Zaroth.


    It was like there were hundreds of butterflies in her stomach.


    Her mind, usually clear, began to panic as countless thoughts flooded her head¡ªthoughts she hadn''t experienced ever.


    "Oh," she whispered, as her body began to feel hotter and hotter.


    For a moment, it felt as if her knees were about to give way, but Zaroth seemed to sense it just in time. He shifted his body and bent slightly, catching her before she could fall, their faces now only inches apart.


    Althea''s heart felt like it was about to explode as she felt Zaroth''s breath against her face.


    She was in such a vulnerable position, yet she didn''t feel even the slightest bit of fear, as if being close to him was the safest place in the entire world¡ªa world that had always rejected her.


    There was no doubt at this moment¡ªshe had fallen for Zaroth.

 Chapter 243 - 243: The Fall Begins Here

    After a few minutes, the dance ended, and Althea stepped back, her chest rising faintly as she struggled to catch her breath.


    Zaroth in turn looked at her with a warm smile.


    "Thank you for the opportunity," he spoke.


    Althea nodded a bit as she took a few steps back,


    "Are we not going to continue?" Zaroth asked with a hint of sadness.


    Althea''s words seemed to catch at her throat for a moment, "I¡­ would love to but I am too tired so will have to retreat to my room to take a breather."


    It wasn''t going to be a lie to say that Zaroth was a little disappointed, but he didn''t object.


    "Well, one more time, thank you."


    "No, thank you," Althea spoke between her ragged breaths as she took hurried steps out of the ball.


    Seeing her gone just like that, Zaroth took a deep breather. By this point there weren''t that many eyes on him, so he could just slip past easily if he didn''t want to be seen.


    "I hope this worked, now for the last step," he muttered under his breath.


    *****


    Taking hurried steps, Althea made her way to her room. The moment she entered, she shut the door loudly and leaned her back against it.


    Her chest was still rising and falling fast as her heart felt like it was about to explode.


    She put her two hands over her face as she sat on the ground against the door.


    "Did that just happen?" she asked herself.


    What she had experienced now was something that she had only dreamed about.


    He spoke to her and addressed her with respect! He didn''t fear touching her, he had danced with her! He had¡­ treated her like a human being... like a woman.


    She gazed at her hands that were still trembling, part from shock, part from exhaustion.


    It might have felt like a dream, but it was in fact true. This really just happened. sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Not wanting to embarrass herself further, she got up from the ground almost falling, as she approached one of the chairs in her room and sat on it.


    She rested her still trembling hands on the table, closed her eyes as she took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.


    But it didn''t help, no, in fact it made it worse! When she closed her eyes the first thing that appeared was Zaroth and his smile. The way he spoke to her, the way he held her firmly¡­


    "Did I really just fall for him?!" she muttered under her breath, her voice was tired, shocked, baffled, and filled with many more emotions.


    She of course had noticed how the man had looked at her before from a distance, but she just thought that he was curious, not that he wanted to dance with her!


    "...he called me beautiful¡­" she moved her gaze to her hands. They were reddening in color as well as most of her body due to her curse.


    She was one of the furthest things away from beauty and yet he had called her beautiful.


    "Is he¡­ maybe into me? But¡­ he looked so young¡­"


    She closed her eyes again.


    Only for the image of Zaroth to appear again, leading her to curse in frustration.


    "Goddamn!" she shouted as she buried her face in her hands.


    "... I want to go back and see him¡­ I want to see him again so bad¡­"


    In that moment, she regretted leaving the ball. If she hadn''t, she could still be watching him, but her emotions had overwhelmed her, and in her panic, she''d rushed out as quickly as possible.


    Now, even if she wanted to go back she couldn''t. After the dance and rushing all the way here, she was too exhausted to move, her muscles had almost reached their limit and there wasn''t anybody that would consider helping her.


    "I''m so stupid!" she shouted, slamming her fist onto the table. But the impact was so weak that the table didn''t even budge.


    With a sigh, she rested her back against the chair and gazed at the ceiling.


    "Why did I have to lose my composure at this very moment?!"


    Her self-pity was short-lived, however, as she heard a knock on the door.


    ''Is this one of the servants? Why would they visit me so late in the night?'' she wondered.


    After a moment of hesitating she spoke, "It is unlocked, you can come in."


    At her words, the door creaked open.


    Althea''s heart, that seemed to have calmed down a little, began to beat even faster than before as she saw who had entered into her room.


    "Hello, my Queen, would it trouble you if I enter?"


    Zaroth had decided to pay her a little visit.


    *****


    Most of the music and chatter had stopped by that point and now Draconis was standing in his throne looking silently at Elysia.


    She was not alone, however, as she had come with several of the family heads¡ªAlexander was here as well.


    "What is the meaning of this?" Draconis asked.


    Elysia didn''t appear fazed as she answered, "I have found numerous instances of where you have broken the law and have acted against the good of the empire and the great families. Not to mention that there is a large amount of people that have been detained in your castle and have yet to see the light of day."


    Draconis raised an eyebrow. "So in short, you are judging the way I lead my empire?"


    Hearing that, Alexander scoffed, "Your Majesty, with all due respect, you may be in charge, but if not for the support of the great families the empire would have fallen a long time ago."


    "We are dependent on one another, and yet you have proved yourself to be incapable of leading¡ªfirst, the case with the war, where even losing a little ground was too much; then the unnecessary big tournament that wasted too much tax and manpower; not to mention the fact that the Purifiers left because you couldn''t resolve the issue with the mysterious disappearance of their staff."


    Elysia joined in, "And this is only a part of the evidence I have against you¡ªthat you have acted too many times in your interest and not the empire''s."


    She threw him a copy of numerous papers and Draconis threw a glance at them.


    He instantly realized that this kind of information was strictly kept secret. The only one that could access it would be a member of the royal family.


    ''Oh I see¡­ Althea must have helped her immensely when it came with gathering intel against me.''


    It was going to be a lie to say that Draconis didn''t feel a bit worried, but everything was going to be resolved anyway. He had just been informed that the salesman had completed his task.


    All Draconis would need to do is go to the basement. The only problem now would be that he needed some kind of distraction.


    Exactly at that moment the doors of the ball burst open.


    "We are under attack! The elite forces of the Crimson Sun Empire have reached the capital and are about to assault the castle as we speak!" a exhausted guard shouted with a worried voice.


    Hearing that the capital was under attack, and especially his castle, Draconis could only smile at the news.


    ''Bingo.'' It seemed that he had found his distraction.

 Chapter 244 - 244: More Time

    ''Zaroth, it seems that we may have a bit of a problem here,'' Luna transmitted to Zaroth.


    While he had gone to Althea''s room, he had left Luna at the great ball to keep watch on things.


    This was the first time she had been so far away from her master, but it seemed that they were still able to communicate telepathically.


    ''What kind of problem?'' Zaroth transmitted to Luna, as he didn''t let his face change emotions while he was sitting across Althea.


    ''For some reason the capital is attacked by the Crimson Sun empire, and worse, they have begun to attack the castle as well. It is pure chaos down here and from what I heard, these are apparently the elite forces of the empire and in number are close to a thousand.''


    ''Then stay down there and keep me informed if something bad happens,'' Zaroth commanded.


    At the same time, he sent a message to Midnight.


    -----


    Zaroth: So a weird request, currently I am in the castle and it seems I might find myself in a dangerous situation, so if you happen to be free could you go to my apartment, bust down the door and bring me my armor and weapons? Thanks!


    Midnight: You are in the castle? I see that there is something going on there, are you alright?


    Zaroth: No time to chat, bring the things if you could, thanks!


    -----


    For a brief moment, Zaroth regretted not bringing his equipment to the castle. But there had been no choice¡ªthe grand ball was being held there, and the guards wouldn''t have let him pass with anything dangerous on him.


    He didn''t think much of it in the beginning, as he thought that he was going to the safest place in the empire, but apparently not.


    ''For fuck''s sake! How incompetent does someone have to be to allow such a thing to happen? I thought that they had the borders under control! Had this been a lie or had they gone around the land using the ocean? If they did, these Crimson Sun soldiers are nuts!''


    "Sir, Zaroth?" Althea''s question broke him out of his trance. "Is something going on? You seem a bit worried."


    Zaroth smiled politely at the question. He had to appear calm, but it seemed that a little of his true emotions had slipped through.


    ''I don''t want to lie to her, but if I tell her the truth, there is a very high chance the atmosphere would become too dark to do anything at all.''


    In the end, he chose to tell the truth, but only a part of it.


    "There is some kind of problem at the ball, but honestly I don''t want to deal with it. You know politics? You get sick of them after a while."


    Althea chuckled a bit upon hearing his answer. "Yes, you can say that."


    A few seconds passed in silence.


    "So may I ask why you have entered my room?" Althea asked. This was a perfectly natural thing to ask as Zaroth had just entered and sat across from her not saying what he wanted.


    "Honestly? I just wanted to check up on you and see if you are alright. You seemed a bit worried after the dance and your breathing was heavy, so I worried you might have a problem with your health."


    "No, that was¡­ no, I am fine. There isn''t a problem at the moment," Althea answered, trying to keep her voice calm.


    Truthfully, however, she was freaking out internally. ''He wanted to check up on me? He is worried about me?''


    Someone being worried about her was a new feeling for Althea, as this basically had never happened before.


    Zaroth took a deep breath as he added, "But if I have to be really honest, this is just an excuse. I just really want to spend more time with you, my Queen."


    Althea blushed slightly, brushing a strand of hair aside as she tried to hide her reaction. "Please, just Althea is fine."


    Zaroth smiled, "Then please call me Zaroth as well," he spoke as he flashed her a charismatic smile.


    ''Gods! Get your act together! You are not a teenager, stop acting like one!'' Althea cursed herself in her mind. She didn''t really have any experience when it came to love, so at a time like this, she found herself clueless.


    She cleared her throat as she added, "I really appreciate your visit, Zaroth, but I fear that it is not wise to spend too much time together here. After all, a man entering a lady''s room at night might give the wrong impression to the people."


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow. "Wrong impression?" he repeated her words.


    "Yes, I mean¡­ some might think that we are lovers¡­" Althea explained.


    "Ah," Zaroth opened his mouth a little as he gazed at the ceiling. S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Then after a few seconds, he spoke. "...Would it be that bad?"


    ¡­


    "Huh?" Althea was stunned by his question.


    "Would it be that bad?" he repeated like he was asking a perfectly natural question.


    "I¡­ am married, Zaroth. It would be bad if people got this kind of impression of me," Althea explained.


    "Are you, though?" Zaroth asked.


    "I mean, due to your beauty, I couldn''t help it but observe you for some time, and from what I have seen, you have yet to interact with the man in any kind of romantic way. Not to mention, each time there is an event where the royal family is present, you are at the back, not being paid attention to by the emperor."


    "Almost like he doesn''t consider you his wife at all."


    Althea''s heart stung a bit as she heard his words.


    "...But even so, it is wrong," she spoke.


    Zaroth looked at her for a bit and then sighed in regret.


    "Honestly, the only reason I came was to see you¡­ I''m nobody, just a simple guy with no ties to the powerful families or influential politicians. I''m just a fool who''s good at fighting. Yet, even someone like me got the rare chance to step into this castle and share a dance with you¡­"


    "But today would be most likely the last time we see each other. After today, there wouldn''t be a reason to allow me to enter the castle."


    This wasn''t a lie. He was working for Elysia, and the emperor would do everything in his power to ensure Zaroth never entered again.


    He stood up from his seat slowly.


    "Still, I want to thank you for sparing time from your busy day," he said with a slight bow before turning to leave the room.


    ''I guess this is it, huh? It was a pretty foolish plan from the start. There''s no way I could make her desire me in just one night,'' Zaroth cursed to himself.


    Althea watched him turn his back to her.


    ''I¡­ will never see him again?''


    Her heart felt like it was about to stop.


    ''The one that treats me like a human?''


    Her breathing became ragged in an instant.


    ''The one that isn''t scared or disgusted by my curse?''


    "NO!" she shouted.


    Grab


    Althea and Zaroth''s eyes widened.


    Before both of them realized what was happening, Althea had reached out with her hand, grabbing his, stopping him from leaving.


    Zaroth turned back and gazed at her, noticing how tightly she was gripping his hand.


    Taking heavy breaths, Althea spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. "I... wouldn''t mind if you spent more time with me... just the two of us."

 Chapter 245 - 245: Altheas past

    "Look how cute you are! Look how cute you are!" her mother spoke as she began to tickle her.


    "Mom! Stop! Stop!" Althea laughed.


    "How could I when I have the cutest daughter in the world?!" her mother exclaimed as she sped up her tickling.


    After a few, the mother stopped as she felt a hand over her shoulder.


    "Oh honey," the woman exclaimed as she gazed at her husband. With an awkward cough she got on her feet.


    "Dear, we have many children, do you plan to spoil all of them?" he asked with a hint of annoyance.


    The woman laughed. "Yes! Yes I do!" she spoke proudly as she puffed up her chest.


    With a sigh the man placed a hand over his hand.


    "When are you going to stop acting like this is a game, sooner or later our children have to grow up you know?"


    Before the woman could retort Althea butted in.


    She stood proudly on her toes trying to appear taller as she puffed up her chest and spoke in pride.


    "But I am big! I can act like a grown-up!" Althea reassured.


    Her father released another sigh as he patted her on the head.


    "Just because you''re turning ten doesn''t mean you''re grown up yet."


    Althea grimaced. "But I am!" she insisted.


    "Sure sure, now go play with the other kids." her father spoke as he got back to his work.


    "I will show you!" Althea spoke with a frown as she went to play with the other kids.


    Her tenth birthday was pretty fun.


    *****


    "Mother?" Althea spoke awkwardly as she knocked on the door.


    Hearing her daughter''s voice the woman turned to her with a smile. "Oh, dear, what is it?"


    "Um¡­ there is something weird happening to my body I¡­ can you check it out?"


    Her mother raised an eyebrow. "Sure come in and close the door."


    Inwardly, her mother was thinking, ''Something weird? She''s fourteen¡ªso isn''t it a bit late to be asking such intimate questions? ...Oh! Maybe she''s in love with a boy! That would explain it!''


    The mother gestured with her hand for her daughter to sit across from her.


    Althea sat on with a worried expression.


    "So? What is it?" the woman asked.


    Althea pointed at her chest.


    Seeing that the mother teased. "Come on! I am your mother there isn''t a need to be embarrassed by me!"


    Althea looked at her mother''s eyes for a few seconds then began to remove her clothing one by one.


    Her mother watched her with a slight smile.


    Then the smile disappeared, her eyebrows furrowed as she focused her eyes.


    ''Is that?'' she wondered.


    Then her expression changed from neutral to pure horror.


    ''Oh gods! Oh gods! Oh gods!'' she repeated endlessly in her mind.


    Althea looked at the ground for a few seconds after she had undressed above the waist waiting her mother''s judgment.


    But her mother was quiet so Althea looked at her.


    Althea''s eyes narrowed as she saw the expression of her mother.


    "Mom? Is it that bad?" Althea asked as she took a few steps towards her.


    "Don''t touch me!" her mother shouted as she jumped out of her seat trying to make some distance between them.


    Althea looked at her mother in shock.


    Couple of seconds later the mother regained a part of her composure.


    "Wait here I will bring your father."


    Without saying anything else her mother left, as Althea was now alone in the room, partly naked.


    "Did I do something wrong?" she whispered quietly but there wasn''t anybody that was here to answer her.


    *****


    "Muscle rot curse, also known as muscle rot illness." the doctor spoke as he inspected Althea''s body from afar.


    "Thank you sir." Althea''s father spoke as he gestured for the man to leave.


    As he did now Althea was alone with both of her parents.


    "Did I do something w¡ª"


    "Shut up! I am trying to think." her father cut her off with anger in his voice.


    Althea flinched at the voice and kept shut.


    "What are we going to do now honey?!" the mother cried as she had buried her face in her hands.


    "She was so beautiful! We were going to marry her off to some royalty, only for her to end up like this!"


    "I SAID SHUT UP!" the man shouted in pure rage, causing Althea''s mother to fall silent as well.


    He was overcome with anger, his hand gripping his hair tightly.


    "I will find a way to get rid of the burden," he muttered to himself.


    *****


    ''I can''t believe this is happening,'' Althea thought as she stepped into the bedroom of her new husband, Draconis.


    She had been accepted even despite her curse and no less it was emperor!


    At the beginning she doubted when her parents said that the emperor didn''t mind it, but seeing as how fast he was getting undressed made her smile as she did the same.


    ¡­


    Draconis looked at her naked body silently.


    "Althea¡­ what is that?" he asked with grim emotion as he pointed at her body.


    "...I¡­ my body?" she answered unsure of herself.


    "No¡­ why does my wife look like this?" he asked in disbelief.


    "I thought that you had been informed about my curse," Althea spoke in shock.


    Upon hearing that, Draconis took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.


    "You... thought that I, the emperor of the mightiest empire, would desire a woman with a defective body like yours? You lack a blessing, making whatever your class is utterly worthless. The only reason I took you as my wife was because of your pretty face and your body. But beneath all your clothes, this is what I find?"


    Althea didn''t know how to respond, staring at him in silence.


    It was painfully clear that her parents had never informed her future husband about her curse.


    ''They¡­ sold me off?''


    She couldn''t explain what she was feeling¡ªbetrayed, humiliated, angry, frightened.


    "Be gone," Draconis said coldly. "Do not ever appear before me again in such a state. Once was enough to ruin my sight for a lifetime."


    Althea moved, forcing herself not to think. She knew she shouldn''t express her feelings in that moment¡ªit would only make things worse.


    Quickly dressing, she left her husband''s room, feeling humiliated beyond measure.


    She had thought that today, she would experience what it felt like to kiss someone. She had believed she was going to lose her womanhood.


    ''Never, I will never try to interact with any man again!'' she cursed in her mind as tears were falling down her eyes.


    *****


    She was never going to interact with any man ever again. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Yet now she was gripping the hand of one, unwilling to let him go.


    Taking a few seconds to register what she had done, Althea let go as she jumped up from her chair.


    ''Why did I tell him not to go?'' she asked herself. She had acted before she had a chance to think, as if her heart had forced her into it.


    Zaroth and Althea locked eyes, standing in silence, neither speaking for several moments.


    ''She told me not to go¡­ does that mean...?'' he wondered, taking a step forward.


    Althea remained silent, her gaze fixed on him.


    Zaroth stopped just a few inches from her, slowly reaching out to place his hand behind her waist. Gently, he pulled her closer.


    Althea didn''t resist, her arms instinctively wrapping around him.


    In that moment, their lips met in a deep, passionate kiss.


    Althea''s heart couldn''t bear to let Zaroth go, no matter what.

 Chapter 246 - 246: Not Letting Go [R-18]

    Althea didn''t care what were going to be the consequences of her actions.


    All that mattered at this point in time was that she was not going to release Zaroth no matter what.


    Unlike with others, being near him didn''t require caution or distance¡­ no, this was different¡ªshe wanted to be close to him.


    Safe¡­ she simply felt safe when she was next to him, no one else had given her this feeling since getting this forsaken curse¡ªnot her mother, nor father, nor her husband, nor the servants. Even if some had a good opinion of her, they were too scared to show their true feelings, fearing the repercussions.


    But Zaroth was different.


    As both of them were in their embrace, Zaroth took slow and steady steps forwards towards the bed, keeping his hand behind Althea''s waist.


    Once they reached it, he gently let her rest her back on it, as he positioned himself above her.


    Because both of them needed to get some air, as the kiss was too deep to allow for such a thing to happen, they had to separate their lips for a moment.


    Zaroth lifted his head a bit as he gazed at the woman that was lying on the bed beneath him, her breathing was shallow as her cheeks had blushed a little red, her crimson eyes were looking at his, while her raven-black hair was spilling to the sides.


    Zaroth slowly moved his hand placing it over her chest as he began to remove her clothing one by one.


    However, Althea moved by instinct as she placed her hand over his, stopping him.


    Zaroth raised an eyebrow, "Should I stop?"


    Althea parted her lips but no voice came out as she was too hesitant, but in the end pushed past the emotions as she spoke.


    "... My face may not be affected that much by the curse, but my body is an entirely different matter. I¡­ don''t want to scare you away by the view," she admitted.


    She was scared that seeing the state her body was in, Zaroth would be horrified and pull away from her, and this is something that she did not want.


    "Althea," Zaroth spoke as he put his hand on her chin and made her gaze into his eyes. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Did I not say that your beauty was the thing that pulled me in? Why do you think I will be scared after seeing you naked?"


    "...Because I doubt you''ve ever seen someone with this curse¡ªnaked, exposed. Not to mention¡­ aren''t you afraid? Don''t you fear the rumors might be true? That just by being with me, you''ll be cursed too? Why¡­ why would you want to be with someone like me?"


    Zaroth chuckled at her words. "How long have you suffered from this curse?" he asked.


    "... About two decades," she replied.


    "This is why," Zaroth spoke.


    "This is why?" she asked.


    "Most of my life, I had to take care of a person that meant a lot to me. They too had this curse, and all my childhood memories were spent looking at that person slowly dying, slowly rotting away."


    "You remind me of that person to an extent¡­ not to mention, even after two decades, you are still able to walk and speak properly despite the constant pain you must feel due to the curse. This alone shows your determination to not give up. This is the thing that pulls me in more than all of the others¡ªyour strength."


    "My¡­ strength?" she repeated in disbelief; in her life, she had never expected to be called strong.


    Zaroth moved his hand slowly as he continued to undress her, "Yes, that is right. And no, I do not fear the curse. I didn''t get it before, so why would I now? Either it is just a lie that is contagious, or I am simply immune."


    With these words, Zaroth finally removed her clothing on her chest, revealing her breasts. Though they were in a pretty bad shape as they ha¡ª


    "You¡­ really are not horrified by my body?" she asked in disbelief.


    "No," Zaroth replied calmly as he brought his lips again to hers.


    Althea welcomed him as she slowly lifted her hands and weakly brought him closer to herself.


    "Then please¡­ please make me a real woman."


    At her words, Zaroth moved his member slowly as he entered her.


    Althea clenched her palms into fists as pain rippled through her. It was her first time, after all¡ªand her heart was pounding wildly, almost as if it were seconds from giving out.


    Her heart had been weakened significantly by the curse, so being in such a state, with her heart racing wildly, could spell doom for her at any moment.


    Having an intense relationship with someone meant risking her already fragile heart.


    But none of that mattered. She wasn''t afraid, not even a little. She wanted Zaroth¡ªwanted him now, completely, no matter what.


    It was better to die feeling truly alive than to spend the rest of her life in what could only be described as a prison.


    Zaroth moved slowly, towards her as he got a bit deeper, making the bed make a screeching sound.


    "Zaroth."


    When he heard her whisper his name, he turned his gaze to hers¡ªand saw tears beginning to form at the corners of her eyes.


    Before he could ask if something was wrong, she placed her hands on both of his cheeks, preventing him from moving his head.


    "Please¡­ do not leave me," she spoke in a whisper.


    Zaroth''s chest tightened. Seeing Althea so fragile hit something deep in him. He cared about her¡ªmore than he expected. And no matter what, he was going to protect her.


    Was it because he genuinely loved her? Or was it because seeing her reminded him of his deceased mother¡ªand in a way, he was trying to cope with the guilt of failing to save her?


    Was this true love, or was it misguided protection meant for someone else?


    The answer didn''t matter. Zaroth didn''t want to think about it.


    He knew what he was feeling and what he desired, and he was determined to act on it.


    Bringing his head closer to her ear, he whispered,


    "I will not leave."


    Althea smiled weakly as she wrapped her legs around him, preventing him from pulling away.


    She had made her choice, and she did not regret it.


    *****


    Zaroth was exhausted.


    It wasn''t because they had done it numerous times, but because he had to be as gentle as possible to minimize Althea''s pain. And honestly, that turned out to be more exhausting than he expected.


    Both of them laid on the bed, Althea was leaning on him tiredly, not willing to let go as she stared at the ceiling, no doubt full in thought.


    Zaroth, meanwhile, as they lay in skin-to-skin contact, felt no trace of lust. All he could feel was how fragile she was¡ªand how deeply he wanted to protect her.


    ''Zaroth?'' His trail of thought was broken as he heard Luna reach him.


    ''What is it?'' he asked, not moving his gaze from the ceiling.


    ''We have a problem.''


    ''What is it?'' he asked as he raised an eyebrow.


    ''It''s Elysia and Draconis¡­ they are gone.''

 Chapter 247 - 247: Beneath the Castle, Beneath the Lies

    The castle was shaking violently due to the assault of the elite forces of the Crimson Sun Empire.


    It wasn''t confirmed how they got here in the first place; the only theory that made sense was that rather than reaching the capital by land, they crossed by the ocean instead. Once they reached shore, they managed to stealthily reach the capital of the empire without being seen.


    But then came the contradiction: if somehow this indeed happened, how did they manage to enter in the first place?


    The security around the capital is the most structured out of the whole empire. There isn''t a way that they would be able to overlook close to a thousand men by the enemy empire!


    ''The only way to explain is if they already had a spy inside the empire,'' Elysia thought.


    But if that was the case, then how would the spy know when to come out and help the enemy army? It wasn''t like the Crimson Sun soldiers could signal that they had somehow reached the capital.


    "Fuck!" Elysia cursed, as there was chaos all around her, making it hard to orientate what was going on.


    Most of the family heads had gone out already, battling the enemy soldiers. But what worried Elysia was that the enemy general was nowhere to be seen.


    This would either mean that they had attacked with their best forces without their general¡ªwhich was unlikely¡ªor that their general had already entered the castle and the men outside were just the sacrifices.


    "And just when!" Elysia shouted as she shifted her gaze to the emperor. Finally, she managed to corner him¡ªonly for something like this to happen.


    Her eyes widened a moment later as she realized that Draconis was nowhere to be seen.


    "The coward left?!" Elysia shouted in pure disbelief. She knew that the man didn''t really have a spine, but to leave when his own castle was under attack was another matter.


    "Not to mention that he even left his wives!" Elysia muttered as she gazed at the confused women. They too were looking scared all around, searching for their husband, only to realize in horror that he was gone.


    The only person that seemed to be gone, other than the emperor, was Amara, his favoured daughter.


    At this moment in time, Elysia hesitated.


    Should she join the family heads and help them stop the attack, resulting in fewer casualties? Or should she go after Draconis?


    In normal circumstances, stopping the enemy was the first priority as they could endanger the lives of civilians¡­


    But something deep in Elysia told her that she couldn''t leave Draconis no matter what¡ªlike she was going to regret it deeply if she did.


    In this moment, her priority shifted. Draconis represented more danger than the enemy attack.


    After all, just a few moments ago he had been cornered, and most knew a man was most dangerous when he had nothing to lose. Considering that after the attack he would still have to answer to the family heads¡ªresulting in him losing his position and most likely getting executed¡ªIt wasn''t far-fetched to believe that whatever trump card he had left, he was about to play it.


    As such, she gazed at Alexander, who was about to join the fight.


    "I am going after Draconis! I hope that the heads will be able to deal with the situation!"


    Alexander spared her a glance, only to scoff and wave off with his hand¡ªthis was his way of saying that everything was under control.


    Not wishing to waste more time, Elysia shot through the castle corridors, hunting for Draconis.


    Thankfully, it wasn''t hard to orient herself, and soon she reached an old door that seemed to lead downward.


    Without stopping, she burst it down as she began to descend.


    ''Is this supposed to be his hidden lair?'' she wondered.


    There was no doubt in her mind that whatever he had as a trump card was here, and he was most likely going to use it.


    She quickly reached the first floor and once she did, her eyes widened.


    The stench of blood hit her instantly¡ªthick, overwhelming. She had never been struck by a scent so vile.


    "Gods!" she couldn''t help but mutter as she saw hundreds¡­ thousands of human bodies that had been twisted beyond recognition.


    Some had more than two arms, some had more than one head. Others had their entire structure changed, like it was some kind of nightmare creature. S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Others had their skin either gone or replaced by some kind of other material.


    Dozens of eyes, fingers growing in places that they shouldn''t.


    At this moment, Elysia had no doubt that she was looking at thousands of human experiments.


    Most of the subjects were dead, but some managed to move slightly despite their horrific state.


    The surroundings weren''t much better, as most of it was hidden by the scent and layer of blood.


    Looking closely, it was clear that the blood was still fresh, meaning these experiments had been performed recently and quickly¡ªalmost as if there was no time remaining.


    Elysia gritted her teeth as she headed down to the next level.


    At this moment in time, she cursed at herself. She regretted that she tried to make things the right way.


    She was going to accuse Draconis of his constant failures and crimes to the heads of the families, uniting them with her to bring him down.


    She could have gotten rid of the man herself, but doing so would have created the grounds for civil war and accusations toward her.


    "I am so fucking stupid!" she cursed again as she reached the next level. This one was even in a more horrific state.


    There were so many bodies that were tucked together that it made it impossible to proceed forward.


    It was just an estimate, but it wouldn''t be surprising if there were tens of thousands of humans that had been experimented on.


    And all this had happened because Elysia didn''t take down the emperor sooner. If she had, even a civil war wouldn''t have caused so many dead civilians.


    Elysia had run out of curses at this point as she began to head down and reached the last floor.


    She didn''t pay any attention to the giant open door as she entered. Draconis was going to be here, no doubt.


    "Where are you, where are you," Elysia repeated endlessly to herself.


    At this point, she paid no attention to the twisted humans surrounding her, her focus entirely on chasing Draconis.


    The layout of the place was confusing, as there were numerous turns and twists.


    But following her instinct, Elysia moved lightning fast and finally, turning the closest corner, she saw him.


    A man with golden hair and eyes, running away fast, clearly with a destination in his mind.


    "Found you," Elysia spoke coldly, as the world around her seemed to shudder from her powers.


    There was no doubt that the man was planning to do something drastic at this point in time, and Elysia wasn''t going to let him do it.


    So she took a deep breath as the world around her seemed to become more and more distorted¡­ and then she attacked full force.

 Chapter 248 - 248: It Has Been Born

    Elysia was the most troublesome person one could ever face in battle across the entire empire.


    And it is all thanks to her class.


    No one knew what it exactly was called as she obviously wouldn''t disclose that information, but from what is known it somehow concerns her will.


    If she wishes for something to happen, it will happen.


    The only thing that seems to be her weakness is that if she wishes for something too outlandish, it becomes too difficult to grant.


    For instance, as Draconis is running away from her full speed ahead, she can''t just will him into turning into paste and dying¡ªthere was a limit to her will, after all.


    But stopping his path¡ªthat was a different matter.


    One second ago, Draconis was running full speed ahead, and the next he collided with some kind of invisible wall.


    The impact was so strong that for a moment he even thought that he broke his nose.


    ''The state of the body does not matter.'' With that thought, Draconis turned facing Elysia and his golden eyes shined.


    An instant later, dozens of fatal slashes were surging towards her with dazing speed.


    Elysia grimaced. She knew that the man could somehow cut through matter, but to be able to attack so many times at once meant that he wasn''t holding back.


    Elysia''s eyes became even darker as the world around her seemed to tremble, and the slashes were redirected to miss their mark and hit the vicinity around her.


    Draconis scoffed at the sight. "I''m so glad I didn''t listen to that little voice in my head telling me to fight you."


    Even if he was arrogant from time to time, he knew that in fair fight he would no doubt lose against Elysia.


    How could anyone hope to defeat someone who could reshape the world with sheer will?


    ¡­


    Draconis smiled as something came into his mind,


    His eyes shined even brighter as he unleashed another storm of slashes¡ªeach one faster, more precise, more desperate.


    Elysia scoffed, seeing his struggle. "Is that all you have to show, you spineless wimp?!"


    She walked forward through the storm, as if the slashes were no more than wind.


    Draconis took a step as well, but rather than going forward, he went backwards.


    Just like he had expected, while Elysia is making his attacks unable to hit their mark, she isn''t able to maintain the invisible wall that was stopping him from progressing.


    Draconis began to take hurried steps back as fast as possible, while increasing the attacks even more.


    "Just a bit more!" he gritted his teeth in pain as his eyes began to leak blood. No matter how strong a person was, they all had the same limitation of their mana cores.


    Attacking with so many attacks, Draconis was already straining his mana core to the limit.


    But that didn''t matter, because if his theory was correct, he would be able to escape her any second now.


    Elysia walked towards the man slowly as dozens of slashes that were meant for her changed course at the last second only to hit the vicinity.


    ''He''s acting desperate,'' she thought. ''That either means he''s cornered... or¡ª''


    Her trail of thought was broken as suddenly the man stopped the attack, turned around and began to run once more.


    "Turning your back against me?!" Elysia shouted with rage as she moved her hand toward the direction of the man.


    She doubted that she could entirely freeze him, like she could Zaroth and his friends, but she had no doubt that at least she would be able to slow him down significantly.


    Focusing her senses, she commanded the world to act as she willed it to and slow the man.


    She commanded the world¡ª


    ¡­?!


    Gasp


    Only for Elysia to find herself on one knee to the ground, her mind dazed.


    ''What the hell happened?'' she asked herself as she lifted her gaze. Draconis was still running full speed ahead.


    She was sure that she had willed the world to slow him down, so why had he not?


    No¡­ the more important question was why had she taken damage?


    Gritting her teeth, she was about to create another wall in front of Draconis. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But stopped before she could try as her heart ached.


    Her instinct told her that she should not try to change the world at this moment in time.


    It was almost like there was something that was preventing her from doing so.


    Something was interfering.


    Something stronger than her will.


    But what could possibly do this? Never before had she faced a being that could not only resist her will, but overpower it.


    "How is this possible?!" she growled as she stood up.


    Then her mind went into overdrive.


    The tens of thousands of human experiences she had seen on her way here, the weird pills that seemed to somehow affect a person''s soul, wreaking chaos in it¡ªher will being unable to change the world at this very moment.


    "No¡­" she couldn''t help but mutter.


    At this moment all the pieces in her mind moved and fit one another¡ªnow Elysia was able to see the full picture.


    "You fucking idiot!" she shouted as she began to run toward him. Even if she could not affect the world at this very moment, she was still able to move astonishingly fast.


    "You doomed us all!"


    At this very moment it wasn''t even about revenge. If Elysia''s hunch was correct, then what Draconis had created wasn''t something that could be stopped by her or by a mere mortal.


    If she didn''t reach him in time, the empire¡ªand perhaps the entire world¡ªwas finished.


    Seeing him turn the corner, Elysia''s eyes got darker as she did as well.


    The only thing that she saw was a massive trail of blood that led to a grand door that already had been opened.


    Elysia shuddered, as if she could feel what lay beyond that door.


    Ignoring her better judgment,, she ran ahead full force.


    Grabbing the door, she pulled it open so quickly that it broke free from its hinges.


    And then she froze in fear.


    Draconis and the salesman were here as well, and they too were frozen in fear and awe from looking at what they had done.


    Curiously enough, Amara was not here, most likely busy with other tasks.


    But all of this was irrelevant at the moment.


    Bump


    Elysia''s chest tightened.


    Bump


    Its heartbeat was so strong that it resonated in her very being.


    Bump


    It had only just been born, and its will was already stronger than hers.


    Bump.


    "My majesty," the salesman spoke as he gazed at the being he had created. "It is done, the sacrifices were enough."


    It towered above them, more than a dozen meters tall.


    Bump


    Two sets of massive white wings, each made of beautiful, pristine feathers.


    Bump


    A body red as molten blood, with a texture never before seen.


    Bump


    And at the center¡ªa heart of a primordial demon.


    "HAHAHAHA!" Draconis burst into maniacal laughter.


    "I DID IT!" he moved his hands to the side as he gazed at the being he had created.


    "Why would you create this? You have doomed us!" Elysia shouted in rage as she sprang towards Draconis, grabbing the dagger behind her back, getting ready to kill the man once and for all.


    Draconis meanwhile ignored her as he commanded, "Demigod of Chaos, child of the God of Chaos, open your eyes!"


    Bump Bump Bump Bump Bump Bump Bump Bump


    Its heartbeat sped up at his command.


    And not a second later, it opened its two eyes, revealing its pupils and their constantly ever-shifting color.


    Today, a Demigod of Chaos was born.

 Chapter 249 - 249: The Calamity Has Begun

    "Ha, sucker!" a muscular boy shoved a skinny one, sending him tumbling to the ground.


    "This is what happens when you are weak!" the muscular boy exclaimed as he puffed out his chest.


    "Why are you doing this?!" the weak boy cried in pain.


    "It''s simple, really! You''re weak, and I''m strong¡ªthat''s the reason!" the muscular boy proclaimed.


    The weak boy didn''t believe the muscled boy, so he decided to read his thoughts. He gazed into his eyes for a moment.


    ''Man, I hope that Amely saw that!'' the muscular boy thought as he looked around, only to realize that the two were alone.


    "God damn it, I hate this orphanage!" the muscular boy cursed.


    "Is it fun? Being strong?" the weak one asked.


    The muscular one scoffed. "Of course."


    "Then can you let me experience it?" the weak one asked.


    Before the muscular boy could respond in any way, his eyes widened for a moment.


    The weak boy collapsed on the ground as now there wasn''t anyone inhabiting the body.


    The muscular boy looked at his hand, clenched it into a fist, feeling the power in his muscles and how they fueled his strength. A smile curled across his face.


    "This body is so much better!" he exclaimed.


    *****


    "What about this one?" he muttered as he gazed at the eyes of a boy that seemed to have a family.


    The boy he had been inhabiting just a second ago collapsed, looking hollow, while the boy with the family glanced around.


    He threw a gaze at his father and mother.


    "Honey, are you coming?" the mother called out.


    Taking a second to respond, the boy smiled. "Yes!"


    *****


    ''What about this one?'' he thought as he changed his body again.


    And again.


    And again.


    And again.


    It was hard to decide who he wanted to be. There was always a better option. Should he choose a handsome one, popular with the ladies, or a wealthy one, making his life easier?


    When had all of this started? Who was he, and where had he been born?


    He didn''t remember it as it had been too long since then.


    There was only one thing that he knew about himself.


    His class made him able to enter into people''s subconscious. If he entered just a little, he would be able to read their thoughts; if he entered fully, he would take control of them¡ªas long as their mind wasn''t too strong.


    One would have thought he would eventually find a body he liked, but he didn''t¡­


    Not for a long time¡­


    That was until he gazed at the young boy that was surrounded by a lot of guards.


    "Oh gods, look how cute he is!"


    "Tell me! Isn''t he the cutest out of all of them?!"


    "Draconis is the one that should lead the empire in the future!"


    "I agree, not to mention that if what I''ve heard is true, his class is a powerful one!"


    He listened intently to the whispers of the crowd as he gazed at the boy with golden eyes and hair.


    ''Is that one of the children of the emperor?'' he thought.


    Being a future emperor sounded nice¡­ He would have the looks, the money, and the power, if what the common folk were saying was true.


    "Then¡­ why don''t I try it? Why don''t I become emperor?" he muttered as his gaze locked with the boy''s for just a second.


    In that moment, the man he was inhabiting collapsed to the ground, causing those around him to worry.


    "Prince Draconis, are you okay?" one of the guards asked, noticing that the boy had stopped walking.


    The boy took a few seconds to respond as if adjusting to his body.


    "Yes!" he proclaimed with a cheerful smile.


    After that day, the prince''s personality shifted slightly, causing his family to worry, but not enough to raise alarm.


    He grew and trained.


    With time, he grew even more.


    Soon after, he killed his brothers and sisters.


    He killed most of the family heads who could pose a problem for him in the future. Of course, he didn''t stop at their leaders; the entire bloodline needed to be eradicated.


    It was better to be safe than sorry.


    At the end, he killed his father and mother as well. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    All of the people in line of the throne were long gone.


    "Long live Emperor Draconis VII!" the soldiers shouted in unison, welcoming their new ruler.


    Silently watching from his throne, Draconis gazed at the people gathered around, all with the sole intention of serving him.


    His lips curled into a menacing smile. "Being Draconis¡­ isn''t so bad!" he remarked.


    *****


    He was strong, but there were a few who were stronger, like Elysia and some of the heads of the great families. Their minds were too powerful to be entered . Even attempting to enter their minds, even slightly, felt like it would destroy him.


    But he wanted perfection! He wanted to be perfected!


    At first, he started having many children, raising them to be perfect¡­


    All of them were failures, except for Amara, but that didn''t matter¡­


    It was impossible; he had to admit it¡ªno human could ever reach perfection.


    But¡­ why should he remain human? Couldn''t he strive to become something better? Something higher?


    "But what could be considered perfect?" he asked himself.


    A god. That was the only thing that came to mind.


    But it became clear that for it to work, he would need a newly born god, as the less experienced the mind, the higher the chance he could take control. But that meant it was impossible. All the gods were unimaginably old.


    "Why don''t we create one?" By pure chance, Draconis met a man who called himself the Salesman.


    Apparently, he didn''t have a real name and preferred to be referred to as such.


    "How would that even work?" Draconis asked.


    "My class is Soul Wielder," the man explained. "All you need to create a demigod is a lot of souls as sacrifice and a suitable body."


    From that day forward, the decision was made.


    The Salesman would experiment on numerous people, employing various methods to stir chaos within their souls. Once finished, the empire''s treasure¡ªthe heart of a primordial demon¡ªwould serve as the vessel for the demigod.


    *****


    It was a long and torturous journey.


    So many problems arose along the way.


    But that didn''t matter; all of it had been worth it.


    All of this had led to this single moment.


    Draconis''s lips curled into a maniacal smile as he locked eyes with the demigod, watching the ever-changing color of its pupils.


    The emperor''s body, now a hollow husk, collapsed to the ground, devoid of any soul.


    Elysia paused for a moment as she saw the emperor''s body fall, just before she could pierce him with her dagger.


    A chill ran down her spine as she lifted her gaze, staring at the demigod.


    The unfathomable being fixed its gaze on Elysia, and slowly, a twisted smile appeared on its dreadful face.


    Draconis, the emperor of the Draconian Empire, was no more.


    Now, it was the Demigod of Chaos, the future ruler of the world.


    With the birth of the inhuman being, the world trembled.


    The calamity had begun.

 Chapter 250 - 250: The Castle Trembles

    Taking a deep breath, trying to hide the frustration he was feeling at the moment as he didn''t want to worry Althea, Zaroth asked calmly.


    ''How the fuck did you lose them, Luna?! You had one job¡ªkeep an eye on them!'' S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Luna, of course, responded in kind. ''Easy for you to say while you were busy fucking the Queen, I was in the middle of the chaos trying to find them!''


    ''... Okay, I admit I might have overreacted,'' Zaroth admitted. ''Nevermind them, how is the situation down there?''


    ''The situation''s not that bad. The heads of the families are fighting against the enemy soldiers. The problem is, there are a lot of them¡ªso there''s a lot of collateral damage.''


    This was good news. It would have been bad if the assault on the castle had been so severe that they managed to break in. Sure, Zaroth still had his skills and beasts to rely upon in dire circumstances, but without his equipment he felt naked¡­ not that he wasn''t, currently.


    ''Keep on the lookout for something that may cause trouble, that is all,'' he transmitted to Luna.


    Just when he was about to send a message to Midnight asking if everything was okay, Luna reached out to him, again.


    ''I see the bloodsucker! She is carrying your armor and weapons!'' Luna transmitted.


    Hearing that, he began to rise from the bed. That was good news¡ªin a wild situationas this one, he was going to need anything he could get.


    Feeling him move, Althea opened her eyes slowly as she tightened her grip on him, preventing him from sitting up.


    "Zaroth?" she asked weakly.


    "Hey," he spoke as he put his hand over her head, "my equipment is here and I need to get it."


    "Oh, is that so," she muttered as she slowly released her hold on him.


    ''Oh, by the way, your friends are here as well,'' Luna transmitted.


    Zaroth''s eyes widened. ''What? Why?''


    ''How the hell should I know?'' Luna said, irritated.


    Zaroth shook off his head. Too many things were happening at once. First things first¡ªhe gazed at Althea as he stood up.


    "Listen¡ª"


    BOOM!


    An ear-shattering explosion echoed across the entire empire. The castle shook from the literal force alone.


    The shockwave of the explosion was so insanely strong that it threw Zaroth, making him hit his back against the wall.


    "Fuck!" a curse escaped his mouth.


    Thankfully, as Althea was still laying on the bed, she hadn''t been thrown to the side.


    "Zaroth, are you hurt?" Althea asked, her voice full of concern.


    "I am fine, do not mov¡ª"


    BOOM!


    BOOM!


    BOOM!


    BOOM!


    BOOM!


    Under the wave of explosions, Zaroth lay on the ground as he covered his ears with his hands.


    ''What the hell is happening?!'' he tried to formulate a thought, but the explosions were so loud that he found it hard to concentrate.


    BOOM!


    BOOM!


    BOOM!


    He was thrown to all sides like a rag doll. Whatever was causing these explosions was something that had unreal power.


    Finally, after what felt like eternity, the explosions lessened and Zaroth opened his eyes.


    "Zaroth!" Seeing that the explosions had stopped, Althea got out of the bed and attempted to help him get up on his feet.


    "Thanks," he managed to mutter as he waited for the ringing in his head to calm down.


    ''What is happening?'' Zaroth transmitted to Luna. At this point he was thinking if he should dismiss her and summon her next to him just in case, but she had to show Midnight and his friends the way to the room he was currently in.


    There was silence for a few seconds until Luna''s voice came through. In his life, Zaroth had never heard Luna''s voice become so cold and emotionless. ''Zaroth, I need you to come here.''


    ''What? Why?'' he asked, confused.


    ''We have a situation on our hands. It''s best if you see it with your own eyes.''


    Zaroth attempted to contact Luna again, but she didn''t respond.


    "Fuck!" he shouted in frustration. If she had said that it was important, then it meant that there was a grave danger.


    "Althea." He gazed at her. "I need to go, can you stay here?"


    She looked at him for a few seconds in silence. "Yes, go. Whatever caused those explosions needs to be stopped. There''s no doubt there have already been a lot of casualties¡ªand it''ll be better if you can prevent more."


    Zaroth nodded as he began to dress quickly. He didn''t particularly care about the casualties, but if Luna said he needed to come, there was definitely a reason for it.


    He felt like he shouldn''t leave Althea, but given the uncertainty of the situation, the safest place for her was the castle. According to Luna, the heads of the families had managed to stop the attackers from getting in.


    "Better hurry," he muttered as he was about to head out, only to be stopped by a warm hug.


    "...Thank you, Zaroth." Althea hugged him as tightly as her frail body could manage. "You''re the first person to show me love despite my curse. I won''t forget that. I''ll be eternally grateful."


    In response, Zaroth turned as he took her in his embrace. "Wait for me, alright?"


    She nodded silently, and he quickly headed out. He wanted to leave one of his beasts behind, but with the situation still unknown, he knew he would need every ounce of strength he had.


    Running down the corridors as fast as possible, he went back to the ballroom¡ªor what was left of it.


    There was a lot of rubble, evidence as if explosions had gone in all places.


    He exited the castle and grimaced at the sight. In the heart of the capital, it looked like a war zone.


    A lot of dead bodies lay on the ground, most of them civilians.


    Trying to ignore them, he spotted Luna and his friends.


    "Bloodsucker," Luna spoke as she gazed at Midnight. "Thank you for bringing the stuff, but why did they come as well?" Luna was asking about Roran, Lily, and Zack.


    "I met them along the way, and after learning that Zaroth may be in danger, they decided to come and help," Midnight answered.


    Seeing the concerned faces of Roran, Lily, and Zack, Luna smiled wide as she waved at them. "Hello, I am Zaroth''s dragon. This is the first time meeting you in human form."


    "Wow," Lily was the first to react, gazing at Luna. For a moment, she stood still, stunned, as if wondering whether she was seeing some kind of divinity.


    "Nice to meet you," Roran spoke with a nod.


    "Nice to meet you," Zack replied with a smile.


    At this moment in time, Zaroth reached them. "Thank you for bringing my equipment!" he spoke as he gazed at Midnight.


    Midnight was about to smile until she noticed his messy clothes and hair, quickly guessing what had happened earlier. "Don''t mention it," she said coldly as she handed him the items.


    Not noticing her reaction, Zaroth was about to put on the armor when he remembered why he had come and turned to gaze at Luna.


    "Why did you want me to come?" he asked.


    She pointed with her finger past the castle without saying anything.


    Following her gesture, Zaroth squinted his eyes, trying to focus on what she was pointing at.


    Then, a moment later, his eyes widened¡ªpart in fear, part in disbelief.


    "What the fuck is that?"

 Chapter 251 - 251: The Weight of Desire

    Zaroth and Midnight were able to see what Luna was pointing at thanks to Darkgaze, but that wasn''t the case for the others.


    "What is it? What do you see?" Roran asked forcefully, he was having a bad feeling about this whole situation as if they shouldn''t be here.


    "Elysia is fighting¡­ something." Midnight spoke, not shifting her gaze from the sky.


    "This doesn''t tell me anything! Zaroth? Zaroth!" Zack joined in as he began to shake the man, but it was no use, Zaroth was already too far gone.


    Desire¡ªZaroth had so many. Some were easily controlled, others were harder than most.


    He even had his desires tampered with once as he was under some kind of spell. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    And yet everything paled in comparison.


    His body grew hotter, his eyes narrowed, his mind became empty as a single thought came into his mind.


    He had experienced what it was like feeling the desires of his beasts¡­ but they all paled to Luna.


    Kill the gods


    He didn''t know why.


    Kill the gods


    But when he was looking at the weird creature with two sets of white wings and some kind of reddish body.


    Kill the gods


    Something deep in him told him that he should kill.


    Kill the gods


    This wasn''t a desire that he could control, this was Luna''s desire.


    Kill the gods


    And if he felt it at this moment in time, it meant one thing.


    He was looking at a god.


    And that meant Luna''s desire was beginning to take hold¡­ Yet that wasn''t the whole truth. It would be a lie to say it was.


    There was a second desire¡ªone even stronger than Luna''s.


    And it was his.


    What was his relationship with Elysia?


    He liked her¡ªNo¡­ he loved her.


    He desired her.


    In his eyes, she was his.


    And now¡­ now she was fighting.


    It was hard to see from this distance, but from the looks of it, she was losing. Badly.


    If she lost¡ªshe would die.


    And that meant Zaroth would lose her.


    He would lose something important.


    Something dear.


    Someone was trying to take her from him.


    And that was the greatest sin anyone could commit in front of Zaroth¡ªa man who had already lost so much. A man who had so much stolen from him.


    Whoever dared try to steal what mattered to him¡­


    Would die.


    No exceptions.


    No compromise.


    BOOM!


    An ear-shattering sound made the ground shake as more and more battles were happening all around the vicinity of the castle.


    The heads of the families were steadily cutting down enemy soldiers, but progress was slow¡ªthere were simply too many.


    And, unluckily, as one of these heads was searching for more enemy soldiers, he froze as he saw his nephew.


    Alexander''s mind entered overdrive. The current scene was chaotic, so there were bound to be accidents, right? So him killing Zack here and now couldn''t be used against him in the future.


    Zack gritted his teeth as he saw his uncle approach him.


    "I guess one of us dies today," he muttered, commanding the blood around him to harden into crimson armor, a massive sword forming in his right hand.


    Roran''s eyes darkened as well. He knew that Zack was going to have a hard time fighting against his uncle, so after taking a sigh, his eyes shined.


    And dozens of swords began to manifest around him.


    "I will never give you what''s mine," Zaroth muttered, as if under a spell, before commanding Luna to transform.


    Her eyes shined as her body expanded, and within an instant, a massive skeletal dragon took form where she had been standing.


    Thankfully, the darkness of the night and the chaos surrounding them meant that few would notice the giant dragon that had just appeared.


    "I will never give you what''s mine," he repeated, stepping swiftly onto Luna''s back as she soared into the sky, her sights locked on the strange, inhuman creature.


    "Zaroth!" Midnight shouted both in shock and worry as she began to spring forward. Unlike Zaroth, she didn''t want to use everything just yet, so rather than summoning her wings, she ran forward.


    "Lily, go!" Roran commanded. "If Elysia is fighting somebody, then it must be Draconis! This is your chance for your revenge!"


    Lily threw him a quick look, then sprinted forward following Midnight.


    "Oh? You two think that you will be able to face me?" Alexander mocked as he took a few steps forward.


    "Roran," Zack spoke coldly under his bloodied helmet. He tried to sound calm but in truth was scared out of his wits. "Thank you for helping me."


    Roran scoffed as even more swords began to materialize around him. "Don''t mention it."


    *****


    Entering Emily''s room, the thing threw a glance at the girl. She was sleeping peacefully in her bed.


    When the explosions began, she ran up to him for comfort and finally, after what felt like eternity, the thing managed to calm her down.


    It felt conflicted for a few seconds, a part of it really didn''t want to leave the girl.


    But there was no choice. Taking a piece of paper, it quickly wrote a goodbye letter and put it next to Emily''s bed.


    It hadn''t just stayed in one place all this time as it knew this moment would eventually come, so it had quite a lot of money, leaving them to the girl.


    The thing also had found a woman that was willing to take care of her.


    With a sigh, the thing exited from the building as it gazed at the sky.


    The destruction was happening quite far, but that didn''t matter. Even from this distance, it was able to feel it.


    The heart of a primordial demon was being used as a vessel to support an inhuman creature.


    The thing saw its chance to take advantage of it and enter its body


    And once it did, it would evolve.


    With that, it sprinted toward the action.


    It left behind the life of a human father and Emily. Now, it was time to act.


    *****


    Amara was enjoying the spectacle, most of her errants were finished, so she could take it easy.


    "Sister."


    Hearing a familiar voice, Amara turned around only to see Sofia. She looked different from the last time she had seen her.


    She appeared more serious, more cold, more deadly.


    Amara smiled slightly, "Sofia? How did you know that I was here?" she asked.


    Sofia didn''t show much reaction as she unsheathed her sword. "A very knowledgeable friend told me where you were most likely to appear, so I guess I have to thank her for that."


    Amara''s smile dropped as her eyes began to shine with gold. "So do I presume you are here to kill me?"


    Without saying anything, Sofia began her attack. And Amara responded in kind.


    The sister fight had begun.


    *****


    "Oh, this is a beautiful sight, is it not?" the Spectral Warden laughed coldly, watching the destruction unfold around.


    "This isn''t some kind of game!" David spat, irritated.


    How the hell did he find himself in this kind of situation?!


    Before he could fully register what was happening, he felt somebody tugging his shirt.


    He turned his head to look at the unfamiliar woman.


    A blonde hair and a white mask that was covering her whole face.


    "Are you David?" Vera asked, seemingly unbothered about the destruction that was happening all around them.


    David raised an eyebrow. Who was this strange woman and what did she want from him? Was she an enemy?


    "Yes, what do you want?" he answered harsher than he intended.


    "It''s about your sister. I have to guide you to her."

 Chapter 252 - 252: The Roar That Split Heaven

    As Zaroth was flying high in the sky over the castle Midnight was going to have to enter it, as such, she was going to lose visibility.


    Or that was what she thought until she saw that a large part of the roof had been blown out.


    Turning down the corridor, she saw a massive crater that appeared to cut through several underground floors. It didn''t take a genius to realize that whatever was fighting Elysia had come from there. S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ROOOAAAAAARRR


    Midnight stoped for a second as a monstrous roar shook the ground beneath her feet.


    Luna had let out a terrifying roar before reaching the enemy.


    Midnight gritted her teeth. It seemed that she was going to have to use her wings after all.


    That was until her eyes froze onto something.


    "It¡­ can''t be," she muttered in disbelief as she ran down into the crater.


    She had spent so much time trying to evolve by consuming the blood of powerful beings, yet no matter how much she drank, it was never enough. It felt like something was missing¡ªsomething crucial that could finally push her over the edge and into true evolution.


    That was when Zaroth had proposed her a plan. He had said that he would give her the body of the Emperor.


    At the time, she thought that it was ridiculous, but agreed anyway. She wasn''t really expecting Zaroth to keep his word, but she wasn''t going to lose much anyway¡­


    She had thought that Zaroth would never do what he had promised her¡­


    With a thud, she jumped down from a great height, landing on her two feet as she gazed at a body that was laying on the ground lifelessly.


    Golden eyes and hair¡ªthis was no doubt the Emperor Draconis''s body.


    She stepped toward him, now she was standing over his body as she looked down at his face.


    The man was clearly alive but didn''t seem so. He was still breathing, but there was something wrong with him.


    His eyes were opened, and they looked hollow, like there was no soul in the body.


    What could leave him looking like that? Is the reason somewhere nearby?


    Midnight didn''t pay attention to these questions.


    Before her was something that she had longed for most of her life.


    Power.


    Opening her mouth, her front teeth began to enlarge as they turned into deadly sharp fangs.


    With no hesitation, she picked up the head of the man as she brought her fangs to his neck.


    As soon as she did that, her crimson pupils expanded, and her senses seemed to get sharper, better.


    Her muscles became leaner, stronger. Her fangs and nails sharper. Her body began to grow taller.


    She didn''t stop as she buried her fangs even deeper in the man''s neck, consuming every single drop of blood from his veins.


    At that moment, Midnight had begun her evolution.


    Her blood was no longer pure¡ªit was becoming Ancient.


    *****


    It was impossible to get to where Elysia was fighting at the moment by normal means.


    Thankfully, Lily was anything but normal. She sped up her steps as the ground beneath began to freeze.


    And once she reached the crater that had been made by the explosion, rather than falling down, ice began to form under her feet, not letting her fall down.


    Focusing on Elysia, Lily raised the ice into the air and shot toward her.


    Was this going to work?


    She had never really tried it before. But it was now or never!


    *****


    A ragdoll.


    This was the only way Elysia could express her current situation.


    Her mind was hurting as if it was splitting into dozens of pieces due to the demigod in front of her.


    Without letting the twisted smile disappear from its hideous face, the demigod flapped its wings hard, as if making a torrent form around it.


    The next moment, Elysia was hit by a seemingly invisible force and was sent flying back dozens of meters.


    Thanks to her will, Elysia was more or less able to levitate, making the attacks easier to dodge in theory.


    But theory and practice were sadly never the same.


    Several fireballs appeared next to the body of the demigod.


    And before Elysia could see them move, she had already been hit.


    "Fuck!" a silent curse escaped her mouth. She was in a very bad spot.


    Under normal circumstances, she would long be dead, but at the moment wasn''t. That wasn''t because of her skills, however. It was simply because the demigod was playing with her.


    Elysia couldn''t be exactly sure, but she now more or less guessed what Draconis''s plan had been all this time.


    First, he would create a demigod somehow, and then he would manage to take over its body.


    There were millions of questions as to how something like this was possible, but sadly, Elysia had no time to ponder on the issue.


    All that mattered was that this was now her reality, and she had to act accordingly.


    Yet how could she? She was fighting against a Demigod of Chaos.


    The cursed being not only possessed a will stronger than hers, rendering her nearly powerless, but its very existence was causing chaos in the atmosphere.


    In other words, even if she were to somehow manage to land a hit, that hit could simply move, going beyond the known laws about gravity and physics and miss its mark.


    Before she could react, Elysia was hit in the back by a hard chunk of earth.


    Yet despite the pain, she couldn''t help but scoff.


    "So this is it, huh? In the end, you prove me correct, Draconis. You only face me now that you have the body of a Demigod. To the very end, you are a spineless coward."


    ROOOAAAAAARRR


    As if reacting to her words, the demigod stretched out its long limbs and wings to the side as it let out an ear-piercing roar.


    Elysia''s sight began to blur.


    ''So this is the end, huh?'' she thought as she was about to lose consciousness.


    However, before she could, another roar seemed to split reality apart¡ªthis one no less menacing.


    ROOOAAAAAARRR


    Stunned by the roar behind it, the demigod seemed to forget about Elysia, turning its back to her¡ªonly for its pupils to widen in shock.


    At that moment, there was a large skeletal dragon flying right at it full force, and at the back was Zaroth with his face twisted in pure fury.

 Chapter 253 - 253: Shifters Awakening

    "Lily, come out, there is somebody I want you to meet."


    Hearing her father''s words, the six-year-old girl came out of her large room as she headed down to the living room.


    "Yes, Dad?" Lily asked as she gazed at the person she respected the most.


    "There is somebody that I and your mother want to introduce you to," her father spoke.


    "Somebody?" Lily asked.


    Her mother came close as she patted her on the head. "Yes, he is a very cute boy that I am sure you will like."


    Looking at her mother, the person she loved the most, Lily smiled. "Sure! I hope we can be friends!"


    Her parents smiled as they led her to the entrance of the mansion.


    "Oh, Lily," her mother spoke as she gripped her hand. "Before you meet him, I want you to know that he isn''t like us, okay? He has had a very hard life, so some things may seem foreign to him. Just be patient, okay?"


    Lily nodded. She didn''t really understand what her mother was talking about, but she tried to understand nevertheless.


    Exiting from the mansion, Lily gazed at the servants that were gossiping around, and her gaze stopped at a boy around her height.


    The boy had blonde hair, similar to hers, and had beautiful blue eyes.


    Unlike the other kids Lily had seen up until now, this boy wore very old and tattered clothes. There were holes in most of them.


    Not only that, but looking past the holes in the clothes, she was able to see the bones of the boy. It led her to believe that he was extremely skinny. Maybe he didn''t like to eat.


    "This boy will become a part of our family, Lily," her father spoke as he patted her on the head.


    "Family? So is he like a brother?" she asked.


    "Well, partly, but think of it more like him being your guardian," her mother spoke.


    Lily opened her mouth in awe. "Whoa, really?! A guardian! Does that mean he is very strong?" S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "He is actually," her father explained, "unlike most normal people, this boy seemed to have attained class at a much earlier age, and his blessing is very powerful as well."


    Lily wasn''t listening to him at this point, as she approached the boy.


    "Hi!" she said with a smile as she waved her hand.


    Weirdly enough, the boy didn''t dare to look her in the eyes. He just stared at the ground, almost as if he were scared, which made Lily pout.


    ''Does he not like making friends?'' she wondered.


    A second later, the boy''s stomach growled.


    ''Oh! Maybe he is hungry!'' she thought.


    Before the boy could apologize for his stomach growling, Lily grabbed his hand, which startled him for a bit.


    "Come on! You are part of the family now! You can''t be hungry!"


    Even though what Lily said was true, she couldn''t help but stare in disbelief as the boy devoured the food, one bite after another.


    ''He must be very hungry,'' she thought.


    "My name is Lily! What is yours?" she asked him.


    The boy stopped gobbling down the food as he slowly looked her in the eyes.


    "I¡­ don''t have one," he admitted.


    "You don''t have one?!" Lily exclaimed in shock. She had never heard of a person without a name! This boy must be special.


    "Ye-yes, I haven''t seen my parents, so I don''t know what they named me," the boy stuttered, under Lily''s intense gaze.


    Lily put a finger to her lips, making humming sounds to show she was thinking.


    "Well, that won''t do!" she exclaimed. "You are part of our family now! And as such, you have to have a name!"


    "But¡ª"


    "No buts!" Lily cut him off. "This is a must!"


    The boy looked down as if embarrassed. "¡­But who would want to name somebody as useless as me?" he asked.


    Lily''s lips curled into a smile. "I can!" she puffed her chest in pride.


    The boy looked at her with surprise in his eyes.


    "Hmmm¡­ let''s see¡­ Ah! I got it!" she said, jumping up from her chair as she approached the boy.


    Putting a hand over his messy hair, she spoke.


    "From now on, your name will be Roran!"


    *****


    Lily finally managed to gain her class.


    She was a spirit user.


    From what she had been told, she would be able to gain more spirits to use as time progressed. For now, she had access to four spirits, each with their own element:


    Ignis - Fire


    Aquara - Water


    Pyraxis - Light


    Galadrith - Earth


    Her training would involve being able to mix these abilities in countless ways.


    At the question of how she could gain more spirits, she had been told that the best way is when she is feeling intense emotions.


    *****


    She remembered her father. He was one of the well-liked political figures in the empire, and some said that there was even a shot for him to become the emperor, which was probably the reason as to why Lily was looking at Draconis standing over her father''s body.


    The prince had barged in, killing the man without hesitation. He didn''t spare the servants or her mother either.


    At the moment, the only two people left in the mansion were she and Roran¡ªher only family left, her knight.


    Yet the fact that they were hiding didn''t seem to work, as Draconis gazed at their general direction with a smile and began to walk toward them.


    "Oh, I guess the man had kids as well. I will have to get rid of them. Don''t want to leave any witnesses, now, do we?"


    Lily cried her tears out. She was scared that she was going to lose her life. She was scared that she was going to lose Roran.


    If he could just forget about us!


    Lily''s eyes widened, and Draconis froze for a second.


    Then, after this, he looked at where he had been standing with a confused expression.


    "What was I doing just now?" he muttered to himself as he exited the mansion.


    At that moment, Lily had gained her fifth spirit.


    She named it Shifter.


    *****


    Shifter was her most powerful and at the same time most strange spirit she possessed.


    The spirit didn''t have an element. Instead, it assumed the role of the thing that she wanted the most.


    When she saw her father and mother being killed, she wished for the world to forget about her and Roran, and it worked.


    But she didn''t want to run. No, she wanted revenge.


    She wanted to kill Draconis.


    But her spirit wasn''t able to¡ªor at least she didn''t know how to use it to kill...


    However, there was a way that came to her mind.


    Lily''s eyes focused on Elysia. Draconis had turned into a demigod, and as such, he was unkillable.


    But if there was a way to kill him, it would be Elysia. Despite being mortal, she had managed to stand her ground against him.


    So now, rather than being forgotten, Lily gave a new command to her spirit,


    Support Elysia.


    The next moment, Elysia gasped as her vision seemed to clear. Her eyes darkened even more, and the aura around her grew more menacing.


    At this moment in time, she felt her will become infinitely deeper and more unyielding.


    Feeling this new power did not cloud her judgment. However, as she gazed at the Demigod of Chaos that had just turned its back to her as it was about to meet Zaroth''s dragon.


    The world around Elysia trembled even more than before.


    And she attacked.

 Chapter 254 - 254: To Defy a Demigod

    The pupils of the Demigod widened as it saw a skeletal dragon soaring toward it.


    For a moment, it felt worry. But that emotion vanished quickly¡ªit realized the dragon wasn''t at full power.


    A dragon should normally be of Mythic tier, yet this one felt weaker. At best, it was a very strong Epic beast.


    Was it holding back? Or was it simply unable to unleash its full strength for some reason?


    The answer didn''t concern the Demigod in the slightest. A beast of Epic rank might bring trouble, sure¡ªbut not enough to derail its plans.


    It might have been a Demigod, yes, but it had only been born moments ago. The man who had once been known as Draconis hadn''t yet fully adapted to his new, inhuman body.


    The limbs were longer than they should have even taking into account its already very tall body, not to mention that it was also containing two sets of wings at its back.


    Still, a single Epic beast shouldn''t be too much of a problem.


    Letting out an ear-piercing roar the Demigod extended its will towards the dragon, it was trying to make it stop.


    Yet the body of the Demigod trembled as for some reason its will failed to reach the dragon.


    With a grunt it turned around once again to see the reason as to what was stopping it, only to see Elysia, but for some reason she didn''t seem that beat up like just a few moments ago.


    Her aura seemed to have become much more menacing, her eyes even darker.


    It didn''t need a long time to ponder on why was this the case as it saw some kind of creature that was hovering above Elysia.


    ''A spirit?'' it wondered. ''Where did that come from?''


    It didn''t have any time to ponder on the question however as at this moment Luna reached the Demigod,


    Opened her jaws wide she brought them down on the Demigod''s torso, at the same time she flapped her giant wings even harder and the inertia was so great that she shot towards east away from the center of the capital biting the Demigod alongside her.


    ROOOAAAAAARRR


    The Demigod let out a cry out of pain.


    How had this dragon managed to injure it? Its will should have protected it from any physical assault!


    At the same time, a searing headache flared through its mind. Its pupils¡ªshifting through ever-changing colors¡ªsnapped toward Elysia, who now flew through the air, pursuing both it and the dragon.


    ''This bitch is going to be a trouble until the very end!'' the Demigod thought.


    At that time seemingly unbothered by the terrible wind that was blowing due to the great speed they were going at, Zaroth rose to his two feet.


    Gripping the spear that Midnight had brought him earlier, his eyes shined as he used every single ounce of strength and hurled it toward one of the Demigod''s eyes.


    ROOOAAAAAARRR


    Another cry of agony erupted from the Demigod as the spear pierced its defenses, striking its eye.


    ''What the fuck is wrong with this spear where a rat like you got a spear like that!'' the Demigod cursed in its mind, at the same time it brought its two hands together and brought them down at Luna''s jaw.


    The impact was so immense that a small tornado appeared out of the sheer force alone as Luna was forced to let go.


    Now its body hurting and free, the Demigod was about to assault Zaroth and Elysia for daring to team up against it, until a giant spider, and five wolves rained down from the sky collided into its body.


    They weren''t strong enough to injure the Demigod¡ªbut together, their weight dragged it lower through the air.


    Not missing the chance Luna opened her jaws as the back of her throat shined and unleashed a devastating stream of fire.


    She wasn''t alone however as Zaroth had climbed on the top her skull opened his mouth and let go a firebreath as well, his one wasn''t even close to Luna''s but the small things made all the difference.


    ROOOAAAAAARRR


    Enraged, the Demigod stretched its limbs toward the inferno, willing the flames to disperse.


    The inferno trembled, but did not disperse as there seemed to be another will that willed it to remain there¡ªElysia''s.


    She was pushing back, refusing to let the flames be extinguished. S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Seeing that it was about to be hit the Demigod was about to flap its wings in an attempt to get out of the way, but before it could Elysia appeared right behind it, and managed to stop it in its tracks.


    The body of the Demigod was much bigger than hers so now not only was she forcing it to take the hit head on, but at the same time she wasn''t going to be affected as she was being protected by its giant body.


    ROOOAAAAAARRR


    Left with no choice the Demigod was hit and let out another roar in pain.


    *****


    "This is much worse than expected!" the salesman cursed as he ran toward the battle.


    There had always been a chance Zaroth was strong. There was even a chance Elysia was stronger than they had thought.


    But to resist the might of a Demigod?!


    Impossible! Or at least it should have been, but sadly this was now the salesman''s reality.


    With no other choice, he pushed forward.


    The Demigod was still stronger than either of them individually. All the salesman had to do was stop one of them.


    Then, the Demigod would finish the other.


    He didn''t feel confident fighting Elysia. Or Zaroth and his dragon. But there was no choice.


    "If only he was here!" he muttered in frustration.


    Then a second later he stopped as he saw the person he was thinking about.


    "David!" the salesman shouted, this was one of the rare times where there was showing a concern in his voice.


    "I need you to come with me! We have an emergency!" the salesman commanded.


    David meanwhile didn''t seem in a hurry as he parted his lips. "Hey¡­ why did this happen?" there was no emotion in his voice.


    The salesman blinked, confused. "What are you talking about?"


    "Why¡­ WHY IS SHE DEAD?!" David screamed in fury as the world around seemed to tremble from his voice alone.


    At this moment in time the salesman focused his eyes further and saw that David was carrying a body in a princess carry.


    His eyes narrowed in shock, why was David carrying his sister? And why did he say that she was dead?!


    He was the one that took care of her and she was fine the last time he saw her!


    "David I¡ª"


    "Enough." David cut him off.


    "All of this bullshit¡­ all the bidding I''ve done¡­ it was all so you could take care of my sister. And now I find out¡ªshe''s dead?"


    "I am telling you, she wasn''t!" the salesman tried to explain, "you are going to marry Amara aren''t you?! Why would we kill your sister if we want to make you a part of Draconis''s family?!"


    "Hey," David spoke as his purple eyes seemed to get darker,


    "I am going to make sure that your death is as painful as possible."


    Before the salesman could react, the Abyss emerged.

 Chapter 255 - 255: She is back

    Just before the deadly inferno struck, the Demigod of Chaos managed to twist the world around itself. Rather than taking the full brunt of the blast, the energy dispersed in all directions.


    The good part? It avoided the full force.


    The bad part? That force exploded like a bomb.


    If there were any civilians watching the battle from the ground, they might''ve seen the massive fighters clashing in the sky¡ªbut under the veil of the dark night, few details would have been clear.


    Then, a moment later, a spark flared. A massive ball of energy burst into life¡ªso bright, so intense, it looked like a second sun had been born.


    The shockwave of the blast was so grand that in a few kilometers of the fight, the windows shattered under the sheer pressure.


    Anyone nearby would have gone deaf from the sound, blind from the light, and utterly overwhelmed by the chaos.


    A second later, shaking off the blast''s aftershock, the Demigod of Chaos looked around.


    Everything around was in flames, as there were countless people laying dead on the ground, burning by the fires that were falling from the sky.


    It might not be Draconis anymore, yes, but it still held care for its empire, and to see it destroyed¡­


    It had attained godhood, but rather than ruling over the world, it was struggling against two measly mortals.


    If it weren''t for them, it would have had time to master its powers. It hadn''t been long since it gained these abilities, after all.


    If it wasn''t for these mortals, his capital wouldn''t been at this state at the moment.


    If it wasn''t¡­


    Rage started to cloud its judgment as new eyes began to grow around the one that had been pierced by Zaroth''s spear.


    New limbs began to grow out of its torso.


    Large fangs split open its jaw as it roared¡ª


    "IF IT WASN''T FOR THESE MORTALS!"


    It willed it, and a foreign essence gathered within its throat, giving it the ability to speak in the tongue of men.


    Thanks to Luna''s intervention, they were no longer at the heart of the capital¡ªbut still, the death toll had to be in the hundreds of thousands.


    "AND ALL BECAUSE OF YOU!" the Demigod''s voice thundered, so heavy that those who heard it felt their souls tremble.


    Luna showed no fear. She flared her wings and shot forward like a comet, mouth open and blazing.


    "Fine then!" the demigod shouted as it moved its new limbs and caught Luna in her charge.


    However, it wasn''t able to stop the momentum, and they shot toward the ground as both of them collided, causing a great dust mushroom cloud to rise high in the air.


    "LET GO!" the Demigod screamed, pinned beneath her.


    It was just about to manage to get Luna off its body, that was until the ground around them gave out and cracked, making them drop even deeper in it,


    Elysia had willed for the gravity around them to get harder than normal, freezing the Demigod''s movement.


    ROOOAAAAAARRR


    Opening its maw, it unleashed another ear-splitting roar¡ªthen vanished.


    In an instant, it was no longer pinned. It was in the sky, high above, retreating.


    ''This is bad! I need time¡ªtime to study these powers¡ªbefore I face them both at once!'' it thought as it tried to get out of the way,


    Elysia scoffed seeing it. "Running to the very end, are you?!" she mocked as she shot after it.


    Luna quickly recovered as she soared in the sky once more and began to follow as well.


    Zaroth still clung to her back. His state was dire¡ªblood leaking from his ears after the sheer force of the explosion¡ªbut he didn''t care.


    In that moment, a single desire drove him forward.


    He had to kill the god.


    *****


    Finally, after what felt like an eternity, her chains had been broken,


    Getting up on her feet and brushing past the rubble that had fallen on her, Solara Virelia looked around her,


    The sight was disgusting, there were tens of thousands of weirdly looking¡ªmost likely experiment on¡ªhuman bodies laid lifeless on the ground unmoving,


    Explosions still echoed in the distance as the great heads battled the Crimson Sun Empire''s forces.


    "This is a place I really want to burn down," Solara Virelia spat as she broke free from the last few chains that had managed to hold.


    "Princess!"


    Hearing a familiar voice, she gazed at the person that had came to her rescue.


    "General Hadrik, fancy seeing you here," the princess joked almost like she wasn''t concerned about the death and chaos happening all around her,


    "My princess!" Hadrik spoke again as he dropped to one knee, "we have come to your rescue."


    "That is good but we have more work to do." she commented.


    Hadrik raised an eyebrow, "We do?"


    "Yes," she said, pointing toward the mostly destroyed castle. "There must be some important figures left inside. Since we''re here, why not take care of them?"


    General Hadrik didn''t like the idea. They were deep in enemy territory, and most of their men were already dead¡ªbut he couldn''t go against the princess.


    After being locked away in a dark, lightless prison cell, she was bound to be itching to take her anger out on someone.


    They were about to head in the castle until Solara noticed something flying toward them at full speed.


    It was dark, so it was hard to see, but it was safe to say that this was the most disgusting thing she had ever seen in her life, the figure was dozens of meters tall, had two sets of wings, too many eyes, and too many limbs,


    Weirdly enough, it seemed the creature was fleeing from some kind of dragon, though it was hard to make out any details since it was too far away.


    Usually Solara would have ignored it, but if the thing went past above her, the dragon could focus on her, not to mention she didn''t want to let something this disgusting get close to her,


    "General Hadrik, get back," she commanded,


    The man nodded as he took hurried steps back,


    At the same time, Solara Virelia took a deep breath as she felt tingling sensation in her whole body.


    The sun was down, as such, she wasn''t anywhere near full power, but it had been so long since she had gone all out that she didn''t mind,


    She lifted her left hand over her head as her eyes shined crimson,


    Then she moved it down in one beautiful arc leaving fire trail behind, this was the main body,


    She wasn''t done, however, as once her hand moved down to her waist, she lifted it upward creating a second trail of fire, this one thinner than the other, this was the string. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Finally taking a deep breath she gripped the main body of the bow as she placed her right hand next to the left and then began to draw.


    In an instant, a massive, deadly fire arrow materialized, ready to be unleashed.


    Her lips curled into a menacing smile as she whispered.


    "Ah¡­ it''s good to be back."


    As she released her grip, the ground shattered, and the arrow shot forward, traveling faster than the speed of sound, leaving a trail of fire in its wake.


    And before the Demigod of Chaos could react, it was struck by the immense force.

 Chapter 256 - 256: A Mortals Resolve

    ''In need time! I need time!'' the Demigod thought as it tried to get away as fast as possible.


    Thanks to the fact that it had two sets of wings, it seemed that it would be able to outspeed Zaroth''s dragon and hide until it recovered.


    That was until an arrow of pure fire soared through the sky towards it and collided.


    The Demigod didn''t have any time to react due to the unnatural speed of the devastating arrow, so it didn''t have time to even attempt to use its will.


    As soon as the arrow collided with the body of the Demigod, a giant thunderclap echoed across the capital''s lands from the sheer force alone.


    ROOOAAAAAARRR


    The Demigod let out another high-pitched roar in pain.


    Who was it now?! Who had dared to go against it?!


    It wasn''t hard to find the reason, as a graceful, tall woman with crimson eyes and long, glowing orange hair stood amidst a fire¡ªSolara Virelia.


    "Another mortal dares to go against me?!" the Demigod''s words sounded like the catalyst itself.


    It will kill them! It will kill all those that have gone against it and its world rule!


    ROOOAAAAAARRR


    However, the Demigod of Chaos had no time to drown in its bloodlust as Luna''s roar tore through the air¡ªand her fangs sank deep into its body.


    Once again, the momentum was too great, and the Demigod was pushed back by the sheer pressure alone.


    As before, the Demigod brought its limbs together as it was ready to hit Luna''s skull again, trying to make her let go. But before the devastating attack could hit its mark, a person appeared on Luna''s skull¡ªElysia.


    With unwavering resolve, she raised her arms high, and through sheer force of will, met the colossal entity''s attack head-on.


    A storm formed as soon as the attack hit Elysia''s hands, but she held, as well as Luna.


    Simultaneously, the inside of Luna''s throat glowed with fiery light as she unleashed a devastating inferno. Her jaws no longer only threatened to crush the Demigod''s repulsive form¡ªnow, her inferno was slowly turning its flesh to ash.


    "GO!" Zaroth shouted as he summoned all of his beasts. They moved with no hesitation as they climbed upon the arms that Elysia was keeping in place and went straight for the Demigod''s head.


    The eyes of the Demigod glowed as it let out an earth-shattering roar in an attempt to stop them.


    However, the beast that was at the front was Silverfang. It opened its maw and let out a howl of its own.


    Silverfang''s howl was nothing in comparison to the Demigod''s, but it managed to redirect some of the pressure, causing it to go around Zaroth and his beasts rather than hit them head-on.


    While this was happening, Hellweaver pushed onward, seemingly unbothered by the great pressure of the screech or the wind as it got close to the Demigod''s head.


    Thanks to the fact that it was a spider, as it moved there were always legs that were on the ground. This, coupled with the fact that the beast was heavy, meant that it wouldn''t need to worry about being blown off.


    The beasts moved without fear¡ªthis was something that the Demigod had noticed even since he was Draconis. Zaroth''s beasts had no fear in throwing away their lives. That would mean that they were either always able to heal, or they had been already dead.


    That meant one thing: the Demigod wouldn''t be able to get rid of them¡ªand more importantly, the dragon¡ªby just attacking them, as it seemed that they would be able to take any attack with no worry.


    Hellweaver reached the head of the Demigod and brought its devastating fangs unto its body, managing to pierce it¡ªnot that the poisen had much effect on a Demigod in the first place.


    Yet that meant that all of Zaroth''s beasts were now close to it and not to their master.


    Snapping its focus to Zaroth, the Demigod''s eyes shined as it willed for the man to be attacked.


    Zaroth''s eyes widened as in an instant he was surrounded by all kinds of spells that were trailing toward him with full speed.


    Some were elemental, some physical, and some not being able to be defined.


    At that moment it was certain: Zaroth was going to die. He had already been hurt pretty badly, and if he took all of these attacks, not only would he die, but his body would be nowhere to be found as it would have turned into ash.


    Yet his body and mind felt no fear as his eyes narrowed like a hunter, and the darkness of the night moved towards his body, wrapping around it, protecting it.


    In that moment, he was so grateful that he had approached Midnight that day, because if he hadn''t, he would have died without Darkveil.


    "ZAROTH!" Elysia''s worried shout was cut short as the attacks collided with his body. A big mushroom cloud rose in the air from Luna''s back.


    Elysia gritted her teeth but didn''t let go of the limbs of the Demigod. If Zaroth had died, his beasts would have disappeared as well. Yet they were still here¡ªhe was still alive¡ªbut she wasn''t able to see to what extent, as it seemed that the Demigod had had enough.


    "Fine! If nothing works, then I will make you regret going against me!" Its words echoed across the land, as if the being itself were a force of destruction. Not a second later, hundreds of different attacks manifested around its body. But rather than targeting those fighting against it, the attacks rained down on the civilian houses below.


    Elysia''s eyes darkened even more. She knew why the spineless coward was doing this. By attacking the civilians, the Demigod hoped that Elysia would let go and try to protect the innocent.


    Under normal circumstances, she would have¡­ but at the moment, her priority was to kill the Demigod. It shouldn''t be allowed to get a better grasp of its power! If it did and it began to cause chaos in the world, the death toll would be in the hundreds of millions!


    Not to mention that she wasn''t alone¡ªthere was a man that stood by her side.


    Finally, after the cloud of smoke disappeared from Zaroth''s body, the man came into plain view. His state was abysmal.


    The skin on his face was mostly gone, along with his left eye. More precisely, the entire left side of his head had been blown off, taking his eye and ear with it.


    The armor that Elysia had gifted him had countless cracks, as it had begun to come undone due to the fact that it had reached its limit.


    And yet, curiously enough, the green gem embedded in the armor''s chest plate was still intact, meaning that Zaroth had yet to be struck by a fatal blow.


    Opening his mouth, he let out a sigh, though rather than air, black smoke came out from it.


    Even with the adrenaline flooding his system, he was overwhelmed by unspeakable pain. It felt as if his entire body and mind were falling apart.


    And yet he was not ready to give up. The voice in his head that demanded that he kill the Demigod in front of him wasn''t planning to let him rest.


    "When will this end?" he asked as he weakly raised his right eye, only to see that the Demigod''s hands had been caught in a trap by Elysia, making a path from him to its head.


    At this moment, Zaroth''s healthy eye shined as he unsheathed the odachi at his back.


    And shot forward, ready to deliver the final attack.


    S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 257 - 257: Going Out with a Bang

    It was quite impressive actually, considering how much damage Zaroth had gotten up until now one would suspect that he wouldn''t be able to move a muscle.


    Yet he ran like nothing bothered him in the world, this wasn''t only because he had gotten familiar with moving while feeling pain, but also because his desires simply outweighed any pain he felt.


    The strongest and most consuming desire was to kill the Demigod¡ªfor it had tried to take Elysia from him. She was his, and he would never let anyone steal something so precious without consequence.


    The second belonged to Luna. The Demigod may not have been a true god, but it was close enough and her desire surged through him, pushing him forward.


    And there was the third one. Through his bond with Midnight, he knew that the more humans he killed, the stronger his demonic powers would grow¡ªand in time, he would unlock even greater abilities.


    Apparently, it only worked if he killed humans, not beasts. But what about the Demigod standing before him?


    It had to work, right? Whatever that monster was, it must still have a soul, and killing it would surely make him stronger.


    And Zaroth didn''t want to miss the chance to let the prey run away from his grasp. If Zaroth saw opportunity to get stronger he was going to take it.


    He shot forward as fast as he could, leaping onto the Demigod''s hands, held by Elysia. Pushing past the pain in his body, he ran, his beasts moving aside to give him space.


    Seeing Zaroth approach it the Demigod opened its jaws again ready to let out another devastating roar, considering how close Zaroth was now, the sound wave was surely going to kill him.


    But as soon as the Demigod opened its mouth, Hellweaver acted, its massive body slamming into the Demigod''s jaws, sealing them shut and preventing its roar.


    The Demigod felt pure rage as it closed its jaws, cracking the exoskeleton of the spider and yet Hellweaver didn''t seem to care about the pressure its body was under as it stayed unmoving.


    Zaroth stepped on Silverfang''s back as he jumped as high in the air as he could and slashed with his odachi trying to pierce the brain of the Demigod.


    The blade entered, pierced the flesh but stopped at the skull, it was in a way expected after all Zaroth was but a mortal and he didn''t really have much experience when it came to fighting as most of the time he just winged it relying on pure force.


    But sadly this time it wasn''t enough as the blade wasn''t able to pierce the skull of his opponent.


    The eyes of the Demigod widened as it realized that it had just escaped death by a hair length.


    Forgetting about everything else it focused solely on survival as it tilted its body downward and at the same time moved its legs as it wrapped them around Luna.


    The attacks of the Demigod on the capital had stopped as they had went past the border, as such the being focused all of the energy at a single point. Exactly where Luna''s flames had been concentrating all this time.


    The vision of Zaroth began to blur as a light similar to a sun appeared below his feet.


    And then his vision went black for a couple of seconds.


    ''What happened?'' he asked himself as he tried to make his eye see again, the only thing he was able to sense was that he was falling in free fall.


    After several seconds his vision returned though it was still blurry.


    To his horror he was much higher in the sky than before, what had really happened was that the Demigod had caused a devastating explosion and since Zaroth was above it he had been launched into the sky like a projectile.


    "Just my luck¡ª" Before he could finish his words, blood began to spill from his mouth.


    It seemed that abusing his mana core to such extent had finally caught up to him, he wasn''t in the Abyss and as such using all of his beasts alongside his skills had drained him like never before.


    The constant pain made it hard to gauge the state of his mana core, but he could sense the countless cracks surrounding it. It was only a matter of time before it shattered under the pressure.


    He didn''t want to but he had no choice he was going to die any second now so he was forced to desummon Luna alongside his other beasts.


    This made his core feel just a bit lighter, but not by much as it continued to hurt a lot.


    Now that the matter with the mana core was settled there was another problem.


    He was not only high in the sky without Luna, but at the same time, it seemed the Demigod was flying toward him with full force, trying to finish him off.


    Truthfully, the Demigod was in as bad shape as Zaroth, if not worse.


    That explosion that it had caused had no doubt used a large part of its energy and at the same time had damaged it as well.


    As a result, the Demigod now had only one set of wings, badly damaged. Its face, once hideous, now seemed utterly grotesque. The Demigod had tried to heal some of the damage, but had failed¡ªmiserably.


    What stood out however was Zaroth''s odachi and spear that were still imbedded in its skull.


    ''Maybe¡­ if I land a hit on one of them¡­'' he tried to form a thought but he found it beyond difficult.


    It was simply too much. The enemy he was facing was overwhelming. Zaroth didn''t have it in him¡ªhe''d already pushed past his limits too many times. There was no way to survive.


    The Demigod roared as it fired all kinds of elemental attacks at Zaroth.


    ''This is the end huh? This is how I die?'' he thought to himself. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The first attack was just centimeters away from reaching his face, and once it was supposed to hit it seemingly changed course at the last moment.


    This wasn''t a fluke as several more of the attacks did the same.


    "Am I hallucinating?" he muttered to himself. This was the most logical deduction.


    That was until he saw that behind the Demigod was Elysia, she seemed to be breathing heavily most likely close to her limit as well. At the moment she was using everything she had to protect Zaroth with her will.


    ''Is she protecting me?'' he thought.


    Wasn''t it pathetic in a way? He had gotten involved because he was the one that was supposed to help her, he was the one that was supposed to save her, yet the roles were reversed at the moment.


    "Hah." Despite the strain in his body, he couldn''t help but chuckle. "No matter how strong I grow I am going to remain pathetic until the end it seems." he muttered as he moved his body.


    He was going to die anyway so he might as well go out with a bang.


    Seeing that the attacks of the Demigod weren''t able to harm him he got an idea as he put his hand on one of the fire attacks and then propelled forward toward the Demigod.


    ''It works I guess.'' he thought as he began to use the attacks the Demigod was throwing at him to propel toward the being as fast as possible.


    Since the Demigod was ascending insanely fast and Zaroth began to descend just as fast, the great being didn''t have any time to react until Zaroth was above it, he had brought his two hands together into a fist.


    "This is the end." he spoke as he brought them down at the spear that had been imbedded into the Demigod''s skull up until now.


    Zaroth''s strike, coupled with the intensity of the fall, was immense. The spear pierced through the skull and reached the brain.


    [You have killed the child of the God of Chaos]


    [God of Chaos looks at you with fury in its eyes]


    [The gods have been made aware of your existence]


    [A mortal has slain a divinity]


    [This moment will be remembered for the ages to come]


    Zaroth heard the system speak in his head something that he hadn''t heard in a quite long time.


    Sadly he wasn''t able to enjoy any of it as it seemed the body of the Demigod began to shine.


    It seemed that it had the same thought as Zaroth¡ªif it was going to die, might as well bring its enemy into the grave.


    Zaroth''s eye widened in shock.


    And then, he was assaulted by a devastating explosion, brighter than the sun, head-on.

 Chapter 258 - 258: Unwilling to Die

    A manic laughter echoed around the halls of the ruined castle as Solara Virelia enjoyed every second of her slaughter.


    ''So many days I have spent in that fucking prison,'' she thought as she burned the women before her to ashes.


    "Now I have to pay you greatly, do I not?!" she shouted as she looked around if there were anybody left.


    General Hadrik stood a few steps away from the princess.


    He had thought it wasn''t a good idea to enter the castle and that they should have just run as fast as possible from enemy territory, but Solara Virelia insisted.


    And now he was glad that she did. Due to the battle outside, the castle had been left mostly empty as all of the guards had gone out to fight,


    Meaning that the royalty that had been left were defenseless, and now Solara was getting her revenge for being in isolation for so long.


    Pretty much all of the emperor''s wives were here, and all of them had been killed, as well as most of the heirs of the throne.


    "I think there isn''t anybody left." Hadrik spoke as he took a step toward the princess.


    She in turn didn''t answer as she began to count the bodies.


    "There is one missing," she spoke.


    Hadrik raised an eyebrow in confusion.


    "There must be one more queen left, I am not leaving until all of the emperor''s wives are dead. He is going to regret keeping me in isolation below the castle."


    As Solara spoke these words, she began to enter and check each room that had yet to be cleared out.


    "You will regret it. You will regret it," she hissed, her gaze darkening with each word.


    Truthfully, Hadrik wanted to stop her¡ªbut knowing she had spent so much time locked in a cold cell, likely without food or human contact, he understood the deep resentment she must carry toward the entire empire.


    As such, he didn''t stop her. She deserved to get her revenge.


    *****


    Taking a few steps back, Zack took deep breaths as he looked at his uncle.


    "Is that all the two of you have?" Alexander mocked as he prepared to strike again.


    Roran too needed a few seconds to take a breath so he couldn''t stop him.


    Alexander''s smile disappeared, however, as he felt a golden thread stop his right arm from moving.


    "I thought I might have to come help, duty and all, but I didn''t expect to find my boyfriend in a fight with one of the family heads," a woman''s voice echoed from the darkness.


    A few seconds later, Grace walked into view with a smug on her face.


    "Grace?!" Zack exclaimed in excitement as he saw her.


    "We can chat later. For now, we have a man to deal with," Grace replied, blowing him a playful kiss.


    "You brats," Alexander remarked, only to be pierced by a levitating sword.


    Roran smiled as he spat a mouth of blood, "Let''s get this over with."


    *****


    Lily collapsed on the ground as her mana core was seconds away from shattering.


    She didn''t want to, but she had to call Shifter back. It seemed that attaching the spirit to another person had made her mana burn very fast.


    A moment later, Shifter had returned by her side.


    Now the strain on her core got a bit lighter as she was able to take a breath without feeling like she was about to die.


    "I hope that this was enough," she exclaimed as she glanced at the night sky.


    She had done everything she could. Now, either Draconis was dead and she and Roran were safe, or he had won, and their days would be numbered.


    The only reason Lily kept using Shifter to make everyone around her forget about her and Roran''s past was to keep Draconis from trying to kill them, as they were witnesses to Draconis murder of Lily''s father.


    Exhausted, she rested her back on the cold ground.


    "Now that there''s no point in using Shifter to alter memories, I guess it''s time to start learning how to integrate him into my fighting style," she sighed. The screams of pain around her, coupled with the explosions, made her reluctant to look at the chaos unfolding.


    Surely the family heads were going to get rid of the Crimson Sun forces. Surely Zaroth and Elysia would kill that thing that seemed to make the world shatter around it.


    "It''s hot..." she couldn''t help but complain. With fires raging around her, the temperature in the area had risen sharply.


    Just as she was about to wish for it to rain, a drop landed on her cheek.


    Lily wasn''t one of the people that liked the rain, nor did she hate it, as she was neutral toward it, but at the moment, it was welcome.


    "...Ah, I can finally cool off a bit... but I wish Roran was here..."


    *****


    Elysia was exhausted. Now that the entity supporting her seemed to have disappeared, she felt her will weakening. Thankfully, this only happened after the Demigod had died.


    The horrifying part, however, was that once the Demigod died, it released a devastating explosion, which blasted Zaroth when they were close to each other.


    Usually, Elysia would have to search for the Demigod''s body, as it had been sent away from the capital due to the blast.


    Sure, the Demigod might be dead, but its body was still more or less intact, and she would have to destroy it. If it landed in the wrong hands, it could prove disastrous for the world¡­


    And yet rather than running off to the corpse, she was using the last of her strength to fly toward Zaroth who was falling down the sky.


    At this moment, Elysia felt that he was her number one priority, outweighing even the recovery of the Demigod''s body.


    Moving as fast as possible, she managed to catch Zaroth''s body¡­ or what was left of it.


    His armor was gone, completely destroyed along with the clothes beneath it, leaving him fully naked. However, not much of his body was visible, as the burn marks were so severe that parts of him looked like charcoal.


    His face was almost destroyed. His eyes were missing, as were his ears. The nose had been burned off, leaving only a hole, and in some places, even his skull was visible, as his skin had been burned to that extent. Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It was safe to say that Zaroth looked like a corpse, yet his chest still faintly rose and fell with shallow breaths. He was alive, though barely.


    As soon as Elysia saw him and caught him in her arms, she tried to use her will to freeze him in time so he wouldn''t die, but all she could do was slow the dying process.


    If she didn''t bring him to a healer, he was going to die.


    As such, she quickly flew into the capital and began to search for a healer that was available.


    She didn''t pay any attention to the widespread destruction of the houses around her or the death of civilians. Zaroth took priority over everything else.


    As she searched, the only thing that indicated Zaroth was alive, other than his shallow breathing, was that he was weakly gripping Elysia''s forearm with his right hand.


    He was unwilling to die.

 Chapter 259 - 259: Rise from Ruin

    Dead.


    That''s how Zaroth felt in this moment. His senses were gone¡ªhe couldn''t hear, see, or feel anything.


    His eyes were gone, meaning he was unable to see the destruction of the capital and the giant death toll the fight with the Demigod had caused.


    His ears were gone, making him deaf, so he wasn''t able to hear the screams of the mothers that had lost their children. He couldn''t hear the cries of the fathers trying to save their family.


    His nose was destroyed. As a result, he wasn''t able to smell the fire and ash that were rising high in the air.


    And lastly, most of his nerves were gone, so he wasn''t even able to feel pain.


    Was he alive? Or was he dead? He didn''t know. All he knew was that he was alone.


    ''Did you forget about me?'' a faint voice called out.


    ''Luna?'' Zaroth spoke in his head.


    ''I am in your soul, and as such, we can talk whenever we wish to, even if you are about to die,'' she explained.


    Just knowing someone was by his side in such a dire state filled him with a sense of relief, as he slowly began to unravel his emotions.


    ''... I am not sure what to say honestly¡­ I thought that I was ready to face anything, but a Demigod? How did this even happen? Just the fact that I am still alive is a miracle¡­'' he began to trail off. He guessed that he was about to die any moment now.


    ''You will not die,'' Luna reassured, ''Elysia is carrying you, looking for a healer. So you can have faith in her that you will live. Has she ever failed in anything?''


    Hearing Luna''s words, Zaroth needed a few seconds to comprehend what she had said.


    ''So you are saying that I killed a Demigod and would live to tell the tale?''


    ''Yes,'' she answered.


    ''That is not all, though,'' she added. ''You have gained something.''


    Zaroth would have raised his eyebrow if he could. ''I have?''


    ''Yes. Even though you haven''t killed all the gods¡ªor even a true god, just a false one¡ªyou still slew a deity. Because of that, I can now access more of my powers. I''d say I''m around Legendary tier now, though still far from my prime.''


    ''That''s good news, but¡­ doesn''t that mean I''ll be more limited in how much I can use you? Now that you''re stronger, you''ll probably need more mana, right?'' It was a logical conclusion on Zaroth''s part.


    ''That would be the case, but your mana core has become much stronger.''


    ''Wait, how? Isn''t that supposed to be a slow process? All I did was kill a Demigod. Sure, maybe my demonic abilities got stronger¡ªbut that shouldn''t affect my core¡­ right?''


    ''Not necessarily,'' Luna began to explain. ''After you killed it, your demonic skills grew so much stronger that they enhanced every other ability you have, making them stronger as well. Even though they''re different by nature, all of your abilities are still tied to you. If one improves drastically, the others will follow.''


    Zaroth would have jumped in happiness if he could move at the moment.


    ''Now that you are in this state, why don''t you try meditating?'' Luna advised.


    Zaroth didn''t know the reasons as to why she would want him to do such a thing.


    ''Just trust me on that one. I have a hunch,'' she spoke.


    Zaroth would have shrugged his shoulders if he could. He tried to empty his mind and began to meditate.


    Then he felt a poke on his cheek.


    Opening his eyes, he saw Luna.


    "What? Where am I?" he muttered as he struggled to his feet. Gazing around, he realized he was in an unfamiliar place¡ªstanding on a vast green ocean, with Luna in front of him.


    "This is your mana core," she spoke. "I guess you managed to enter it."


    Zaroth barely registered her words as he stared down at his hands, still trying to grasp the bizarre reality¡ªhe had actually entered his mana core, literally.


    "Is this where you have been all this time?" he asked.


    "Pretty much," she replied. "I would love to show you how magnificent it is here, but it''s time for you to wake up." S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Before he could protest, he opened his eyes again.


    The first thing he saw was a white ceiling.


    "Oh," he muttered, grunting as he sat on the bed, resting his back against the headboard.


    He gazed at his body. It hurt all over, but he was in one piece. The armor that Elysia had given him was gone. It was probably the reason he was able to survive the last attack of the Demigod. The gem must have activated.


    ''I don''t know how these elven runes work, but I''m itching to learn more about them,'' he thought.


    "A thank you would be nice about now."


    Hearing a familiar voice and feeling the smell of tobacco reaching his nose, he shifted his gaze.


    "Sylvia," Zaroth muttered as he saw the woman.


    She raised an eyebrow, looking at him expectantly.


    Zaroth cleared his throat. "Thank you for healing me!" he spoke as he stood up and bowed in a form of respect.


    Sylvia took another puff from her cigar, then gestured with a pointed finger downward. Zaroth followed her gaze, and his eyes widened as he realized he was completely naked.


    "You can be thankful and all, but aren''t you a bit too excited?" she remarked.


    Zaroth cleared his throat again as he looked around to see if there were any clothes to put on.


    ''This is just what naturally happens when a man wakes up!'' he wanted to retort, but in the end, he decided to remain quiet as he didn''t want to argue with the person who had just saved his life.


    "You''re one lucky bastard, you know that? The amount of mana I had to use to heal you has left me completely drained. In your place, I could''ve healed a few hundred injured civilians... yet Boss insisted I save you, no matter what."


    As he finished putting on his clothes, he gazed at her once again. "Where are we? How much time has passed? Where is Elysia? What''s the situation?"


    "Slow down, didn''t you hear that I''m spent?" Sylvia remarked as she finished her cigar and lit another.


    "We''re at the academy. You weren''t out for too long¡ªmaybe an hour or two at most. When Elysia arrived, she left you here to deal with some business. Something about a corpse."


    "As for the situation, from what I''ve heard, the enemy soldiers are all dead. A rescue operation is underway throughout the capital. It''s still unconfirmed, but the death toll could easily be in the hundreds of thousands."


    Hearing her words, Zaroth bowed once again. "Thank you for saving my life." After that, he turned around and was about to exit.


    "Are you leaving? You were practically dead just a few moments ago, you know?" Sylvia spoke, not bothering to shift her gaze to him.


    "I have to see if a certain person is okay!" With that, Zaroth left the room.


    Sylvia finished her second cigar as she lit up a third.


    "The condition your body was in was so severe, I''ve never seen anything like it, even during my time on the frontlines," she sighed, as unpleasant memories resurfaced.


    "... I think it''s time I ask Boss for a raise," she muttered under her breath.


    *****


    It had run so much that the muscles in its legs were nearly torn.


    But it was all worth it, as the entity inhabiting the father gazed at the body of the Demigod that had been left here, far from the capital.


    Thankfully, due to the chaos, no one had managed to reach it before it did.


    Without hesitation, it abandoned the body of the father, letting it fall to the ground, and the black mass approached the body of the Demigod.


    Then it entered through the holes of the mouth and nose.


    Usually, when it had to inhabit a body, the body needed to be alive for it to work, but since not much time had passed since the entity was slain, it would still work.


    About thirty seconds later, the eyes of the Demigod opened up, revealing their ever-shifting color.


    Its purpose was finally fulfilled. It had taken possession of the Demigod''s body, as well as the heart of the primordial demon.

 Chapter 260 - 260: The Birth of the Geniuses

    Zaroth sprinted out of the academy toward the castle as fast as possible, his body was still in a lot of pain as he had almost died not too long ago, but that didn''t matter at the moment.


    As he ran, the rain soaked his hair and clothes. It was heavy, yet the smell of fire and ash still lingered in the air.


    How many people had died because of the Demigod?


    How many had perished because of the Crimson Sun attack?


    That didn''t concern him at the moment, there was only a single person that was on his mind.


    David? They weren''t that close, but he doubted that there was anything that could pose a threat to the man.


    Midnight? Impossible. Zaroth honestly couldn''t imagine a scenario where she could be killed ¡ª not with how powerful she''d become since they met.


    Roran, Zack, Lily? His friends were no doubt fine, they were all strong so they could handle almost anything.


    But there was one person who couldn''t. One person who was vulnerable ¡ª who wouldn''t be able to defend themselves if the worst had come.


    "Please be okay! Please be okay!" he repeated endlessly as it seemed that his words were the only thing that gave him strength to push forward.


    As he ran, some of the people still fleeing the chaos stopped to look. Some, who were rushing toward the heart of the destruction in a desperate attempt to help, froze mid-step when they saw him.


    Zaroth was the champion of the tournament, and his appearance was unlike most, making him easily recognizable.


    However, Zaroth did not pay the gazes any attention as he ran forward, S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    And soon the castle entered his view,


    Zaroth''s eyes widened. It was in a worse state than before not only that but he was able to see that the inside of the castle was on fire and due to the roof it had yet to be extinguished by the rain.


    "FUCK!" he cursed as he forced his body to move even faster.


    *****


    Now that they were far from the capital General Hadrik couldn''t help but throw a glance at it.


    It had been a hellish journey ¡ª the kind that would haunt a lesser man. He''d crossed a treacherous ocean and witnessed unimaginable horrors.


    Then he lost the best of his men during the assault on the castle ¡ª right in the heart of enemy territory.


    Still, he did not regret it one bit as he gazed at the beautiful woman next to him, her crimson eyes were calm as her orange hair had gotten wet by the rain.


    "No point in staying here any longer." Solara remarked as she started to move away from the capital.


    Hadrik silently began to follow her, there was no point in checking for enemy soldiers around them as they were most likely too busy dealing with the destruction in the capital.


    "I know that it is a bit too soon to ask¡­ but have you planned your next move, Princess?" he asked.


    "Yes. When I return home I will spend a few days or even weeks to relax," Solara spoke as she shifted her gaze to Hadrik and curled her lips into a menacing smile,


    "And after that, I will invade this empire with all of our forces and slaughter each and every one of these pigs."


    *****


    "Did we win?" Roran spoke as he approached Lily, who was lying on the ground tiredly.


    "I think so," she answered with a smile.


    Lifting her head a little she saw that Zack was with him.


    "And you?" she asked.


    "The man has been dealt with." Grace appeared in view as well as she answered with a smile.


    Seeing them all alive¡­ a weight began to lift off Lily''s chest.


    "Hey what are you doing?!" Lily asked getting a little red as Roran scooped her and picked her up in a princess carry,


    He threw her a friendly smile, though it looked a bit menacing as there was still some blood on his teeth.


    "There is no way that I will leave my lady laying on the floor."


    "I''m too sober for this," she mumbled, turning her face away, trying to hide the blush rising in her cheeks.


    Zack and Grace just smirked at the sight.


    *****


    Midnight slowly got up on her feet as she gazed at the pale corpse before her.


    She looked a bit different than before, she was taller, her hair had gotten a bit longer, her crimson eyes more menacing.


    Gazing at her palm she made it into a fist feeling her new powers.


    "So this is what it means to be of an ancient blood." she muttered under her nose.


    *****


    Looking at the badly beaten body of the salesman, David didn''t feel any better about the situation,


    He could only grit his teeth as he took a step forward and stepped on the man''s head making it explode like a tomato, ensuring that he was dead.


    As brain matter flew everywhere, some getting on his cheek, David didn''t seem fazed until he gazed at the body of his sister that he had left laying on the cold floor.


    Before he realized it his eyes had begun to tear up.


    "Don''t tell me that your purpose in life is now gone as your sister has died." The Spectral Warden as always spoke not caring about David''s emotions.


    Usually he would curse at the fucker behind him, but he didn''t have the strength for it at the moment.


    As such he approached the body of his dead sister, took her in his embrace and began to cry silently.


    ''It''s all my fault,'' he blamed himself endlessly in his head.


    *****


    "It seems that the plan worked." hearing a faint voice Sofia shifted her gaze from the dead body of Amara.


    "Vera." Sofia muttered as she saw her friend. "It is thanks to you that I managed to do this." she exclaimed.


    Not saying anything Vera approached her as she put a hand on Sofia''s shoulder,


    Sofia gazed at her friend for a few seconds. As usual, the white mask she wore concealed all her emotions.


    "Did you do it?" Sofia asked. "That¡­ horrible thing you mentioned before?"


    At the question Vera''s shoulder trembled. "Yes." she answered shortly after.


    Silence returned as the two women stared down at the lifeless body of Amara.


    *****


    A mesmerizing fox with orange fur, and white eyes like the moon themselves, looked at the ruined castle from a distance.


    It was all¡­ bizarre. The way everything had happened so fast.


    But at the end of the day the world was unpredictable so all one could do was to try to adapt.


    With a grunt the body of the fox disappeared and a person appeared right where the fox stood.


    Putting a black hood over their head, hiding themselves in the darkness, they muttered, "Nothing more to see here."


    *****


    Elysia didn''t know how to feel at the moment.


    "FUCK!" she shouted in fury, though it was drowned by the rain.


    Where the body of the Demigod should have been, there was only a small empty crater ¡ª and the body of a middle-aged man.


    "I was too slow!" she cursed herself for failing to collect or at least destroy the body of the Demigod.


    After a few seconds, she took a deep breath to calm herself down.


    "Still¡­ I don''t regret saving Zaroth," she whispered to herself as she gazed at the night sky.


    *****


    Looking at the body before him, Zaroth''s mind went blank.


    His worst fears had become reality. He had failed yet again.


    Before he realized it, Luna was next to his side, putting a hand on his shoulder.


    "Don''t touch me!" he commanded as he slapped her hand away.


    Taking a few steps toward the body of Althea, Zaroth collapsed to his knees. He gently picked her up and placed her head on his thighs.


    She had closed her eyes, and there was a large wound near her heart. While he had been battling the Demigod, somebody had entered her room and slain her.


    "How?" he whispered as tears began to fall from his eyes.


    "How could I slay a god and still be the one that has lost?!" he shouted with fury in his voice.


    "Who?! Who had the audacity to take someone from me again?!"


    Luna gave her master a few seconds of quiet before she answered.


    "The castle was up in flames, and a lot of bodies were burned to a crisp. I can confidently say that it was Solara Virelia, the Princess of the Crimson Sun Empire ¡ª the one that was locked up here, below the castle."


    Zaroth remained silent for a few moments as he gazed at Althea''s lifeless body.


    "I see¡­" he spoke with no emotion in his voice as he got up on his feet, carrying Althea in a princess carry.


    Taking a few steps forward, he gazed through the hole in the wall toward the horizon, where the Crimson Sun Empire was located.


    "This whole thing started when they attacked this castle, didn''t it? Not to mention, the princess they so desperately adore is the one who killed Althea."


    A few seconds of silence passed, the sound of raindrops echoing, before Zaroth turned and looked at Luna. His eyes were empty ¡ª hollow.


    "Then we have our new goal. My new desire. We''ll burn their empire to the ground."


    *****


    Far from the realm of mortals, in a place untouched by men, a towering figure of bone knelt silently.


    Two green suns flickered in its skull-like face.


    Its movements were restricted, as well as its thought patterns.


    And yet¡­ in that moment¡­ it felt something.


    A certainty.


    A shift.


    It had made the right choice.


    And now¡­


    It had begun.


    [End of volume one: The Birth of the Geniuses]

 Chapter 261 - 261: The Weight of Her Return

    Their journey back took about a week. Even with the use of teleportation runes scattered across the empire, Solara knew that the moment she returned to the capital, she would be buried in work. As such, these few days were deliberately spent in relaxation.


    The whole time General Hadrik was with her, it wouldn''t be a lie to say that it felt strange¡ªalmost too peaceful¡ªreturning to their empire as if nothing had happened.


    The princess especially took her sweet time, as she even visited not-so-popular bathhouses while making sure that the truth that she had returned was kept secret for a few days.


    At this point Hadrik''s feeling changed from weird to bizarre. He didn''t know how to feel, as he basically just went everywhere she did. He was more like a butler than a general, but he didn''t mind.


    The fact that Solara had been captured by the enemy forces was a great mistake that shouldn''t happen again.


    And so, Hadrik began investigating. Trying to understand how it had even happened. The deeper he dug, the clearer the answer became.


    And the results were shocking to him. Because no matter how he looked at it, only a single conclusion came to mind.


    ''But¡­ is that possible? Would she really do it?'' These thoughts were eating at him.


    Finally, the day before their official return, he gathered the courage to ask her.


    "My princess¡­ did you let yourself be caught on purpose?" It was a bizarre question, but this was the only way that Hadrik could explain how that happened.


    Solara was probably one of the toughest people that he knew, not just physically but mentally as well. There was even theory that if she were to be captured, she would kill herself just so sensitive information wouldn''t fall into enemy hands.


    Hearing the question, Solara abruptly stopped and turned as she gazed at the eyes of the general.


    A few seconds passed in silence.


    Until her lips curled into a twisted smile as her eyes shined dangerous crimson. She moved her right hand, placing a finger over her lips.


    General Hadrik''s eyes widened in shock. This was all the confirmation he needed to know¡ªshe had planned this all from the beginning, and most likely, he was the only one that knew this.


    She could have killed him to keep the secret buried. But either she didn''t care if it leaked¡­ or she trusted him.


    The general remained frozen for a moment, before snapping out of it and catching up.


    "Ah¡­ home, finally!" Solara exclaimed with a smile as she gazed at the capital of the Crimson Sun Empire¡ªor more accurately, she gazed at its most notable feature.


    The giant volcano that was in the middle of it.


    Why would they build a capital in the middle of a volcano?! Only a madman would have this kind of idea! Not to mention how did the civilians agreed to live so close to such thing?!


    The answer was in the name of their empire, Crimson Sun. Most of the people here not only got stronger as the sun was higher in the sky, but one thing also greatly powered them up.


    Heat¡ªand very few things were hotter than the magma in the volcano, not to mention that there were a lot of people that were able to control that magma to an extent. Solara herself, though her control was still limited.


    They were able to use the heat in creating and coming up with countless inventions that were unique to their own empire.


    And even all that was not all, because the volcano was also the capital and, in a way, the empire''s last stand if the push came to shove.


    Or more accurately, not the volcano itself but the thing that resided inside. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Hey, are you spacing out?" Solara asked as she gazed at Hadrik.


    Hadrik immediately bowed his head down, "I am sorry for slowing you down."


    Solara only laughed in response. "I don''t blame you. It must''ve been hell crossing the ocean just to avoid the Draconian Empire''s forces. Honestly, even I wouldn''t be crazy enough to attempt something like that. And the fact that you convinced so many of our men to follow you? That alone proves your worth as our general."


    "Thank you for the words," Hadrik answered with a nod as he watched her back.


    She had complimented him¡­ and yet he knew that she didn''t believe a part of the things she spoke.


    Solara knew that the soldiers didn''t cross the ocean because of him¡­ no, they crossed it because of their unyielding loyalty for Solara Virelia, their one and only princess¡ª


    The person that was loved the most in the empire.


    And what had the Draconian Empire done to their princess? To the person that they respected and loved the most?


    They had locked her in isolation with no food or human contact, away from sunlight.


    When the public heard about this¡­ it caused outrage. Riots. Fury.


    It wasn''t just contained to the capital¡ªthis anger spread to every corner of the empire, even the most remote regions.


    And the people came to a single, unified conclusion,


    They wanted war.


    Revenge.


    Not the sorry excuse of a war that had been led up until now.


    No¡ªthis one, with the full support of the general population, would be all-out war, using every single resource they had to crush the already weakened Draconian Empire.


    *****


    In a brightly lit room, thirteen figures sat around a circular table¡ªthe full Council of the Crimson Sun Empire. Among them sat Solara, with General Hadrik standing silently behind her.


    "I believe it is time for a vote," Solara spoke with a smile.


    The past hour she had explained what had happened when she was in captivity and what had happened when she had managed to break free.


    How the Draconian Empire''s capital was badly damaged, how their queens had all died without exception, how most of the Draconian Empire forces would be forced back to support the capital and mend the damage.


    Not letting her twisted smile disappear from her face, Solara raised her hand, and shortly after, all of the other members did as well.


    "So it is decided then," Solara spoke with a smile. "We are beginning full-scale invasion."


    *****


    The room was silent with the exception of the antique clock that made ticking sounds every second.


    Elysia stared across the desk at Zaroth, watching his unreadable expression.


    "As I said, due to the damage, the academy will be closed for a while as repairs continue," she explained. "Once things are settled, you and your friends will begin your second year. So¡­ you could say your first year is over."


    "So¡­ does that mean we''re on summer vacation?" he asked in an emotionless voice.


    "Yes, you could say that. Though it might last longer than expected."


    Elysia threw him another worried look. After the castle attack and Althea''s death, Zaroth had been acting strange. He hadn''t responded when she wrote him, so out of concern, she asked him to come to her office.


    But now that she was before the man, she wasn''t sure what to say to him.


    "Thank you for taking the time out of your day to come here," Elysia spoke as she got up.


    "You can leave now. I''m under enough stress as it is. The pressure of the Crimson Sun Empire''s attacks¡­ and the fact we have no Emperor... it''s all too much."


    She was about to head out only to see that Zaroth was still in place.


    She raised an eyebrow. ''Does he have something to tell me?'' she asked herself.


    "You say that we are under attack?" Zaroth asked for confirmation.


    "Yes." Elysia sighed as she began to explain. "We''ve been hit on dozens of fronts all at once. It''s never happened before. We can only assume they''re going all out, especially with a large portion of our forces¡ª"


    "Then," Zaroth interrupted her as a twisted smile appeared on his face.


    "I''ll help. I''ll join the war. Just give me the most troublesome spot. Pull the troops from there and send them elsewhere¡ªI''ll handle it. Alone."


    Elysia''s eyes went darker, as did her voice, "No, I am not sending a teenager that¡ª"


    "The one who won the tournament and became champion?" Zaroth interrupted. "Or the one who slept with you? Or the one who killed a Demigod?"


    Zaroth''s eyes narrowed as a dangerous light began to shine in them.


    "When I said that I would join the war, I wasn''t asking."

 Chapter 262 - 262: It Awaits

    On a rainy night, two great beings fought above the capital.


    One, a white dragon that moved so fast that it appeared like a blur, hard to comprehend or to make out the silhouette. All that was known about it was that it was able to breathe out devastating green flames.


    The other, a large disformed being dozens of meters tall, with two sets of white wings. It soared through the sky as it and the dragon fought.


    What were these creatures? And why had they chosen to fight above the capital?


    Two stories emerged¡ªeach told by the opposing empires.


    One was that the Crimson Sun Empire had attacked with their troops and at the same time unleashed a very powerful demon with the hope of wreaking havoc and causing as much destruction and death as possible.


    That was until a great dragon that had protected the empire for a very long time appeared and managed to deal with the problem, killing the demon and saving the capital.


    This was the story that the Draconian Empire spread. They believed in and worshiped dragons, and it wasn''t a stretch to say that having one as their guardian was an unthinkable thing.


    The Crimson Sun Empire, however, told a different tale.


    According to them, the Draconian Empire had been secretly experimenting with monstrous abominations. When Crimson Sun forces attacked, one of these creations awoke and went berserk. The dragon was not a savior but one more product of their forbidden experiments¡ªor worse, a demon they had made a pact with.


    A crime against humanity.


    This was the Crimson Sun Empire''s version. They wanted to spread that the Draconian Empire had made contact with demons, breaking the law.


    This was what the Crimson Sun Empire spread.


    No one could say which version was true. But what mattered were the consequences.


    First, both the citizens of the empires began to despise each other and wanted to eliminate the other.


    And second, the Draconian Empire had a dragon under their command¡ªmeaning that they either had tamed or made a deal with a beast of the Mythic tier.


    If it was the latter, then it was all good. But if it was the former, and they indeed had managed to tame a Mythic beast, then things could spill out of control.


    It was prohibited by global law that no man or woman should tame such a dangerous beast. No one wanted to repeat what happened with the last conflict involving the Legendary Beast master.


    If a man able to tame Legendary beasts could cause such devastation, what about a man that could tame Mythic beasts?


    As such, there was a chance that not only the Crimson Sun Empire but the other empire neighboring the Draconian Empire would attack.


    "Never mind that! Whether we attack our enemy alone or are joined by the whole continent, our enemy will be defeated for daring to capture Solara!" one soldier of the Crimson Sun Empire shouted.


    "We''ll kill every last one of those Draconian pigs!" another shouted, joining in as well his roar echoing down the mountain paths.


    The forces had begun advancing forward as they were coming close to an important place that must be captured.


    A third of the Draconian Empire''s border with the Crimson Sun Empire was bordered by towering mountains. The only way to cross was either to take a detour that stretched thousands of kilometers or to use the single, known mountain pass.


    It was crucial that this place be taken, as if it failed, the forces wouldn''t be able to reach a large part of the empire quickly enough, and they would lose valuable time, giving the enemy a chance to recover.


    "Strange," Thorne muttered as he rode upon his horseback.


    This was an important location, one that should be protected with everything they had, and yet there was nobody¡ªnot set-up traps, not archers hidden in the high mountains, or flying in balloons.


    It was quiet¡­ too quiet.


    "Why did you have to send me here, Hadrik¡­" Thorne grumbled under his breath. He''d thought being the right-hand man to a legendary general would mean sticking close to him. Clearly, he''d been wrong.


    "This place is critical to our advance," Hadrik had told him. "It''s not just because I''m occupied on the other fronts. You need real experience in warfare. One day I''ll be gone¡ªand I hope you''ll take my place."


    These were the words Hadrik had spoken to Thorne before ordering him to capture the city here.


    The city''s name was Drakmire Bastion. Not much was known about it other than there wasn''t a large population here. How could it? After all, few would want to live so high in the mountains, isolated from the other cities. S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Not to mention most of the people were born, raised, lived, and died here as miners¡ªnot having a large choice in what to work as. Most of the time it was just mining for materials.


    Most were poor¡ªnot so poor that they lived on the streets, but poor enough to be unable to leave the city. And with its not very favorable reputation, few would want to move here or even visit.


    As such, it wasn''t surprising if there were few people¡­ but still, the city was an important logistical place, so Thorne expected a lot of enemy forces. Yet, there was nobody in sight.


    ''Something''s wrong,'' Thorne thought.


    "HALT!" he shouted with all his might, and so the army cooled down.


    "Five scouts are to be sent forward! You are to ride until you see the city. Report anything you see¡ªhow many archers are on the gates, if you see any traps, or members of their influential families!"


    "Yes, sir!" Five of the faster scouts received the order and made their horses spring with full force.


    "It''s better to be safe than to be sorry," Thorne muttered as he waited.


    They weren''t that far from the city. He estimated that it was about ten more minutes on horseback, and maybe seven if the rider was skilled.


    As such, he knew he shouldn''t wait more than half an hour at most. If they didn''t return by then, it would mean they had been ambushed and slaughtered.


    Having nothing better to do, the soldiers sat on the ground as a few stationed forces checked the outskirts for an enemy attack.


    Looking at how casually they chatted, Thorne couldn''t help but think that it was like they were at home.


    ''Well, if one were to ignore the air,'' he thought.


    Due to the high altitude, the air was hard to breathe, as it had less oxygen than his men were used to.


    "I just hope we can capture this city quickly," Thorne muttered.


    After about twenty minutes, the scouts returned and reported to their current leader.


    "Well?" Thorne asked as he gazed at them.


    The five of them looked at each other, unsure of how to answer.


    Seeing that made Thorne frown. "Speak! How many archers did you see? Do they have horses like us or any mounted ballistas on the walls?"


    Finally, after a few seconds, the youngest of the scouts, a girl with pinkish hair, spoke.


    "...There wasn''t anybody, sir. Just a single man."


    Thorne raised an eyebrow.


    "Single man? Describe him," he commanded.


    She began to recall the scene. "Well, to be honest, I don''t know if it was a man or a woman. About a meter seventy tall. Dressed in white robes, head to toe. Their hair was white too. But what stood out most was the mask¡ªpure white, shaped like a demon''s face with two horns."


    Thorne scratched his chin. "Are they playing tricks on us?" he wondered.


    "Is there anything else that jumped out to you?" he asked.


    "Yes, they held a white odachi in their hand, which also had crimson symbols on it, though it was too far to make out clearly, and although we didn''t dare get too close, we''re almost certain that from the eyeholes of the demonic mask, a faint green hue was visible¡ªmost likely the color of their pupils."


    "As to why they were standing there, we could not tell. Once the person spotted us, they simply looked at us without moving a muscle¡ªalmost as if waiting for us to make the first move."


    As the woman had finished, one of the soldiers that had overheard the conversation couldn''t help but chuckle.


    "What''s so funny?!" the scout snapped.


    "No, it''s just that once you described him, the first thing that came to mind was a ghost. But they do not exist, so is it possible your eyesight is just bad?"


    While the woman was beginning to shout at the man for daring to doubt her judgment, Thorne was busy thinking.


    If this was a trap¡­ it was a strange one. If it wasn''t¡­ then what the hell was waiting for them in Drakmire Bastion?

 Chapter 263 - 263: A Ritual

    It was unknown if this was some kind of trap or the person wearing the white robes was just some kind of madman, but considering that they had to hurry, Thorne and his soldiers didn''t have a choice but to push forward.


    As such, they began to walk forward. Of course, there were tons of men and not all of them had horses. As such, their speed was much slower than the scots.


    As they pushed forward, the soldier who had spoken with the girl scout earlier began retelling her story. Wanting to make it more interesting, he changed a few details here and there. After he told his version, they also began to tell the tale, with other people adding their own changes in turn.


    As such, from a sole madman, the story that there was a ghost that was stationed ahead of the city with the intent to stop them had been born.


    Thorne didn''t bother trying to stop the gossip. Why would he? Let them talk. If it kept morale high, it served its purpose.


    A funny story about a ghost waiting for them in silence seemed to boost the soldiers'' morale well enough.


    After twenty minutes of marching, the land narrowed into a single rocky path through towering mountains¡ªthe only way forward. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Why does it have to be so high up!" Thorne complained. Thankfully, his horse was well trained so it didn''t get scared by the height or by powerful wind, but nevertheless, he regretted bringing horses.


    Everybody knew that if one wished to climb or conquer a mountain, it wasn''t wise to use horses but lizards that were able to climb the mountains with no problem or fear. But sadly, in times of war there wasn''t time to acquire any of these beasts. Not to mention that they would need at least a few Beast Tamers to be able to control them. So they had to do with horses.


    Thorne had complained about this to Hadrik before the campaign began. But Hadrik had dismissed his worries. "It''s just a small city in the mountains," he''d said. "Nothing you can''t handle."


    It was a weird feeling being in charge of a few thousand men, but Thorne had to get used to it.


    "Now that we are nearing the mountain pass, prepare for combat!" Thorne shouted with all his might, making sure that every soldier present would be able to hear him loud and clear.


    Immediately, the atmosphere became much tenser as all of them unsheathed their weapons.


    "Get into formation!" Thorne commanded.


    Their attack formation was as follows: first came those capable of creating shields or protective barriers, positioned at the very front. Directly behind them were the melee fighters¡ªsoldiers skilled in close-quarters combat.


    Then the mages and archers that needed more distance between themselves and the enemy to fight at full potential.


    And finally, Thorne at the rear with the scouts.


    Shouldn''t the leader be at the very front? This was what General Hadrik loved to do. He put himself at the very front, ensuring that he could kill as many enemy soldiers as possible while preventing their losses.


    And the realistic answer was no¡ªat least not for Thorne. First, he was inexperienced, as such he wouldn''t be able to give orders effectively at the front. And second, he wasn''t that good of a fighter. He was more of a thinker, and going at the front was just him tempting fate to die and possibly dooming his small army.


    The scouts stayed close to him, because if the worst came to pass and the army was slaughtered, they¡ªthanks to their skill in horseback riding¡ªwould be able to escape and deliver word that the force had been defeated.


    "Mages, archers¡ªattack the moment you see movement!"


    At a narrow place like this, one could say that they were at a disadvantage. The reason was that in such a place they would not be able to make use of their greater amount of forces. As such, Thorne was preparing them for unleashing all of their power as soon as the enemy was spotted.


    Everyone was ready, so they began to take heavy steps forward, each step that they took echoed in the deadly silent mountain.


    And finally, the massive walls of Drakmire Bastion loomed before them, blocking their path forward unless they could pass through the gates.


    Just like the report, the walls were massive and black, made of jagged stone. A wooden bridge sat across a deep trench¡ªbut it wasn''t lowered. And not a single guard manned the walls.


    Except one.


    A lone figure stood before the gates, clad in white robes, a white mask covering their face.


    As soon as the Crimson Sun Empire saw the person, the scouts noted something that was different.


    "That wasn''t there before!" the girl with pinkish hair spoke.


    She was referring to the small branch that was buried in the ground and the green flames that were slowly burning it.


    ''Is that a ritual? A summoning?'' Thorne wondered.


    The robed figure had seen them too. Slowly, they raised their odachi and pointed it toward Thorne''s army.


    ''I see. They knew that the city would be attacked and fled. This has to be some kind of stupid attempt by a madman to slow us down.''


    "ADVANCE! FIRE!" Thorne shouted, and at his words, the front line began to move. Archers drew, mages readied their spells. And then¡ª


    ROOOAAAAAARRR


    The ground below them trembled from the ear-piercing roar.


    "What the hell was that?!"


    "Fuck, my ears are killing me!"


    The soldiers'' ears felt like they were about to burst by the sheer volume alone.


    They didn''t have much time to complain, however, as a massive shadow suddenly made everything around them darker.


    ''Are there clouds?! There weren''t any clouds a second ago!'' Thorne thought as he gazed at the sky.


    His eyes widened in horror as a massive dragon made entirely of bone had appeared above the city.


    "RETREA¡ª"


    His order was cut short as the dragon let out a devastating green inferno.


    Due to the narrow nature of the mountain pass, the inferno didn''t dissipate but was instead funneled by the towering mountains on either side.


    As a result, the fire was confined, and when it reached the troops, it hit them as if they were right in front of the dragon.


    By instinct, Thorne and the scouts left post as they forced the horses to run away as quickly as possible.


    In the span of a second, it was already known that the fight was lost.


    The silence was gone¡ªreplaced by screams, the scent of burning flesh, as thousands of soldiers burned.


    The dragon, which had just appeared, watched the scene silently before flapping its wings and vanishing from sight once more.


    Not all of the enemy soldiers were dead, however, as some at the front had acted quickly and dropped to the ground, dodging the fire attack by a hair''s breadth.


    As the dragon flew away, they rose, trembling, and looked around at what remained of their comrades¡ªash.


    "What was tha¡ª"


    One man was about to ask until his abdomen was pierced by an odachi.


    With no hesitation, the masked person that had been standing before the walls had moved and began to attack.


    From there on, it was slaughter.

 Chapter 264 - 264: Out On a Hunt

    After witnessing Althea''s dead body, Zaroth didn''t really know how to feel.


    One could say that he was a menace¡ªhe had a dragon and other beasts under his command, he also had a few handy skills.


    He had killed a Demigod and became a champion in the tournament¡­ and yet, just like he had failed to save his mother, he had failed to save Althea.


    Althea reminded him of his mother greatly, so her loss shook him to his core. It was like he had lost his mother for a second time.


    He had failed not once, but twice. How could someone be so powerful and at the same time so incredibly incompetent?


    His feelings were all over the place, so much so that he didn''t even bother to go speak with his friends anymore. He actively avoided them, lost deep in thought. He wanted revenge, yet... how was he supposed to get it?


    But thanks to Elysia, he was now here. He was able to fight the soldiers of the Crimson Sun Empire.


    Sure, he had yet to find and kill Solara, but it was a nice start, and killing them gave him a nice boost of motivation.


    Why had he dressed the way he did though? Zaroth liked to think that because of the tournament he was a bit famous, so he didn''t want people to connect him to who he was now. But truthfully, he just liked acting like someone else. After all, if he wasn''t Zaroth, he didn''t have Zaroth''s problems. Basically, he was running away from them.


    This wasn''t going to continue for a long time, of course, as eventually, he would have to face his feelings head-on. But at least for now, he was going to enjoy the moment to the fullest.


    As he pulled the odachi out of the abdomen of a man, he focused on his next target.


    He might be acting like someone else, but why did he still use Luna? Wasn''t that dangerous?


    The answer was very simple: first, Zaroth honestly at this point in time couldn''t give less of a fuck about global law or whatnot, and second, the whole reason he had bothered with the branch was that if one managed to survive his onslaught, they would think that he had called the dragon, not summoned it.


    It wasn''t forbidden to make pacts with Mythic beasts; it was a crime to tame them. And he had not summon or desummon Luna in plain view so no one could truly accuse him of anything.


    "You fuck!" a few of the soldiers had finally managed to get a hold of themselves as they readied their weapons and surrounded Zaroth.


    Moving his eyes slightly, he quickly counted how many had survived Luna''s fire by ducking, it was ten¡ªmore than he expected.


    Yet rather than feeling nervous, he smiled behind the mask.


    At least he was going to refine his skills with the odachi a bit!


    With that thought, he rained down on the closest enemy.


    This time the person he was attacking wasn''t shocked but prepared. So he managed to block Zaroth''s strike.


    Once he did, the man realized something about the person wearing white robes,


    The attack was weak!


    It wasn''t surprising¡ªfirst, Zaroth didn''t really have much skill with an odachi, at least not when compared to people with over a decade of experience. Second, he was still just eighteen. His body was inferior to that of a man nearly twice his age.


    But if Zaroth lacked the force to win against his opponent, he could always turn the tables in his favor by using his favorite trick¡ª


    More force!


    Just... not the one his opponent expected.


    Opening his left palm, he let out a fireball, catching his enemy off guard.


    And just as the others were about to group up against him, his beasts appeared behind them and began attacking as well.


    He was hiding the fact that he could summon Luna, not his other beasts.


    As such, the ten men that had remained had dropped dead soon after.


    The kill count was as follows,


    Luna was in the lead, but Zaroth didn''t want to bother counting how many burned bodies there were, as they were at least in the thousands.


    Zaroth was in second place with four kills.


    Hellweaver and Silverfang had been tied with two.


    And the four unnamed wolves shared two kills.


    Exhausted, Zaroth sat on the ground as he began to pat Silverfang on the head.


    "This was pretty fun," he admitted. Who knew defending a city alone from a small army could be such a nice experience?


    Not to mention that he practiced using his new odachi in actual combat.


    The old one had been destroyed due to the Demigod, so he was able to get a new one that matched the color of his robes.


    Why had he decided to wear entirely white?


    Because if the need arose and he had to ride upon Luna''s back, there was a good chance that he would be unseen, as the white robes were able to blend with her white bones.


    After he was done playing with Silverfang, he sighed as he desummoned his beasts.


    As the battle was over, he stood up on his two feet and raised his hand high in the sky¡ªa signal that it was okay¡ªand after a few seconds, the bridge began to lower.


    Of course, the battle wasn''t entirely over. There was still one beast who hadn''t had her fun yet.


    With a smile, Zaroth muttered, "You''ve stayed in my soul long enough. Now it''s time you practiced your new powers."


    *****


    As the five scouts, along with Thorne, rode down the mountain, they had numerous thoughts running through their minds.


    "How the hell did this happen? Why did a dragon appear and attack us?!" the girl with pink hair shouted, both in fury and fear.


    "It had to be that bastard! He used some kind of green flame to burn a branch, and the dragon''s flames were green! It must be true¡ªthey made a pact with a dragon!" one of the male scouts yelled back.


    Thorne grit his teeth. In that moment, he was glad that they hadn''t brought more forces¡ªif they had, the death toll would''ve been even more disastrous.


    "As soon as we get back, we will inform the general about this. No¡ªthe whole council must know about it!" Thorne called as he looked back.


    At least he hadn''t lost all of his soldiers, as there were still the four sc¡ª S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Four?! Weren''t there five?!'' Thorne was sure that, apart from himself, there had been five people on horseback. And yet, one was missing. Had he been mistaken, or had they lost one more man?


    He quickly got his answer, however, as a shadow that was almost impossible to spot moved with dazzling speed toward them, ready to devour its next victim.


    "FASTER!" Thorne screamed as he urged his horse forward.


    Following his command, the scouts did the same.


    Unknown to them, what they were seeing was Nightshade¡ªafter her evolution.


    Now that her evolution had finally been completed, she was now of the Epic tier.


    And she was out on a hunt.

 Chapter 265 - 265: The Silent Huntress

    They were high in the mountain; as such, the sun was able to illuminate the surroundings very well.


    It was thanks to this fact that when Thorne turned around, he saw something that couldn''t be explained.


    A shadow was being cast by seemingly nothing. It was moving like it had a mind of its own.


    In no time, Thorne was able to guess that the reason one of his scouts was gone was because of this thing.


    "FASTER!" he commanded as he forced the horse to run as fast as possible.


    The other scouts, seeing the panic in their leader''s voice, didn''t understand the reason but considering that today they had become witness to a ghost calling a dragon over. They dared not ask questions as they mimicked the actions.


    The horses began to grunt and puff as they ran, using everything they had. It was an immense stress. It wasn''t like when one was running in a field; at this moment in time, they were running down a mountain with full force.


    Not only was the ground very uneven, meaning each movement had to be careful¡ªotherwise, one wrong step and the leg of the horse would twist, leaving also their rider falling.


    But also, the speed was insanely high. They moved almost as fast as an arrow, making it hard to control the reins.


    These were elite horses controlled by skilled people.


    And yet¡­


    After a few seconds, Thorne couldn''t help himself but glance back.


    The shadow behind them was still there, and it was getting closer.


    The problem was that it had great advantage over them; after all, a shadow does not have a physical body, so it doesn''t need to worry about going too fast, making it out of control and falling over,


    Nor does it care if the terrain below it is uneven or flat.


    Seeing their leader''s expression as he turned back, one of the male scouts looked behind as well.


    And once he spotted the shadow that was moving toward , he felt tingling sensation in his whole body. The scout had never been so scared before in his life.


    "FASTER!" he shouted as he began to hit the horse repeatedly, trying to make it go faster.


    It worked, as the scout took the lead for a few seconds. But unfortunately for him, forcing the horse to move above its limit on uneven terrain was a bad idea, and finally, the horse made a mistake as one of its legs didn''t manage to position in the right way and slipped.


    The horse fell to the ground, and due to its great speed, its front left leg broke.


    The scout didn''t have it easy, however, as he was thrown to the side and hit his head on one of the rocks, making him bleed. S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "WAIT FOR ME!" he shouted in panic as he attempted to get up. He wasn''t bothered by his bleeding head. What terrified him was that his horse was in no condition to run and just now his companions had passed him.


    There was no way that they were going to stop to help him.


    "WAIT!" he cried again as he tried to get up but was unable as his vision became blurry. The injury on the head was more serious than he thought.


    ''At least it must go after the horse, right?!'' the scout thought as he shifted his gaze to the injured horse on the ground. The animal was closer to the shadow, so surely the shadow would go toward it, right?


    But to his horror, the shadow passed over the horse like it didn''t pay it any mind and headed straight to the men.


    "WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT!" he cried repeatedly as he unsheathed the dagger behind his back. He didn''t want to die!


    He couldn''t do anything, however, as the shadow moved so insanely fast that he¡ªwith his hurt head¡ªcouldn''t react. And the moment the shadow reached him, a sleek, black panther with piercing yellow eyes came out of the shadow, fangs and claws pointed toward him.


    He couldn''t do anything, and a second later, his throat was crushed by the panther''s bite.


    However, the beast was not done.


    Taking the body into the shadows with it, the shadow that was being created by the panther shot forward even faster than before.


    This was the first time Nightshade was using her powers after evolving, and she had only one thought.


    It was so fun! It had been so long since she had gone on a hunt, and it felt so right to chase the scared prey, like she had been meant to do this all her life.


    Even if it was a bad thought, Thorne felt glad for a second¡ªone of his scouts as well as his horse had fallen, so he must keep the shadow busy, right?


    Whatever was chasing them would surely have already satisfied its hunger with the two men it had killed, right?!


    Sadly for Thorne, he didn''t know that not every beast hunts for food¡ªsome hunt just for the sport.


    Thorne''s hopes were quickly dashed when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw another scout and his horse collapse to the ground¡ªjust as a black panther appeared above them.


    Thorne started to get goosebumps all over his body.


    Whatever was chasing them wasn''t planning to let them go.


    He was going to die today.


    "SIR!"


    Hearing a woman''s voice, Thorne gazed at the girl with pinkish hair.


    "We are just soldiers, but you are the right-hand man of General Hadrik. We can''t leave you to die here!" As she spoke these words, she gazed at the remaining scouts.


    All of them had scared expressions, but knew what needed to be done. So they closed their eyes, taking deep breaths, making peace with their decision.


    And then abruptly changed their course.


    Whatever was hunting them would surely charge at the bigger group if the one that it was hunting split up, right?


    That was the plan of the girl with pinkish hair, and all Thorne could do was clench his teeth in frustration.


    His entire army had been eradicated under his command, leaving him the only survivor.


    "I will kill you. Whatever you are, I will kill you!" he shouted with pure rage as he galloped down the mountain. In that moment, he vowed to do whatever it took to destroy the one responsible for all of this¡ªthe figure cloaked in white robes, who had the power to summon a dragon.


    *****


    Standing with crossed legs one over the other, Zaroth was waiting patiently.


    ''I think she is done,'' he thought as he opened his eyes.


    He desummoned Nightshade and then summoned her next to him.


    She was now of the Epic tier. Not only that, but once she had evolved a few days back, the system had informed him that she wasn''t a Nightclaw Panther anymore. Apparently, she was now a Shadow Panther.


    "So how did it go?" he asked, gazing at the beautifully sleek panther.


    Due to personal reasons, Zaroth hadn''t done much in the days between Althea''s death and his arrival here. The only thing he knew had changed about Nightshade was that she now had the ability to become a shadow, allowing her to move faster and more stealthily than before.


    Her ears twitched, and a low, satisfied growl came out from her throat, as if pleased with herself.


    Then she showed a power that made Zaroth''s eyes widen in surprise.

 Chapter 266 - 266: Shadow Storage

    In Zaroth''s mind, Nightshade''s new power was a great boon. It would allow her to become the perfect assassin if the need arose. Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He tried to think of a better power for quickly and stealthily killing people, but none came to mind.


    A shadow would be able to easily hide, and when the time to attack came¡ªif she was attacking during the night¡ªno one would see her due to her black fur that allowed her to hide in the darkness perfectly.


    But now he was realizing that to her powers there was something else¡­ something that would benefit him tremendously.


    Nightshade became shadow, and after a second came out, but she was not alone¡ªas in her mouth there was a corpse of a slain man with a crushed throat.


    Then she entered her shadow again only to come out with another corpse.


    By the end, five corpses lay on the floor before him.


    He was able to conclude that one had managed to get away, but that didn''t matter, as something much more important had caught his attention.


    "You¡­" he spoke as he took steps toward Nightshade,


    "You can store things in your shadow?!" he asked in disbelief.


    Wanting to test it, he gave her his odachi, and she in turn sensed what her master wanted and took the weapon in her mouth, only to turn into shadow and came out without the weapon.


    Then a second later she entered¡ªbecame a shadow again¡ªwith the weapon in her mouth.


    At the sight, Zaroth couldn''t help himself as he put his two hands under Nightshade''s front legs and lifted her up like a cat.


    It looked a bit ridiculous as she was almost as tall as him and weighed a lot, but that didn''t concern him at the moment. He was looking at his beast with sparkling eyes.


    "Storage!" he proclaimed as his lips curled into a wide smile. He had left the white demon mask on the bed, so Nightshade was able to see her master''s expression, which made her happy, and she didn''t hurry him to put her down.


    At this moment, Zaroth''s mind was going into overdrive.


    There had been so many things that bothered him, and Nightshade had just fixed the majority of them.


    What would happen if he wanted to go into the enemy empire to fight nonstop or go into the ocean with the intention to reach the other contestants? He would need food, clean water, spare clothes, and weapons, as well as other utensils.


    Sadly, he couldn''t just carry everything with himself as it would prove too troublesome¡­


    But now that wasn''t the case, as it turned out Nightshade''s new ability was not only perfect for ambush and assassin attacks, but also gave him storage.


    How much could she store? Could she store living beings as well? If she put something hot like food in her shadow, would it come out hot or would it have been cooled down?


    There were still a lot of things that needed to be confirmed, but at the moment that didn''t really matter as Zaroth was just too happy about his discovery.


    Eventually, he put the panther down as he began to play with her smooth and silky fur.


    ''I want in too,'' Luna commented in his mind.


    Zaroth sighed as he summoned Luna in the room as well, and once she appeared began to play with the panther. It seemed that she really liked cats, even more than Zaroth.


    As he looked at both of them, his mind was still going into overdrive.


    ''She has unlocked something so powerful after reaching the Epic tier. Would the same happen with Hellweaver once the spider evolves? If I managed to make Silverfang evolve again, would it have the same effect?''


    At the thought, Zaroth was overjoyed. There was so much potential to grow even stronger!


    He gazed at the five bodies that still lay on the floor.


    Looking at them, Zaroth noted that they had been killed pretty fast, as they didn''t bear many wounds¡ªjust one or two fatal ones. That either meant that Nightshade was strong enough to overpower them easily, or that these soldiers were weak to begin with.


    Before he realized it, there was a wide twisted smile on his face as he looked at their bodies.


    He didn''t even realize it himself, but just looking at the dead bodies of these soliders of the Crimson Sun Empire filled him with undeniable joy.


    He couldn''t stay in his room forever, so he eventually had to order Nightshade to hide the bodies in her shadow. With a sigh, he put the white demonic mask back on his face as he stepped out.


    Now that he had a bit of time, he was going to look around Drakmire Bastion. After all, he was the reason that the city was still standing, as he had protected it single-handedly. As such, he wanted to see what he was protecting to begin with.


    *****


    "Let''s see," Midnight muttered as she gazed at the human that was chained to the wall.


    This was the last person that had been locked here, providing Midnight with a food source.


    But rather than drinking his blood, she wanted to try something.


    Placing her hand on his chin, she forced him to gaze into her eyes.


    As she did, her eyes began to shine a more intense crimson¡ªbut she wasn''t alone, as unusually, the man''s eyes began to glow the same color as well.


    "Stop breathing," she spoke. Her voice was cold and emotionless, and at that moment the man felt like he was speaking to a being that was several times stronger than himself.


    So with no choice, his mouth closed and his nose stopped breathing the air in and out.


    A few seconds passed. The heart of the man began to speed up significantly.


    Dozens of seconds passed, and his body began to shiver slightly. He was beginning to desperately need air.


    But he wasn''t able to breathe, he had been commanded by a power several times stronger than himself, so he did not have a choice but to obey the command.


    About a minute passed. The man''s vision had become blurry, there was foam coming out of the corner of his mouth, his eyes had begun to tear up, and his face became redder and redder. His heartbeat grew faster and faster.


    His body was shivering intensely.


    He desperately needed to breathe now! If he didn''t, he would die!


    But in the end, he couldn''t¡ªand finally, after another minute passed, his heart stopped beating and his eyes became hollow¡ªhe had died.


    Looking at the man, Midnight made sure that he had died.


    "I see¡­ more or less, I get how these powers work," she concluded as she quickly had her fill with the man''s blood.


    She wasn''t hungry now as she had just had her fill, but looking around, she was alone¡ªas now all of the food sources had been used up.


    "I guess I can go see Zaroth again. Now that I think about it, I haven''t seen him since my evolution¡­ Wait, where is he?" she muttered, scratching her chin in thought.


    "Well, I guess I will ask Elysia. She must surely know where he is."

 Chapter 267 - 267: Draconian Empire Council

    "With this, let the meeting begin," Elysia said loudly and clearly, ensuring that everyone in the room could hear her.


    She now sat in a chair at a large circular table.


    Of course, she wasn''t alone¡ªshe was joined by the heads of the major families. Today, they had gathered to discuss how the empire would move forward.


    Of the ten chairs around the table, three remained empty.


    The first, the largest, belonged to the emperor. Elysia had already explained what had happened¡ªthat most of the destruction in the capital had been caused by him.


    Though the story seemed unbelievable, those present had no choice but to accept Elysia''s words.


    The second empty seat belonged to the White Fang clan. Alexander had been its head, but during the attack on the castle, he and his entire family had tragically perished¡ªleaving Zack as the sole heir. But he was still too young and inexperienced, so Elysia had taken command of the army under the clan''s name. Zack trusted her judgment.


    The third seat had been vacant for a long time. It had once belonged to the head of Clan Morvain. But he and his family had died years ago, and with no leader to guide it, the clan eventually dissolved¡ªits people scattering to join other factions.


    However, during the castle''s attack, a forgotten truth surfaced: the head of Clan Morvain had a child, Lily. While it had been known that he had an heir, for reasons unknown, everyone seemed to have forgotten she even existed.


    Regardless, it was too late now. The clan was gone, and Lily, like Zack, was too inexperienced. Reviving her clan was impossible¡ªat least for the time being.


    That left only seven people at the table.


    Elysia, the chairwoman of the empire''s most prestigious academy and, most likely, the strongest individual in the room.


    Then next to her was Serenya, the head of Ironflame. She was a powerful woman that had a large amount of forces under her command. One could say that the forces under her command were the strongest¡ªif one didn''t count the ones under the royal family.


    Clan Dreadhorn was led by Varik, a tall man and the broadest among them. His family had strong ties to beasts and was largely responsible for the creation of the illegal beast-fighting arenas. The fact that they refused to pay taxes to the emperor¡ªforcing him to hide those arenas¡ªmade it clear that Varik held little respect for the royal family.


    Across from him sat Delira, the smallest among them, barely a meter and a half tall. Despite her cute appearance, her temper was anything but.


    The oldest one among them was no doubt Ezzan. He was the head of Clan Thornmane. He was the one that was the most loyal to the royal family, even if he didn''t bother to show himself in public.


    He was the kind of man that held a grudge for a long time and was never willing to see the other side.


    On the other hand, Bragan was the youngest one of them here. He was the head of Clan Tyronex. Due to his relatively young age, he was easy to agitate.


    Lastly, there was Tyran, head of the Silkenfang. His army ranked just below Serenya''s in strength. In his mid-sixties, he was also Althea''s father¡ªthe man who had effectively sold her to the emperor.


    It was safe to say that Elysia hated his guts, but she couldn''t do anything about him¡ªat least not at the moment, considering the dire state the empire was in.


    "Our first priority is clear," Ezzan spoke, gazing at the people present. Moving the cane that he usually used to walk with, he pointed towards the empty seat of the emperor.


    "We must find an heir to take the role. In dire settings like this, we need a leader that can make decisions without wasting time."


    "This is where the problem comes in." Serenya gazed at the old man. "The emperor is dead, along with all of the queens and their children. The only one that is known alive is Sofia, but she has just recently finished attending academy. She''s nowhere near ready to lead the empire."


    "What does age have to do with anything?!" Bragan snapped. "If someone is right for the job, then they should be chosen¡ªregardless of other factors!" S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "And this could only be said by a person that lacks experience as well!" Delira roared, meeting his gaze. "Just because you got lucky and inherited the position at an early age does not mean that you have enough experience to get the job done! Putting Sofia in charge at the moment is the same as dragging the empire to the ground."


    Bragan was about to retort, but Varik stopped him. "I do not believe this is our priority at the moment," he spoke as his voice carried around the room.


    "Choosing an heir for the throne is a long and tedious task, and we don''t have the time for it. I believe that we must focus our attention on the invasion that is currently taking place."


    "I agree," Tyran nodded. "And with the death toll caused by the former emperor, I doubt the people are in any mood to accept a new leader¡ªat least, not right now."


    "This is where you are wrong!" Ezzan fired back. "At times like this, the people need a leader to lead them! To show them that there is hope!"


    Bragan nodded at the old man''s words.


    Before the room could descend into chaos, Elysia silenced them. "Three hundred thousand dead. That is how many people have been killed by the emperor''s actions. As more missing people are declared dead, the number continues to rise. And that doesn''t include those lost to the war."


    Elysia looked each of them in the eyes. "I don''t care if you hate each other. I don''t care if you believe in different things. What I won''t allow is for any of you to sit here and argue like children while millions of lives are being destroyed."


    At her words, heavy silence befell the room.


    "She is right," Varik agreed. "Our first priority now is to stop our casualties as much as possible. As such, I have a suggestion."


    Everyone turned their attention to him, waiting in silence. "First, all academies will cut the upper years. The highest year will now be third-year students. We''ll intensify their training in war and tactics while instilling propaganda that fuels their desire to protect their home¡ªtheir empire¡ªeven if it costs them their lives."


    He quickly added, "Of course, we are not just going to send people that have just graduated to war with no promise of rewards. Everyone would be rewarded handsomely."


    "I disagree," Tyran began. "I am not against making the students soldiers and all, but from where are we going to get the resources to reward them? It''s not like we are currently doing great economically."


    Ezzan''s face lit up with realization. "I see!" he said with a grin. "We don''t need to worry about rewarding them right away. We''re at war. The rewards can come after. And by then, most who fought will be dead¡ªso there won''t be many left to reward!"


    Elysia clearly didn''t like where this conversation was headed¡ªbut she didn''t have much room to argue.


    Before anyone could respond, a soldier burst into the room.


    "The Graveborn Empire has joined the war on the side of the Crimson Sun Empire! We''re being attacked by both of them¡ªsimultaneously!"


    At the words, everyone in the room grimaced. The one thing that they didn''t want to happen had happened¡ªtheir other neighboring empire had decided to attack them as well.

 Chapter 268 - 268: Tough Decision

    At the start of the meeting, Elysia thought that the mood couldn''t get any worse, but sadly she had been proven wrong.


    Their situation had spiraled from bad to worse, then from worse to outright tragic in just a few days.


    First came the devastating death toll in the capital. Then the Crimson Sun Empire seized the moment to launch an attack, and soon after, the Graveborn Empire joined the war against them.


    It was, quite possibly, the worst outcome imaginable.


    A few minutes of heavy silence passed in the room after the soldier delivered the grim report and left.


    The reality of the situation was still sinking in. Before, they had been fighting a war that was difficult¡ªbut winnable. There had been hope.


    Now¡­ it was a losing battle.


    "I admit," Ezzan spoke up, breaking the silence, "I''m the oldest among you. Some of you may doubt my judgment from time to time¡ªand rightly so. But there''s one thing I know with absolute certainty. I love this empire. I love our home. And I would rather see myself and my men die defending it than surrender and live as slaves or await execution"


    Was the old man getting sentimental because of his pride? He was an old man after all, and he didn''t really have that much longer to live, so some might take it as he was ready to die knowing that he didn''t have much time to live anyway.


    "I agree with you." Bragan joined in, destroying any kind of doubt. He was the youngest at the table, with many years ahead of him¡ªbut it seemed he, too, would rather die standing than kneel in surrender.


    "Why are you talking as if there was a chance in giving up in the first place?" Varik asked. "We are here for our people even if we disagree on some things, and even if we do some questionable things, that does not change the fact that all of us are here because we want what is best for the empire."


    "This changes nothing." Elysia spoke up. "The state we''re in¡ªthe emperor dead, our forces fractured¡ªit was only a matter of time before our enemies took the opportunity to strike."


    Without a word, Serenya rose and unfurled a large, detailed map across the war table. It depicted the entirety of the Draconian Empire¡ªits borders with the Crimson Sun and Graveborn Empires, its cities, strongholds, and supply routes. Even enemy territory was mapped out in surprising detail.


    To possess a map this accurate¡ªone showing both their lands and the enemy''s known positions¡ªwould have cost a fortune and taken years of intelligence gathering.


    There was no need to lift the mood now. The war council began.


    "This area is crucial." Varik spoke as he pointed at a certain mountain range that made about a third of the border with the Crimson Sun Empire.


    "The only way to move past these mountains and attack the cities after it is to go past our city Drakmire Bastion. It would be our number one priority to keep that city standing. I suggest we relocate all the civilians there and shelter them in the neighboring cities, and replace them with as many soldiers as the city could hold. I even suggest that we send one of the people standing in this room here, for extra support."


    "The neighboring citizens would suffer due to the massive reduction in the ores that they would receive, and we will use a considerably large force of our limited resources, but this is in our best interest."


    It seemed that all of the people present agreed, that was until Elysia spoke up.


    "That will not be necessary," she reassured.


    Everyone looked at her in confusion. She didn''t pay any attention to their stares as she continued.


    "All the forces stationed there have been moved and the civilians will stay. They''ll continue working, producing weapons and processing ore."


    "And why is that, pray tell?" Tyran asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "Because I''ve already sent someone," Elysia said. "A man I trust. I believe he''ll hold that position, no matter what comes."


    "Wait¡ªone man?!" Tyran raised his voice as he asked the question.


    "If you are vouching for him that is good, but why would you think that a single man would be able to hold a whole city by himself? As the war rages on, the Crimson Sun Empire would get more and more impatient and would sooner or later start to send their main forces. Maybe even they would send one or more members of their war council. How can you guarantee that the city would hold?"


    Elysia gazed at Tyran''s eyes unfazed. On a personal level, she might hate him, but the truth was that he brought valid points from time to time, like this instance¡­ It''s just that he didn''t know about the true strength of the person that had been sent there.


    "You remember," she said, "when I told you that the only reason I was able to kill the Demigod was because someone helped me? That without him, it would''ve been impossible?"


    She paused, letting the silence settle.


    "That man is now at Drakmire. I trust his abilities. Have faith."


    Tyran went quiet. If what she said was true¡­ then perhaps that city really would stand.


    "In that case," Delira spoke up, standing on her toes to point at another part of the map, "I have a suggestion for where to reposition our forces next."


    The talk continued for many hours, and by the end, they had come to an agreement.


    The Draconian Empire would shrink. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    They had too much land, making it hard to defend with their soldiers. As such, some of the cities would be abandoned, a large-scale evacuation would begin, moving the borders deeper into the empire.


    It was a tough decision, but it had to be made. While during the evacuation many would die, this would create time for the soldiers that had been stationed at the newly created borders to solidify their defenses, giving them a better fighting chance.


    At the end, about twenty percent of their land would be lost, but it wasn''t all that bad considering that most of it was empty, unusable land.


    So, as such, all of the cities that were near the borders would be abandoned, leaving them for the enemy to take¡ªall with but a single exception.


    Drakmire Bastion.


    The city now under the protection of Zaroth.


    *****


    Sitting on the roof of the tallest building she could find, the jade beauty took the view as her beautiful grey hair danced in the wind.


    She took a deep breath of the fresh air. There were hundreds of dead bodies on the ground below her, but Silver had killed the civilians and the few stationed guards so fast that the smell of blood had yet to reach her altitude.


    "I was expecting more resistance," Silver muttered as she stood upon her two legs.


    If anyone was watching her from the side¡ªno matter if man or woman¡ªthey would have been mesmerized by the sight in front of their eyes.


    Sadly for them, Silver had been thorough in making sure that the small city was obliterated before taking a few seconds to rest.


    Silently, she jumped from the roof, landing on the ground without making any kind of noise.


    "Well, I was planning to stop here, but seeing that there was so little resistance, then I guess it wouldn''t hurt to get a bit deeper, would it?" she spoke to herself as she shot forward.


    She was going deeper into the Draconian Empire territory.

 Chapter 269 - 269: A Town Left Behind

    The sky was clear, there were little to no clouds in the sky. The temperature was comfortable, not too hot making you wish you wore no clothes, nor was it so cold that you had to wear a jacket so you don''t freeze to death.


    There was barely any wind either, not enough to cause a potential problem. In other words, the weather was perfect.


    The kind of day that could lift anyone''s mood with just a short walk outside, breathing in the fresh air.


    Yet to David, that didn''t apply. He wasn''t feeling energized nor hopeful, strangely enough he wasn''t angry or sad either.


    He just felt hollow¡­ maybe a bit more tired than normal but that wasn''t something that was unexpected.


    After all, he had just returned to his hometown and buried his sister next to their parents.


    "I have to admit I am pleasantly surprised when I saw you. How much you sobbed over her dead body, I feared that you would have become so depressed that you would not want to move," the Spectral Warden spoke, as usual trying to irritate David, but it didn''t seem to be working so it pressed on.


    "You have to be happy in a way, you know? All your sister was doing was holding you back. You could have gone wherever you wanted with your powers and few would have been able to stop you if they wanted. Yet you didn''t, because of your useless sister."


    David''s shoulders trembled for a second, but other than that he didn''t show much of a reaction.


    "Man, you must be feeling pretty good right now, right? Sure, it must have stung a little losing your sister after looking after her for so long, but now with her gone¡ªand the same with your parents¡ªyou can do whatever you want to. Even if you don''t want to admit it, the fact is the world would continue without them."


    "As time passes, they would slowly fade out of your memory, as they won''t be a priority anymore. First, you will forget their voices, then their faces, their names, and eventually you will forget that they ever existed at all."


    "FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, SHUT THE FUCK UP!" David roared with all his might. The shout was so strong that it echoed in the surrounding few kilometers by his sheer rage.


    "HAHAHAHA!" The Spectral Warden began to laugh in a low, menacing volume. After the death of his sister, the thing hadn''t been able to make him display any kind of emotion¡ªbut finally, it had succeeded.


    "You might think that I am lying, but I am not! Tell me, David, do you remember how your parents looked like? I doubt you do, aren''t I right? At best there is a weak silhouette that is too hard to make out, since it has been so long since you''ve seen them. The same will happen with your sister!" the Spectral Warden continued to mock, seeing David get more and more angry.


    "You fucking leech! No matter if you give me powers, the only reason you are alive is because I am, you fucking parasite!" David shouted, his voice still filled with pure rage.


    Hearing the insult, the Spectral Warden''s laughter began to die down a little.


    At the end, both of them stared silently at one another.


    That was until a noise broke David out of his rage.


    Gawk! Gawk!


    Shifting his gaze to the sky, David saw a massive flock of birds. Usually it would not be larger than a few dozens, but at the moment he was looking at about a thousands of birds flying over the town, moving past it. They were so many that the sunrays began to dim a little from their sheer quantity alone.


    "I don''t have time to waste with this fucker," David muttered as he threw one more glance at the three graves.


    ''When I die, would somebody bury me next to them?'' he asked himself, though he of course knew that this would never happen.


    If he died, he would most likely be left to rot on the streets or battlefield, that he died on, as he didn''t really have anybody that would do him the favor to bury him here. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Maybe Zaroth?'' David asked himself. Zaroth was most likely the closest thing that he had to a friend¡ªnot that the two were that close.


    "I wouldn''t mind seeing him. We have yet to fight again, after all," David admitted to himself as he continued walking forward.


    Usually, he would be careful when speaking to the Spectral Warden not to shout too much, as he didn''t really like to seem like a mentally unstable person, but today¡ªhere¡ªthere was no need.


    After all, David''s hometown had been abandoned.


    Due to the war, the border of the Draconian Empire moving deeper into the empire meant that small towns like this, close to the border with the Crimson Sun Empire, would be abandoned.


    It felt a bit weird. David had walked on these streets so many times, yet this was the first time he had seen them so empty, so devoid of life. Everybody¡ªcivilians and soldiers¡ªhad long left, leaving him the only one here.


    ¡­if one didn''t count the Spectral Warden behind David.


    Thanks to the fact that the town was quite small, David didn''t take much time to reach the walls. It was harder to find the entrance to enter them, and once he did, he ascended the stairs going higher and higher.


    Eventually, he reached the top. The wall wasn''t very tall; a town like this didn''t need serious defenses.


    For a moment David chuckled. He remembered that time Althea had come to his town to fix the water issue.


    Due to the fact that there was no clean natural source of water nearby, it had to be moved by using magical tools. But after some time they stopped. The reason was that the officials of the town were corrupted and didn''t maintain them, as it didn''t benefit them that much.


    But thanks to Althea, the issue had been fixed.


    "Althea¡­" David muttered her name. He had been informed of her death¡ªand that it was most likely Solara, the princess of the Crimson Sun Empire, who had killed her.


    Even if they hadn''t spoken a word to each other, David felt pain as he didn''t manage to repay her for saving his town.


    "I just hope that she found peace of mind before dying. She lived a hard life enough as it is, so she deserved this much at least."


    Praying that this was the case, David turned around.


    Behind him was his hometown¡ªthe place where he and his sister had grown up, the place where his entire family had been buried.


    And before him stood an army of the Crimson Sun Empire. Thanks to the altitude, David was able to see them coming in closer easily.


    "About a thousand men," he counted them one by one. It was a small force for taking a whole town, but they must have been informed that the border of their enemy had been moved, and as such they most likely didn''t expect much resistance.


    "This is the last thing that''s stopping you from greatness," the Spectral Warden spoke. "Rather than wasting your time and risking your life protecting this place, you can just go explore and grow stronger! This is why I dislike humans¡ªyou get attached to meaningless things too easily."


    "Fighting against an army would make me stronger, would it not?" David, now calmed down, wasn''t going to be swayed by the words of the fucker behind him.


    "Plus, I have lost too much. This is the only thing I have¡ªthe place where I have grown up. How could I give it up like that?"


    The Spectral Warden only sighed in disappointment. It seemed that David wasn''t planning to change his mind.


    What David was saying was the truth, but there was also another reason. The fact that the Crimson Sun Empire was the cause of Althea''s death meant that there was a hidden desire in him to cause them as much trouble as possible.


    He wanted to make them bleed.


    To make them pay.


    "Well." Clapping his hands together, he stood upon his two feet. "Maybe the empire has given up on this town, but I have not. So if they wish to take it from me, they would have a hard time."


    From now on, this town would be a thorn to the Crimson Sun Empire''s side.

 Chapter 270 - 270: Long Time No See

    After so long, it felt¡­ weird.


    Zack was finally back in his home, the mansion that was meant to be his.


    But he hadn''t earned it easily. While he might have killed his uncle, the rest of the family was still a threat.


    Zack wasn''t sure if he could face them¡ªone by one, or all together¡ªbut it seemed he didn''t have to worry about that.


    "You look nervous," Grace pointed out as she threw a glance at him.


    He smiled politely, "No, I am fine," he replied.


    Both of them were waiting for somebody, so they sat on the sofa, and Zack, taking the chance, started thinking about the past few days.


    The fight against his uncle''s family had been easier once Grace joined in. But she wasn''t the only one¡ªRoran and Lily had helped as well.


    They had quickly managed to get rid of the leftover family, making Zack the head of the White Fang Clan.


    It had all happened so fast, in just a day or two, that Zack was still struggling to process the fact that he didn''t need to worry about them anymore.


    Of course, killing all of them was a big deal, and Elysia had come to learn of what they were doing, but in the end, she decided not to do anything. It seemed that she had no problem with it.


    At the time, Zack had been grateful to Zaroth for introducing him to her. Without that, none of this would have been possible. S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Zaroth¡­'' Thinking about the man, Zack couldn''t help but feel worried. After the destruction of the castle, Zaroth hadn''t shown himself to them even once.


    They, of course, knew the reason¡ªAlthea had been killed, not by anybody, but by the Solara, no less, the princess of their enemy.


    They knew how much Zaroth talked about the Queen and how clearly he loved her, so her loss must have scarred him greatly.


    Zack had hoped Zaroth would just be depressed for a few days or weeks, but eventually, he''d come out of his apartment and start hanging out with them again.


    They would head to the bar, as usual, drinking themselves senseless to forget all their problems until the next day.


    But Zack had a feeling that it wouldn''t be that easy.


    ''I just hope that he isn''t doing anything stupid¡­'' he thought to himself.


    His train of thought was interrupted as a man knocked on the door.


    Stepping inside was Sebastian, the butler of the head of the clan. The man was no longer serving Alexander but Zack instead.


    Even if they didn''t start off on the best start, Zack had faith in the man''s abilities, so he didn''t fire him.


    Bowing to his new leader, Sebastian spoke, "Elysia has come, alongside Roran and Lily."


    "Let them enter." Zack spoke, and Sebastian nodded as he went to open the door for them.


    Now they were going to discuss how to utilize the troops of the White Fang. Zack didn''t have much experience in military strategy, so he was going to learn from Elysia herself.


    And Lily was coming as she was, technically, now the sole heir of the Clan Morvain. Thanks to Shifter, she had been able to alter the memories of those who knew this fact, but now, with the emperor dead, there was no need to keep this fact hidden.


    And Roran was here because he was her one and only knight.


    Zack chuckled as he thought about them. They were hiding something, after all. Of course, didn''t blame them.


    ''Now that I think about it, I can ask Elysia if she knows what Zaroth is doing.'' He noted that he would ask her later.


    Shortly after, the door opened, and Elysia walked in, Lily not too far behind, and Roran next to her.


    "Nice to meet you," Lily threw a friendly smile to Grace.


    "Likewise," Grace returned the gesture.


    Roran silently nodded at Zack, and he returned the gesture.


    Soon after, the five of them were looking over the large map that Elysia had spread over the table.


    After the Draconian Empire Council had come to decide on how to use the troops, Elysia had come to explain to them why they were being dispersed in such a way.


    She was teaching them personally, hoping to prepare them to lead their clans in the future.


    Zack had a considerable force, so it was important that he learned how to manage his people effectively.


    Lily''s clan had been scattered long ago, but Elysia hoped she would eventually restore its former glory.


    "I see," Zack spoke as he rubbed his chin.


    From time to time, they asked why they had chosen to protect one town over another.


    Elysia, being a teacher and all, didn''t have a problem explaining. "This one is too far from any kind of natural water sources, as such, it is not that valuable and will just cost us too much to maintain it."


    She pointed to another town on the map. "But this one has access to a large deposit of metal, which will be invaluable when we start crafting more weapons for the soldiers."


    Her explanation was quick but well thought out, and the people present didn''t have a hard time understanding it.


    "This is pretty much how we have divided the forces and why," Elysia had finished her explanation.


    "Wait." Zack spoke as he pointed at one city that seemed to be of great importance.


    "Why didn''t you mention this one? Shouldn''t it be our number one priority?"


    He was pointing directly at Drakmire Bastion.


    Elysia raised an eyebrow. ''Has Zaroth not even told his closest friends that he''s going there? He must be much more devastated than I originally thought.''


    Before Elysia could speak, however, Sebastian walked in the room again.


    "Apologies for interrupting, my lord," he spoke with a bow. "But there is a person who wishes to enter and speak to Elysia. She said her name was Midnight."


    ''Midnight, huh? Now that I think about it, after the attack on the castle, I haven''t seen her in quite some time,'' Zack thought.


    "Sure, tell her to enter."


    Sebastian nodded and quickly left the room.


    Lily and Roran exchanged a concerned look, and Zack immediately realized his mistake.


    Grace was in the room! And they had yet to tell her that Zaroth''s girlfriend was a vampire!


    It was too late, however, as she entered the room.


    All of them held their breath for a moment. They had seen Midnight before, but now she looked¡­ different.


    She was taller¡ªnow about the same height as Elysia. Her eyes seemed sharper, more dangerous, and her hair had grown longer.


    Not to mention that the aura she was giving off at the moment was almost as terrifying as Elysia''s, if not equal.


    ''What the hell happened to her? Did she evolve or something?!'' Zack, Roran, and Lily had the same thought.


    Grace, meanwhile, was looking at the woman, confused. Why was everyone so silent? Sure, Midnight felt powerful, but was that reason enough to cause such a fuss?


    While Elysia studied Midnight calmly, her expression unreadable.


    Before anybody could speak, a friendly smile appeared on Midnight''s face as she clapped her two hands together.


    "Hey, long time no see! By the way, does anyone happen to know where Zaroth is right now?"

 Chapter 271 - 271: Where is Zaroth?

    "Is he not at his apartment right now?" Ronan asked with a raised eyebrow.


    They genuinely thought he had just locked himself in his apartment and didn''t want to come out.


    "No, he isn''t, and he also isn''t answering my messages," Midnight replied.


    "Then maybe he''s in trouble and just hasn''t been able to tell us?" Zack said as he massaged his forehead.


    Seeing the way the conversation was going, Elysia wondered,


    ''Should I tell them? Zaroth hasn''t told them¡ªmaybe he doesn''t want them to know¡­ but there is also a pretty good chance that he didn''t think that somebody would be concerned about him. That time I saw him, he looked a little out of it¡­''


    Now the question was, was this supposed to be a secret, or had Zaroth simply not thought things through?


    In the end, Elysia made her choice. With a soft sigh, she spoke.


    "He is here." All of the people present followed her finger that was pointing at Drakmire Bastion.


    "What do you mean he is there?" Zack asked with a frown.


    Just a few minutes ago, they had discussed how some cities would be targeted more than others¡ªand this one was expected to be the most heavily attacked.


    "I mean that he is there. After he learned that we were being attacked by the Crimson Sun Empire, he insisted that I put him on the frontline where we were expecting the most trouble."


    "And you just let him go like that?" Lily asked, shocked.


    "If this is his decision, then so be it. Not to mention that I told you what happened with Draconis, and the reason that I was able to defeat the Demigod was because of Zaroth¡ªso he is going to be fine."


    "That does not mean I am not worried though," Roran spoke up. "I want to go there and talk some sense into him."


    "Even if we don''t like his decision, it was still his choice, is it not? Maybe he just wants to be alone for some time. I am sure that eventually he is going to come back¡­ and honestly, him being there is incredibly important," Elysia replied.


    Zack wanted to go too, but it wasn''t the smartest move. He had only just become the head of the White Fang clan, and throwing himself into the middle of a battlefield wouldn''t be wise.


    Even if Lily''s clan was more or less dispersed and she no longer needed to keep up appearances, it would still be a bad idea for her to go as well.


    "I am going to be honest," Midnight spoke up, making everybody glance in her direction.


    "If he is there alone, that is because he wants to be. Going there would be an insult to him and to his wishes¡ªnot to mention that if you do go there, are you strong enough to force him to come back or to help him?"


    Zack and Roran clenched their jaws but knew that she was telling the truth. After all, when they fought against Alexander, the outcome of the fight was going to end in their loss if Grace hadn''t joined and helped them.


    "Better leave him some time to think, I say," Grace advised.


    "Well, thanks for telling me where he is. I''m heading out," Midnight spoke as she turned around.


    "Wait!" Lily called. "Didn''t you just say going there would be an insult to him?"


    "Yes, that is true," Midnight replied with a mischievous smile on her face. "But I am his girlfriend, so I am sure that he will not mind that much."


    For a brief moment, she glanced at Elysia when she said girlfriend, searching for a reaction. But Elysia showed none.


    ''Hmm¡­ maybe she doesn''t mind sharing him?'' Midnight thought as she exited.


    Zack let out a sigh of relief. At least now they knew where Zaroth was, and that Midnight was going there.


    Not to mention¡­ no one brought up the fact that Midnight was a vampire.


    "I have a request," Lily spoke as she gazed at Elysia.


    "What Midnight said was true. We still lack strength, so would it be possible to spare an hour or two a day to train us? Even if we aren''t in the academy at the moment, we would still benefit from it greatly."


    Elysia studied Lily, as well as Roran and Zack, and surprisingly, Grace was willing to go as well. sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    After a few seconds of consideration, she released a sigh, "Fine."


    *****


    It would have been great if Midnight could have taken the teleporter runes, but sadly, they were being used too much due to the war¡ªso that meant that she would rather go on her own.


    After walking far away from the capital and making sure that there wasn''t anyone nearby, she summoned her black wings behind her back and soared high in the sky, disappearing into the clouds.


    Her altitude was high enough to allow her to remain unseen.


    Feeling the power in her wings, she flapped them with tremendous force and shot forward. The speed she was capable of flying now was about three times faster than before.


    "Now, considering the distance, it will take me about three to four days to get there if I don''t stop."


    There were a few reasons as to why Midnight was so eager to go to Zaroth now. First, her source of food had run out, and while she could have begun to slaughter civilians, she preferred to not get the innocents mixed in.


    Second, she had evolved and grown stronger, but she still didn''t have a solid grasp of her vampire powers. There hadn''t been much time to learn how to use them properly back on the demon continent¡ªher home¡ªsince most of her days were spent running for her life.


    Everything she knew, she had learned on her own¡ªthrough trial, error, and survival.


    Sure, when her grandma was alive, she had trained with her¡ªbut sadly, even if the woman was strong, she was a horrible teacher, and Midnight was too young to understand anything at the time.


    Now, things were different. She was stronger, more aware. She was confident she could even teach Zaroth a thing or two about demonic skills.


    And lastly, she really wanted to see him. It had been too long since they''d spent a night together. She was looking forward to that most of all.


    "Now I just hope that he stays there and doesn''t go to another secluded place," she muttered under her breath.

 Chapter 272 - 272: Pleasant Surprise

    There was a reason why Zaroth went straight to the room he had been provided with after the fight with the army.


    Luna flames had turned most of the soldiers that had come to attack to ash, and as such, the air was pretty hard to breathe for some time.


    Now, thanks to the strong mountain winds, the ash had mostly cleared. That, at least, wouldn''t be bothering him anymore.


    Something else was going to bother him though¡­


    A deep, ceaseless rumbling echoed from the mines¡ªa rhythmic pounding that dug itself into ones bones. Most of the people here were miners, and the sounds of their work echoed constantly through the stone streets. It wasn''t intolerable, but it wasn''t pleasant either.


    For a moment Zaroth imagined having to live in a place such as this. The constant sound of the pickaxes striking against the ore as the miners mined it and even at this high altitude, the air wasn''t clean¡ªpolluted by the mining operations that fed the city.


    It was easy to see why the population was so sparse. Few would choose to remain here if they had the strength or the means to leave.


    As Zaroth walked on the well-constructed streets, he made his way to the first destination: the mines. He wanted to see how they looked up close as he never had seen them.


    "Mom! That is the guy that¡ª"


    A small child, the only other soul on the street, pointed at him with wide eyes before his mother rushed out and yanked him away, panic in her expression.


    If one didn''t include the sounds of the mines, it was deadly quiet¡­ not that it was a surprise.


    It wasn''t hard to imagine as suddenly all of the forces in the city disappeared only for a single man dressed in white robes wearing a demonic white mask to appear and to replace them.


    Then once a large force ready to take the city away had appeared, that strange person had somehow managed to call upon a deadly dragon made out of bones and burned the army away.


    To the civilians, Zaroth must''ve looked like a monster. Here, power was scarce. If anyone with talent lived in this city, they had long since left in search of a better life.


    So one could say that the power difference between Zaroth and the civilians was so vast that it was too big of a gap for the people to not fear him.


    And how did Zaroth take the situation?


    He felt great! It wasn''t because he got off on making the weak scared of him, but as a side effect of his vast power and mysterious new persona, no one was going to bother him at all!


    So Zaroth was left with his thoughts as he took slow and steady steps to the mines.


    ''I am strong¡­'' he viewed himself as strong¡­ yet he had failed to save Althea. When the time to prove his strength had come, he had failed¡­


    When the time to use his strength had come, he had failed.


    When the time to prove his worth to himself had come, he had failed.


    Every time he believed he''d moved forward, even by a single step, life reminded him he was still two steps behind.


    "I am still far too weak." he muttered under his gaze as he began to appreciate the structures around him more and more. He concluded that it was better to not be left alone with his thoughts so he was trying to distract himself somehow.


    As he gazed at the buildings he realized that all of them were of the highest quality. This must be one of the advantages of living in a place like this.


    Even if the constant noise of mining was bothering your ears and the smell of freshly mined ore bothered your nose, the resources they had were a lot so they didn''t spare anything when building their structures.


    As such all of them looked like they would be very hard to be brought down. And even these mighty structures paled in comparison to the mighty walls.


    They were made out of black jagged rock and Zaroth had no idea how it was called but had concluded one thing as he approached them:


    They were strong!


    It was like they were as strong as titanium, if not even stronger!


    How was this possible? Was it strengthened by some kind of magic? It was the only logical answer as the city held great importance.


    Or maybe Zaroth''s knowledge when it came to what was the hardest and toughest materials was pretty limited?


    After some walking, the unpleasant smell got stronger as he finally reached the entrance to one of the mines.


    There were metal carts that were on rails, some were being let down to be filled with the miners'' resources below while others were coming back up full with precious ore ready to be processed.


    "Hey isn''t that¡ª"


    However, it seemed that Zaroth''s presence had a bit too strong of an effect, maybe even stronger than he would have liked to admit, as all the people that were in the mining district froze as they stared at him.


    "Isn''t he the one that stopped the army from reaching us?" one man asked.


    "He? I heard that he didn''t even lift a finger, he had just called upon a dragon out of nowhere and the troops were dead the next second," another man on the shorter side answered.


    "Is he even a human? I can''t see his face from behind the mask."


    "He must be some kind of monster! How else would he be able to call upon a dragon?!"


    "Idiot! Don''t talk like that¡ªit can hear us!"


    It seemed that just by being there, Zaroth was disturbing their work.


    That didn''t last however as¡ª


    "GET BACK TO WORK!" a two-meter-tall man shouted. He was the boss of the miners in the city.


    The miners quickly bowed in apology and got back to work, trying to ignore the scary man. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    After ensuring that they had gone back to work, their boss approached Zaroth.


    Stopping a meter and a half before reaching him, the man smiled awkwardly and bowed, "I am sorry for the actions of these fools, please let them go this once without punishing them!" he pleaded.


    Zaroth took a few seconds to study the features of the man¡ªhe was bald with a dragon tattoo on his head, his frame was large like a wardrobe, and his arms were as thick as a normal person''s waist. He bore countless scars, most likely from the line of his work.


    Looking at him, Zaroth had to admit, ''He is strong!''


    Not only their boss but all of the miners looked like they had very muscular physiques, even surpassing those of most soldiers.


    For a few seconds Zaroth wondered if he should pick up this line of work while he had free time. He lacked real power and he thought that if he began to work with them, then maybe his physique would improve as well.


    "No need to apologize. I guess my presence can be¡­ intimidating," he said.


    As soon as he heard Zaroth''s words, the face of the man showed an expression of shock.


    ''So young!'' he thought. The voice behind the mask didn''t sound like that of a demon nor of an ancient old man that wished to hide his identity, but the voice sounded like it came from a teenager not older than 18¨C19 years of age.


    Seeing that this person that had been sent to protect them was in fact quite friendly made the mood of the man improve significantly.


    Stretching out his hand he offered it for a handshake. "My name is Thomas, nice to meet you!"


    But a second later Thomas eyes narrowed in horror as he saw that it was filthy black due to the ore that he was mining not too long ago. Offering his hand would be the same as dirtying the clean white robes that this man wore.


    ''I really messed up!'' the man thought up in panic, but before he could move it out of the way, Zaroth grabbed it.


    "Nice to meet you too."


    Thomas smiled in a pleasant surprise. Whoever this person was that was protecting them, he was glad that he didn''t seem to arrogant or cruel as the mask suggested.

 Chapter 273 - 273: Echoes of Steel

    Seeing that the mysterious man in front of him was much friendlier than he originally thought, Thomas asked while also making sure to keep his tone polite.


    "So if I may ask, what brings you to our job site?" Sadly, due to his line of work, Thomas forgot that his hearing was partly damaged, so him speaking was more on the line of shouting.


    But Zaroth figured it out pretty much in an instant, so he didn''t hold it against the man.


    "I wanted to explore the city I am protecting, and honestly I have yet to see mining operations from up close so I was pretty curious," Zaroth replied with his usual calm tone.


    Hearing his answer, Thomas couldn''t help but smile. "That''s great! If you want to learn more, you can always come and ask me for details. Is there anything you want to know or see in particular?"


    Seeing that this was his chance to acquire more knowledge when it comes to materials, Zaroth asked, "Yes, first what kind of ores are you mining and how are you processing them?"


    Thomas pointed toward one of the nearby carts and began to explain.


    "Thanks to the vast resources in the mountains, we have multiple mines that allow us to extract a variety of materials. One of the most important is coal. It''s crucial¡ªespecially for the nearby cities where people need to keep warm during the cold seasons. If we stopped operations, it wouldn''t be long before chaos followed."


    "But I am sure that a fighter like you isn''t interested in these kinds of materials." Thomas moved his finger to another cart.


    "One of the more valuable ores we handle is obsidian. It''s not abundant, since it requires deep underground mining¡ªrisky business with poor air quality¡ªbut it''s one of the sturdiest materials for crafting weapons and armor. Especially when mixed with the right combination of other ores."


    "I''m sure you''ve heard of tungsten and titanium, right? We have those too. The weapons a skilled forger could make with them¡­ they''re nothing to scoff at."


    He moved to a third cart.


    "Gold is also of great abundance. The armour and weapons one could create will not be that sturdy but as a trade-off, if enchanted with magic, said magic would have boosted effects. As such, they are great for creating magical gear."


    Zaroth carefully listened to the explanation of the man. After the equipment Elysia had gifted him had been destroyed, he was in dire need of a new one. He doubted that Elysia would have as good equipment as his old one, so Zaroth wanted to buy or even find a person that could create a custom set for him.


    "But, all this pales in comparison to this!" Thomas said with a smile as he gestured for Zaroth to follow.


    They stopped before an unremarkable-looking cart. But the ore inside¡­ it glowed, its color constantly shifting.


    "This is Vanadium¡ªthe greatest ore we can mine here. What makes it so special? It''s not that you can make something powerful with just Vanadium alone, but it can bond with nearly every other material. Want something as strong as titanium, but capable of channeling magic like gold? You use Vanadium to bind it together."


    Zaroth gave an approving nod. "Thanks for the lesson." He turned to leave, having learned plenty for now.


    "Wait!" Thomas called out, making Zaroth''s steps come to a halt.


    "If you''re asking about materials, then you''re probably planning to forge some new gear, right? If that''s the case, I can recommend someone¡ªa forger. The best in the city."


    Zaroth was hesitant for a moment. Was Thomas a person that just wanted to sell him some bullcrap? There was certainly a possibility.


    But in the end, he decided there was no harm in checking it out.


    Following the directions Thomas gave him, Zaroth arrived at a building with the name "Otherworldly Forger" carved into its stone frame.


    "Well, this better be worth it," he muttered as he opened the door and entered.


    A soft chime rang out as the door swung open, the bell above it letting out a clean, melodic sound.


    Immediately, his eyes narrowed as he heard the loud pounding of metal happening in the other room. It seemed that the forger was busy at the moment crafting another of his creations. Since Zaroth wanted to speak to the man directly, he was going to have to wait for a little while.


    "Welcome to¡ª" a small petite girl with brown hair and green eyes began to speak as she saw that they had a new customer, but the moment she realized who it was, her words got caught in her throat out of fear.


    Zaroth didn''t pay her any mind as he went about to appraise the weapons and armours on display.


    Most of the weapons were fairly standard: swords, axes, clubs. The same went for the armor¡ªdivided into two main categories. Heavy sets offered high protection, capable of withstanding a lethal blow or two. Light armor, on the other hand, wouldn''t block much¡ªbut it allowed for speed and agility.


    ''I need to buy at least a leather armour. As things stand right now, I am wearing just robes. While they look cool, they do not protect me at all. I can put the armour below the robes, and my appearance would not change at all while my protection would at least not be barebones.'' S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    While the armours were not too bad, the same could not be said about the weapons as most of them looked rather generic¡­ that was until Zaroth spotted a few special-looking ones that were locked behind some kind of special protective glass.


    Taking a step forward, Zaroth began to study them. These ones were rather different. Some were made from gold, so they no doubt had magic qualities to them, while others looked so sharp as if one could be cut by just lightly touching them.


    While Zaroth was busy looking at the things on display, the petite girl was hiding behind the counter. From time to time there were a few arrogant pricks that would enter and try to steal something, and the girl would stop them in their tracks as she was stronger that she looked, but one glance at the man that was hiding his face behind the white demonic mask told her that no matter how much she tried, she would not be able to stop this man from doing whatever he wished.


    One look, and she knew. If he wanted to steal everything in the forge, no one¡ªnot even the boss¡ªcould stop him.


    ''Boss! Please come out already!'' she pleaded silently.


    Unknowing that his presence was causing the poor girl to have a mild panic attack, Zaroth awaited for the forger to come out.


    After some minutes, finally the person in the back was done, so he exited his work room wanting to see who had just entered.


    Zaroth shifted his gaze to the man as well, curious about how he looked.


    Two meters, bald with not a hint of any kind of beard on his face. A very visible dragon tattoo on his bald head.


    At this moment, Zaroth understood why Thomas had recommended this place¡ªthe forger was obviously his twin!

 Chapter 274 - 274: The Devil’s Commission

    Had Thomas recommended this place simply because of their blood bond, or was what he said about his twin being the best forger in the city actually true? There was only one way to find out.


    "Hello, I have been recommended to come to this place by Thomas, saying that this is the best forger in the city." Zaroth was the first to break the awkward silence. He was speaking calmly as ever while making sure to up the tone a bit, since this man most likely had troubles hearing like his twin as well.


    For a few seconds, the forger looked at Zaroth with caution.


    ''Thomas, I know that you like to recommend me to the travelers that rarely come here, but how did you manage to convince this devil as well?!'' the man thought.


    It wasn''t like he knew Zaroth personally, but considering that he was the reason the city was still standing and the white demicon mask he wore gave quite the impression.


    Still, that doubt in his heart did not appear on his face as he flashed a smile. "Welcome. I''m Torin, the forger of this humble establishment. Is there anything I can help you with?"


    Zaroth stepped forward, unsheathed a white odachi from behind his back, and presented it.


    "What do you think about this weapon?" he asked.


    When he bought the weapon while he was still in the capital, Zaroth didn''t pay that much of a sum for it, so he knew that it wasn''t all that impressive. Right now, he was testing the forger. If he knew that this weapon wasn''t good, then it would show that he was indeed experienced.


    Of course, there was the possibility that he knew the weapon wasn''t good but was too intimidated by Zaroth''s presence to tell him straight in the face, which would make Zaroth not want to commend the man for anything.


    If Torin didn''t have the guts to speak honestly, Zaroth had no interest in working with him.


    Torin hesitated for a moment before accepting the weapon. He examined it closely, narrowing his eyes as he turned it in his hands, checking it from multiple angles. He tapped the blade in a few places, listening to the sound, testing its durability.


    "If I may ask, why did you buy this weapon?" he said at last.


    Zaroth answered honestly, "Because it matched my style and was the only white odachi I could find."


    Torin was taken aback for a few seconds by Zaroth''s honest answer and then erupted into laughter.


    "Oh, you''re honest. That''s a good trait to have!" he said, wiping a tear from his eye.


    Zaroth didn''t consider himself particularly honest. He just didn''t see the point in lying when there was no benefit.


    "Honestly, this weapon has a good outer appearance, but in terms of quality... it''s subpar at best."


    Hearing the conclusion of the man, Zaroth smiled behind the white mask. Now he knew that Torin was not all talk.


    "Then could I commission a similar odachi to be created, but of the highest quality you can create?"


    Torin''s laughter faded as he gave Zaroth a long, assessing look. Only now did he realize the voice behind the mask sounded unusually young.


    "I can. But if we''re talking about the absolute best I can create, it''ll take time¡ªand it won''t be cheap. The cost could exceed a hundred gold coins."


    Since Zaroth was far away from the capital, that meant that his bracelet would no longer work as it was out of signal, so the people used gold, silver, and bronze coins to make trading possible.


    Credits in the capital were just a more convenient way for the people to make trade with, but here it was not possible.


    Zaroth was hesitating for a few moments. He had converted the credits he had to gold coins, so he had a lot more than he could have ever imagined owning before entering the capital, but that didn''t mean he would spend them all irresponsibly.


    "I don''t care about the price as long as the work is worth it." Zaroth replied calmly.


    Torin''s eyes narrowed slightly. If this masked traveler was serious, this might be one of the most important commissions of his career.


    He gestured toward a back room. "Then let''s discuss the specifics in the forge."


    Zaroth nodded in agreement to the man''s suggestion and entered with him. Meanwhile, the petite girl let out a sigh of relief as she wasn''t looking at the scary demon anymore.


    ''His appearance was terrifying... but his voice was kind of cute¡­'' she thought before shaking her head.


    Inside the forge, Zaroth was immediately struck by the oppressive heat of the room.


    "Don''t mind it," Torin said reassuringly. "It has to be hot to make weapons like these."


    They crossed the room, and Torin gestured for him to sit. He took a seat across from Zaroth.


    "So what do you want exactly?" Torin asked.


    "First, the weapon has to be durable¡ªnearly unbreakable, or at least extremely hard to damage. It must be lightweight enough for extended use without wearing me down. It would also be ideal if it could carry magical properties."


    After a few seconds, Zaroth added, "And if it''s possible to apply a poison during the forging process, that would be ideal. Don''t worry about the poison itself ¡ª I already have it with me. You just need to infuse it into the blade."


    Hearing Zaroth''s grand request, Torin let out a sigh as he looked at the ceiling with his two hands behind his head. He was deep in thought. S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "To make it hard to break, it has to be flexible, not firm. To have a good magic quality, a fair amount of gold has to be used. It also has to be lightweight, and because I will have to use vanadium, it will be hard to achieve, and if I''m to infuse it with poison during the forging process... well, that makes it an even greater challenge,"


    Zaroth waited patiently for the man to finish his thinking.


    "It could work¡­ but the materials would be really expensive, and it will require at least three days of constant forging to make it possible," Torin spoke as he gazed at Zaroth.


    "I see¡­ before we proceed, I want to ask: what makes you the best in the city?"


    Hearing the question, Torin grinned with pride. "My class and my blessing. Both allow me to create gear no one else can match in this region."


    For a moment his eyes fell to the ground. "But because few people are coming here and most of them are poor, I am forced to make subpar weapons at best. Otherwise, the price would be too grand for the people here to afford."


    ''So this is why most of the weapons on display were subpar... most people wouldn''t be able to afford them otherwise,'' Zaroth thought.


    After careful consideration, Zaroth pulled out a small vial filled with Hellweaver poison. "Well then, I commission you for the work, and here is the poison I was talking about."


    Seeing that Zaroth was really serious about the commission, Torin''s face lit up again. For the first time in a long while, he felt the spark of excitement. He was finally going to craft something beyond his limits.